I really hate when I let so much time go by between posts. It seems almost impossible to catch up on everything that has been happening. I promise to do a full Christmas post later, but in an attempt to get back on track, I'm going to brush over Christmas and get on with January and the first half of February.
Family FunThe month of January was spent cheering for the
Saints as they won their way through the playoffs and into the Super Bowl! Just about every weekend, we ate Louisian cuisine (starting the mornings with beignets and NOLA blend coffee with chicory, followed by poboys or red beans and rice for lunch, and finishing the day with gumbo or crawfish fettucini.... Wow, I sure am sorry the playoffs are over.) And, of course, now we're revelling in the Super Bowl victory. Our house is one big Drew Brees love fest. All four of us stayed awake for the entire game, and I'm pretty sure Joe's first words were
"Who Dat?!"I started
back to work (full-time) on January 6, and that means, Joe started Parents' Morning Out at First Methodist Church (which is also where Jack goes to school.) I'm very fortunate to have my classes in the morning and am able to spend the afternoons at home. We often let Jack stay at school until after naptime so that he will actually take a nap (he resists at home) and so that I can get some work done from home while Joe naps. My transition back to work has been really quite smooth for all of us.
JoeJoe has started
eating solids. We introduced cereal in December, but we didn't really feed it to him regularly until the beginning of January. He has gotten better and better at eating with a spoon, but he often still prefers to chew on the spoon than eat the food on it. In the last 10 days we have introduced vegetables, starting with English peas and now acorn squash. I must brag for a minute; I decided to make
homemade baby food. I spent one Sunday afternoon in the kitchen while Mom was here for a visit. I made: green beans, peas, yellow squash, acorn squash, sweet potatoes, zuccini, and apple sauce. It definitely created quite a sense of accomplishment!
He is trying hard to
sit up on his own and is quite the
little chatterbox. Much to Brent's dismay, he still doesn't have any interest in rolling over from back to front, but I'm convinced that isn't because he isn't capable but because he just doesn't see the need. Over the last couple of months, his eyes have started to change from
blue to
brown. They aren't quite as brown as Jack's are yet, but I think they are on their way. In the last week or two, I've started to see signs of
separation anxiety, as he does not like for me to be out of sight, but, thankfully, he still seems to like going to school and does not hesitate to go to his teachers when we drop him off in the mornings.
JackJack still enjoys imaginary play and lately spends most of his days as either
Robin Hood, Peter Pan, or Drew Brees. Mom gave him a bow and arrow (the kinds with suction cups on the end) for Christmas, and he really enjoys it. He would watch TV or movies all day, if we let him, and he tends to like to play whatever he's seen on TV lately. We gave him a DVD of the movie Toy Story as a reward for staying in his own bed for 2 weeks straight, so he's taken a liking to Woody and Buzz Lightyear and is looking forward to Toy Story 3 coming to the theater soon. (Between sleeping on our floor for a week while we had a houseful of guests at Thanksgiving and spending 2 weeks in other people's houses at Christmas, he had gotten cozy sleeping near us making some "retraining" necessary when we settled back at home after the holidays.)
On the topic of sleep, Jack seems to be outgrowing naps. One day, after telling him he had to stay in bed until "the big hand gets to the six," I peaked in at him at :15 only to see him peering out from under the covers at the clock. Then, at :22, he tip toed down the hall holding his clock and happily whispered, "Look it is almost there....it is almost to the 5, then it will be on... the 6!" So, we're learning our numbers, but so much for making him nap.
He also enjoys helping in the kitchen and has been heard telling me, "
Mommy, I'll be the chef, and you can be my sous chef." (Definitely an indication of his birth order and his family's love of food!)
