Baby Mine...

Beware - sappy post ahead!

Jack turns seventeen months old today.  I know that he'll always be my baby, but I don't think he's a baby any more.  He even looks like a little boy.  There are so many changes, albeit small ones, but he's learning how to become more independent every single day.  That's not to say that I'm still not the most important person in his life and I'm not even suggesting that anything he thinks he can do himself doesn't need constant supervision, but he's learning.

This weekend, I went to Target and bought him some stools so he can stand at the sinks in the bathroom and wash his hands.  He likes to do this and does it a lot at school.  He also stands on his stool and "brushes" his teeth (meaning he sucks the toothpaste off the toothbrush) in the morning and before bed.  I also took his high chair down to just a booster seat and bought him his very own place mat so he can eat at the table with the family.  We're still working on manners and I'm pretty sure Blue still gets most of whatever is on Jack's plate.  I'm hoping that if he starts eating his meals at the table with me and Jeff, he'll get a better understanding that food goes into our mouths and not slyly slid off the tray to the dog.  

Even in his interactions, I see him learning how to be a "big boy" and wanting so badly to be a part of things. Grandma Terry bought Jack this amazing tricycle for Easter.  It goes from a rocking bike (to use indoors) to a tricycle with a handle so Jack can ride and I can push him.  The handle can also come off and turn into a simple tricycle that he can pedal all around.  If he so chooses.  We took the bike outside when we got home from school on Friday.  Jack was actually pretty content just to sit and kind of scoot himself around on the driveway, but when the other kids came out on their scooters and bikes, you could tell that Jack was so proud of himself with his very own bike that he could push around with them.  I tried to teach him how to pedal, but he didn't really want to learn, so I gave up.  I bet he's tearing around the cul-de-sac by the end of summer though.  

I also put together a water table for Jack and put it out on our back deck.  Yesterday, when I was cleaning up our back yard and putting out the porch furniture, I figured Jack would be perfectly content to splash around while I could get some work done.  I was absolutely right.  However, what I didn't count on was the fact that he'd completely soak himself through to the bone.  Rookie move - I didn't put him into his swim suit.    So, he ended up soaking two outfits completely yesterday, but he had so much fun.  The little girls in our neighborhood came over to play with Jack and his water table, and he was just loving every minute of it.  He kept looking up at them and smiling - and he would laugh every time they did something funny and then immediately try to mimic it.  

So, we had an absolutely gorgeous weekend here in Minnesota.  On Friday, the temperature reached over 70 degrees - and for a state that was in the middle of a blizzard just a week ago, the change was absolutely welcome.  And needed.  It was like someone shot a starting gun off and all Minnesotans poured outside of their homes.  You could tell that no one wanted to work last Friday, traffic was backed up at 3:00 in the afternoon, and driving through the neighborhood, I don't think there was a single person that wasn't outside.    I had to laugh - on Thursday night, I went for a walk with my neighbor and two of her little girls.  They were still wrapped up in their snow boots and winter coats.  When I got home on Friday, I saw this:

Only in Minnesota can you go from snow boots to bikinis in less than twenty-four hours.  Anyways, Spring Fever bit me hard on Friday and I popped out of work early and went home.  I decided to walk up to Jack's school to pick him up.  The walk up was pretty easy - but Jack was a little sick of riding in the stroller and made his preferences known.  Still, I think I may do this more over this summer.  

Anyways, Jeff is out of town - he's at a bachelor party in New Orleans, so it was just me and the little man for the entire weekend.  I forgot how nice it is to have an extra set of hands around.  I'm almost glad it's Monday so I can just sit at my desk!  Anyways, on Saturday morning, we went out to brunch with my family to celebrate my sister's birthday.  It was a rather subdued affair as my entire family is pretty much getting over the stomach flu.  Afterwards, Jack and I headed up to my friend, Molly's house for a "tree planting" party.  Jack went down for a nap almost immediately after we got there, so it was nice to sit outside in the sunshine and relax for a few hours.  After he got up, we had a little playtime and then went home.  He started running a slight fever when we got home, so I put him to bed early.  He woke up in the middle of the night with a terrible cough.  I was thinking at, about 3:00 in the morning, that I should either take him to the hospital or call an ambulance, but he didn't have a fever or any other symptoms.  I held him and rocked him in his chair with the humidifier going and that seemed to calm the cough down.  

On Sunday, he woke up in a much better mood.  However, in light of the previous night's events, I decided we'd stay close to home.  He was pretty hungry for breakfast and really wanted to watch a "Mickey" so I decided that would be just fine on a Sunday morning...

Afterwards, we did a little cleaning around the house and ran some errands...

  

He fell asleep in the car on the way home, and I didn't have the heart to wake him up and I managed to transition him from car to crib without waking him up.  This never happens, so he must have been worn out.  Poor pumpkin.  I decided that I'd get our porch furniture set up and tackle the massive amount of dog poop that had accumulated in our backyard this past winter.  Worst job ever.  I also discovered two dead fish in our pond, although I would suspect that there are more...I think we had twelve fish at one point and now I only count five or six...

So, not only did I get to pick up dog poop, I also got to clean up two dead goldfish.  Gross.  What's even worse - I didn't fish this out of the pond.  Blue did.  I was in our yard and turned around to see the dead fish hanging out of his mouth.  Yuck.    

I had a girlfriend come over yesterday and after Jack woke up from his nap, we took a walk up to the park and Jack had some playtime.  This is another reason I can tell he's getting to be a big boy - he can play on the park equipment more independently.  Last summer he couldn't walk (or barely could), and needed me to hold him going down the slides and to carry him from play thing to play thing.  Yesterday, he could do it all by himself.  And he loved every minute of it.  

Afterwards, Jack played at his water table while I finished cleaning up outside.  We then went inside for a little snack and a "Mickey" and I really needed a break.  I laid down on the couch and closed my eyes and I opened them about a half hour later, after the "Mickey" ended.  I guess I needed the rest more than Jack did.  I should note - a "Mickey" is an episode of Mickey's Clubhouse.  Jack loves this show and laughs hysterically every time Mickey comes on the television show or does the "hot dog" dance.  You'd have to watch it to know what I'm talking about, I guess.    

Anyways, he had a total meltdown at dinner last night, so we had an early bath and bedtime.  After Jack was down, I promptly went to bed.  The day wore me out - I forgot how draining the sunshine can be!  

Jeff gets home from New Orleans late tonight and I will be so happy to have him back.  I think that Jack really does miss his daddy.  I know that I do.  The weather is supposed to stay relatively beautiful this week, so I'm hoping we can get outside a few more times and practice our tricycle riding!