Jack is Four Months

Watch out....he is getting teeth soon. Our good baby Jack is rolling and scooting and drooling in every direction. He is sleeping in his crib at night and now that we are through a growth spurt, it seems like he will only wake up to eat and hear lullabies 3 times a night now! At 5 am he likes to scoot around and investigate his crib...our motion sensors have given him away...And also the fact that he has yet to master the art of whispering.

So, Dr. Hartman told us (him) that he should be sleeping through the night at this age....and at his size. He laughed. Jack weighed in at 16lbs (well, 15.15) and he is 27 inches tall! He is off the charts for height! I wish I could see into the future to know if Jack will stand eye to eye with his father or have to lean down to kiss and hug his mamma. I wonder! Right now, though, he holds on to you like a little Koala Bear. He holds on with his fingers and toes. He looks at you with these eyes that smile. It is hard to put him down, that little Koala.

Little bit of Ugly, Whole lot of Cute

Asleep

Oh, how I wish I was. I am in the haze of motherhood where I think I have everything under control and a schedule intact and then I realize that I don't even know what day it is or what happened three days ago. Then I think back to simple conversations that I have had with people and realize that I have no business having any conversations....At least not until I get more than 2 hours of uninterrupted sleep, or a nap where there isn't a baby nursing on me. Oh, dear!

And at the same time it is bliss because I know there is an end and I will regret so much wishing this time away. I wake up to Greta calling out from her crib to me an hour after I finally got Jack to sleep and I want to curl up and cry. But, then she says something funny and the tone is set for the day - or at least for the next five minutes as I am learning that there is a special vortex where time and intent is concerned with toddlers.

See, now I don't even know what I am talking about or where I was going with this. You know when you are watching the news...Let's say Fox news...And there is the breaking story and while you are listening to the brief you are reading the ticker at the bottom of the screen and eyeballing the tags to the side. And there is so much all at once, but that is because there are so many people in the world, and life is happening, and it doesn't stop....Not even to sleep.

Purrfect Ending

The luckiest black cat in the whole wide world lives here with us. Zira. Zira is Derek's biological cat that I adopted upon marriage. She is black and sleek with a spot of white on her chest and the voice of a Siamese Diva that echos through the ventilation system of our home. She is bad...Bad to the core...the ultimate cat that does every bad cat thing at cat could think of. She shredded the back of our brand new couch about 1 month after we had it delivered. She knocked my gorgeous crystal bowl off of the table and shattered it into a gazillion pieces. (I was not home when this incident occurred, but know she is the guilty party because when I held her in my arms and walked to the site of where the bowl sat, she suddenly stuck to the ceiling.) She climbed up our brand new linen curtains and hung by them making lovely holes. I could go on, but it is just making my blood boil.

Her days were numbered. Derek and I had many talks about what to do....The cat was just not getting what she needed to be happy. She needs so much attention and she acts out when not satisfied. We talked about finding her a new home, or taking her to Wayside Waifs, or even just having her put down in the most humane way. But, it always made us cry to think of her suffering at our hand, even though she makes us crazy. And then luck favored her. Greta decided that she was her new BFF. Oh, Zira, you are one lucky little kitty that will be spared. And, now I can watch with a smile on my face as Greta and Zira run through the kitchen and dining room and living room....Zira running, with Greta hot on her trail. I smile as Greta adores her by laying on top of her and smothering her with hugs and kisses. Greta is good with her - very gentle and sweet...but very persistent! Everyone is happy!

Let's Get Wild!

Hold on to your hat - these kids are crazy. And, we thought our nights were wild before we had kids! Even brother Jack is a member of the "Mini Wild Boy Society". (To be a member you must stay up all night long, show your toughness by never napping, and you pee on people if they take too long to change your pants.) (And then you laugh at them.) (Jack is president.)

And, Greta...she walks to the beat of a different drum. You know, I have sung the ABC song to her since birth just to get a smile or laugh out of her, and maybe to teach her a little something since that is what I get paid for (right....) And, out of nowhere she looks at me and sings it! She knows more than she lets on to,that girl in pigtails. She knows her colors and will tell you, "Mamma, its amazing!" But, what is really amazing is that, when needed, she will put herself in "time out"! (And also Grover and Cookie Monster.) Yeah...she hangs with a tough crowd.

Thank you Christmas

Christmas morning 2008, originally uploaded by DerekandRebecca.

Greta is just the sweetest little girl. She said exactly what I was thinking.