The Cabin Part II

I told you that we'd had a great time up north last weekend.  In fact, we enjoyed ourselves so much that we went back to the cabin again this past weekend!  And again, we had an awesome time.  I think that one of the reasons that I love being up there so much is the fact that there's really nothing else to do other than enjoy our sweet little family.  Honestly, there's a television up there, but no cable.  Our cell phones work every once and a while, depending on where you're sitting, and there's absolutely nothing even remotely close to Internet access.  There's no laundry to do, nothing to clean and nothing to worry about.  It's so nice to unplug, unwind and relax.  Even if it's only for two days.  Jeff said to me that the cabin is the only place where he actually sleeps through the night.  If he's at home, he inevitably wakes up at least once a night.  Sometimes he can get back to sleep, other times I'll wake up in the morning to find his side of the bed empty and a lump on the couch when I head downstairs.  

Anyways, I picked Jack up from school on Thursday afternoon and we came home to start getting things ready to head up north.  Honestly, I feel like I'm moving every time we leave to go somewhere overnight.  We have to bring SO much stuff.  There's the Pack 'n Play, the safety gate, a stroller, food, clothes, swimming gear, dog stuff, and toys.  Honestly, I'm getting nervous to head out to New Jersey, more so for the insane amount of money we'll likely spend on bag fees just to get everything out there.  And everything seems to be a necessity at this point.  Last night, Jeff and I were trying to work out the logistics of getting all of his guys out east.  We were talking about only bringing one or two guys, but then the inevitable fear hits - what if Jack totally melts down because one of his "guys" isn't with him at night?  Mostly, I'm just worried about the oversize Mickey Mouse, because I think we can manage the rest, but we're going to look like total weirdos on the plane - a blanket, a Spidey Bear, two bear blankets and a huge Mickey.  I'm not sure there will be enough room for us to sit.  So, anyways...

On Thursday night, Jack and I spent some time cleaning out the car to make room for all our stuff.  Plus, it's always nice to embark on a road trip with a clean car.  Jack loves to "help" me with this chore.  He likes to sit in the driver's seat of the car and pretend he's driving.  He puts in his Mickey Mouse CD and fiddles with the radio, honks the horn sometimes, and generally just pretends he's cruising.  He also loves to turn around wherever I am and wave at me.  His other favorite thing - sticking his head out the sun roof.  

On Thursday, I was wearing my sunglasses while I was completing this chore.  Jack promptly took them off my face and put them on - because obviously he thinks you need shades to drive, which is something he's probably seen me do thousands of times.          

Honestly, I probably should stop being shocked about the fact that kids pick up and mimic so much of the stuff that we do.  He talks on the phone and drives the car... it's almost like I've got a mini-teenager on my hands.  That time will come way too fast for me.  

Anyways, we headed up to the cabin on Friday night and while I opened it up and unpacked, Jack chilled out in Grandpa's chair and watched a Mickey.  He went to bed soon after that and Jeff and I ate dinner and watched a really bad movie.  The next morning, we got up bright and early.  Jack (again) walked out of his bedroom and climbed onto the chair.  I got him a snack, his guys, and put on a show.  Jeff and I dozed for another hour.  We went to a small town about twenty minutes away from the cabin and had the best breakfast of our lives.  We then took Jack to a petting zoo that Jeff had found on the Internet.  There were so many animals there - llamas, sheep, bunnies, chickens, goats, and even a baby deer.  But, you know what animal Jack liked the best?  The family's cocker spaniel.  He kept following it around and woofing at it.  He really didn't show much interest in any of the other animals, and even got bored with feeding the goats.  

His lack of interest in the animals kind of surprised me.  One of his most favorite books is "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" - or Waa-Waa, as he call it - and he's gotten really good at making all the animal noises.  He can quack like a duck, meow like a cat, bark like a dog...his sheep noises, well... he makes raspberry sounds whenever we get to the sheep...but he's learning.  He did like running around the farm, though.  

After that, we went back to the cabin to relax for a while and take naps.  And, I made good on my word - Jack was a mama's boy last week, and now he wants his daddy.  Jack was perfectly happy to sit on his daddy's lap and eat a snack (pick his nose?) before his nap.

  

Jeff left the cabin before we did yesterday and this made Jack absolutely inconsolable.  It was actually quite the sad sight to see.  Jeff gave me and Jack a hug and kiss goodbye and then got in his car.  Jack followed after Jeff's car, crying hysterically for his daddy.  It took Jeff ten minutes to get down the driveway because he kept stopping to come back and give Jack one more kiss and hug.  It could have had something to do with the fact that we were getting close to nap time, but after Jeff left, I took Jack into the cabin and everything caused meltdowns of epic proportions.  He was mad that I had sliced his banana, he didn't want to watch a Mickey, he didn't want his "guys" anywhere near him.  He just wanted his Daddy.  This morning, I went into his room to get Jack out of his crib and the first thing he asked me when I walked into his room was, "Dada?" and was quite tickled when Jeff came into his room and told him he was stinky.  

But I digress... Anyways, after Jack got up from his nap on Saturday, we went into town and did some shopping.  We picked up stuff for dinner and then went back to the cabin to make supper and go for a golf cart ride.  I know I mentioned how much Jack loves the golf cart - or the "Beep Beep" as he calls it.  I guess Jeff was riding with him last weekend and kept saying, "Beep! Beep!  Coming through!" which is what I always used to say to Jack when he was in his walker last summer.  After we were done with the golf cart and inside, Jack kept looking out the window and asking for the Beep Beep.  

On Sunday morning, we started cleaning and packing things up.  We went out for breakfast again and then came back to the cabin.  We had decided that it was too cold to go swimming, but Jack had other ideas.  He walked into his room and grabbed his water wings and asked Jeff to put them on.  We took that as a sign that Jack wanted to go swimming, so we headed down to the lake with Blue.  I think Jack agreed that it may have been a bit chilly to swim, because he stayed close to shore and just ran in and out of the water.  

  

Jack and I left for home when he got up from his nap yesterday afternoon.  We hit terrible traffic on the way home, which is typical for Minnesota on a Sunday night.  I will never understand this though - we were gone for less than 48 hours and somehow managed to accumulate five loads of laundry.  Tell me how that happens.  It's some strange cosmic law, I think.  

So, after dinner last night, I stripped Jack down to his diaper while we were still in the living room so I could wash his clothes.  I went into the laundry room and a few seconds later, Jack came tearing in there, hollering "Nakies!" which is what I usually say when he's got no clothes on.  I asked him over and over again where his diaper was - I had concerns, mostly because he was tooting up a storm during dinner and I was afraid I'd walk into a mess of poop that Blue had either decided to sample or that Jack had spread all over the floor.  So, I'm walking around the house, trying to locate the missing diaper and I can't find it anywhere.  Finally, I asked Jack where he put it, and he walked over to the garbage can.  Sure enough, I opened it up and there was his diaper.  And no, it wasn't dirty.  This tells me several things - first off, he can take off his own diaper.  Second of all, he knows where to put his dirty ones.  The kid never fails to amuse me, that's for sure.    

Anyways, the next few weeks will be busy.  By this time next week, we will have made it to New Jersey - or "God's Country" as Jeff calls it.  We'll be staying with Auntie Kate and Unkie for a few days and seeing family and friends.  I'm fairly certain every minute of our week is booked.  Then, Grandma T. is going to take Jack while Jeff and I head to Rhode Island for a wedding.  This weekend, we're trying to get to the State Fair and we've got a swimming date on Saturday afternoon.

I can't believe that the summer is almost over.  We're trying to squeeze in as much fun as we can before we've got to dust off our winter coats and put away our flip flops.  The snow will be here before you know it... 

The Cabin

I'm finally getting a moment to sit down and write a quick update - we've had a relatively busy week and I've been on the move.  And, when I finally have a chunk of time to myself, I'm either trying to churn out a ton of work or I'm passed out.  Anyways, Jeff was out of town most of last week, so Jack and I were left to fend for ourselves.  It turned out to be quite the bonding experience as Jack has now officially become a mama's boy.  But his parental preference seems to change almost as frequently as I change dirty diapers, so in a few weeks, he'll want nothing to do with me and will, instead, be clamoring for his Daddy.  

Anyways, Jeff was up in Alexandria for a conference and suggested that Jack and I head up to the cabin and he'd join us on Saturday afternoon.  The cabin is a magical place from my childhood.  My grandpa built it when I was no more than Jack's age and growing up, we used to spend a lot of time up there.  One of my grandpa's best friends built a cabin right next to ours and there would always be kids around, games to play, and trouble to get into.  But, it's been more than two decades since that time, the other cabin was sold and we just haven't gone up there as much as we used to.  Which does make me a bit sad because we've always had the best time up there.  My parents are getting ready to sell the cabin next year because no one really uses it any more and it's just kind of a waste of time for my dad to keep it up.  It makes perfect sense, even if I'll be sorry to see it go.  

Anyways, on Friday afternoon, I got a call that I needed to come and pick up Jack from school.  Apparently, he was climbing on a picnic table in his classroom when his foot got caught and he fell and bit through his lip.  They weren't sure if he needed stitches, so I went and picked him up and took him to urgent care.  When I got to his school, he looked like a vampire.  But, by the time we'd gotten to the doctor's office, I didn't really think he needed to be seen, but his day care insisted that he be checked out.  We were there less than twenty minutes before they patted us on the butt and sent us out the door with a diagnosis of a "mouth abrasion."  Seriously, it didn't even phase the kid.  So, we packed up the car a little early and headed up to the cabin.  On our way up, we stopped off in St. Joseph, the town where I went to college, so we could eat at a little sandwich shop.  The sandwiches there are pretty good, but I adore their guacamole, so I got some so Jack could try it:

Anyways, we ended up getting to the cabin just around Jack's bedtime.  In my mind, I had envisioned carrying a sleepy child into the cabin and putting him down to bed while I then unpacked and relaxed.  Well, I encountered some problems getting the power on in the cabin and I got quite frustrated.  Jack was tired, obviously, and had fussed most of the car ride, so my nerves were on edge as I was walking around trying to find a spot with decent reception so I could call my dad to work things out.  Jack kept following me around the cabin, crying and holding his blanket.  It was quite pitiful, but understandable.  Eventually, I got everything working and set up the Pack 'n Play to put Jack down for the night, but he was so worked up and in a strange, new place that it took quite a while for him to fall asleep.

I had secretly hoped that because he had gone to bed so late, he would sleep in.  But, no such luck.  He woke up and was ready to get a jump on the day.  So, I took him out to the living room and he spied my grandpa's easy chair.  He walked right over to it, and I got him settled down with some Cheerios, water, his guys and a Mickey.  He transitioned pretty seamlessly from a busy on-the-go lifestyle at home to a laid back one at the cabin:

As much as I would have liked to join him, if he's settled, it's time to get things done.  So, I hopped in the shower and got dressed and we headed into town for some pancakes.  Afterwards, we went to the park and he had a total blast.  I don't know what he loved more - the slides, the swing, or the tire swing.

After playtime at the park, we wandered around town and I bought a few things.  I stumbled across a store that sold shoes for children with potatoes for feet.  And I managed to find Jack a pair of sneakers that he could actually wear comfortably.  They're also easy to put on, which is nice for me so I don't have to constantly pound shoes onto his feet.  No one likes to do that.  And then we headed back to the cabin for lunch and nap time.

Jeff got to the cabin just as I put Jack down for his nap, so we spent some time laying around and reading.  Afterwards, we started up the golf cart and took Blue down to the lake to go swimming.  Eventually Jack decided that he wanted to go swimming too, so I stripped him down and played with him on the shore.  Blue loved swimming.  He loved playing fetch.  He loved running around on the beach.  Every so often, he would look at me and smile.  I know that sounds weird, but I swear he was grinning at me and asking me why it took so long for us to bring him to this magical place.  We really wore him out, I'll tell you that.  He could barely move when we got home.

After we got back from the lake, Jeff and Jack took the golf cart out for a spin.  Jack had a blast trying to steer the thing, although he was a terrible driver.  Makes me glad that I won't have THAT headache for another fourteen years or so.

The next morning, we went out for pancakes yet again.  I tried to take a picture of me and Jack at breakfast, but he wasn't having it, and this is the result that Jeff managed to capture:

I had much better luck:

After breakfast, we went back to the park and walked around town.  We thought about taking Jack to the petting zoo, but he was getting pretty tired, so we went back to the cabin and went on another golf cart ride and back down to the lake for swimming.  We got things cleaned up and left just after Jack woke up from his nap.  We really had a great time, and I'm hoping that we can make it back up there again this weekend.  The State Fair opens in a little over a week, and then we're going to New Jersey, so there's not much time for cabin time before fall comes... that's kind of sad.

Anyways, we've been spending some time outside this week after school, playing with all the kids in the neighborhood.  Jack has been enjoying tooling around in their motorized cars and I would be shocked if he didn't get one next summer.  It's just how he rolls - a blonde and a Benz.  Just like his daddy!

And finally, I have to post this video that I took yesterday morning.  I went in to get Jack out of his crib, and he was absolutely refusing to get up, although he was wide awake:

He wanted to sit in bed, snooze and read a book, apparently.  Just like his mama.

Jack is also learning new words every single day.  Yesterday, I heard him walking down the stairs and repeating "Safety.  Safety.  Safety."  Which is what I tell him to practice every time we go down the stairs.  When we left for school this morning, he turned around and said, "Bye-bye Blue, See you!" and his teachers told me yesterday that he kept asking for "Lala for ni-ni" which I'm interpreting to mean that he wanted his favorite teacher, Ms. Stella, to put him down for his nap.  He was also talking about his Nana and Baba on the car ride to school this morning.  So, we're gaining ground fast and before long, I'm going to have to tell him to keep quiet!  

A Few of His (not so) Favorite Things

So, last week I wrote all about the things that Jack loves.  I thought that this week, I'd write about things he doesn't like, because there are quite a few of those too.  This kid has his opinions, that's for sure, and he's absolutely positive about the things he doesn't like, more so than the things that he adores.  

I could go on and on about his weird eating habits, but I think this is pretty normal for a kid his age.  For example, last night we went out to dinner and I ordered him some spaghetti, thinking he'd eat it right up, since he seems to be all about noodles these days.  Well, the meal came and it was curly pasta, not long spaghetti noodles and he looked at it with distaste and absolutely refused to touch his dish until I took a noodle and put some sauce on his face.  Then, he was okay with it, although I question whether more noodles made it into his belly or onto the ground.  He's also weird about the delivery method his snacks come in as well.  The other day, I put some crackers into a snack container for him.  He ate those up right away and asked for more, but when I tried to put more crackers into his snacker, he started screaming and wanted to eat them right out of the box.  So, we've reached the stage that food must be consumed by his preference.  There was a Sesame Street episode we watched back in our "Elmo" phase where Telly tried his sandwich when it was cut into squares versus triangles.  I remember thinking, "This is stupid.  It tastes the same.  How does that monster not understand that?"  But now, I totally get it.  I guess Sesame Street is never ending with all it's life lessons.  

1.  Bed Time

He's starting to try and finagle ways of staying up later at night or avoiding naps entirely.  Typically, in his bedtime routine, he'll pick out two or three books to read before we sing our lullaby and rock to sleep.  Now, he's started to pick out like seven or eight - and weird books too.  He's obsessed with this one book called "Merry Christmas" and it's just pictures of Christmas decorations, but he adores it.  Other staple books include:

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

Oh Baby, Go Baby!

Goodnight Moon

I Love You So

Little Jesus, Little Me

Peek-a-Boo, I Love You!

We've read these books so much that I can literally recite them all from memory.  After we're done reading our books and rocking, it's time to lay down and this usually prompts some screaming from Jack.  It's worse at nap time, but lately at bed time, he's been hollering for a good fifteen minutes after he's supposed to be tucked away in dreamland.   

2.  Head Touching

This should really come as a surprise to no one, but he hates getting his ears looked at or wearing a hat.  He doesn't like getting his face wiped off after mealtimes and hates getting splashed in the face.  He doesn't mind kisses or when I stroke his hair, but heaven help me if I try and clean him up.  I don't know how long this will last either.  I'd really like him to wear a hat, especially if he's outside.  He had no problem wearing his winter hat, but that didn't always stay on and he was constantly tugging the thing off if we were in the car.  I hate the fact that I've got to goop up his hair with sunscreen, but I really have no other option.  

I know that this stems from the fact that he's been poked and prodded in and around his head and ears most of his lifetime, but he hasn't had an ear infection in more than four (!) months.  This neurosis should have died down by now, but he remains on full alert every time I approach him with a wash cloth.  

3.  Shoe Shopping

I have made this mistake more than once - I'll be in Target and come across a pair of shoes that I think will fit Jack's feet and buy them.  When I get home and try to put them on, they never seem to fit his giant potato-feet.  So, I have to take him shoe shopping.  And it seems his feet grow like a size every single week.  Seriously, I can't believe how fast we burn through shoes in our house.  I bought him a pair of sandals at the start of summer and they're too small now.  I put them on him yesterday and he kept going "Shoe!  Shoe!" and trying to take them off.  But I will tell you that it's really hard to find shoes that fit Jack.  I took him to Famous Footwear a few weeks ago to try and buy him a few pairs of shoes.  This was a horrible trip.  I kept trying to jam shoes on his feet, which made him angry.  Then, he tore around the store, pulling boxes of shoes off the shelves.  Every time I pulled out another pair of shoes, he pitched an absolute fit, which resulted in me pinning him down with my legs and trying to put shoes on his feet while he screamed and thrashed under my legs.  I'm surprised they didn't call Social Services on me.  Needless to say, I left with a single pair of black, Velcro sandals.  

Yesterday, I took him to Old Navy to find another pair of brown sandals.  I found a pair of flip flips for him and tried to put them on his feet.  He did not like the thong in between his toes, but we have limited options so he's just going to have to get used to it.  While we were there, however, he found a t-shirt with Mickey Mouse on it and insisted that I buy it for him.  

4.  Not Getting His Way

Again, maybe this should surprise no one, but Jack really doesn't like it when he can't get his way.  I've written about this a dozen times - I constantly ask myself whether this is a battle I need to win.  On Saturday, I was doing some vacuuming with a hand-held cleaner.  Jack thought this was awesome and immediately tried to take it away from me.  When I finally relinquished control of it, he kept trying to plug it into the outlet.  Not good.  So, I tried to move it to a different location in the house.  Fits, I tell you, fits ensued.  Eventually, I just put it away and rode out the tantrum.  

Last night, we went to downtown Wayzata to walk around.  Jack insisted that all his "guys" make the trip with him.  He was sitting on the couch when I went to pick him up and put him in the car.  He started whining, "Guys?  Guys?" and when I told him that they should stay here, he totally lost it.  So, I brought all his guys into the car with us.  His giant Mickey Mouse has also made its way into the posse.  As we were driving, he kept screaming when one of his guys would fall off his lap, so I was constantly turning around to pick them up off the back seat.  Thank goodness Jeff was driving.  When we got to Wayzata, Jack wanted all his guys in the stroller with him and that's where I drew the line - only the blanket was allowed to make the trip with us.  Fortunately, he didn't make the fuss both Jeff and I were expecting.  

I know that parenting is a constant see-saw of give and take.  I need to let Jack win a few battles in order for him to establish his independence, confidence, and preference.  But then, I still need to make sure I'm winning the war so that he understands boundaries, proper behavior, and his limits.  I think that this is the greatest struggle for parents - learning how to say no and where to draw the line.  

5.  Going to School

I don't know what to say about this.  I know that Jack has fun at school.  But he hates being dropped off for the day.  I figured that this was kind of a phase that we'd go through, but it's lasting much longer than I thought it would.  Every day, I tell him that we're going to school and he screams "No!" and tries to run away from me.  When we get to school, he's pretty good about getting checked in and walking down to his classroom.  But, the minute I open up that door, he does an about-face and dives in between my legs to escape.  Then he cries and cries.  His favorite teacher, Ms. Stella, is there to help out every morning, which is priceless.  She gets Jack.  Every morning when we get to the classroom, I have to help Jack wash his hands.  So, we go over to the sink and I wash his hands.  Then I give him a kiss and turn around to leave.  Thankfully, Ms. Stella is right there to pick Jack up.  She used to take him over to the fish tank to watch the fish, but now Jack insists on washing his hands again.  So, yet another one of his weird habits.  He has to wash his hands twice every morning.  Once with me, and once with Ms. Stella after I leave.  I'm not sure what that's about.  

He's always happy and playing when I go to get him every afternoon from school.  And I know that he has fun when he's there.  So, I'm not sure what's going on in his head when I drop him off in the morning.  

6.  Squishy Stuff

Jack hates the feeling of squishy stuff - meaning Jell-O and Play-Dough.  Hates it.  Won't touch the stuff and won't eat it.  He doesn't like getting his hands painted to make pictures and doesn't like the feeling of mud.  I bought him Play-Dough a while back, thinking he'd love to squish and pound it, but I was wrong.  He won't even go near it.  This is weird, considering his affinity for spaghetti.  His teachers have come up with different art projects for Jack because he doesn't like to get his hands dirty so he'll color or play with glitter while the other kids play with clay or finger paint.    

Fortunately, the list of his dislikes is shorter than his endless list of things he loves.  And I think that this is pretty true about Jack.  He's a willful little man, I will say that without question.  But he's loving and he's sweet and just a happy kid.  On Friday at school, I went into his room to pick him up and take him home.  I always try and sneak into his room because I love being able to watch him when he doesn't know I'm there.  He was sitting on the reading rug with a few scarves and a teddy bear.  He laid the scarves out on the ground, tucked the bear in for the night with another one, patted its back, and then laid down beside the bear for a minute.  Then he got up and repeated the process.  After he saw me, he smiled and told me to wait while he put away all the scarves (one by one) and put the bear away.  And then he came running to me for a hug and a kiss.  Everything about that was special, sweet and endearing.  Just like Jack.

And then, when we got home, this happened:

And so, we had a pretty good week.  On Wednesday, Nana and Papa picked Jack up from school while Jeff and I went to the Twins game.  I gave Jack a special hair-do on Wednesday morning, but he didn't really like it.  I honestly think that he thought he looked stupid because every time he would see himself in the mirror, he'd try to comb down his hair.  When he woke up on Thursday morning, it was almost as if he was disappointed to see me come into his room.  He kept asking about his Nana and Papa.    

On Saturday morning we got up early and went down to the Farmer's Market.  We walked around for a bit and then sat down to have some breakfast.  We picked up some vegetables for dinner and then went downtown to do a little shopping.  We're heading out to New Jersey in a few weeks and Jeff and I will be going to Newport Beach for a wedding and we needed some new finery.  Jack had such a fun time running around in the skyway and riding on his daddy's shoulders.  

Afterwards, we came home and had a nap and Uncle Alec came over to help out around the house.  Have I mentioned how awesome he is?  Jack took a pretty late nap and by the time he finally woke up, I was getting dinner ready for all the boys.  Jeff took Jack outside for a bit after dinner so I could clean up.  I caught them wrestling.  I think Jeff's heart will be irrevocably broken if Jack doesn't get into wrestling.  

On Sunday, Jack and I went to church.  He was pretty good throughout the service.  He is absolutely mesmerized by the piano.  Every week after church, my mom takes him up to the front so he can listen to the piano.  Seriously, I've never seen him sit more quietly (other than while watching a Mickey, of course) but when the music is done, he's off and running again.  

After church, we went over to my parents' house so I could show them my new dress and shop accessories in my mom's closet.  Jack walked up to his Nana and Papa's house like he owned the place.  He knew where everything was and knew exactly what he wanted to do.  He sat outside and blew bubbles with Papa for a while and then he decided he wanted to sit in his car seat in the driveway.  For a while, he wanted to sit on the steps with his Nana and Papa and kept kicking me off the stairs every time I sat down.  Eventually, though, he settled down in the car seat and even wanted to be buckled in.  And he stayed put until it was time to go.  Weirdo.  

Afterwards, we went to DSW so I could look for shoes and then Jack and I went to Old Navy.  Fortunately, we made it home before nap time.  Jeff came home soon afterwards and we all rested for a while.  When the boys got up, we went to downtown Wayzata to walk around and have dinner.  Jack has this cell phone that we only bring out when we're at a restaurant because it totally distracts him.  Last night, he was making calls to his Papa and Mickey, naturally.  His two most favorite people on earth.  

Afterwards, we stopped to get some ice cream.  Jack wasn't the biggest fan and true to form, more of the ice cream made it onto his shirt and stroller than actually got into his mouth.  

And then it was time to come home, go to bed, and watch True Blood.  It was a really great weekend without any plans and lots of time together.  The best kind of weekend, in my book.