Jack + Sam

One of the coolest things about having Sam is watching him watching Jack.  It's amazing.  He is enthralled by his older brother.  If Jack is in the room, Sam's eyes are usually trained on him and watching his every move.  It's pretty cute.  And of course I hope they grow up to be great pals.  Sometimes I'm a little wary of Sam observing Jack and learning how to jump off couches and throw things but I suppose he would learn that on his own.

The other day they were being pretty cute and I caught it on tape.  (Tape?  Anyways...)  Before you watch the video, let me set the scene.  Jack had climbed into Sam's bassinet which is one of his favorite spots.  I was sitting in the rocking chair next to the bassinet with Sam on my lap and Sam was, of course, staring at Jack intently as he told a story.

The story won't make sense I'm sure but he's talking about all these characters from a comic book/graphic novel that John reads to him all the time.  Enjoy!

Visit from Grammy and Pop Pop

 

Well, this post is LONG overdue and I apologize to all 5 readers of this blog.  Briefly, can I just say that I am finding it almost impossible to keep up on blog posts.  Not that my daily life is terrible, quite the contrary, but I never open up my computer during the day because we're always on the move or I just don't have two free hands during the day.  Pre-Sam, I did all blogging after Jack's bedtime when I had a full two hours before I went to bed.  Well, nowadays, after I manage to put Sam and Jack to bed by myself (which is long painful process), I am exhausted and literally go to bed after about 30 minutes of doing dishes and cleaning up.  So, again, I apologize for the lack of blog posting.  I am about 6 weeks behind and have so many pictures I want to share.  Anyways, I'll start with the super fun visit we had from Grammy and Pop Pop mid-January.

Grammy definitely had a good time with Sam.  A majority of the their visit you could find Sam nestled in Grammy's arms.  Probably 100% of the time except for when I had to nurse him.  :)  He was very happy to have all the attention.  

Jack wasn't wanting for attention either though.  He was THRILLED to have Pop Pop around to play with.  It was pretty darn cute.  He wanted to do everything with him.  Didn't want me to read a story, "I want Pop Pop".  He even wanted him to put him to bed.

It was so nice seeing Jack have so much fun with his grandparents.  That he knows them and loves them so much even though they live across the country is pretty cool.  

Okay, because I am tired and need to go to bed (shocking), I'm just going to present the rest of pictures without much commentary.  :)

checking Pop Pop's heart

in Santa Monica to visit cousin Kris at her Ultimate Frisbee tournament

watching Ultimate is exhausting

Sam's first trip to the beach!

And with babysitters in town we actually got to celebrate John's birthday!

3 Years Old!

Look at this kid!  3 years old.  Sometimes I look at him and can't believe the height, weight, and muscle on my baby.  He's getting so big.

I'd like to write a longer post about my dear first born son soon so, for now, enjoy the pics!

Sam's 3 month doctor's visit

Sam passed his 3 month doctor's visit with flying colors.  He handled the shots well and the doctor was impressed with his head strength, growth, and general handsomeness.  :)

Here are his stats:

Length - 24.5 inches (75th percentile)

Weight - 12 pounds, 11 ounces (40th percentile)

He really has grown out of that tiny baby phase which is kind of bittersweet.  He's getting to be a big baby boy!

Jack's 3 year doctor's visit

Jack hadn't had a check-up since his 2nd birthday so I was very curious about how much he'd grown and what the doctor would check.

First, as we got out of the car, he insisted on wearing these sunglasses because he said he had to show them to the doctor. Okay.... :)

 

Jack was so curious and so into everything that was going on.  He couldn't wait to hear what room number we'd be called into and then kept telling me that we see a nurse first and then the doctor.  He was right.  And, for the first time, he got to take his measurements like a big boy!  Not on the baby scale but standing on a real scale.  And not laying down to take his height but standing up against the giant ruler.  It was hard to get him to turn away from the numbers and put his back up against the height measuring ruler but he finally did. 

Next they took his blood pressure!  It was so funny seeing him with the little blood pressure cuff on.  He didn't really know what to make of it.

After that they had to take his temperature and, for the first time, they tried to use an oral thermometer.  He couldn't figure out how to put it under his tongue and keep his mouth shut.  So they reverted back to the ol' armpit thermometer.  

Back in the office we had to get him undressed.  The nurse offered a paper gown which Jack flatly refused to wear.  I don't blame him.  He, unfortunately, had all these bug bites on his torso from his hiking in San Diego.  He kept insisting to me that he had to tell the doctor he had bug bites.  So the minute she walked in? "I have bug bites."  Yes, very cute.

He chatted with the doctor whom he really likes and told her all about her birthday.  She joked, "are you 10 now?" and he said, "ACTUALLY...I'm 3."  It was pretty funny.  Of course, also funny was some of her follow up questions.  For instance, she asked "How high can you count?" No response.  "Can you count to 10?" NO RESPONSE.  Are you kidding me?  Jack's been about to count to ten since he was like 18 months but of course, nothing.  "Do you know the alphabet?"  "No."  He said No!  I couldn't believe it.  Like an annoying mom, I assured her that yes, he knew the alphabet, and, in fact, he could write all his letters, uppercase and lowercase.  And yes, he could count.  Probably up to 1000. Sigh.  I just hope he doesn't fail his tests in school because he's too shy to answer the questions.

After the exam, Jack took an EYE EXAM and it was awesome.  The nurse asked if he knew his alphabet and I said yes.  So he stood on the line and proceeded to kill the vision test.  It was adorable.  He was so excited to read all the letters that the nurse pointed to.  Of course, after that he was supposed to cover one eye and read letters and he failed that part.  He just couldn't figure out why he'd ever cover his eye to read.  It didn't go very well but the nurse said that happened often with 3 year olds.

In the end he had to get two shots in the arm and he didn't even cry!  or whine!  It was amazing.  I guess he's tougher than me.  What a trooper!

Oh, and here are his current stats:

Height - 38.5 inches (75th percentile)

Weight - 33.6 pounds (65th percentile)

Happy Valentine's Day!

 

 Happy Valentine's Day!  One of the moms in my club made this adorable kissing booth photo setup for the holiday.  I have to say, the little 18 month old girls looked a little cuter posing with it, but I'll take my big, tall boy any day.  Sure, I had to bribe him with a cookie, but look at that face!

Sam got in on the action too.  Sort of.  The best posing he could do was on a picnic blanket.  But he was dressed for the occasion!  

And here are some more pics from our photo session.  Enjoy!

Sam is 3 months old today!

 

Here's my little happy man. He is certainly no longer a tiny newborn. He's gotten so big in the past month. Still looks a lot like Jack at the same age.

   

This kid has the best darn attitude. He is smiley all day. Poor baby often gets stuck in a swing or on a play mat and left alone while I make Jack lunch or get Jack dressed or do the dishes or some other exciting task. But he always just kicks and squeals and occupies himself and always has a smile for me when I come to pick him up. So many smiles! What a neat thing.

  

I often feel guilty that I'm not paying enough attention to him or spending quality time with him. But I guess that's just the curse of the second child. I hope he has no permanent damage. :) Luckily, his big brother has warmed up to him. Jack is so cute with him (most of the time). It's amazing to watch my baby #1 be such a big boy with Sam. And Sam with Jack? Man, Sam clocks Jack every time he's in the room. His eyes are always locked on his big brother. It's amazing.

   

teaching his little brother how to read

 Love my boys!