Jack's Announcement

My sister designed this great announcement for Jack. I am very happy with it. I love the work that Julie has been doing for people with graphics and design. Very cool.

On a side note, we are going out of town for the week to Morro Bay and Carpinteria. I can't wait. I'm hoping that Jack and Ryan will sleep for some of the car rides, but I am doubtful because for whatever reason, my children don't seem to sleep in cars. Jack cries and Ryan talks, and talks, and talks, and asks why, why, why, until given an ipod to watch Cars. Phil or I tend to have to ride in the back seat and soothe Jack while the other one drives. With two car seats in the back, this is not a comfortable car ride. Anyway, I hope to spend a lot of time outside next week walking around and soaking up the cooler weather. I also hope to remember to get out the camera and take some pictures so I have something to blog about when I get home.

Jack 1 month old

Jack had his 1 month check up today and is doing just fine.  He is long and skinny just like Ryan was.  He was 22.5 inches long and 9 lbs. 1 1/2 oz.  He's grown and inch and gained a pound since his last appointment 3 weeks ago.  He had to have a shot and only whimpered.  I was amazed.  We'll see how he does next month when he has to have 4 shots.  The wonderful Ellie is taking some pictures tomorrow so I will post some later.

Sling

This baby sling is the best invention of all time. I am able to do housework, play with Ryan, get some shopping done, take a walk, or eat a meal, all thanks to this wonderful hands free device. As soon as Jack is inside, the crying stops, and he usually goes to sleep. I love it. Happy babies equal happy mommies. Thanks to Rita for the fabulous modeling job. Jack was unavailable due to his nap.

Here is the link to directions for how to make this sling and here is a link for how to make several different kinds of slings.

Randomness

First of all, I must say, although baby bedding looks so adorable, it is such a pain. I HATE crib sheets. The mattresses are so large so a baby cannot get stuck in the 1/8 inch gap surrounding the perimeter, but this also prohibits sheets to be able to be changed easily. On top of this, the crib sheets seem as though they may rip every time I put them on (and when they are old and worn enough, they do) because they have to be stretched so tightly to get on. The situation only gets worse with the addition of bumper pads because then you have just closed the gap where your hand needs to go in order to fit the sheet onto the mattresses. I end of removing the mattress whenever I need to change it. Is it totally necessary for mattresses to fit so tightly?!?!?!
In other random news, Ryan completed two weeks of swim lessons last Thursday with Mr. Edgmon. He did so well. I'm also so impressed with what Ed can get those little kids to do. I think another two weeks would have really benefited him, but I just couldn't manage it with little Jack everyday for another couple weeks.
Lastly, I don't often brag about Phil, but he is the best. He brought these flowers home for me this week as a congratulations for Jack. He had waited till now because he wanted his favorite florist at Vons, Kelly, to make them. I love them so much. They have my orange lilies and pink daisies and I also adore the orange and yellow tulips. I appreciate these gestures so much.

4th of July

Yesterday we celebrated our 4th of July in our traditional way of going to my parents' annual party. Seth and Amy and their baby, Liam, joined us for the day.

Jack and Ryan both decided to boycott a significant portion of their nap times before they finally relented and slept a little. Obviously, Jack was a little fussy.

Jack finally decided to take a little cat nap after arriving at my parents house and Grandma Net got to hold him, and for once, he didn't fuss for her.
Amy Meyer and my mom bought glow stick toys for the kids, which were a huge hit. Ryan loved his glasses, although I'm not sure where they ended up after the evening was over.

Ryan still wasn't old enough to appreciate the fireworks. He thought they looked cool, but he said they sounded like sirens and were too scary. With a preschooler and a new baby, we only made it until 9:30 and had to call it a night. All in all, we had a really great day.