Happy Birthday, Aunt Cari!

We hope you have a great day celebrating!!

We love you!
Mark, Michelle, and Jack

We're in GR!

Mom, Linds, and I made our way up to Grand Rapids today for our summer girls trip-of course with one special little boy along! He was so sweet on the plane again, and I am so thankful!

We tried to get a picture with the pilot, but he wasn't to sure about that! I think because the pilot made his belly cold! :)

He's having a great time already, but he misses his daddy!!

Still Practicing!

We’re still practicing sitting up, and he’s getting better! He can sit by himself for about 30 seconds-or until something fun catches his eye! He’ll reach for whatever it is, and then he loses his balance!

He’s also talking a lot! He squeals, and coos, and makes all kind of new, fun sounds! He changes his inflection a lot, and it’s fun to watch him-he always looks so proud of himself!

He decided to focus on his lovey and fell over, but he didn’t take his eye off the prize!Do you see that sweet tongue? I think he just recently found that!

Pool time!

We headed out to the Black’s pool yesterday with Meredith, Amy, and Uncle Doug, and Jack took his first swim! He fussed for a second-the water was cold compared to his bath water!-but then he seemed to enjoy himself! He splashed and smiled and laughed, and for the most part just hung out in one of our laps. He swam so hard that he wore himself out and took a nap in my arms-I was LOVING that! We had a great time and enjoyed relaxing outdoors on a beautiful Saturday. Thanks for inviting us, Amy, and thanks for having us, Mary and Jack!

Happy Birthday, Emmie!!

We hope you have a great day turning three and get to eat some more yummy cake!

We love you!
Mark, Michelle, and Jack

Second Attempt

We tried to feed Jack some baby food again-tonight, the menu was oatmeal and butternut squash-YUM! I’ve been told to put a little of the fruit or vegetable on the spoon with the oatmeal cereal to help give it a flavor, so that’s what we did. Jack did not like that! Maybe he already has a food thing like his momma-not wanting his food to touch! :) We tried each separately as well, but still no luck. I know it’s way too early to tell, but if he’s a picky eater, he’ll come by it rightly!

When Mark and I sat down to eat, Jack had his eyes on us and was reaching for our salads. I really do think he’s ready for food, just unsure of what we’re doing. I know we have to continue to introduce the foods to him, so we’ll keep trying!

He’s just as happy eating his toes right now! :)

Play Time!

Mark and I had a date night last night, but before we left, we got some good play time in with our little guy-one of the best parts of the day! Mark had Jack, and they were bouncing around, and Jack thought that was the funniest thing! He was squealing and laughing and having the best time! It was so fun to watch, and of course that little laugh was infectious!

They were both having SO much fun, I mean what's not to love about a smiling daddy and a laughing baby? I smile just thinking about that sweet little laugh! We let him play on the floor for a bit, rolling around and playing with his toes.Did I mention how much I love those sweet little toes?!?!We also practiced sitting up again, and he did such a great job! I sat him up and put his hands in front of him for balance. I don’t think he was too sure of this new view of the world at first, but he stayed like that for a good 30 seconds or so- -and decided that he liked it! Great job, buddy!

21 weeks, 5 days

Five Months Old

So, baby boy, you’ve been the light of our lives for the last five months, and we can honestly say that we have never been happier! Each day is something new, and we love, love learning about you!

Your little personality has really come out this month, and it is so neat to watch! You are still a laid back boy and are so funny! We can tell when you want to play and when you’re ready to rest. You’ve gotten really good at reaching for your toys, and, you guessed it, putting them directly into your mouth! That does come in useful for you when you’re resting and you’ve taken your paci out-now you can put it back in by yourself! And you do this funny thing where you chew on your paci with your bottom teeth only!

Your daddy read that you are probably about to be at the stage where you prefer mommy or daddy over others. While we want you to be a happy boy in the arms of all who love you, I think we’ll secretly love that! :)

At night time you still sleep like a champ. You still nurse for the last time at 7pm and go to bed at about 8pm. Some nights you’re just not ready to sleep, so you lay with us and wind down for a little bit. That is such a precious time for us! At five months, you still like to be swaddled. Dr. Trey said that’s just fine, so we’ll keep it up until you’re ready! We think we do a good job of getting you snuggly wrapped, but we love to go get you in the morning and see where in your crib you’ve managed to get to, and how much of your blanket you still have on!

This month we tried rice cereal, and you did not like it! I bought some oatmeal today, and we’ll give it a shot when we get back from Michigan, if not sooner. You’re about to go on your second plane ride to GR!!

You’re SO happy when you’re playing with your daddy, and the two of you are just too funny!

After playing in your exersaucer for a while now, you’ve learned a few animal noises. You guys go through all five of them each morning, and the lion is your favorite! I LOVE that sweet laugh-your daddy gets it every time!

Even though we usually call you everything but, I think you know your name now! You’ve also started reaching for us just a little bit, and when you do it for real, I think I’ll completely melt!

You are such a gift, little one! We are totally amazed at what God has created and are so thankful that you were given to us!! We love you more today than yesterday!

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

The new Bumbo ad!?

So my dad's not at all biased and thinks this is the new face of Bumbo! :) Jack does love it, and we've gotten great use out of it, so I would be more than happy to give it a great review!! I think he likes the view he has sitting up, and now that he can reach his feet, he's quite entertained!

We enjoyed lunch and the British Open today with Grandma and Grandpa Thomas and Uncle Doug. Thanks so much for coming up to visit and for the farm animal toys you brought for Jack! For now, they go directly into his mouth, but I know he'll figure out that they make sounds soon!

When they left, we all got to take a Sunday snooze, including a power nap from our little man-sleeping from 1:30 to 3:45, waking to eat at 4, and then falling back asleep until 5:30. I guess he was still catching up from all the excitement he had yesterday at Emmie's party! :)

I found out about Windows Live Writer from a photography blog that I read, so I downloded it and wanted to try it out with one of my new favorite pictures. It has some pretty neat features, and it is very user friendly! Give it a try-I bet you'll like it!

Jack will be five months old tomorrow, (I can't believe it's been FIVE MONTHS already!!) , and Mark and I can truly say that this little man has stolen our hearts! We love every minute with you, buddy!

Jack's toes

Since he figured out that his toes can go in his mouth on Wednesday night, he's been having a great time playing with them!! "Mommy, you mean these toes are mine, for good?" "Yeah! That makes me SO happy!!!"You make us so happy too, Jack a Roo!!

Emmie's 3rd Birthday Party

Jack and I headed to Fort Mill to celebrate Emmie's upcoming 3rd birthday with her, her family, and her friends. She had the Fun Bus come, and the kids looked like they had F-U-N!Emmie's cousin, Sarah Beth, was so happy to be there to celebrate! The Ward family has two girls, and only grandgirls, so baby Christian will be quite the little prince when he makes his arrival soon! Laurie did a monkey themed party complete with banana sugar cookies and a precious monkey cake-it matched the invitation perfectly!When Laurie was lighting the candles, Emmie was saying, "It's my birthday! It's MY birthday!" I wonder if she knows they'll be singing to her again for her real birthday in a few short days!! Encouraged by her Aunt Lindy, the birthday girl snuck a little taste of the cake! It's her party-she's allowed to, right? :)After she opened all the other gifts, Laurie let her know there was one more outside from mommy and daddy. As soon as she spotted it, she gasped for breath and then ran to her Barbie Jeep! She was so excited! She got in, put her foot on the pedal, and went in reverse! Cliff immediately ran to the rescue!Thanks for having us to your party, Emmie!! We had a great time, and look forward to seeing you soon! You'll be a big sister then, and a great one, we know!
Love,
Jack and Michelle

On Saturday mornings,

Jack likes to catch up on his reading--his book is very interesting!  

I knew it was coming!

After a busy afternoon playing with his daddy, they relaxed outside for a bit-please look at that milk belly! :)-and then it was bath time-one of Jack's favortie things!He played for a bit, and then I got him out, dried him off, and was putting lotion on him when he grabbed for his feet and put them directly into his mouth! I knew it would be any day now since he loves playing with his toes and everything else goes directly into his mouth!

   20 weeks, 5 days

This Boy of Ours

This boy of ours-I love him. I love that when I look at him now, I can see a bit of his daddy in him. They have a lot of the same facial expressions, and I love that!I love that he is so happy and so playful. I changed him into his jammies tonight, and then we played in his room. He kept flipping from back to belly and then smiling with pride when he pushed himself up. I love that he shows us such joy in all the little things.I love that he's so easy-going and willing to learn new things. We practiced sitting up again, and Jack showed us how flexible he is!Jack, I love that you're such a little cuddle bug. You've started wrapping both arms around us, and we take that as a big bear hug!! I think you're getting close to reaching for us--that's going to melt my heart!And of course I still LOVE those little baby toes! You've been using them to stand with for about a month now, and they're starting to become ticklish!Jack, you have made your daddy and me SO happy! We thank God for you each day and LOVE, LOVE each moment that we have with you!

Practicing

He's not there yet, but we're practicing sitting up. Jack's taking this very seriously! 

20 weeks, 3 days

Emory's 2nd Birthday Party

After church, brunch, and a short nap, Jack and I were off to his first birthday party--Emory's! She had an Art Party, and Amy went all out! There were markers, crayons, paints, fruit loop necklaces-even a jumbo crayon cake and candy coated pretzel crayons!This little two year old is as sweet as can be, and has the cutest expressions. I caught a few as she was working on opening a marker. She got it by herself, as you can see by her excitement! She wasn't so sure about everyone singing to her, but quickly forgot about that and enjoyed her birthday cake! After the break for the birthday song, Emory got right back to coloring. With the help of her Aunts, she created a few masterpieces, I'm sure!  She had fun playing with her granddaddy too! Emory sent her friends off with a sweet gift of a book about colors, some candy coated pretzel crayons, and a mommy-made crayon roll! How perfect and how thoughtful! Thanks, Em! I think the birthday girl, and all of her friends, had a great time! Jack sure did! Thank you, Emory, for having us at your party! We loved celebrating with you and your family! Happy two years--I can't believe it's been that long! Love,
Jack and Michelle