Jack Does Nashville

Jack and I just got back from visiting Uncle Brian, Aunt Kimmy and Cousin John in Nashville. Had a great time. Johnny (2 yrs old in September) was really good with Jack, saying "baby" a lot as he pointed at him. (Jack--2 months old--would say "There's my cousin John, it's so very nice to finally meet you" as he pointed at John. But why make comparisons?) The only downside of the trip, as you may notice from the lack of pictures, was not enough time spent with Kimmy (who was off interviewing for some high-powered university job for a couple of the days). Luckily she had enough time to give me a pedicure, however.

I hadn't seen Johnny since Christmas and he has changed immensely. He's such a sweet, sensitive, smart little boy. And he laughs A LOT. Nice work, B&K.

Had some delicious home-cooked meals, took some great walks around the park, drank a lot of wine, ate a lot of brownies. All in all, a fabulous trip.

What Up, Cuz?

These two cousins get to meet for the first time today. I wonder if Johnny will think he's looking at an image of himself a year and a half ago...

Oh, For Pete's Sake!

Two Months Old

Happy 2-Month Birthday, Little Man.
xxooooxxxxxxxxoooooooooooo

Visit with G&G P

Having a great time with Gramma and Grampa P. As you can tell by the pictures, Jack is not very comfortable around them, but I'm sure that with time everything will be okay. As usual, the "hands-on" Povondras are keeping busy. Ranny's even "stolen" the middle-of-the-night feedings from me. I can't wait till they leave so I can start cooking, cleaning, and getting up at 3am again.

Wish you all lived closer.

Bath Time Comes Early at the Povondra's

Well, yesterday was the first day in Jack's entire life that he did not poop. Each diaper change I felt like I was going into battle--about to step on a land mine, if you will. This morning as he was swaying happily in his swing, I noticed a curious aroma. As I lifted him up, I noticed something seeping through his onesie.

We are talking EXPLOSION. And STINKY.

Needless to say, 6-10 wipes didn't even touch the surface, so Jack got an early bath. Afterwards, as he was on the changing table and I was getting ready to dress him, I asked him if he felt better. He smiled (I'm not kidding). Then I returned him, 5 ounces lighter, to his swing.

I decided not to post a picture of this incident.

Peaceful

This has been Jack's sleeping position the past few nights, due to post-nasal drip. He's had some congestion with a few sneezes and coughs thrown in. This is most likely courtesy of his mama, who has self-diagnosed acute bronchitis (I don't need to shell out a $25 co-pay to know what a hacking cough with a yellow mucusy discharge and labored breathing means). Fortunately Jack has been fever-free, breathing fine, and eating like a champ. He goes in for his 2-month check-up on Thursday, so hopefully all will be normal by then.

Things I've missed the most since the onset of my bronchial disease:
1) Kissing THAT FACE AND THOSE LIPS (see photo above)
2) Breathing
3) Sleeping in a position with my head at an angle of less than 60 degrees
4) Walking Bones
(I would add "eating" to that list, but in true Becker form, that has not been a problem)

Tonight we welcome G&G Povondra into our loving home, aka a "cess-pool of germs."

Smiles for Todd, who's been like a father to Jack

Saying Grace During Dinner

Family Photo Op

Today Todd and I celebrated our 3-year anniversary by going out to dinner at Reale's (a romantic Italian atmosphere with an excessive amount of wine and carbohydrates). For the occasion, we hired local babysitters (for the low low cost of a half dozen Krispy Kreme donuts) : Liz and Maury McCoy (I can say that now because they're married). Anywho, they're to be trusted because Todd has known Maury since grade school and Elizabeth is from Wisconsin. Apparently all went well aside from one explosive poop incident. And that was Maury's. Jack was an angel.

It's amazing how exciting it is to get home to your little one after being gone for only a couple of hours. Perhaps it was the wine. Or maybe he's just that cute.

Sacked Out

Why suck just a thumb when you've got a whole hand?

Pure Excitement

Big Brains, Small Butt: Just Like His Mama

But I'm Just So Cute

(Little) Man vs. Dog

Friday Night

Mom, Jack, and a Yellow Giraffe

Express Yourself

More Bath Time

This week we've started an evening "routine"...bath, late supper, bedtime. I use the word "routine" lightly because it's completely dependent upon Jack's mood. Hopefully that won't be our parenting style when he's six. But I suppose at six weeks it's okay.

Happy Father's Day

Smiling is Exhausting

Streeetch...Streeeeeetch...Yawn!

Lunch Date

Jack and I went to the movies today. The Alamo Drafthouse is a dinner theater that has "Baby Day" on Tuesdays, allowing screaming infants to accompany moms to a relaxing film without the threat of being escorted out of the theater. We (jointly) decided to see "The Break Up" with Jen and Vince. Not wanting to be seen at a chic flic, however, Jack wore his camouflage. I had the pepperoni pizza; Jack had the Alimentum.

Personally, I found the movie very entertaining. As you can see from the photos, Jack was skeptical at first, but passed out with a sly grin on his face after we got home. He even decided to ditch his Team Jolie onesie for a Team Aniston onesie. The humanitarianism originally had him hooked, but the competition with Shiloh has become too intense.

Content, Angry & Alert

Good Morning, Sunshine

This morning when I went to get Jack from his crib I said, "Good morning, Little One, do you know how many weeks old you are today?" And this is what he did with his hand (see picture).

What's next? Long division? I started research today on local elementary schools with Gifted and Talented programs. Gotta get those applications out EARLY.

On the other end of the Gifted and Talented spectrum, his mother had to ask the next door neighbor to break into her house with a Blockbuster card (not the first time) after she locked her keys in the car (not the first time).

We balance each other out well. Kind of like a "yin-yang" thing.

Cheeks, Chins, and Poop

Todd and I are trying to decide what's bigger: Jack's cheeks or his chin(s). What do you all think?

He's doing great, by the way. And for those of you interested in details, we've found that formula poop happens a lot less (like once a day), but gives you A LOT MORE (like 4-5 pounds per diaper). I suppose in a way that makes it more valuable? Todd called me in to show me the results of last night's diaper change and I think we laughed for ten minutes straight. That stuff covered his entire frontal region (as well as the back, obviously) and was even coming out the top. And Jack was completely oblivious. As long as there's no blood in it, he can spread his poop on the walls for all we care.

Home from the Hospital

Just got home from spending the last three days at Children's Hospital. Had to go back in on Saturday after Jack had more blood in his diaper. After more tests, and a long wait for biopsy results, the diagnosis is a milk protein allergy. After being on a hypoallergenic formula for the last couple days, his symptoms have gone away. He will now be formula fed.

MY NAME IS AMY, AND I NO LONGER BREASTFEED MY BABY. AND I DON'T FEEL GUILTY AT ALL.

Here's a pic of Todd feeding Jack something that won't cause blood to shoot out of his rectum, and another pic of the little guy (although not so little anymore, as you can see...weighed 9 lbs 14 oz at his last weigh-in) washing off those nasty hospital germs.

On a side note, there is nothing that makes you appreciate what you have more than being at a children's hospital. Jack's neighboring patient was a beautiful 6-year-old little girl who was in for 6 weeks. She was born with her intestines outside her body and in her 6 years has had 30 surgeries. And there she was, sitting on her hospital bed surrounded by Barbie balloons and eating a grilled cheese. And her parents were able to smile and ask me how my baby was doing and wish us well. Heart-wrenching.

Thank you for all the thoughts and prayers and positive vibes for our Little Man. They worked & we're so glad to be home.

The Red Scare

Well, Jack gave us our first big scare yesterday when I opened a diaper and found a large amount of blood. Our pediatrician recommended we take him to Children's ER, so that's where we spent Friday evening. After a slew of blood tests, a stool culture, an X-Ray, and a nuclear mecel scan (where he had to lie still for ONE HOUR--and was a total trooper), everything came back normal. Although reassured, we're still missing the seedy yellow poop of a couple days ago...Hopefully he'll get whatever it is out of his tiny little system soon.

On the bright side, he's acting normal, eating normal, and is still an ANGEL STRAIGHT FROM HEAVEN (copyright: Auntie Kimmy).

We'll keep you updated...