Strike a pose

When Jack was born, everyone said he looked like me. The older he gets the more we see other people in him...especially from the Lion side. Jack seems to have mastered his Great-grandpa Lion's stoic pose during pictures...

Computers...

So it looks like if I post from Firefox instead of Internet Explorer, the alignment of pictures and text is a mess for those looking at it using Internet Explorer. It looks perfect on Firefox. I don't have any idea why this would be but I'll try and fix it this weekend.

Jack didn't sleep much last night so we are all a bit tired this morning but sure hope you all have a fantastic Friday!

Learning to fly

We did it! Jack seemed to do well on his first solo flight in the "baby bird" class and Momma only got teary a few times as people asked about him and his whereabouts. Daddy was kind enough to take him and do the first drop off so that I didn't have to which I really think was the key. I had scheduled meetings all day which helped to keep me very distracted and helped the day fly by. I was greeted with a very warm welcome back at work, which also really helped. I had missed a lot of folks more than I realized and it was really quite nice to dust the cobwebs off my brain. Daddy also let me do the pick up which I got to look forward to all day! Jack was sound asleep in the swing when I arrived and didn't at all seem to care that we weren't there. He did seem about an inch longer and a pound heavier than he did in the morning. :( He's just growing so fast. All in all, it went a lot better than I had expected!

Now I'm on to worrying about not getting enough time with him (yes, I can always find something to worry about!). If we get home at 5:30 and he's to bed at 8, that's just not much time. I have him in my arms now...he just ate and is fast asleep but I just want to hold him a little longer. Every minute seems so precious. I find myself wishing that he'd never outgrow his nighttime feeding just so I can have a few more minutes with him each day.

Thanks to everyone who called and sent emails wishing us luck - they all really helped and reminded me again, just how lucky we are to have you all in our lives. Thank you. Two more days until the weekend. I think we can, I think we can...

Here they are just before leaving...























And here's a funny picture of Jack earlier that morning. He was smiling and I tried to take a picture but the flash startled him...and this is what I got:













We are also very thankful that Page's Dad had a successful tumor removal surgery yesterday. We wish him a speedy recovery and safe travels home.

Hi ho, Hi ho, it's off to work we go...

Oh me...here we go. Wish us all luck.

Happy Memorial Day!

Hope that you all had a great one! We made it home from Hilton Head in great time today. Jack was up at 5 so we fed him and hit the road. We had a really good time! Saturday we spent the morning at the pool and then Momma went to the outlets to get some school clothes for Jack. Daddy cooked us a good steak that night and we ate on the deck...it was a nice day.

Here's Jack in his sun hat with a damp towel to keep his noggin cool. It was pretty hot. He snoozed for a long time while we read.
















Mr. Zebra kept Jack company while we ate...






















Sunday we headed back to the pool early. Jack didn't sleep very well the night before though and so he had a bit of a fussy morning.

I'm ready for the pool!

















Snoozy in the sun...

















Momma and Jack

















He can't get much sleepier without actually falling asleep. His little eyes were so red and he would NOT give up. Finally, after many laps around the backyard, he fell asleep in my arms and would only stay asleep if he slept in his carseat on the deck. After 3 tries in his bed, I gave in and I just read my book while he slept...for almost 4 hours!










Just a little thank you note to the Weavers...


















In case it's too hard to read...
















And here's what Jack thought about having to come home...:(.






















It was a great way to wrap up maternity leave. I can't believe it's time to go back to work (I still have ONE more day!). I am heartbroken over leaving my little guy but hope that time will heal this pain as it does all others. I'm gonna miss him SO much. Thankfully school (yes, I know it's really daycare but calling it school seems to help!) is very close to work so I can go have lunch with him from time to time.

We're sorry we had to miss the cookout here and the big wedding. Hope fun was had by all and we wish the new bride and groom a lifetime of love and happiness.

Lazy Day...

We took it really easy today. Jack slept from 8:30 last night until 4AM! That's the longest stretch ever! Momma was so tired she didn't even wake up earlier and notice that he was oversleeping either. The weather was a bit gray today so we mostly hung around the house and just relaxed. We did go to the beach early this morning though...


















That's Jack in his carseat, in the tent. It was really buggy so we were really glad he was protected. The bugs eventually ran us home...but Jack did get a little taste of the beach. He slept through most of it - I think he liked the sound of the waves.
Here's a few other pics from our lazy day: (Patti, don't worry, the blanket on the couch is just to make sure we didn't get any spit up or anything else on it! )

Just hanging out with Momma...















BIG SMILE!

















Making faces at Daddy.

















Looks like he's ready for a haircut! And he is gonna need one soon - his hair is really growing and SO red!















Too cute for a caption really...but look how red his hair is!
















Momma's snoozy boys...

















Oh how Jack loves his bouncy seat friends!!

















He talks to them a LOT! If only we knew what secrets he was telling them...I bet he's telling them how much he wants to go back to the pool tomorrow!

So far...so good!!

It's been a wonderful first day of vacation! Jack slept better last night than he does at home! He didn't get up until almost 9 this morning and that was after only getting up once during the night. No, he didn't sleep in the big bed, but he looked too cute there to not snap a picture! What a great start to vacation!
























We spent some time on the deck enjoying the perfect weather and then it was off to the grocery store. Jack slept through part and was awake and just taking in the other half. With that behind us, we headed to the pool. We thought we'd start there as we didn't know how he was going to take to it all and it is closer to the parking lot than the beach, lest we have to drag all of our gear (and there was a LOT) back to the car. I held him over the baby pool and let his feet get wet...and he fussed. We were worried, but just like his momma, once he got used to it, he loved it!


















After swimming, he took a nap in his bouncy seat inside his little shade tent. This is about the time the camera batteries died, but here's a photo of it from the website (onestepahead.com) where we bought it.















Another great purchase for those with new tiny ones headed for the sun (or you are welcome to borrow ours!). He caught the breeze with the sides rolled up but was shaded and protected from the bugs. It pops up and then folds right back up into its little carry bag. He took a nice long nap in there while Daddy and I read our books in the sun.
Then it was time for showers and baths and dinner! We went to Sea Pines to the Wreck of the Salty Dog and once again, Jack was a dream. He slept all the way there and so we assumed he'd sleep through dinner too...but he was up before we got to the table. Even so, he just sat and looked around and never uttered so much as a peep. He's such a good boy!



















He's in bed now and we probably aren't too far behind him. We sure hope tomorrow will be just as great! Wish you ALL were here!

HHI or bust!

Thanks to the most generous Weaver Family, we are off to the beach this afternoon! Kenny and I went last October, just 1 week before finding out what we were having and whether or not he or she would be ok. It was a very relaxing trip at a time when we really needed it! We can't wait to go back, this time with the little guy that was such a mystery last time. It will undoubtedly be a different trip but we are excited about our first family vacation! Wish us luck...that Jack won't sleep the entire 7 hours and then be up all night...that we remember to pack all we need for the little guy...that he will sleep in his pack and play...that Mommy won't cry every day about having to leave him at daycare next Wednesday...and that everyone has a great time! Here's a picture of Jack in his crab shirt that we got just for the occassion!

Just a cute picture on a rainy day...

It's a GIRL!

Dianne and Scott welcomed Mary Alexandra Seaborn into the world today. 7 lbs 13 oz! We are SO excited to meet her and Jack is already planning their first date! Don't worry Scott...you can chaperone! Dianne and I have had so much fun being pregnant together and we will undoubtedly have even more fun raising these babies together. I am just so glad she's finally here!!

They might be related...

What do you think?
For those that don't know the handsome older fella, it's Jack's cousin Emory. It's hard to see in this picture but Jack's hair looks to be exactly the same color as Emory's. Emory will tell you that color is orange!
Stephanie sent pictures of the kids up for Mother's Day and one of them was Emory's schol picture, in this same shirt. It looked really familiar...because I had just bought Jack the same shirt! We couldn't resist dressing them alike for a picture. The matching shirts and matching hair...just too cute! Now we can only hope Jack will turn out as sweet...




Jack was done cooperating at this point but it's cute of Emory and Ellie!












We really enjoyed our time at Maymont with you guys!

This little piggy...

Emory and Ellie came to town yesterday and I can't resist this adorable rendition of This Little Piggy with Jack's toes...

The onesie says it all

More Congrats...

To Brian & Courtney! Cooper Patrick Clair was born early this morning. Sounds like they barely made it to the hospital so we are excited to hear the story. We can't wait to meet you Cooper!

Smiling at Momma

There's no better way to start the morning...no better way!

Congrats

to Josh and Tracy who brought William Mason into the world on Friday! We are dying to meet him and wish you all the very best in settling in. We love you guys! Congrats too to the proud new Grandmother Marlene!!!

Happy Mother's Day!

We had a great weekend celebrating with both our moms! Thanks for everything...we love you so much and thank you for making us who we are! We are so glad that Jack has you for grandmothers!!
























































There were 3 dogs at Grams and Gramps' house this weekend so Jack spent a lot of time hanging out in the dining room bay window to get away from them all! He seemed to really like it there!

The photo shoot

A few weeks ago a good friend of mine from high school, Robert McDorman, came to take pictures of Jack. He's a professional photographer in NC and is thinking about moving back home...so please check out his website for a sneak peek of the pictures of Jack...and look around at all the other great work he and his lovely wife Aimee have posted.
www.mcdormanphoto.com then click on blog
We would love to have Robert and his adorable family back in town so please spread the word if you know anyone getting married or looking for family photographs.
THANKS ROB!

Rain, rain GO AWAY!

It's getting in the way of our playground time! :(! And, Jack didn't sleep well at all for all of the thunder. He usually sleeps until about 2 and then is up again around 6. Last night he was up at midnight and 3:30 and didn't really go back down after that. Poor little guy (and Daddy who got up with him!). He got a new swing yesterday though and is snoozing really well in it at the moment. Earlier he was staring down the toy on his left.














I know Ansley is tired of hearing about the mobile...but for those who aren't...here's a little video clip to demonstrate how excited he gets. :)!

2 months and 4 days old

Jack turned 2 months old on Saturday. Month two just flew on by...he started smiling, holding his head a lot more steadily, sprouted a head of hair, discovered his hands and his tongue and gained 2 lbs! It was a busy month for a little guy! Things really settled down around here and we got into the groove of it all. We learned how to manage his reflux and milk allergy which made everyone a lot happier. He's so much more alert and interactive. It's really quite amazing how fast it all changes. We fall a little more in love every second...and look forward to each new day and what it might bring in terms of development.














This weekend we spent some time with Grams and Gramps. Grams had a big birthday which was lots of fun!
Aunt Kari and Maggie also came all the way from Houston to visit and we had such a good time catching up. Jack and Daddy also took in a flag football game on Sunday and seemed to enjoy it.






Monday Jack went to the doctor for his 2 month check-up. He did really well and she was very pleased with his progress. He got 5 shots and one oral vaccine. Mommy cried...Jack did too but only for a minute really. He's up to 11 lbs 6 oz and 23.25 inches long! Growing like a weed. Rather bittersweet...I want to see what happens next but want him to stay tiny all at the same time.

Happy Birthday Grams!

Enjoyed being with you this weekend! Love you soooo much!

TGIF!

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend! It's gonna be a nice one here it looks like and we are very excited that Auntie Kari and Maggie are coming to see us!

This picture is a few days old but it makes me smile!














Jack was smiling this morning so Kenny was trying to get a good picture, but Jack only wanted to turn around and look at me.











We had a lot of fun with Brooke and Nash at the park this week. We could certainly get used to spending our afternoons there. Except that Brooke and Nash are moving soon...:(...and it won't be any fun without them. We'll try and enjoy it while it lasts!