Week 11

May 20-26

We started off this week with some visitors. Ed's dad and his wife Mary Ann came down to FL for their vacation. They stayed at a hotel a few miles from our house and planned on enjoying the beach and spending time with Jack. Well, for the first time since we moved here 7 months ago it decided to rain (and rain, and rain, and rain). I felt so bad! They didn't get much beach time, but they sure got to spend time with Jack and us. We weren't complaining about that! We had a nice visit and were so happy they came to see us!

Thursday morning we packed up the Highlander with all of our stuff, Jack, & Hope to drive down to Sumter, SC for Jack's big weekend. We were all so excited to see the whole family. It was going to be an eventful weekend because Saturday Jack's Grandma (Cindy) and Harvin were getting married in the Catholic Church and then Sunday was Jack's Baptism. The drive went pretty well and we arrived in Sumter Thursday afternoon. We ran errands and did last minute things to get ready for the weekend. Friday we baked lots and lots of cookies and started welcoming the guests who were arriving from just about everywhere.

Uncle Al & Aunt Sharon drove 14 hours from New Jersey, Holly flew in from Wisconsin, Uncle John and Aunt Kathy along with Jonathan, Ashleigh, Alyssa, Jason, & Chelsea Dog drove in from Pennsylvania...the family and friends just poured in. It was fantastic!! Saturday night we all gathered at the church and watched Harvin & Cindy renew their vows after their long journey with the Catholic Church. It was an intimate and emotional ceremony held in the evening. We had the whole church to ourselves and it was so nice to witness such an incredible couple professing their lifelong commitment to each other. Here is a picture after the ceremony of the immediate family.

So after the ceremony we all went to dinner as a family. It was delicious!! :)

Sunday morning we woke up for Jack's big day! We spent the morning getting ready to go to the church. Of course we had to have a crisis first. We realized that we had forgotten to pick up the cake from the bakery on Saturday. Well the bakery is closed on Sunday which made us very sad because Cindy had ordered a DELICIOUS lemon layered cake from a very good bakery in town. I have personally sampled this cake before and when she told me she had ordered it I was VERY excited to have some. Well, when we realized we forgot about the cake we remembered that there was a cake left over from the celebrations of the day before. It hadn't even been cut yet, but it said "Congratulations Harvin & Cindy" since it was intended for the wedding. Luckily Cindy, Ed, & myself are very crafty so we scraped off the "Congratulations Harvin & Cindy" and found some yellow icing. I carefully wrote "God Bless Jack Edward" and made a nice big cross on the cake. I really don't think anyone would have noticed, but luckily right before we left for church the bakery called and asked us if we still wanted the cake. Haha! :) It was DELICIOUS!

We had such nice things for Jack to wear to his Baptism. The gown was over 85 years old and first worn by Jack's Great Grandfather. We figured out that Jack is the 18th baby to be Baptised in this gown. Thank goodness his Great Aunt Kathy who is officially entitled "Keeper of the Gown" brought the precious outfit down for Jack to use. I am grateful she takes on that responsibility because I would not want to have that job. Here are some pictures.

Jack getting ready. He took his bath in the sink!! :) He LOVES baths!

Mommy & Daddy dressing Jack for his Baptism

All ready to go!

He also had his beautiful white satin shoes with crosses on them as well as a tiny green shamrock. On his head he wore a bonnet that we will one day snip off the ribbons and turn into a handkerchief for his bride to have on his wedding day. He also had a white linen bib with a Celtic Cross on it. His little socks had white crosses too! He had a white blanket covered in white shamrocks for good luck. Thanks to his Grandma he was dressed perfectly. Now we have so many special items to outfit the next babies to get baptised in the family. :)

The ceremony was BEAUTIFUL. Jack behaved himself the entire time. He was awake for most of church and then fell asleep for the actual Baptism. He slept while the priest poured the water over his head. Here are some pictures from the ceremony.

All ready in his bonnet!

Slept through the whole thing!!

Family picture!

Godparents Ryan & Holly

Another family picture!

It truly was a special weekend! After church we all went back to Jack's Grandma's house where we all ate, drank, and had lots of fun! Everyone got into comfy clothes and we played games in the backyard including a water balloon toss and volleyball! It was such a nice day, the weather was perfect. Everyone had a nice time and we were so lucky to be around so many wonderful friends and family! Thank you to everyone who made it down, we truly appreciate everyone!!!

Week 10

May 13-19

Bathtime!!

Still loves his bathtime!! He will sit in the tub as long as you let him. When we take him out he cries. After his bath he gets lotion and a massage and then puts on his pajamas. Usually he bathes after eating so afterwards we wrap him up in his blankie and give him his pacifier, he knows it's time to settle down and playtime is over for the night. Sometimes we read stories. We are going to use this as our routine as he gets older to signal bedtime is coming.

Jack had his 2-month doctor's appointment this week. He did very well through the whole examination. He is up to 12 pounds (50th percentile) and 23 inches (50th percentile)...Yay!! He had to get 2 shots in his little legs and he wasn't too happy about that, but once Ed picked him up he stopped crying. We gave him tylenol throughout the night so he wouldn't be in pain.

Weighing in at 12 pounds!!

Getting checked out by the nurse.

Waiting for the doctor to come in.

Getting his shots in his legs.

Not so sure about this doctor thing anymore.

This week he has become so much more vocal. He coos and gurgles and sometimes makes high-pitched noises. It really seems like he is talking in his own little language, I wish we could understand what he is saying. He is very good with eye contact and smiles when you talk to him. He follows objects when you move them in front of him. He looks towards sounds that he hears. He is really starting to enjoy tummy time and playing on his activity mat. He likes looking at his different toys, especially the ones with sounds. He is so much more aware of his surroundings. I think I will go out and start getting him more toys since he enjoys them now. Jack playing on his activity mat.

Jack with his Daddy in uniform.

Jack snuggling with his lovey in Mommy & Daddy's bed.

Week 9

May 6-12

This week Jack turned 2 months old!!! He is getting so big and everyday he seems to learn something new. We are really starting to get into an actual daily routine which has been so nice.

Here is an overview of Jack's typical day.

6:30 am wake up and eat

7:00 am go for a morning walk with Mommy & Hope

7:45 am sit in his bouncy chair while Mommy eats breakfast

8:00 am play with Mommy, eat

8:45 am nap

11:00 am wake up and eat

12:00 pm play

1:30 pm eat and nap

3:00 pm wake up and eat

The rest of the day kind of follows that pattern, eat, sleep, play. He usually goes to bed around 9:00-10:00 pm with us and wakes up once or twice in the night to eat. Some nights he will go 6 to 7 hours straight.

This week I decided he is big enough to sleep in his crib during the day. I finally got a monitor so I feel comfortable leaving him up there. I figure he should get used to his crib and his room. It's much more quiet up there and I can get stuff done downstairs. I went back to work last week and the plan is for me to work Friday & Saturday nights. Jack gets "man time" with Daddy while I go to work. They have a good time together and I get a break from the house.

Tomorrow Jack has his checkup at the pediatrician's office and we will finally see how much he weighs! It seems like he has gained so much weight compared to last time. I can't wait!! As of right now he is a very content baby, only cries if he's super hungry and you don't feed him fast enough. :) He smiles and coos, loves to be talked to, and likes to be able to see you from where he is sitting. He follows things with his eyes very well. He also loves to listen to stories, he really pays attention and stays quiet through a whole book.

I will update again soon with his weight after his appointment tomorrow. :)

Week 8

April 29-May 5

Jack's first charity event!! We walked in the March of Dimes March for Babies event held in Melbourne, FL. Jack loved it! It was a 4.5 mile walk and he spent most of it looking around. About the last mile he fell asleep. Our friend Crystal walked with us on our PSA Team and we were glad to have her support. This is a picture of us after the walk.

Other people took pictures...I will post more pictures later.

Week 6

April 15-21

On Tuesday there was a big storm coming towards our neighborhood. We all went to check it out because it seemed like it came out of nowhere. We got a quick picture before the rain came.

Friday night Daddy had to go to the Submarine Ball. Jack got a picture with him in his uniform before he left.
That weekend we decided to drive 2 hours south of us to Palm Beach to support our cousins. Their grandmother had passed away and they were having a memorial service. We don't get to see them very often (they live in PA) so we decided to surprise them and introduce them to Jack for the first time. It was Jack's first road trip and he was very well behaved.