Comparisons...

I thought it would be fun to start making comparisons between Dane and Jack at different stages. Here's the first one at about 5 months old for both of them. Dane is just over 5 months and Jack is just under 5 months. Can you tell which is which? I think as Jack grows older, he is starting to look less and less like Dane. They still have some similarities, but the eyes are the biggest difference. I think Ike and I will have one to look like each of us! In case you didn't know...the first and fourth are Jack and the second and third are Dane. Funny side note i realized yesterday at a bridal shower....Dane (in these pics) was 5 months at my cousin's wedding (Ashley), and Jack will be about the same at Ashley's Brother's wedding in a few weeks (Ryan)! Does this mean that the next time someone in their family gets engaged, I will be having another baby???? Yikes...Skyler, I know you are coming home from your mission soon, but wait a while before getting married, ok!!!!






Had to add this one in.....the classic pic of how kids can fall asleep ANYWHERE! Just after snapping the pic I promptly put him in his crib....didn't want him to stay that way for long! And yes....the thumb sucking is still going strong, but hey...he sleeps WAY WAY better than Dane ever did. 10-12 hours most nights!!

Sea World

We had a blast at Sea World yesterday! We went with an educational group and it was only like $6 per person! SO FUN! My friend, Holly, and her fam came too and the kids had so much fun together. Holly has two girls close to Dane's age and a baby girl a few months older than Jack so we have a lot of fun when we get together! We were also fortunate enough to have our husbands tag along on this trip too....which doesn't happen too often for either of us lately, so that was a bonus! Here are some pics from our day!

Jack 4 months and a crazy March!

Jack is 4 months old, starting solids and growing faster than a weed! I can't belieive time is going by so fast! We had his last check up a few days ago and he is right on target with everything. Weight is average (14.5 lbs), height is at the top of the charts (forgot the number), and he is doing great! So far he has eaten rice cereal, bananas, carrots, apples and sweet potatoes. He is doing good with all of them. I am making use of my vita mix machine I won on the Price is Right WAY back in 1997 when I was a sophmore in college. That is the best thing I have EVER won...I would buy one if I didn't have one because it is the best machine! I am able to make my own baby food from fresh ingredients at a FRACTION of the cost and it is SUPER fast to do. I'm gonna try to do this all the way, because it will save money in the long run, and let's face it...there's not too much "Green" coming in right now, so every little bit helps.

Back to Jack...he is a pretty good baby still, but he has had some sleep problems recently. Could be due to the starting solids...not sure. He nurses a few times a day and gets formula and baby food a few times a day. He used to sleep 6-8 hours each night, but has been waking up once or even twice a night for the past 1.5 weeks. I think he is growing and hungry. Last night was better, so let's hope he gets back on his schedule soon, because mommy no likey! Oh, and the doc said his gums felt a bit swolen, so I'm guessing he will be teething shortly. He is almost rolling over from back to front...he gets to his side, but can't quite get all the way. (Tummy to back is easy for him now). He also still scoots his legs underneath him when on his tummy and manages to scoot forward a few inches. He is finding ways to move. Oh, and he loves to sit up in this walker...he can touch the ground and has pushed back a few times. (He can almost reach flat-footed. I guessing by the end of the month he will). He hates to have his hands in his nightly swaddle now, so I'm almost ready to just X that soon, but I feel bad that his hands get cold in the middle of the night. Guess is it getting warmer, though, and he will be fine! One last thing...he LOVES the "itsy bitsy spider" song, and if he is fussy he will quiet down if I start to sing it. I noticed it is on his baby einstein dvd that he watches whenever I am in the shower, or working around the house, so maybe that is why he likes it.

OK, a small update on the rest of us....Ike is CRAZY busy trying to finish the gym expansion and it is almost done. I held some fitness instructor auditions last week and found a few good ones, but am still looking for more. Mandi and I will probably teach a few classes where we can, so that will be a good chance to sneak our workouts in. Since she is in Hawaii for two weeks right now, I am having to be creative with finding time. It will be nice when the expansion is done so Ike can feel a little more refreshed...he has been working like a dog and he is feeling it! He is in the background stage of CA Hwy patrol, so we haven't heard anything for a while, but this is the longest part of the process. Our gym membership has been good and with the expansion almost complete and summer coming up, we expect another small boom in memberships (good for us, cause we need the extra income).

Dane has his good days and bad days, and has pushed our limits of patience recently, but I guess that's our fault partly because we have been so busy (Ike with the gym and me with Jack), that we haven't given him enough 1 on 1 time. I'm really trying to improve that, and he is so fun to play with when I actually sit down to do it. It is NEVER long enough for him. He loves to help cook dinner and bake (he likes to lick the bowl like every kid), so that is some good together time that we get regularly.

We are going to VA to see my family for a week near Memorial Day, so that will be a nice little vacation, and probably the only one we take all year (out of state at least). We are also going to Sea World with an "educational" group (of moms and kids) and we are getting in for a STEAL (what the school's pay I think) of like $7! We are also going to attempt some family pics this month, so hopefully they will turn out...if you don't see them, then they didn't turn out!!!!

That's the scoop.....more updates and thoughts later, but I have a crying baby in the background and dinner time is rapidly sneaking up!


This is what a week and a half of sporadic sleep on top of a few months of winter look like! Thank goodness the sun is coming out!!

Blackmail opportunity!

This was too funny not to catch on camera....proves kids can fall asleep anywhere and in any position! I was uploading pics and Dane wanted me to go play monster trucks with him. 5 min later i realized he was waiting a little too patiently (he usually doesn't stop hounding me until I "click the X" and leave the computer!) I turned my head and found him like this!

Hair Impatience!

Whenever I decide too change my hair, I want it done right away! I have been wanting a cut/color for about a week now and this morning I just decided to cut my bangs because I wanted something different. Wasn't planning on doing bangs, but it sounded good this morning, so it happened. I may love it or hate it, but it's done, and now I just need to cut the rest of my hair to frame my face a little better! I'm definitely not going to attempt that myself....will get that done this week and post a better updated picture. I was just messing around today with the camera in the bathroom with Jack and got a few funny shots, so don't judge my hair just yet...wait until I get a professional to fix it up!

Love this...too cute

Jack did this all on his own.....talented...he didn't even mess up his swaddle for the most part!

Jack at 3 months

Tomorrow Jack will be 3 mo. old! He is growing so fast so i'm glad modern technology allows me to document it so easily! Here's what he's been doing:

*In 3-6 month clothes and size 2 diapers.
*Loves to talk and coo....he really is a happy baby.
*He has deep blue eyes, and I think his hair will be darker than Danes....probably a good brown.
*His binki is a quick cry fix....so easy for mom to get just a few more things done at once.
*Still loves sucking that thumb or his hand...if he cries then suddenly stops, I know what has happened. I still put mittens on him sometimes, but he started sucking on his thumb over the mitten, so not sure if they help, but I will keep trying.
*Still loves to be swaddled to go to sleep but I always find him uncovered with his hand or thumb in his mouth when he wakes up!
*He is so wiggly!
*Occasionally rolls over front to back, but not consistant....doesn't really like being on his tummy.
*When he is on his tummy, he usually tucks his knees up unerneath him an ends up scooting himself forward......I know...Yikes...I'm not ready for any kind of movement yet!
*Usually sleeps 6-7 hours per night, but I think his 3 month growth spurt has disrupted that a little bit this week. Now, if I could only get my other child to stop waking up at night (he's in a scared phase).......one day BOTH will sleep through the night and I won't wake up feeling tired...one day.
*He still has his cowlick just above his forehead on his right side....don't think it's going away. I have tried combing it down and gelling it, etc, but I've given up and am letting it fall where it may! Maybe it will give him "character"...or maybe he will be yelling at me one day for not getting rid of it...who knows!
*He is definitely a mamma's boy right now (nursing is mostly the reason), but he really calms down when he is with me or in sight of me. Ike gets so frustrated sometimes because Jack will just start crying when he's holding him and there's really no reason....then he comes to me and he calms down quickly. I will take that as long as I can...because when Dane turned 1 or 2, he became all about Dad, and has been that way ever since.
*Jack is growing similarly to Dane...longer torso and smaller legs, so he grows out of shirts faster than pants...Long and lean just like their dad! Ike jokes that my family's "short" genes have doomed Dane, but maybe there is hope for Jack! Truth is, Ike didn't get his growth spurt until later in high school and kept growing through his mission! So, we have some time Ike!!!

I'm sure there is more, but I just can't think right now, and I'm hearing some crying behind me, so we know what that means!!