Keeping Track of Lauren & Jack » January 2007 Journal Entries » AboutMyBaby - online baby scrapbooks, photo albums, videos, birth and pregnancy announcements

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Wed, Jan 31, 2007 7:21 PM
Welcome Haley Nicole Brock! Our neighbors Allison and Charles are thrilled to welcome their new daughter into the world. And Taylor is a proud big sister from all accounts. Can't wait to meet you Haley!

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Tue, Jan 30, 2007 2:10 PM
I forgot to mention before that we had a visit from Barabara, our temporary nanny over the holidays. She brought her baby Riley for a visit, and Lauren was thriled that she was allowed to hold such a little baby. She's just a few weeks old, and a very peaceful baby, she slept just about the entire time she was here. It's almost enough to make me want to have another one. ALMOST, I said!

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Mon, Jan 29, 2007 10:26 AM
We've had some more promising potty training signs from Jack. Apparently earlier this morning after he pooped he went up to Mike and told him, saying poo poo and pointing to his bottom. He's also showed interest in the potty itself, and with me he was saying pee and wanted to get up on the real toilet, so I took his diaper off and let him sit up there. He didn't do anything, but seemed to like being up there, I think because he sees his big sis up there all the time. I would like to start involving him with waving bye bye to his poop by taking it in the diaper and placing it in the toilet, but we may not be able to do that for a while with all his soft stools.

New words: all done(mealtimes), keys, Einstein (as in Baby Einstein dvds), Nemo, Pooh (bear) mermaid, the letter "K", the number 2. Well, really all numbers are 2!

The two of them have started to do these extremely high pitched calls to each other from across the hosue. It sounds like whales or dolphins or something. It's like a sound just for their species! I guess they are their own species, but it's giving me a headache!

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Sat, Jan 27, 2007 9:20 PM
Not much news except that I have been sick with a cold so I'm washing my hands every few minutes or glopping Purell all over my hands in an attempt to not pass my germs to anyone else.

Lauren enjoyed her ballet class this morning and we seem to have developed a ritual of a brief visit to the library afterwards. They have some neat interactive software on their computers in the kiddie section that only requires clicking with the mouse, so we played a Barney game for a while. I think Lauren enjoys having an activity where it is just the two of us, and I do too, it's so rare.

I'm trying to think of what I can do just with Jack. I sort of missed the sign up for Music together, but I'm thinking Gymboree or My Gym would be better for him at this point anyway. I keep finding him climbing up on tables helping himself to food etc. I need to find another outlet for all that climbing energy. I do take them to the playground as often as I can, and Jack can now launch himself down the slide on his bottom, so that's helping that I don't have to hover over him quite as much.

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Wed, Jan 24, 2007 10:42 PM
Nothing unusual has been happening. Today we had school, playgroup, errands etc. New words for Jack :"Mine!" "Uh Huh", which is a welcome change from "NO!"

With the promise of a lollipop Lauren actually ate every last bite of her dinner tonight. . .eventually. That is really a rare event! So I'm thinking I need to implement Mike's suggestion of a motivational system for good behavior. Maybe a chart with stars or something.

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Mon, Jan 22, 2007 3:17 PM
We had a good weekend. Lauren is really enjoying her ballet class. We had our first date night out with our new nanny Ashley and everything went very well, which is encouraging. On Sunday Mike washed both our cars which were beyond filthy, and the kids had fun running around outside and climbing around inside Mike's car. Jack sat behind the wheel like he was ready to take it out for a test drive!

Today we had Lauren's first school field trip to the Tampa Bay Skating Academy. We toured the facility and then had skating for an hour. I had Jack with me, but I'd arranged with another Mom to do tag team babysitting with the younger siblings. Lauren and I went first, and although she didn't cry and seemed to have fun on the ice, after about 5 minutes she said she was done and wanted to stop. I thought maybe she just wanted to take a break, but she wanted to take everything off, so that was the end of skating. I just take that to mean that she's still a little young for ice-skating. I spent the rest of the time watching over her and a few others as they ran around the changing area. Then we went outside and played in a big pile of "snow: which is basically what the Zamboni dumps when it comes off the ice. They got all wet and had to have a complete change of clothes before we could get loaded up and out of there. The best thing was that they both ate a pretty good lunch when we got home and they are both napping, so all that activity had its merits!

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Fri, Jan 19, 2007 9:11 PM
Well this week has flown by. On Thursday I took Lauren to an open house for a private school across town. We went with out neighbors Allison and Taylor, so that made it a bit more fun, but the presentation was too long and I think we were both sort of regretting bringing the girls. I'm just trying to see what's out there for down the road. We don't really have great schools right in our immediate area. Apparently the elementary school isn't bad, but the middle and high schools sound awful. And I can't beleive I'm worrying about it already, but I don't want to have to move them around too much.

In the meantime I have registered Lauren at the same school she's in now for next year, 3 full days a week. I 've been agonizing over that decision. It's hard to know, but she's resisting her nap a lot these days, and 7 months from now she'll probably be even more so. That way I'll get more time alone with Jack before he starts preschool himself probably when he turns 3.

It's hard to decide because school determines so much for children, the way they socialize, the way they begin to learn. I want them to be in the right environment, but not turn them into snobs! The thing I did like about this new school was that they are progressive about a new way of teaching, looking at the uniquiness of each child, not just focusing on taking State mandated testing which is what seems to happen in the public schools here.

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Tue, Jan 16, 2007 10:58 PM
We had our first two days with our new nanny Ashley and things seem great so far. They even ate a good dinner for her tonight, and that never happens for ME on a good day, at least not with both of them! On Monday we had lots of playtime outside due to the beautiful weather we're having. And also yesterday both kids started having the sniffles and Lauren has been coughing a little. It seems like we can't go a single week without some sort of cold lurking with at least one person in the family! Ugh.

Jack came over to me this morning after playing quietly in the playroom for a few minutes and put his hand on the back of his diaper. I checked, and sure enough he had pooped. I take this as an early sign of readiness for potty training! He seems to be more upset when his diaper is soiled or wet, which was the first step with Lauren. So that's exciting, because I've been worried about what we're going to do about the diaper situation. He's already in size 6 and that's the biggest size they make! When he outgrows those, he could wear Pull-ups, but they're not as absorbant, and they probably won't be adequate for the diarrhea situation. The make nighttime Pull-ups which should be a little more absorbant, and there are also those Diaper Doubler pads, or Depends pads which have an adhesive strip. But the best thing would be to not need them at all, right?

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Sun, Jan 14, 2007 10:32 PM
Today Lauren had a princess birthday party of her friend Cameron who used to be in her playgroup and also happens to go to her preschool, so we knew almost everyone there. They dressed up like princesses and pirates, and they did crafts and had pizza and cake. There was also some impromptu piano playing, dancing and hide andseek! It was so nice to be just a guest this time!

After naps we went to the playground down the street in the next neighborhood. Jack is getting pretty adept at climbing up the stairs and launching himself down the slide. I have to remind him to sit on is bottom or else he looks like he may go head first, but otherwise he's doing pretty well on his own. I also sat him on a regular swing and he did pretty well. . . that is until he just let go and fell into the mulch. He wasn't going very fast, but he did get a mouthful of mulch. It didn't seem to bother him too much. He's a pretty tough customer these days. They both walked (or ran) almost the entire way home. Another cute thing, Jack insisted on holding Sadie's leash. It was just about the last 100 yards before our driveway, but he was so pleased to be in charge of her. Luckily she was tired out from the walk and just walked slowly along.

I made spagetti for dinner, and we all actually ate the same thing. That might not seem like a big deal, but it is for us with two picky eaters. It seemed so civilized, the four of us all eating together, and for once my food didn't get cold because both kids happily fed themselves for at least 5 minutes. That's definitely progress!

New Jack words: off (as in "diaper off") and out (as in "let me out of the wagon")!

So I did it, I hired a nanny. She's coming tomorrow. I spoke to about 20 different people on the phone, interviewed 10 in person, so it was quite a process. It's not one I really enjoy either. I'm going to have to make a lot of "bad news" calls tomorrow, not looking forward to that. So I'm hoping it will work out with Ashley. In the end I guess you just went with my gut reaction, and I liked this girl immediately. That's got to say something.

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Sat, Jan 13, 2007 9:05 PM
Lauren had her first ballet lesson today. She was so cute! I managed to put her hair in a bun with the help of a lot of gel. She looks so different with all her hair pulled back, not like my little curly girl at all. She seemed so grown up all of a sudden! She did very well in class, paid attention and did everything her teacher Miss Joan asked of them. In fact she was placed first in line when they lined up to go in and out of class. They made sort of like a conga line, it was just so adorable. The class had two doors with these small windows about nose level, so you could peek in. I stayed within sight for the first few minutes. Lauren turned around to see me just a few times at first, but then she started waving to me, so I moved out of sight. I could still watch her through the mirror, but she couldn't see me. She was much less distracted that way. Anyway, she loved it, so I think we're probably in for many years of lessons ahead of us.

Today Jack said butterfly! I was getting him out of the bath, and I couldn't believe what I was hearing, but then I looked up where he was pointing and sure enough there's a butterfly on a picture we have hanging in there. He continues to amaze me with new words every day. I'm not sure if anyone else would understand him, and sometimes he sounds like he's speaking a peculiar dialect somewhere between French and Chinese, but it's cute to hear him just babbling away.

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Fri, Jan 12, 2007 10:28 PM
Yesterday we had a scare with Jack at playgroup. I asked another mom to watch him while I took Lauren to the potty. When I got back he was nowhere to be found. I started screaming for him and we found him almost immediately, within a minute. Longest minute of my life though! He had gone through a gate we all thought was locked, up some stairs, down some other stairs and was standing in a shallow pool in about 1 inch of water! I almost died of a heart attack but I was just so releived that he was OK. The mom I had asked to watch him was of course mortified, but I blame myself for leaving him when I should know better. Most people don't realize when I say his nickname is Houdini, I'm not exaggerating. I think the lesson is that I always have to watch him, I can't let down my guard for one single second.

Lauren has been wetting her pants every day this whole past week. She's also woken upin the morning with a wet pull-up a few times. I'm really hoping it's just a phase or a growth spurt or something because I really thought we were past this! The mountain of laundry doesn't ever seem to get any smaller. . .

Jack got a haircut this morning and he's looking pretty sharp these days. He behaved really well at the place, but the minute we got there he pretty much insisted on getting up into the little taxicab they put them in to cut their hair, which would have been fine, but we had to wait our turn in line!

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Wed, Jan 10, 2007 11:51 PM
Today was just a non-stop marathon! School drop off, playgroup for Jack, school pick up, lunch at McDonalds with other Moms from school, getting both kids down for naps,interviewed two prospective nannies, dinner, bath, bedtime. Phew! Mike hasn't been feeling well so I was pretty much on my own. I really feel for single parents out there, I don't know how they do it!

A new word for Jack that he's been saying for a while but I keep forgetting to mention is bubble (especially evident during bath time!)

Lauren's new dvd obsession is currently Cinderella which she received as a present for her birthday. I have already watched it about 10 times!

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Tue, Jan 9, 2007 11:45 PM
We went to get Lauren's uniform for her upcoming dance class which is called creative movement, but it's sort of pre-ballet. She was so excited! We went to a dance shop called "On Your Toes" and she tried on her little short sleeved cotton leotard and ballet slippers. She looked SO cute! We also got tights and some scrunchies for her hair because we are going to attempt to put her hair in a bun. Of course, now Lauren wants to go to class right away. I'm trying to explain that she has to wait a few days, but patience is not a virtue she posseses as of yet!

Jack was very fussy during nap time and wouldn't let me put him down in the crib without just howling. He's been having a lot of diarrhea and has developed a rash. Every time he seemed especially fussy I changed his diaper to find he'd gone again and again. I tried Nystatin antifungal creme but it hasn't helped so far. He also seemd really gassy so I'm trying to figure out what I fed him that could be contributing to these symptoms. He hasn't had anything new or out of the ordinary that I can recall.

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Mon, Jan 8, 2007 10:41 AM
New words for Jack before I forget, he asks for "A bite!" And diaper, which sounds more like poopoo, but he's saying it consistently. His new favorite thing to do is take them out of the box and fling them around the room!

(Later on)
I started the arduous task of looking for a new nanny today. I met two people and fielded lots of phone calls. One girl showed up an hour late, then, after our interview was essentially over, she confessed that she doesn't have a car! When I asked her how she got here today she said she took a cab. Then I asked how she's going to get home and she said she could call one of her roomates. Well, she called them, but it took a while for her to get through so in the end she stayed two hours! Right through dinner and bath time. I have learned my lesson, that's one of the things I should ask about!

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Sun, Jan 7, 2007 11:03 PM
I think Lauren is in post-holiday/birthday withdrawal! We still plan to go to Maggies Tea room with our neighbors Alison and Taylor to make up for the tea party. And luckily we have her ballet lessons coming up this weekend and she has a birthday party to attend too. Now I'm looking at at least a whole month before we have to start making Valentines.

Jack's ear seems to be much better, he hasn't had a fever or been fussy so I think the antibiotics are doing their job. He did have a couple of small bug bites on his face and arms which is puzzling because he hasn't been outside that much. I'm worried that it may be fleas from the dog, but you never know because it's basically a swamp here and it's been at least 80 degrees and humid all week. I feel so cheated of winter, and the kids have hardly been able to wear any of their cute winter clothes! (And by that I simply mean full length pants and long sleeve t-shirts!)

Oh yeah, Jack is 19 months today! New words: back-pack, cheese, shoes (used for feet, socks, toes, etc) Wow Wow Wubsy (name of a TV show). He's now calling the phone "baff" which is sort of interesting because he's getting the "Ph" sound, but it's at the end of the word instead. Lauren did that with some words too. And every time the phone rings he insists you let him "SAY HI!" He seems to be getting the fact that there is someone there talking to him. He will actually listen to the earpiece and babble for a minute or so before he loses interest. When you tell him to say bye, he still waves at the phone though!

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Sat, Jan 6, 2007 9:37 PM
Well the Little Mermaid "Under the Sea" Treasure Hunt Extravaganza is officially over! Phew! I think it was a great success. Everything seemed to come together and everyone had a good time. There were about 16 kids altogether, including some younger siblings. Lara, the lady who runs the place did a great circle time with a parachute and songs and a story from a book and bubbles and dancing. It was really cute.

Otherwise the kids ran around and threw themselves in the ball pit and on the huge bean bag, there were toy cars and playhouses and a mini rollercoaster. They really had a blast. We had Mike set up in a corner with temporary tattoos, and the sharks were apparantly a big hit!

Then after cake they did the treasure hunt. They ran around finding clues and solving riddles, before they found the key to the treasure chest, which burst open like a pinata and was full of candy, beads, and "gold" coins. Talk about sharks, there was a feeding frenzy!

Then it was all over and I was relieved that I had just enough goody bags. I had made extra but someone called last night at 9:45pm to tell me she was coming and asked if she could bring an older sibling! Ayayay! But it all worked out, and Lauren seemd to really enjoy herself, and that's all that matters! Now I need to go collapse in a heap!

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Fri, Jan 5, 2007 9:27 PM
Final party preparations today. I went to the party venue and decorated. I wasn't able to do as much as I'd hoped because I only had something like 45 minutes, but I did put up crepe paper hanging down across the entranceway in various shades of green to suggest seaweed. Then up over the table area I put two shades of blue crepe paper in four streams along the ceiling to suggest water and that under the sea feeling. And then I hung a garland over the bar with sea creatures dangling from it. Then there will be all the balloons too which will make a big difference I think.

I know I overdid it on the food, but it's too late now! Oh well, when will I ever learn?

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Thu, Jan 4, 2007 9:12 PM
Today I took Lauren for her 3 year check-up. She was very brave, she didn't cry at all. She had her hemoglobin checked, which is just a finger prick, but she also had a flu shot, and she barely flinched! I told her it was going to hurt, but just for a few seconds and then it would be OK, and she just nodded her head and let us do it. I was really impressed. Her hemoglobin came back a little low, which is not surprising since the child refuses to eat anything except peanut butter and jelly! So we need to give her iron supplements and make an attempt to give her more iron rich foods. Hmm. . . "Good Luck!" right?

A lot of the things I ordered online for her birthday party arrived, so got the party favor bags all assembled today. It's kind of difficult because I'm still waiting to hear from at least 5 people! I can't believe how lazy people are about RSVPing. I am vowing to be much better about it myself in the future.

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Wed, Jan 3, 2007 8:50 PM
Happy 3rd Birthday Lauren! Wow, I can't beleive it's been 3 years since she came into our lives. In some ways she seems like such a big girl, talking, getting herself dressed, putting on her own shoes. But she also still needs us for so much. I guess she'll always be my baby no matter how much she grows!

It was sort of a hectic day because it was the first day back to school after the winter break. We only had time to open a few presents. I brought cupcakes to school and I think they had a little party for her. She was covered with icing when I picked her up and she had a big grin on her face! She opened all her presents when she got home and she was just thrilled about her whole Littel Mermaid costume, including shoes, bag, tiara, jewellery, cell phone and wand. I think her favorite thing in the whole bunch is the shell necklace that sings like Ariel every tme you push a button! She also got a whole doll-house full of furniture and also dolls, but she wan't as enthusiastic about those as I'd hoped. Oh well, maybe she'll grow into it.

We had planned a tea-party for after naptime with Taylor and Allison, our neighbors, but Allison was recovering from a severe allergic reaction to some food from the night before, so they couldn't make it after all. Lauren was dissappointed, but we had our tea-party anyway. I bought petit fours,cream puffs, mini eclairs,tiny deluxe brownie bites and chocolate dippped strawberries and set them out on a tiered plate, and we made some sunset rose herbal tea. Lauren was extremely excited. Then we took a break to give Jack dinner. Lauren was too hopped up on sugar to eat much of anything sustantial. But I guess on her birthday we can let her eat what she wants. Then after Jack was in bed we had a decadant chocolate cake and ice cream. So she consumed mostly sugar all day , primarily in the form of chocolate and cream!

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Tue, Jan 2, 2007 11:48 PM
Yeah, Jack's been fighting a fever all day and the doctor confirmed that he had the beginning of an infection in his right ear. Lauren seemed to have a miraculous recovery, so I decided to wait for her to see the doctor until Thursday when we have her 3 year check-up appointment. It was sort of funny, becasue they were both running up and down the halls like they didn't have a care in the world, but the nurse said Jack's fever was 102 degrees! That's the highest I've ever dealt with. But the doctor said it's not just the number, but how they're acting, and Jack was bouncing around and greeting everyone with a loud HI! and a wave, so Dr Jimenez didn't seem worried about him at all. After dinner he took his amoxicillin and Motrin like a champ and has been sleeping pretty comfortably, so hopefully he'll be feeling a lot better by tomorrow.

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Mon, Jan 1, 2007 11:49 PM
Happy New Year to everyone!

We celebrated very low key at home, but we did let Lauren stay up late (9:30) and drink bubbly (Martinelli's sparkling apple cider) in her own plastic champagne glass! She was very excited. We also danced around the lanai twirling sparklers and I'm relieved to say that no one was burned or caught fire! We also broke into the gingerbread house Mike brought home from the store only to discover that everything was really stale. YUCK!

Jack has been fussy today all afternoon and he had a slight fever before bedtime. I'm worried about an ear infection so I'm hoping I can get him in to the doctor's tomorrow. He's been sleeping comfortably all night though. Hopefully the Motrin helped.

I'm dismayed to discover that the Thomas train table top I got for Jack doesn't fit our table by something like a 1/4 inch, or maybe even less. It's so frustrating because it's really nice! Oh well. Can't say I didn't try.

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