Opening Day is here!

Opening Day visitor

It is Opening Day here in Cincinnati and the Samad's are celebrating.  Jack was so excited that he even woke up at 5:30 to tell us about it!

Jacob is going to the game and I am trying hard to not be jealous. I keep reminding myself that I wouldn't want to be in the cold anyways.  I might need to say that a few more times before I really believe it!  Have fun Jacob.  Bring home a winner!

Red's tie from my Mom - and he shaved his beard today!

Thanks Jenny and Tony for Jack's first Reds t-shirt.  Yes, this is the 18 month shirt you gave us.  Either Jack is really big, or this shirt was mislabeled!

First Opening Day

Skyline and Chick-fil-A are offering Opening Day deals to customers wearing Reds gear.  I think Jack and I might have to make a trip for a free sandwich!

It's almost here!

Warning! There are no pictures of Jack in this blog post. I promise to post some tomorrow!

Jacob and I love baseball. It is a passion that began before the two of us met, and we have made it into our favorite pastime together. We both grew up as Reds fans, listened to Marty and Joe call the games on 700 WLW, and went down to the ballpark a few times each year. I am thankful that my dad was willing to take his girls down to the ballpark. I'm sure my brother was more interested than we were, but we weren't left out. I remember watching Chris Sabo and his Rec Specs, and cheering each time Eric Davis came to bat. Back then I cheered because my neighbor's name was Eric too. I know, it was totally a girly thing to do. Thankfully my dad stuck with me. 

Does it get much better?

Somehow I developed a strong interest in baseball as I got older, and I am so thankful that I did! I married a man whose love of the game goes much deeper than most people's! The year we started dating (in May) Jacob had already been to every home game the Reds played that year. Wow. I guess he had to date someone who had at least some interest in baseball. Our first date was supposed to be a casual Reds game, but it was rained out. We did manage to make it back down to the park that summer -- over 30 times! It seems a bit much now, but it was a great way to get to know each other. I love that about baseball. It is slow enough that you can relax, talk, and still feel like you know what is going on in the game. That summer was also when we began our quest to visit all 30 baseball stadiums. We are up to 27 at this point, leaving only Boston, San Fransisco, and Oakland!

My favorite - Jacob's Field 2001

This baseball season is going to look very different for us.  We won't be able to go to games on a whim and we certainly won't make it to thirty.  We do have goals for the summer, though.  We are shooting for a minimum of five games, and we need to get a picture in front of Great American.  We also want to make sure to make it to at least one Friday night game (making it a fun date night) and one Sunday afternoon game (my favorite).  If the Reds could make it to the playoffs again this year, we would love to see that too!

The Troescher men walking onto the field - 2009

I am looking forward to the day that we can take Jack to his first game.  I'll teach him what it means to have 'ducks on the pond', and what a 'can of corn' is.  We'll sing Take Me Out to the Ballgame, hope to catch a fly ball, and maybe get some popcorn from the concession stand.  We can try to answer the Score Board Stumper, pick the winner in the Skyline Chili Shuffle, and hope to get on the big screen.  Oh, I can't wait!   Hopefully he'll love the game as much as we do.

One of four ballparks Jack visited before he was born!

Jumper

Jack loves his new toy! 

Thumbs up!

Easy access to his hands is a bonus

Visitors from Cleveland

On Friday I had the opportunity to catch up with a friend from high school and we were able to meet her new daughter Casey.  I had a great time talking to another new mom about all of the changes in our lives.  The kids seemed to enjoy their time together as well.  There was a lot of drooling, big smiling, babies chattering, toy sharing, and some sleeping too.  

Brandy and I  reconnected during our pregnancies when we realized our due dates were so close.  Jack was due November 3 and Casey  was due on the 12th.  The kids had different ideas about when they wanted to show up.  They swapped due dates when Casey arrived 9 days early and Jack came 9 days late.  See, they were good at sharing even before they were born.  

Casey is a mover.  She was rolling over, grabbing for toys, bouncing up and down on her feet, and wiggling everywhere.  It was amazing to watch since Jack is such a relaxed baby.  I joked with Jack that he should take advantage of our time with Casey and learn how to roll over.  Shortly after my comment, he did just that.  He rolled over!  While Casey was in front of him he rolled over again and again.  Since she has left the rolling has stopped.  Hmm...  What does this say about Jack?  Is he going to be stubborn like me?  Will he enjoy a good challenge just like his father?  Was he doing this just to impress a girl? We'll have to wait and see.  

Ok! Here are some pictures of the baby.

Within five minutes of my last blog I received two emails asking why I didn't post pictures of Jack. Ok, I get it. He is what drives the traffic. Who cares about the garden anyways?

Our first spring walk in the Moby wrap.  

Is he outgrowing the tub?

Future piano player?

No, you can't eat the piano.  

Chewing on everything 

Trying to roll over

Newest trick - Sucking his thumb!

The beginnings of spring

We started our vegetable seeds last month and have been watching them grow quickly.  There is a delicate balance of water, light, and heat needed to get them to grow the right way.  We learned this last year when we watered and heated too much and grew leggy, weak plants.  They were fine inside but didn't handle the transfer to the outdoors as well as we had hoped.   

This is the first year that we have started our tomato and pepper plants inside.  We normally purchase them as seedlings from the greenhouse.  It looks like our vegetables are growing strong by developing the leaves and roots they need to be able to grow and survive outdoors.  

The mess in our sun room is starting to drive me crazy, but I'm hoping it will be made worthwhile when we cut into our first tomato this summer!

Heat mat and sun lamp

Tomatoes and peppers sprouting

Tomatoes and peppers at about two weeks of growth

Jacob planted our flowers on Monday.  It is amazing to me that some have already sprouted and grown already.  I can't wait to have fresh cut flowers in our house again.  It is such a treat to be able to walk into your own backyard to cut flowers whenever you feel like it!  Hopefully we'll have strong plants and an abundance and variety of flowers to cut this year.

Flowers sprouting - day 3

Tomatoes - nearly one month

4 months

Jack hit the four month mark on Saturday. He is growing like crazy and is changing every day.
Today's doctor's visit went well, and I am glad the shots are over for another two months. Here are the stats:
weight:  17 1/4 lbs
height:  27 inches

Leah Robbins came over last week and took Jack's four month pictures.  She does such a wonderful job of capturing his smiles and we love her style of photography.  Thank you Nana Samad for such a priceless gift.  You can check out a few more of the shots on Leah's blog.  Family, if you would like a copy of some of the pictures, please let us know.

We introduced the exersaucer last week.  This picture shows exactly what he thinks about his new toy.  Maybe we'll try it again later!

Last month I started putting Jack to bed with this fleece blanket.  I was hoping that he would soon associate the blanket with bedtime.  I thought this would help him to sleep well if he was going to bed at someone else's house.  Well, the experiment worked.  He loves the blanket and likes the way it feels on his face.  As soon as we put it over him he pulls it up to his face and rubs it against his cheeks.

Check out the before and after shots.

Jack with his blanket - Before

Jack sleeping with his blanket 

In keeping with tradition, we snapped a shot of Jack in a onesie in the big red chair. This month's onesie: College Hill Coffee Company. Our neighborhood coffee shop is a quick walk from our house and Jack and I have taken a few strolls up there for an afternoon cup of coffee. Jacob and I have enjoyed their live music on the weekends and we like to support this great local business. It is worth the trip to College Hill to check it out.  After you've had some good coffee you should stroll down to Marty's Hops and Vines for a glass of wine or a beer.  It is another wonderful College Hill business that makes our neighborhood unique.

Grandpa Troescher

My Dad has worked for the Kroger company for over 33 years. He is a head meat cutter and has worked at many different stores throughout the city. You may have seen him on one of your shopping trips - he is the guy in a white coat with the big smile. He gets to know many of his customers and is well liked by the people in his department. I think Kroger has a gem.

As a kid, there were great advantages to having a dad that was a butcher. I brought in cow tongues and lamb skulls for show and tell. (I bet you didn't do that!) Our family gave out hot dogs for Halloween instead of candy. Take Your Daughter to Work Day was so much fun for me. I got to butterfly pork chops, grind beef, and wander over to the bakery to ice cookies. I loved it.

Well, as an adult there is one huge advantage -- I get to see my dad every week when I grocery shop! The Kroger in North College Hill is right down the street and my dad has been working at this store for a few years now. Of course it is great to get tips on sales (Tyson boneless/skinless chicken breasts are $1.79/lb this week) and help with choosing the best cut of meat for each of my recipes. But the best part is just getting to say hello. Jack smiles when we find grandpa in the back of the store and my dad takes a break to share hugs and kisses. I know that he has a stash of candy and treats in the back just waiting for Jack when he is bigger! Who needs a cookie from the bakery when grandpa has candy bars and toys?

My dad is a great babysitter, too. He watched Jack last week while I participated in a focus group for Proctor and Gamble. I was thankful to get out on a Tuesday morning and I knew that Jack was in good hands.

Thanks for loving on Jack, Dad!

You're excused!

While I was pregnant with Jack many people asked me if I was hoping for a boy or a girl. I answered with the standard line, "As long as the baby is healthy, I don't care." Then I usually followed up with the truth: I want a boy.

There are many reasons that I wanted a boy - I like the idea of a big brother for our other kid(s). I feel like I might be a better mom to a boy. And most importantly, I really loved watching Jacob's relationship with his dad. His dad was not only a wonderful teacher, role model, and supporter but a great friend too. He balanced his roles well and that is (in my opinion) one of the reasons he was a wonderful father. I desired for Jacob to have that relationship with a son. I am so thankful for my father in law's guidance in Jacob's life and I look forward to watching this new father/son relationship grow.

Jacob is doing his best to form a strong relationship with Jack now. He reads to him, plays with him on the floor, prays with him every night as we put him in bed, and just likes to bounce him on his lap. This leads us into the point of this whole blog post: Jacob is the best baby burper out there.

Ok, I know this may seem silly and not very important. It's easy to get a  baby to burp, right? Wrong! For some reason, I can't get Jack to burp. I put him over my shoulder, give him a few pats, and nothing.  I bounce him on my lap, and nothing.  Nothing. Luckily he doesn't need to burp too much when he is nursing. We are just fine while Jacob is a work. The burps become more necessary when Jack takes a bottle. This is where Jacob's job comes in. Jacob puts him on his lap, bounces him up and down, and boom- there is a burp. Simple as that. Not only does he burp just once, but two or three times. It now seems to be a game for them. He burps and then they both smile and look my way. They must get some amusement out of this skill. I guess it is a guy thing. I see the early signs of the fun relationship they are going to have. And it started over a burp.

Oh, and Jack says excuse me to all of the people that were sitting near us at church this morning.

Jacob has been cooking with Jack. Last night was braised short ribs with a blue cheese and rosemary polenta. The term of the evening was mirepoix. The dinner was delicious, although Jack was sound asleep by the time it was ready. Hopefully someday Jack will enjoy cooking with his dad. I can't wait to watch it happen.

One last thing.  Jacob's father was a romantic.  He loved my mother in law well and showed her that all of the time.  He opened doors for her, stood up as she left the table, spoke kindly of her always, and was not afraid to show her a little affection in public.  Luckily for me, Jacob was a keen observer.  He is a true gentleman and treats me so well.  Hopefully Jack is taking notes.  While out running errands yesterday he picked up these flowers for me.  How sweet was that? 

Jack the conductor

At every visit our pediatrician gives me milestones to be looking for in the upcoming months. I love these conversations with Dr. Bird. He not only tells me what should be happening next but explains why. I listen and ask questions, absorbing every bit. But it never fails that by the time I get home the information is completely muddled. I share bits and pieces with Jacob and he asks great questions too. I just can't answer them. Maybe next month I should take notes... or a tape recorder!

At our two month appointment Dr. Bird mentioned that Jack would soon be passing toys back and forth between each hand. Apparently before about four months a baby's brain is incapable of doing this. (This is where my ability to recite the medical explanation ends.)

In the past few weeks I have noticed Jack making small strides to reach this milestone. He started using both hands at once and controlled two toys at a time.
Yesterday I noticed that he had moved a toy from his right hand to his left.  He's getting it!  I think he is having more fun playing on his gym mat and in his bouncy seat now. Doesn't he look like he is conducting an orchestra in this picture? 

It is amazing to watch these changes and see how much he is learning everyday.  I can't believe he is getting so big so quickly.  Check out the picture below.  He is really staring to hold his head up on his own.  It must be all of that tummy time!