Tubes Part Deaux

So, we had yet another surgery this morning.  My poor little buddy.  He's been having some pretty serious ear infections since November, so the tubes weren't doing their job.  So, we were up early this morning and off to the hospital.  I thought that the doctor was only going to replace the tube on the left side, but he took a peek on the right side while Jack was under anesthesia and it turned out that both tubes were pushed out from his ears, tipped on their sides, and plugged up.  I can't imagine how miserable my little man must have been.  Plus, the doctor said that there was a lot of gunk and fluid build-up behind both ear drums.  So, they sucked that out as well.  I don't love the idea of Jack having all this surgery, but I guess this was a good thing.  Again, the surgery was quick - and Jack came through like a champ.  He also managed to charm everyone in the surgery center.  The nurses were coming by our room, asking if they could hold him or walk him around the surgical floor.  He was, of course, happy to oblige.  

Anyways, they took him back for surgery about 7:30, and we were home before 9:00 this morning.  When they brought him back from the operating room, he was pretty groggy and was content to just lay in my arms, which I soaked up.  I never get a good cuddle with my man unless he's sound asleep.    

So, we got home and Jack had some breakfast.  Afterwards, he went down from a nice nap and I got a bunch of work done.  When he woke up, we had some lunch, a little play time and then we had to go to Target to pick up a prescription for his ear drops.  When we got home, we had some more play time, and then Jack and I made chocolate chip cookies.  It wasn't a terribly exciting day, but it was a good day.   

So here's the thing - I know we've been struggling with these ear infections for the past few months.  It's a lot of work for our entire family.  When Jack gets sick, one of us has to go and get him from school.  This can jamb us up, especially if both Jeff and I are due in court and we get that call from school, telling us that Jack has a fever.  Last week, we were fortunate enough that Papa Puff was able to go and get Jack from his school.  Anyways, then we've got to go to the doctor to get a prescription for an antibiotic.  I knew he had an ear infection last week and I tried to finagle a prescription from the on-call doctor over the phone.  It didn't work.  I've also probably been labeled as an antibiotic drug seeker now.  Anyways, Jack can't go back to school until he's been fever-free for twenty-four hours, so someone has to stay home with him the next day.  Yes, this is a lot of time off and effort, but let's not forget that these ear infections are extremely painful for my tiny man. 

So, this afternoon, after Jack woke up from his nap, I could tell something was different about him.  He was happier, more affectionate, and could not keep from smiling.  He was also more chatty.  All of a sudden, it dawned on me - he could hear again.  Think about it - he had tubes blocking his ear canals and they were plugged on top of it.  While I'm sure he was in almost constant pain, I don't think he could hear very well.  So, the doctor gets rid of the gunk, replaces the tubes, and all the crud drains out of his head.  Gone are the painful ears and the hearing returns.  And all of a sudden, my child is happy and insanely energetic.  I will always see this as a blessing, even if it's completely exhausting.  Grandma Terry says that maybe now that he can hear, he'll start listening to me and stop throwing his food off his high chair...now if we could only get him to stop using his food as face paint...

     

Jeff stayed with us until Jack got out of surgery and then headed off to work.  He's playing in a flag football league with his firm and they have their first game tonight.  I've got to head up to Bemidji tomorrow morning for a deposition, so he'll be home all day tomorrow with Jack. 

Anyways, Jack hit his fourteen month milestone on Tuesday.  I love being able to go back to a year ago and look at those pictures just to see how much he's grown.  It's kind of odd - even though I know he's like quadrupled in size over the past year, I don't really see the changes.  He has always been my sweet little man, I guess.  Big mama's boy.  I'm also really happy I've kept up with writing in this blog.   

Everyone says he looks just like his daddy, but for some reason, I just don't see it.  To me, he's just my sweet Jack.  So, even if he may look like a Storms, his mannerisms are all Kopperud.  Jack loves to clean.  You'd think that I'm joking, but I'm not.  The other morning, Jack wouldn't let Jeff get him out of his crib until his "guys" were put away and his blanket was folded.  He loves to use the Swiffer around the kitchen.  And he's also really good at picking up after himself.  He's fourteen months old and knows how to put away his toys.  Everything has a "place" for him.  This morning, he was picking up lint and things off the floor at the hospital.  He also does this at home.  Sometimes, he throws the stuff in the garbage, but mostly he just hands whatever he's picked up to me to throw away.  

Anyways, we have a fairly low key weekend ahead of us.  I think that Jack is going to be just fine, but it's going to be cold outside, and he's still getting over some kind of crud.  Jeff is traveling all next week, so I'll be a single parent for a few days and then I head out to San Diego on Friday.  I'm actually looking forward to it... and maybe now that Jack can hear, he'll learn some new words while I'm gone!   

Deep Freeze

Holy crap on a cracker, it's cold outside. 

 

But what am I talking about?  This is Minnesota - the reason that parkas, mittens, and snow boots exist.  I would say that I don't mind living in this state fifty weeks out of the year.  These next two weeks are the exception.  I had a deposition this morning, and I literally stood inside the office building for about five minutes, trying to muster up the courage to step outside.  And do you know what's sad?  I remember years when it was much, much colder... I'm starting to sound dated as I can now say, "When I was your age, I remember the State shutting down because it was too cold and dangerous for anyone to venture outdoors!"  A sad commentary on so many levels. 

The good news is that the weather won't last forever and we managed to make it through the weekend and be sufficiently entertained.  I am constantly searching the Internet for fun things to do with an active little boy.  He needs to run, climb, bang, and play.  Legitimately, he needs this.  But my downfall is the fact that I'm entranced by words such as "fun area for little ones" or "activities for your little toddler."  These phrases get me every time, and I will waste any amount of gas to get to said location. 

So, I decided it was warm enough yesterday afternoon to take Jack to the Edinborough Park in Edina.  The website painted this magical picture in my mind's eye of a giant indoor play area, with a "Tot Area"  which included climbing, crawling, sliding and even bouncing in an inflatable air bounce geared just for them!  By the way, I just stole this off their website.  But, I'm like any other parent and when we got to the park it was, predictably, packed.  And here's the other thing - the "Tot Area" was small.  There were signs all over the place indicating that only children four years and younger could play in the "Tot Area."  Unfortunately, the place was overrun with children much bigger than four years old.*  Furthermore, I have concerns that these bigger children were raised by wolves because even I was frightened.  So, let me paint you a picture:  Here's my little boy - almost fourteen months old and insanely proud of himself for figuring out how to climb up a foam-type ladder to get to the baby slide.  He puts his hands on the floor to push himself to standing when Big Bertha (that's what I called her yesterday) comes tearing up the baby ladder and literally body checks Jack into the mesh netting.  He slams against it and then falls to the ground.  Tears ensue.  This is likely why the park lined its structures with mesh netting - for incidents such as these.  Big Bertha throws her large adult-like body down the baby slide, completely ignorant of the fact that she just slammed a kid with her supple booty.  And yet another problem - I can't get to my kid because I've got little vipers running all around my legs, the entire structure is encased in child-friendly mesh netting and I'm afraid I'm going to kick a flailing child if I move.  Awful. 

So, I asked my parents last night - at what point do you start laying down the law with other children?  I was told, emphatically, that you NEVER discipline another child but you should, instead, go talk to the parent.  But here was yesterday's problem - Big Bertha's parents were nowhere in sight.  At least I didn't see any wolves roaming the park.  I did find a frazzled mom hiding underneath some climbing equipment reading "W" magazine though.  In truth, I don't really blame the parents all THAT much.  This park was massive and you bring your kids to a place like this so they can go nuts.  If you have an older child, I don't really expect that as a parent, you would need to watch your child all the time.  And maybe it's my job to approach places like this with a sense of caution.  After all, I am Jack's only protector.  I know better than anyone how I can keep him safe. 

But maybe it goes a little bit deeper.  Maybe parents should be telling their children that they shouldn't play in the "Tot Area" or maybe they should have been brought up to understand that babies need space and to be gentle around them.  But then again, who am I kidding?  I have an aggressive kid on my hands and this will be my lot in life in just a few short years.  I guarantee you I'll be the mom huddling under the slide, clutching an old People magazine that I haven't been able to read because I've been trying not to get eaten alive by my wolf-children.  And maybe Jack can handle himself.  A few minutes after Big Bertha ran off, Jack was shoving some other large man-child away from something he wanted to play with.  The only difference is that I was there to correct the behavior. 

 The one large disappointment yesterday was the "inflatable air bounce" just for the little ones.  I thought Jack would love this, especially since he seems to fascinated with jumping up and down in his crib, on my lap, and on our bed.  If the "Tot Area" taught me anything, it was that kids can't read or really don't care all that much.  I eventually found the toddler air bounce, and every time I tried to put Jack into it so he could do a little jumping, Big Bertha and her crew (or any variation of the same) seemed to be snaking up behind me and slamming their large bodies into the tiny "toddler" air bounce.  Let me tell you something - if Jack can get body checked on a foamy-roller-slide-thing, could you imagine if I had let him bounce around with the big kids?  He'd be missing what very few teeth he has. 

I shouldn't say that it was a complete bust though - and we'll probably go back at some point.  Jack really did have fun.  And when the "Tot Area" was filled with age-appropriate children, he had a blast.  In fact, he kept running up to me every once and a while, throwing his arms around my neck, as if he was thanking me for bringing him to this wondrous place.  And, save the tears that were shed yesterday, he didn't stop smiling the entire time we were there. 

Now here's the one thing about Jack - the kid is observant.  At the park, there was also something called the "Great Hall" which was really just a gym with balls and scooters.  We played for a little bit in there until the wolves (I mean the big kids) started thinking it was a good idea to play a game called "Let's See How High I Can Punt This Basketball" which set off warning bells in my mom brain.    But, while we were there, Jack walked over to a bunch of older boys who were shooting baskets.  He stood there and watched them for several minutes.  Finally, a ball bounced his way.  He picked it up and tried to shoot a bucket.  It was a really amazing thing to watch.  Not because my child possess an insane amount of athletic prowess, but because he's learning how to do things by watching others - yet another thing I should remain mindful of. 

I mean, how cool is that?  You can actually see him trying to figure out what to do.  He may or may not have also wanted to go swimming in the pool.  When I showed this video to Jeff last night, he was somewhat appalled that I had taken our kid to a place as insane as this one was, but after watching for a few minutes, he commented that Jack really has no fear. 

We, at the Storms house, are also all sick.  Every last one of us, save Blue.  I have a sinus infection, Jack has another ear infection, and Jeff stayed home from work today.  It would seem as though, in light of the cold and our colds, we should be staying indoors and huddling in the basement.  While this is likely what Jeff is doing as I type this, I am sitting at my office computer and Jack is at another day of Grammy Camp.  This will be his last one for a while as my parents are jetting off to their house in Bend on Saturday. 

Speaking of vacations, I also booked a ticket to meet Jeff in San Diego the second weekend of February.  I will be gone from Jack for just over sixty hours (yes, I counted them) and I am so nervous.  Truth be told, I'm not nervous about leaving him.  In actuality, I feel really guilty.  He's staying with Miss Steph, his most FAVORITE teacher at school and she's staying with him at our house, so there really won't be too much change in his routine.  In fact, my heart has been breaking a little bit.  Every time I picked him up from school last week, he kept running back into his classroom to tell Miss Steph one more thing or give her one more hug.  This is both a blessing and the dreaded Mommy-curse.  I am so glad that he loves school.  It's such a relief to know he is excited to go to school every day and that he is well-cared for when he's there.  But alas, it's not by me.  He's going to be moving up classrooms in a few months, and I hope everyone in his new room is just as wonderful.  But, I secretly hope that he will return to liking his mommy best.   

Finally, Jack's vocabulary has broadened a bit - he said "cheese" the other night when I was cutting up a cheese stick for him.  I know I've declared his "first word" about a dozen times, but this was definitely something he pointed to and identified.  Although, his baby banter is quite nonsensical at this point, so it might have, yet again, been merely coincidence.  I will have to try to see if he does it again tonight. 

And so, I'm going to hunker down and try and stay as warm as possible for the rest of the week.  On Saturday, we're trying out a new baby sitter and Jeff and I are going to dinner at a friend's house.  Then, I've got a brunch and my cousins are coming over for dinner on Sunday.  So, all in all, if I can keep from turning into a Popsicle, we have yet another great weekend ahead of us. 

*Side note:  When I was a kid, I would have never played in the "baby area" because that would have been totally lame, but whatever.  And furthermore, why these older kids (I'm talking like between seven and ten years old) would have actually enjoyed playing on the little baby slide is beyond me.    

Jack's First Haircut

I'd finally had enough of the mullet.  It simply had to go.  So, on Saturday, we packed up and headed over to the Eden Prairie Center for Jack's first hair cut. 

 

He did not like it. 

 

Jack was more than entertained by the endless supply of toys and bubbles that the stylists gave him - and he was completely enthralled in between snips.  But, the minute that comb went through his hair, he started to scream.  Obviously, it didn't hurt him, but I don't know why he got so upset.  I have a feeling that it has to do, however, with the endless prodding and poking he's been subjected to because of his constant ear infections.  So maybe I don't blame him. 

 

 

 

Afterwards, we tried to have some play time in the kids area at the mall, but Jack was more interested in riding the escalators with his daddy.  Seriously, I should have gotten a picture of this because it was really cute.  He would look at Jeff and gesture towards the escalators.  So, Jeff would walk over there with him, help him on, and hold his hand while riding up the escalators.  Jack looked absolutely mesmerized with the whole process.  Daddy would, of course, carry him while going down. 

 

Since Jack wasn't really interested in playing, we spent some time walking around the mall.  We were really looking for an entertainment center for the basement.  We went all over the place - or at least it felt like it.  Anyways, Jeff ended up finding one at Schneidermann's after I went home to put Jack down for a nap.  When he woke up, we went over to my grandparent's house.  Jack had so much fun explaining "Pat the Bunny" to them. 

 

 

 

On Sunday, we had to stay home.  It was freezing.  I had plans to take Jack to church and then to go swimming after his nap, but it was honestly too cold to take him outside.  I wasn't worried so much about getting anywhere, but the fact that we'd have to get back into a cold car really made me nervous.  So, we stayed close to home and somehow managed to not go stir-crazy.  I think that Jack is as used to buzzing around as we are, so I think he was getting a little cranky by Sunday night.  I tried to get him interested in some art projects - like water colors and Play-Doh - but he wasn't really having it.  In fact, I think he was kind of turned off by the Play-Doh.  I don't really think he liked the way it felt.  I thought he would have loved pounding it, but mostly he kept handing it to me with his thumb and pointer finger, like it was a snotty tissue or something... 

 

 

We've also hit kind of a rough patch with Jack.  I mentioned last week that we've finally started to "parent" Jack as opposed to simply caring for him.  This has become especially true this week.  He's started pitching his food off his high chair.  I can't figure out if it's because he wants attention, if he does it only when he's full, or if he simply thinks its funny.  I'm inclined to think its a combination of all three. 

 

 

I've worked on this all week with him.  He just laughs in my face every time I  get cross with him.  As a result, I've started taking away his tray and feeding him one piece of food at a time.  This is frustrating because he doesn't get the independence he wants and meal times end up taking an hour and a half.  I know that this is a phase and yes, this too shall pass, but it's frustrating. 

 

He also knows a lot more than he lets on.  He knows when he's not supposed to do something.  For example, last night he walked over to Blue's dishes and wanted to dump all the water out.  Obviously, this is a big no-no.  I watched him walk over, gave him a warning, and told him that he should not touch Blue's dishes.  Jack looked at me and almost threw me a defiant stare before tipping the dog bowls onto the floor.  Of course, this resulted in a time-out.  He knows what those are too.  He has to sit on his "naughty mat" for thirty seconds or until I get him.  The "naughty mat" is really just a rug, but he gets it.  Especially since he wails for "mamamama" until I come back to get him and we make up.  I know we will get there and this is only the start of a lifetime of teaching right from wrong.  I am trying to be constant in my enforcement as well since that's the only way any of us will learn. 

 

I'll let you in on a little secret though - it's really hard to be consistent in parenting.  I don't know if this is because I'm working full-time, but I feel so guilty sometimes when I have to discipline Jack.  I get so little time with him on a daily basis, that I feel bad when I have to stick him in time-out.  I want our nights to be happy affairs, not ones filled with misbehaving, punishment, and tears. 

 

And finally, in other big news, Jeff and I finally finished our basement - or nearly.  We still need to hang some pictures (read: purchase artwork) but all the furniture is in, the television is hooked up, and I think we've got most of the decorating done.  I went for a "minimalist" approach because we have a very curious little boy and a puppy that follows him wherever he goes... The theory is, if they can grab it, they will, and something will, inevitably get ruined. 

 

 

I should take a minute to talk about our Blue Barry (say that out loud - you'll get it).  I can't say it enough, but man, is he a good dog.  For the first two years of Maverick's short life, it was a full-time job to exercise him.  We used to go to the dog park every afternoon.  He would run around for like two hours and then come home and still need to run laps around the house.  Blue has his moments, but for the most part, he just wants to lay around with the family.  He likes chewing his bones and he just loves Jack. 

 

His one odd behavior - Blue sleeps on the floor in our bedroom.  We had him in a crate for a while, but he would start whining in the middle of the night - either to go out or because he was done with resting and wanted to eat his breakfast.  So, we put a dog bed in our bedroom.  Blue sometimes sleeps on this.  Sometimes he'll go into his crate to sleep, but for the most part, he alternates every few hours between my side of the bed and Jeff's side.  So, when he wants to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, he'll walk over to Jeff's side of the bed (never mine, mind you) and gently nudge Jeff to wake him up.  I think that's a sign of a pretty smart dog. 

 

Now this is where it gets a little bit annoying.  Dogs can tell time, and don't try to tell me they can't, because every dog I've ever owned knows when it's getting close to meal time.  So, Blue will start his pacing at about 5:30 in the morning.  He'll go from one side of the bed to the other and I think he's trying to tell if one of us is awake.  We are, of course, because it's pretty hard to sleep through the clacking of his nails on our bedroom floor.  If I roll over, for example, he'll come over to the side of my bed, put his paws up and gently nose my head or my hand to try and get me to wake up.  After about twenty minutes of his, Blue takes matters into his own paws and climbs up onto the bed to actually wake us up.  This morning he climbed up on my side, and went to sit on Jeff's chest.  And then, it's impossible to pretend you're still sleeping with a thirty-pound Golden Retriever inhibiting your ability to breathe.  It's almost become a game.  Every morning, I can tell that Jeff is awake but both of us try to lie as still as possible because we don't want Blue to know we're awake.  I've laid in bed with a full bladder because I don't want to get up just yet.  And we've started to give Blue a voice as well, "Hey guys, guys!  You guys awake?"  or "Hey guys, I saw you move.  Can I eat yet?" 

 

And so that's it.  We're meeting a friend tomorrow at the Mall of America for some shopping and it's supposed to be cold again on Sunday, so I am glad that we have our nice, warm basement done so we can hibernate. 

Running Ragged

My mom always comments that she knows why we are supposed to have children when we're young.  I suppose I agree with this, although I really don't have anything to compare it to.  But, if that's the case, I think I should have had a kid ten years ago.  My sweet boy is incredibly curious about the world and constantly wants to explore and figure things out - and this fascinates me to no end - I love watching his face when he finally learns something new.  But, would it kill the kid to sit down and watch an episode of Mickey's Clubhouse once and a while?  Or, perhaps, play with a toy for more than thirty seconds? 

 

Because I have such an active child, I am always looking for things to do with him to keep him busy, interested, and will - hopefully - wear him out.  On Saturday, we did our usual chores and then Jack and I went swimming up at the Plymouth Lifetime Fitness.  He had so much fun - and I do have quite the water baby on my hands!  The children's pool has a zero depth entrance, and most of the kids that were there on Saturday were running into the pool.  Jack watched this with great interest and tried to do this on a couple of occasions, but ended up face planting into the water.  This made him very frustrated.  Still, we had a great time swimming, playing with the mushroom shower, and learning how to float on our backs.  His favorite thing to do, however, is to stand on the ledge of the pool.  I will count to three and Jack will throw his arms and head back and jump (read: fall) into my arms.  We did this over and over again until it felt like my arms were going to fall off. 

 

Afterwards, we had a quick snack and then went home to take a nap.   

 

My parents laid their sweet dog, Cody, to rest on Saturday.  Cody was sixteen years old and had a lot of different health problems, in addition to all the maladies that come with old age.  We are all sorry to see the Big Red Dog go, but I think he's up in Doggie Heaven having a pretty good romp with Maverick right about now.  So, we met up with Nana and Papa on Saturday night for some pizza and laughs.  Jack was very entertaining, of course, and I think he had a pretty good time.  We made it home in time for the start of the Viking's game, but it was such a snooze-fest, all of us were in bed before 9:00. 

 

Yesterday, I took Jack to The Children's Museum.  I don't have enough good things to say about this place.  First off, Jack could touch everything - it's filled with sensory experiences and activities geared specifically for children.  There are also mini-exhibits within each larger one for kids who are exactly Jack's age and have his developmental skills.  If Jack had his way, he would have stayed at one exhibit all day long - there was one where you could push a bunch of buttons and different lights would turn off and on - and you could flick different switches to make shapes appear - he just loved it.  But, I wanted to see the rest of the museum and so off we went.  Seriously, I had to drag him kicking and screaming to each new exhibit - but every time we got somewhere new, he was immediately captivated by everything there was to see and do. 
 

 

His latest skill happens to be climbing, however.  This is naughty behavior, mostly because he's started climbing up and standing on the furniture.  He shouldn't do this, and I'm teaching him the meaning of "No" but sometimes, that kid will just do what he wants.  I know he understands the difference in my tone of voice - when I reward his "good listening skills" he gets this big grin on his face.  He will only occasionally recognize my "stern" voice.  Sometimes he will start crying and want me to pick him up - and the other times, he looks at me defiantly and does just what he pleases.  I think it might be time to get a "naughty mat" so he can understand both good and bad behavior.  This is when parenting really begins, isn't it? 

 

Anyways, Jack's ENT appointment went as expected, I guess.  He's got to have his tubes re-done, unfortunately.  We've got that scheduled for the end of the month.  I suppose it's going to be easier now, knowing what we'll go through.  I'm hoping that things go more smoothly this time around and we'll finally be over this horrible ear infection cycle. 

And now, it's back to reality - after two four-day weekends, it's hard working on a Monday morning.  Last night, I was looking forward to getting back into our routine, but again, I'm missing my little man like crazy.  Such is the life of a ragged mom, huh?  He's at Grammy Camp today - my mom just called to tell me how much his listening skills have developed over the past few weeks - that, and the fact that he's started "testing" his boundaries with her as well.  Apparently, Papa got out a diaper, handed it to Jack and told him to take it to Nana to change him.  And, he walked over to Nana, holding the diaper, and backed up to sit in her lap.  That kind of thing just amazes me - he knows so much and I can't wait to hear what comes out of his mouth when he finally starts putting his words together! 

Wrapping up 2012

Whew! 

 

I'm so glad that's over.  Kind of.  Sort of.  Okay, not really. 

 

I always get so gloomy after the holiday season.  As I write this, I'm sitting in my office, back to work.  It's freezing outside and it's started to snow.  If it were two weeks ago, I'd be marveling at the snow, excited that we'd have a white Christmas.  Now, all I can think about is what time I need to leave so I don't sit in traffic for two hours on the way home.  It's all about perspective, isn't it? 

 

Now is the time that Minnesotans really hunker down and wait things out.  The way that I see it, we've got roughly three months of hibernation left before we can peek out of our homes, squint into the daylight, and finally harbor a hope that yes, spring will come again.  Such a drama queen, I know. 

 

Anyways, we had a great Christmas and we spent a lot of time in celebration with family.  On Christmas Eve, we went over to my parents' house and headed to church.  For the past fifteen years, my grandpa and I have sung "O Holy Night" at the Christmas Eve service.  This is my most treasured Christmas tradition.  It doesn't feel like Christmas until we've knocked that off our list.  Afterwards, we went back to Nana and Papa's, made homemade pizzas, and played Trivial Pursuit.  We spent the night there so we could wake up at their house on Christmas morning.  The rest of the clan came over on Christmas Day, and Uncle Dan made eggs.  We had a nice breakfast and then Jack went down for a nap and we opened up our Christmas gifts.  Every year, my parents are WAY too generous.  But, sitting around, laughing and opening presents is my second most favorite Christmas tradition.

 

Afterwards, Wim and Jack opened up their presents.  Or rather, Wim did.  Jack didn't really care.  I thought he might have liked tearing paper, but he was more interested in banging on the piano and trying to steal the telephone.  That child will forever keep me on my toes. 

 

And then, I had to work last week, and I'm really glad I did - it was so quiet, I ended up getting a lot of stuff done and checked off my list.  We also had a doctor's appointment last week - Jack has been getting ear infections again, and his pediatrician thinks one of his tubes fell out.  So, he's back on antibiotics and we've got an appointment with the ENT on Friday.  This does not excite me. 

 

Last weekend, we spent a lot of time around the house, which was pretty nice.  On Saturday, we went over to my mom's house for another Christmas celebration with my dad's side of the family.  Afterwards, Jeff and I went to HOM Furniture and bought a couch.  We've finally pulled the trigger and we're working to get our basement in shape.  We're hoping that everything will get done by the Super Bowl so we can have a party!  I'm actually looking forward to having a room in the house where Jack can play and I'm not forever running after him, trying to make sure he doesn't break anything or get himself into trouble. 

 

Jack also hit the thirteen month mark on Saturday.  Every day, it seems as though he's learning something new - whether its a new word or he learns a new "skill," he seems to change just about every day.  It's so much fun to play with him and I love how receptive he's becoming.  He knows what a lot of words mean, and I feel like he's just on the cusp of letting out a whole stream of sentences...

 

 

I took the Christmas decorations down on Sunday.  This is always bittersweet.  Again, it means that the holidays are over, but I'm happy that I don't have to police the tree for wayward puppies and children that are interested in tearing the ornaments and tinsel down.  After Jack got up from his nap on Sunday, he went into the living room to look for the tree, and discovered it was missing - and he had many questions about that.  He went to the bar with Daddy on Sunday afternoon to watch the Vikings game, but wasn't really interested and pitched kind of a fit.  Still, he makes a pretty cute Vikings fan...

 

 

On New Year's Eve, we went down to my office to take care of a few things and then we went to Lifetime to go swimming.  At first, Jack was terribly nervous about the water.  He clung to me like a barnacle and didn't want me to put him down.  But, after a few minutes, he started having fun.  I put a life vest on him and his favorite thing was to lay back in the water and have me drag him around the pool. 

 

We went up to the club for dinner on New Year's Eve, and again, Jack was ever the charmer.  He liked wearing his party hat and was quite the chatter box.  I actually had two people come up to me at the dinner table and comment on what a well-behaved child we had.  Ha!  If they only knew... Jack stayed up a little late (read:  8:30) and Jeff and I were in bed by 9:30.  My, how times have changed! 

 

 

Yesterday, we met up with a few friends to go ice skating and have lunch.  Jack walked around the rink with me a few times, but they didn't have skates in his size, which is probably a good thing.  He got his first fat lip last night, tripping over his own feet.  I was nervous that he needed a stitch, but he seemed to be unfazed after a few minutes.  I was just overwhelmed by all the blood! 

 

Anyways, I'm surprised at how much Jack picks up just from just watching us.  This should be a lesson to us.  He mimics everything Jeff does when we're having dinner.  He's also learned how to "talk" on the phone and always wants me to call Nana.  He's also started saying a few words - including "mama" and "dada," "all done" and "Blue."  By the way, Blue is his most favorite toy.  Every day when we get home, he runs to the stairs so we can go and let Blue out of his crate.  He squeals with delight when Blue greets us, and Jack loves rubbing his face against Blue's fur.  It's pretty cute.  Last night, Jack learned how to play "fetch" with Blue, and this, of course, provided endless entertainment...

 

   

 

And so, that's it...it's a pretty sparse summary, considering everything that we've had going on over the past few weeks.  Coming up this week, we've got our ENT appointment on Friday and I'm hoping that brings us good news. 

 

Happy New Year!