17 Months

God knows if anyone's even checking this for updates anymore, but we're still here. I finally closed on my apartment and Jack and I moved to a rental apartment a block away from the old place. I was looking at the pictures from the last time I posted (3 MONTHS ago!) and it's like Jack was a little baby and now he's totally a kid.

He is starting to "talk" but there aren't many words that are recognizable to anyone but me and Leeann (his nanny). "Buh" could mean Button if we're on the elevator, Bus if we're looking out the window, or Box if we come home to find a package at our door. Leeann brought him over her son's old toy guitar and he is absolutely obsessed with it. He wants it in the bath and in his bed and on the dinner table while he's eating, and when I try to take it away - even just to rest it against the wall of the bathroom while he's in the tub - he throws an absolute fit! Screaming, crying, throwing himself on the floor, it's quite a sight to behold.

Anyway, we're a household in flux, with my job(s) still kind of screwy and this question of moving to the suburbs looming large over my head. I've never felt so indecisive in my life, and it's beginning to drive me a bit insane. But, it's the week before Christmas, so no time to dwell on life decisions! Here's some pics of Jack from the last little while, and rest assured I've put Update the Blog on my new year's resolution list, among many many other things.

First, a video of Jack finding his Papa in a book:

And here, Jack gets excited by his very own chair, courtesy of Grandma:

End of summer

For the first time, I'm spending Labor Day weekend in the city, trying to get some Jack time in before my work craziness sets in on Tuesday. Yesterday we hung around the neighborhood, went over to the playground with the sprinklers and just had a mellow day. Today I decided we'd check out the Staten Island Children's Museum. It was cool, and while most of it was totally lost on Jack, he seemed to have a great time running around and touching everything. He tried to put everything in his mouth, which I'm pretty sure he does because he knows he's not supposed to. I think his favorite part was the outdoor water part (not surprisingly). 

The apt decision continues to loom; I looked at a couple places in my neighborhood, and I'm going to look at a rental on Tuesday. I think I'll almost definitely have to rent for a couple months at least, so we'll see if I can find a month-to-month rental in my neighborhood, which isn't easy. 

Anyway, Happy Labor Day weekend! Here's some pics from today:

This pretty much summed up the museum - Jack trying to taste everything.

 And here's one from when we went to the beach earlier this summer with Abby and Calliope :

And here's a series I took a couple weeks ago where Jack didn't realize I had put a tea cosy on his head:

And here's one just because:

Life goes on

It's not even worth apologizing for the massive gap in posts, so I won't ;-)

Life is good. I feel like I'm in a good place. I've had an offer on my apartment (did I mention I was selling it?) and I've accepted and we're supposed to be signing the contract next week. The coop selling/buying process takes a while (approx 3 months) so I won't have to move until early November most likely, which is good because I don't have anywhere to move to. This is a tough one. Here are my options:

- Stay in brooklyn. I love Brooklyn. I love my nanny and my neighborhood and the relatively easy commute and the fact that if I drive to work, I can be there (and more importantly, be HOME) in 20 minutes. The problem with Brooklyn is that it's Brooklyn. The public school system is a mess and to live in a district with a good school (which Jack wouldn't even be guaranteed to go to because the good districts are so overcrowded) means that I'd be making a pretty lateral move in terms of apt size and I WANT MORE SPACE! Also, in what may be the most definitive sign yet that I am getting Old, I have to admit that the convenience of non-city living, where you can drive to the grocery store and Target and the gym and don't have to constantly lug your entire life around with you for miles and on 2 different subways and in the rain with a baby is looking pretty damn good right now. Which brings us to options 2 and 3.

- Move to a Westchester suburb. Specifically, I'm looking in Pelham, NY, which is about as close to NYC as you can get without living in the Bronx. It's pretty and green and the public schools are great (and the taxes are high) and it would cut an hour off my drive to RI, which is not an insubstantial thing.

- Move to NJ. I can't even really think about this one. The idea of Jack growing up in Nj turns my stomach (no offense to any Jerseyites out there) But I feel like if I'm making some big move, I'd be an idiot not to at least CONSIDER this huge suburb that's right there on the other side of the river.

So... that's what I'm thinking about. I went to Pelham last weekend and met my dad and a broker and looked at houses (!) None of them were for me (except maybe this one, but it needs work, but maybe that's ok, and I'm still mulling it over) but I did like the town. It felt really strange to be looking at houses. With basements. And staircases. And backyards!! It will kill me a bit if I leave Brooklyn, but I think it might really be time. Anyway, I'll keep you posted.

In JAck news, since that's what people are here to hear about, all is well. Which is terribly boring and one of the main reasons I haven't posted. Every time I sit down and think I should post something, I can't think of anything interesting to say. He's running around like crazy and his current favorite trick is going down the slide at the playground by himself. I've just this week stopped climbing up the play structure with him and now stand next to it tracking him as he toddles along. It's terrifying (for me) and liberating (for him) and he usually runs straight to the slide. The kid seriously has no fear - he pushes other kids out of the way, then turns himself around, gets down on his stomach and just goes for it. I love it. Of course, it's been so humid that the slide is less of a high-speed situation and more of a case of him pushing himself down it while his shirt rides up and his belly creates a massive amount of traction. But he likes it, so I'm not going to tell him he's kind of missing the point of the Slide...

In work/life balance news, I think things are going well. I've had a busy last couple weeks since the job I was on all of last year and thought was finished really has reared its ugly head and become a full-blown problem, since my "real" job is getting into crazy busy mode (September is shaping up to be mighty ugly). One development is that I found out I will have to go to LA after all (I didn't think I would) and I've decided to leave Jack in RI for the week with my family. I know logically it makes the most sense as I'll be working like crazy while I'm there and I wouldn't get to see him anyway, and it's only for 6 days, and he's used to RI and has a crib and toys and all sorts of stuff there, but it's a little sad to think of not seeing him for a week (and then the secret horrible guilty part of me is kind of looking forward to it, since I'll be able to go out for drinks and dinner and sleep in past 6:30am - not much, but a little - and I feel like a crappy mom but whatever, it's 6 days)

This is probably the point where I should stop babbling and post some pictures. Will try and be a better poster and if anyone's selling a house in the tri-state area, let me know :-)

Our first foray to one of these indoor
play spaces, when it was too hot to go to a playground

Even more than slides, Jack LOVES playing
in the water park parts of the playground

Note that he is soaked through to the bone. And thrilled about it.

Another new thing - Jack eats plums and peaches like it's his job. I have to intervene before he eats the pit...

One Year

Today, Jack is officially 1!!

Crazy to believe that in just one year, we went from this:

to this:

And this:

Here he is on the move this morning:     http://youtu.be/FdtHHRzBkPw   
(it's kind of long so feel free to not watch it all - you'll get the jist after a few seconds)




And this:  http://youtu.be/5PnS3pHGIQo

A video where Jack and I converse (or, at least, where I pretend Jack and I are having a conversation):

Thanks to everyone who's been so awesome and supportive to me and Jack this year. I can't even tell you how amazing it's been to share this with friends and family, and I truly couldn't have done it without you all! 


Don't know what else to say, except I can't wait for what's next! 

Party Boy

So we're up in RI for the 4th of July and so we decided to have a little (early) birthday party for Jack yesterday. It was pretty delightful - I think Jack had a great time (and was slightly overwhelmed by all the people!) At the very least, he discovered the joys of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, which is a milestone all its own. Here's some pics:

Cupcakes courtesy of Aunt Nora and Grandma - awesome!!

Walking?

So I THINK Jack took his first steps. But I don't know what qualifies as Official First Steps. For the last week or so we've been playing the "Walk to Mommy" game where I stoop down a little ways away and he has to let go of whatever he's holding onto to walk to me. Mostly it would be one or two steps and then a forward lean with the assurance that I would catch him. But over last weekend, I moved a little farther away, then it became two or three steps to get to me. Today, I was a good six feet away, so he had to take about five steps. Does that count? I think I'm counting it. Right? 

I'll try and get video so I can put it to a vote...

Otherwise, all is pretty great. Work has been mellow-ish and we're about to head into 10 days off, which I'm very much looking forward to. Jack's been in a great mood except for the four or five days when he all of a sudden had this bout of separation anxiety. He was screaming before bed (which he hasn't done in MONTHS) and wouldn't go down for naps. He'd just stand in his crib with his arms out toward the door, screaming. When I'd go in and pick him up, he was super clingy in a way that he never is (usually he'd pushing me out of the way to get to either food or toys) and once I even had to nap with him because he hadn't slept all day and had been crying for like 45 minutes. Sigh. But, knock on wood, after a few nights of a very extended bedtime routine (our usual bedtime routine consists of him drinking his bottle and me singing him a song, then he's in his crab and that's it), he seems to be handling it much better. Weird. 

Photos below from when we were at the playground last weekend and met up with my cousins. As we were coming over to greet them, Jack was mobbed by his two superfans - twin girls named Josie and Georgia. I had been told that they LOVE Jack but had never actually seen them with him - they literally were trying to crawl on top of him in the stroller - kissing him, trying to touch him - it was a little crazy. And of course Josie had just eaten something red and smeary so Jack looked like he had lipstick marks on both cheeks. 

I'm sure I'll post again after Jack's unofficial (early) first birthday party on Sunday in RI, but here's a couple photos for now (courtesy of cousin Caolan, mostly) of Jack's fans and the continued futile efforts to get him to drink out of something that's not a bottle and not Mommy's glass. So far, no luck. I fear he'll still be drinking from a bottle when he's eight...

Josie can't contain herself. Note the red mark on his other cheek where she already kissed him.

What can I say? The ladies love me.

I even attempted delicious sugary juice since I read that makes them want to suck from a straw. Nope. Jack DID learn that if he squeezed the juice box he didn't have to suck. Great lesson. 

 

Picnic lunch in Prospect Park last weekend

At the playground after J discovered that sprinklers are AWESOME. He loved playing in the water with the big kids, which meant I had to play in the water with the big kids. Hence my hair.

Cruisin'

Keeping up with Jack has officially become a workout. I'm not saying it's the equivalent to taking a spin class, but it's exhausting. The boy is very much on the move. We spent an hour at the playground today while he practiced his "cruising" (for any non-parents out there, this is what they call the phase where they can't really walk on their own, but they can walk around while holding on to something, so can make their way around the room if the furniture is positioned close together) He's still faster crawling so if he really wants to get somewhere, he'll drop and crawl, but he definitely likes feeling like a Big Kid at the playground and standing with all the other kids. 

He was up on the playground equipment holding on to the railing and I was trying to give him some space and stand a little bit away. A little boy (maybe 2 years old) runs past me and starts to run past Jack when Jack totally nonchalantly grabs on to this kid's t-shirt and proceeds to pull him down to the ground. He then of course grinned evilly, so proud of himself as he stood over the big kid who was now flat on his back, while the older kid starts crying and I start apologizing to his mother. I think mostly the kid couldn't believe that he'd been taken down by a baby and was certainly not really hurt at all, but it was my first "I'm so sorry my kid hurt your kid" parent moment. Thanks Jack. 

Video of him cruising around the playground here: http://youtu.be/CtIk6W1pHIA

Other than that, it's been pretty mellow. We went back to the Dr AGAIN on Friday for this cough that just hasn't gone away (I think I've mentioned it in my last 12 posts, it seems like he's had it for that long) and we were FINALLY given antibiotics because apparently Jack has pneumonia. Granted, it's "only" walking pneumonia, but it makes me feel vindicated (and furious at the dr) that we've been like 5 times in the last month and only now are they finally giving him something. He's been on the medecine for 3 days and he's already a new man - so much more energy and his sleeping and eating are much improved. Poor little guy!

Memorial Day in RI was great - beautiful weather, great time, I even got to see a movie which was so nice. Jack still has a bit of an aversion to grass, but my mom bought him an Adirondack chair (baby-sized) so he can sit on the grass without sitting on the grass. This kid has the life, I'm telling you. We got to hang out with the Carney kids and Jen, thanks again for being the voice of reason in regards to docs and sick kids and medicine - made me feel so much better! And I think her son Jack somehow taught my Jack how to use a sippy cup because he seems like he's doing it now (finally). He also wants to give himself his bottles and feed himself his meals. He no longer has any patience for me spoon feeding him (unless it's yogurt). I think this is good thing?

In non-Jack news, I had my first open house today for my apartment. I can already tell that keeping it clean and ready to show at moment's notice is going to suck, but I'm hopeful it will sell quickly so I can move on the other apartment. I still don't really understand how no one will sell you an apartment if you need to sell yours first. Is everyone else in the world able to carry two mortgages? I would think everyone would need to sell their current house before they buy a new one? Isn't this the norm? Maybe it's a weird Brooklyn thing....

With Uncle Matt at the Botanic Garden yesterday

10 months

Yesterday, Jack hit the 10 month mark! Usually hailed the 'longer on the outside than on the inside' birthday, though since Jack was inside for 42 weeks, I don't know if it applies. We celebrated by going to a birthday party for a friend of ours (who was turning one) and it was such a beautiful day that it was great to spend hanging out in someone's backyard. (and as usual made me want a backyard of my own!)

Jack has been sick all week. Projectile vomiting, massive amounts of pooping and a general loss of appetite. I think he's definitely lost weight, since he seems leaner and his face is less round. On top of that, he's reclaimed his cold, so there's the snotty nose and the cough which I feel like he's had for the last month. I think it's officially time to change doctors. I gave him baby tylenol yesterday and felt guilty about it for no reason (and it totally seemed to help and let him get some sleep, which he hadn't been doing). I just don't think I should live in fear of calling the after hours ped number because I'm afraid of being scolded for no steaming him enough. There has to be something else I can do to make this kid feel better - when are they going to come out with Baby DayQuil?? Then yesterday he had a totally dry diaper from 10:30a-6:30pm. Not good. Something's definitely up with him. Going to see how we do the rest of today and try and go in tomorrow. Sigh. 

The apartment search continues - I saw a place I liked last week and put in an offer, only to find out that 2 other people had also. There's an open house today for it and I think the plan is that the seller will come back to all of us that made offers and ask us for our best and final offer. I really don't want to get into a bidding war, but I did really like the place. But what's more of a pain is that idea that I have to sell my place. I had a broker come over last week and look at the place and while it's in pretty good shape as it is, there's definitely some cleaning/organizing that needs to happen before it's 'show-able', which I am not looking forward to dealing with. The idea of keeping my house perpetually clean and ready to show for the next couple weeks (hopefully only the next couple weeks) is kind of terrifying. Not that it gets filthy, but the baby crap seems to migrate all over the place and I feel like no matter how often I clean the kitchen, there's pretty much always banana or something on the floor. 

But in happier news, my side job is finished - thank god!! It was a fight to the finish but I feel really good to have it behind me and be able to focus on other things (like going to be before midnight!) My parents came to town last weekend to watch J for a bit while I worked and my dad even went to swimming lessons with him. It was...a learning experience. Jack was a little freaked at first but was into it by the end of the lesson even though my did kept inadvertently dunking his head under water :-)

As always, pictures:

The Grind

I've been a posting slacker - apologies. I took on a side job doing this other work that is some decent money for what I thought would be not a ton of work, but it's totally kicking my ass. It's due May 15th, and it's going to be a fight to the finish, so I've been working nights (and some days, when I can) on getting it done, but it's been tough. The house is a mess, I'm a zombie, and I feel totally checked out of my real job. But it's almost over. Thank god.

But in happy news, Jack started two new classes: music and swimming. The music class is just something in our neighborhood at another little boy's house around the corner, and I got to go to the first one with him, which was great (it's Fridays at noon, so I doubt I'll be able to make most of them). Jack seemed into it, but it was a LOT of singing and the babies seemed a little overloaded after a while. But he had fun shaking the little egg shaker, so whatever, it's fine.

Swimming, on the other hand, was a blast. Well, he had a blast. Totally loved the water and chasing after the rubber duck and grabbing on to the side of the pool. So that was good. The post-swimming shower/change/dress part was a bit of a shitshow, as I imagine anyone who's ever taken their kids to swimming would know. I brought food along to keep him occupied for three seconds to I could throw my clothes on (thanks for the tip, Mia!) but it's a very small locker room with virtually no raised flat surfaces, so you're kind of stuck on the wet, cold, dirty floor. Nice.

So other than my nightmare of a second job, all is good. I'm on the hunt officially for a new apartment, which scares the hell out of me because this time around, I actually have to SELL an apartment as well. Since my place currently looks like a cross between a flophouse and a toy store, I need to do some serious maneuvering to get it in shape to sell. But I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

Here's some pics - none of us at swimming, but some shots of the little man (who is almost 10 MONTHS OLD!! Sweet lord, how did that happen????)

We're officially bathing in the big boy bath now (aka the tub). I have no idea how deep to make the bath...

At music class, looking slightly concerned...

Gnawing on a chicken bone. Jack has realized the wonder of eating chicken - he LOVES it. 

With our nanny, Leeann, the woman Jack thinks is his mother...

Never misses the chance to practice the standing