Butterfly Show

We've got about seven weeks until the new little Samad arrives!  I know that time is going to fly by, and we're trying to pack a lot into these last two months.  We're in the process of transferring Jack into the back bedroom, finishing the basement, and preparing the nursery for the baby.  The list is long, but I think we're on track to have it mostly finished before July 28th.  We just need to make sure that baby decides to stay put until then!

We're also trying to be intentional with our time with Jack and each other as we await the transition into a family of four.  Tonight Jacob and I are going on a much needed date, and this morning the three of us went to Krohn Conservatory's Butterfly Show.

Jack was fascinated by the butterflies, but we're pretty sure he killed at least two of them.  He was so excited to touch them and had a difficult time being gentle.  At one point, he found a space that was filled with  butterflies and he was trying hard to catch each one of them.  He was successful at catching one by the wings and throwing it.  We quickly decided to wrap things up and visit other parts of the conservatory.

Here are some of my favorite pictures:

One thing we've been doing to prepare Jack for the baby is to read picture books about babies and big brothers (and sisters).  Our favorites by far have been Lola Reads to Leo by Anna McQuinn and I'm a Big Brother by Joanna Cole.   I haven't had much luck finding great books, so please let me know if you've read any good ones! 

New favorite pastimes

Jack has moved on from the spice cabinet.  He has found a new favorite place to play in the kitchen:  the prep sink.  It has provided a lot of entertainment while I'm busy in the kitchen and I love that it's a 'clean' activity.  Clean up is as easy as pulling the plug and  wiping off the counters.  Here are a few pictures of him enjoying his new favorite activity:

Stopping for a drink

Sweet Smiles

Jack has also taken an interest in talking on the phone.  He picks up my phone (or anything that looks like a phone) and says 'hi'.  Sometimes he points to the toys he was just playing with, and sometimes he just sits and 'listens'.  Either way, when the call is over, he says 'bye' and hands me the phone. Here he is having a conversation this morning:

He's Walking!

The two pictures below are from February 27:  the first day Jack pulled himself up independently, thus beginning his long journey to becoming a walker:

That day I firmly thought that Jack would be walking shortly.  Well, we waited and waited and on March 20 he took his first steps while holding my hands.  I was so excited!  From there he began cruising around the furniture and walking confidently while holding on with two hands.  Here he is at Rainbow car wash right before our vacation:

Fast forward two months, and Jack decided that it was time to let go of one hand - sometimes!  The past few weeks we've been making him walk more often.  We decided that he's got to get used to walking, since we won't be able to carry him around as often once his sibling arrives.  At times he has loved it, and at times has fallen to the floor, lifted both arms, and yelled, "Mama!"

Both grandmas have been encouraging him to start walking.  With their cheers and help, he decided to walk between them on May 27.  At that point, he still hadn't done any independent walking for us:

Jack decided yesterday that he was ready to start walking.  He started in the morning by walking to my mom when she stopped by.  By the time we got to storytime, he was walking confidently around the library. That night, he walked right up to Nana at her house, and then finished up the night by walking up our sidewalk to our front steps.

I've been amazed at his ability to slow down, turn, and change directions.  He looks like he's been walking for more than just 24 hours!  He still needs to figure out how to go from the sitting position to standing, but once standing he can take off with no problems!

I think that this whole process has been a good peak into Jack's personality.  He is content and laid back, and likes to sit back and observe before taking a big leap.  It's fun to watch him grow and see parts of his personality come to the surface.  

Way to go, Jack!  We are so proud of you!  

Love of the Outdoors

Two weekends ago we planted the flowers in our front flower bed.  Somehow, we chose the hottest weekend of the month to plant!  I'm not sure why we didn't garden last weekend -- or even next weekend.  But, it's finished now and Jack was quite the helper.  

At one point in the morning he crawled around to the side of the house and played with the rocks around the air conditioner.  He was having a great time and entertained himself for a while picking through the rocks.  Jacob noticed that Jack was rubbing his eyes and face, and when I looked, I assumed he was just hot and tired.  About two minutes later I looked again and he was still rubbing his face.  When I looked a bit closer I saw black ants crawling all over him.  I yelled for help and both Jacob and I bolted over to him and hosed him off quickly.  We felt terrible.  I guess he didn't understand to crawl away!  It was awful to see.  Half way through removing all of the ants he was already laughing and playing again.  It didn't take long for him to forget the ants, but it took a while for us to calm down afterwards.  Glad he's got a good attitude!

We took a few breaks to visit with family, eat popsicles, and wash off in the hose.  Here are a few shots of our helper.  The heat, plus the popsicle and dirt made for one messy boy!

Today we came home from running errands to find a tree service cutting down a neighbor's tree.  Jack was  excited about the noise and equipment so we sat outside and watched for a bit.  He clapped and cheered while they tossed the limbs into the chipper. He wasn't too happy when I made him come inside for a nap, but after 20 minutes of watching this, I was ready!

Story Time

Most Wednesday mornings you can find Jack and me at the Grosbeck Library for Toddler Story Time.  We started going shortly after Jack dropped his morning nap and he's becoming more and more comfortable with the routine and 'teacher'.  

Every week we walk in and get a name tag and a hand stamp.  He never forgets this and reminds me by hitting the top of his hand when we walk into the door.  

He quickly finds a seat on the carpet and waits for story time to begin.  He knows that the first song that we sing includes a line about touching our nose and touching our toes.  Sometimes if Ms. Lacey is waiting for the other kids to get seated to begin, Jack points to his nose and toes.  He wants to hear those stories!!!

I think one of my favorite parts about going to story time is that he is able to 'tell' Jacob about what we did in the class. On Wednesday nights Jacob asks Jack what he did that day at the library.  Jack immediately goes through all of the signs to his favorite story time song.  He "Shakes his sillies out", "Claps his crazies out", "Jumps his jiggles out", and "Yawns his sleepies out".  He's pretty proud of his song and it's been fun to see him begin to communicate with us!

Here are a few pictures of him this week: