Jack and Max went to the pet store to get cat food one day. They didn’t come home with cat food – not in the traditional sense. They came home with a fish.
Apparently, Jack asked like this:
I want this one.
I really really really love him.
He’s my very very very very best friend in the world.
And he will never ever ever ever die.
Jack named the fish Johnny.
And so far, Johnny hasn’t died, nor has he become cat food.
Keep your fingers crossed.
Jack had his 3 year old well visit (no shots of course) last week. He’s 35 1/2 inches tall and weighs 32 pounds. I almost can’t carry him anymore!
Pittsburgh won the Super Bowl!
And here are the pictures from Gus & Jenn’s party. Jack was very well behaved, and really liked being able to yell, clap, and dance without anyone telling him to be quiet.
Jack and Max watch the Super Bowl
Jack's face!
Jenn gives Jack an airplane
Just Jack!
Jack copies the adults by putting his hands in the air
Gus, Jenn, and Jack
Gus, Jenn, Max, and Jack Dance
Today was our first parent/teacher conference at Jack’s preschool. Though I have to admit I was a bit nervous – I know Jack isn’t perfect – it was actually fine.
Jack recognizes his basic shapes, and “talks about octagons”. He’s learning his geometric shapes. He recognizes numbers 0 – 9 (though he actually recognizes more than that). Jack counts from 1 – 20 without help (and to 30 sometimes, but past that he needs help). (Oh, and he counts to 30 because that’s how many seconds it takes to put on a temporary tattoo.)
“Jack understands the concept of quantity. He shows his understanding when he does the spindle boxes on his own. He does 0 – 5 just fine and needs minimal help with 6 – 9.” (Whenever Jack sees any pile of more than 2 things, he says “Five”.)
Jack’s pencil control, picture matching, and pattern matching are all “age appropriate”. (While we were there, Jack made a large, wobbly J on a piece of paper.)
“His speech is advanced for his age and converses with complete sentences. He may need encouragement to use his words with friends when they are in his personal space. Jack often finds it difficult to use his words and tends to cry in those situations.”
(Jack can be a drama queen. We’re working on dealing better with other kids – that is, using his words with them. Though part of the problem is that he has words, but the other kids don’t necessarily.)
Jack does well listening, but he gets distracted, and talks to his friends during circle time. “It takes him time to listen when he is unable to control his feelings, such as crying aloud for a long time.”
(See the drama queen reference.)
Jack apparently has been getting better at focusing on his work. He does need work following directions, and needs “second reminders”.
Jack’s interacting skills are better. He had a “difficult time talking with his friends” but now he’s “learning to use his words or come to a teacher for help.” (And not in a tattletale way.)
Jack also uses the toilet at school, and the teacher says we can send him in undies with a cover to see if he’s better about using the toilet there. (Tonight, he actually got into the bath, then told Grandma Sandy that he could poop in the toilet, and he did – for the first time in months!)
His gross and fine motor skills are age-appropriate.
“Jack is a very intelligent young boy and is interested in the materials we offer in class. He is one of the children I come to for help when it comes to letters, numbers, shapes, sounds, etc. Jack is eager to help out at circle and snack time because it shows how responsible he can be in school and around his friends.”
Max asked about Jack’s going to the “big class.” Jack has been saying that he’s been in the “big class” a couple of times. One of his friends is moving to the older class soon, and her parents weren’t given a lot of notice. When Max asked, the teacher said, “Can’t he stay awhile, as a role model?”
Now, Max thinks she said it because she doesn’t think he’s ready to be in the big class, but didn’t want to tell us that.
I think that she told us that because Jack is doing well where he is, and he really does help out in the class. She said he helps the other kids with their letters. She also gave us a few pictures, which are always nice to get.
Today is Jack’s 3rd Birthday! He has been wanting it to be his birthday for MONTHS now.
If all you want is to see pictures, scroll down.
The party was held at Scoops, which serves crepes and gelato and has a BIG play area for children under 8. We actually got there before 10am (when the party started)! Our friends David, Melissa, and their kids Joe, Noah, and Elijah were there first, followed by Kristen and Austin.
We haven’t seen K & A since … well, it’s been a long time. They were a casualty of the “no Dads at MOMS Club events”. Even though we like them, and Jack and Austin get along, I didn’t make it a priority to remain friends with them. That was a mistake, and I’m trying to fix that now.
Anyway, when Jack saw Austin, he ran around to the door and gave Austin a HUGE hug! I wish I had had my camera ready.
More and more people arrived. Unfortunately, several people who RSVPd yes were no-shows. I was disappointed that Jack didn’t get to see all of his friends, and it irked me that several crepes were wasted, made for children who never appeared.
Jack was happy, however. One of the new boys in his class came with his mom, and we were happy to meet her. She’s really nice, and is another possible source of playdates. I also got to meet Jack’s “girlfriend”. Candace is in the “big class”, so she’s 4. I told Jack, “You’re just like your Daddy – you like older women.”
Playing and eating occurred. Then I mentioned to Jack that we were going to open presents, and before I knew it, he was on the puppet stage ripping open a book. I got there, and got support from Max – he took pictures – while I tried to follow what Jack was doing and write down who got him what. Unlike at Christmas, he wanted to open all of his presents to see what they were. The kids clustered around him, and I felt like Tippi Hedren in The Birds. We did get 3 duplicate gifts, which is an etiquette quandary I get to face.
After presents, we barely got cleaned up before doing cake. Max baked the cupcakes – chocolate (brown) with blue icing and green sprinkles. They came out really nice!
The cafe has a “Make Your Own Animal” thing that many of the kids used. I felt bad for the parents – like they were trapped into buying more stuff. I was surprised that Jack hadn’t noticed it. (Later, Max told me that he did, but only mentioned it once, so, nothing.)
Overall, I think it was a successful party. I didn’t get much of chance to talk to any one mom, but I do think I talked at least a bit to all of the moms. There are a couple I think I missed. There were only 3 dads there – Max, David, and another David, Dad to Sophie and Emma.
Oh – that’s kind of funny. Max was looking for the treat bags for Sophie and Baby Emmy. He said “We don’t have a treat bag for Baby Emmy.” I said, “Emilia.” He replied, “Oh. I wondered who that was.” Hear that Annemarie? It’s already started.
I’m particularly proud of the treat bags. Max, Jack, and I decorated plain lunch bags, and I put in 1 ball point pen, 1 mechanical pencil with doodles on it, 1 sheet of stickers, 2 markers, 1 pack of Jelly Bellies, 1 Post-It note pad, 4 crayons, and a number of paper clips shaped like hearts, stars, feet, hands, and musical instruments. I thought it was neat. One of the kids looked at it, and said, “Oooh! I love craft stuff!” So I hope it’s popular with kids and parents.
We left just before 2, and then it took an hour to put Jack down for a nap. I kept having to remind myself that today is his birthday, and I should be nice to him. He didn’t think I was being so nice. But he finally did get to sleep, as I petted him. It was classic – one minute, he was fighting sleep, saying “I want to go to the toy store” and then he was snoring.
I tried to nap. I needed to nap. But my head was too full. Jack woke up before 5, and I got up at about 5:30. We went to Toys R Us because one of his friends gave him a gift card. We had to explain to Jack that he could not buy all of the trains. We did get him Peter Sam and Rheneas.
After the toy store, we went to Denny’s because it was close. I tell you this because of the following exchange:
The manager brought Jack’s grilled cheese… with fries. Jack ordered fruit. I was worried he’d want the fries. But he looked at the plate and said, “I wanted fruit.” So we handed the plate back, and Jack said, “I wanted fruit. But he brought me French fries. Silly turkey!”
Jack also asked to go the bathroom and really did pee in the Men’s Room toilet. Go Jack! Unfortunately, while playing trains at home, he peed in his jeans. Ah well!
Jack got to play with his trains and track for awhile after bath time. I talked to his Birthmom. She and I talked for a bit, and then Jack actually talked on the phone to her. He told her to sing him Happy Birthday, and answered a few yes and no questions about his birthday, and then said “I love you” and gave her a kiss.
Getting him into bed was a great feat, as he’s still on Cloud 9, being the Birthday Boy.
Tomorrow, the grandparents and our neighbors will be here, so his birthday will be extended a bit.
Tonight, Jack called me from his bed, “Mama” (he hardly ever calls me “Mama” anymore, usually “Mommy” and sometimes “Mom”, but I digress).
I went in. He asked me to get him his pillow, which had fallen on the ground. He then asked me to get “Skippyjon Jones’s dog.”
I was confused, so I felt around in the dark in the pile of stuffed animals in front of his bookcase (yes, we do need more stuffed animal storage). I found the dog we call Mr Scraps and gave him to Jack.
“This one?” I asked.
“No. The white one.”
“The white…” I looked and there was a white shape in the pile.
“You mean Charlie Brown’s dog!” I said in a “silly goose” voice.
Jack giggled. It was terribly cute. Therefore, I acquiesced when he asked to be rocked some more. He said, “Wanna take my blanket. … And my Skippyon Jones dog.”
“You mean Charlie Brown’s dog, Snoopy.”
“Yeah. Snoopy.”
Now I am really glad that I didn’t give Snoopy to the foster kids when I thinned the stuffed animal herd in 2005.
Jack will be THREE years old next month! Our little baby is now a big boy. Jack is very excited about turning 3, and very much wants a birthday party. “Happy Birthday” is one of his favorite songs.
Jack had a good Christmas. This year, he knew to be excited. He would ask everyday “Is it Christmas?” and we’d have to say, “No, but it’s the Christmas season!”. Jack is a little confused now that Christmas happened. He wants it to be Christmas again.
Our little man made out like a bandit, acquiring a kitchen and food to go in it, many Thomas trains and track, several books, an electronic piano, a froggie towel to go with his doggie towel, and more. You can read more about Christmas in this post.
For the record, Jack is 30 pounds and is about 35 inches tall. He communicates at a five year old’s level, speaking full sentences, using pronouns and prepositions, and making up stories. He’s also singing all the time! This Christmas, his favorite tunes are “Jingle Bells”, “Frosty the Snowman”, and “Away in a Manger”. He’ll put new lyrics in any song, turning “I Like to Move It” into “I like to do anything Mommy and Daddy don’t let me do”.
Oh yes! The boy loves to get into trouble. He’s all about semantics. But he’s also very lovable, and gives hugs and kisses to humans and animals. He still loves to visit the pet store, and he’s getting along better with our neighbors’ dogs.
Jack enjoys being outside more than anything. Because it’s colder and raining sometimes, he’s frustrated at being in the house. Of course, we could tell him that his friends on the East Coast don’t get to go out without a coat from October through April, but we don’t think he’ll understand that.
He does show an interest in going to Disneyland, which we hope to do towards the end of next year.
Jack’s interests include Thomas & Friends (trains), WALL*E, trucks and dirt, music (especially boom-boom-bap), reading (reciting the books he’s memorized), cooking, and pretending everything. The kid has a serious imagination on him.
Overall, Jack is a good kid, who is incredibly smart. He likes school, though due to our employment situations, he’ll be going part time in January. He has many friends, and we’re trying to make sure we cultivate these friendships.
Oh, and although Jack has been asking for a baby, we have no plans to adopt in 2009. Ask us again in 2010.
Merry Christmas!
This year, Jack knew enough to anticipate Christmas. Everyday, from Halloween onward, he would ask, “Is it Christmas too-day?”. And we would have to say, “No. But it’s the Christmas SEASON.” “The Christmas Season?” “Yes Jack.”
Then yesterday, he asked, “Is it Christmas too-day?” and I said, “It’s the day before Christmas.” Then he said, “It Christmas Eve!” so, some little boy was paying attention to all of the Christmas specials I’ve been forcing him to… I mean sharing with him.
We went to Nana and Grandpa’s last night (first sentence out of his mouth: “Where Great-Gramma?”) and had birthday cake for Baby Jesus. Apparently Jack thought that a real baby would be there. We had to explain that Baby Jesus was a baby 2000+ years ago, and so he was in heaven now, but we celebrated him being born. That didn’t work so well. Nana’s answer: “Baby Jesus wants you to have his cake.” Jack liked that.
He went down relatively easily last night. Max and I, on the other hand, had lots still left to do. I had to finish up the Christmas cards (still don’t have addresses for 2 cousins and 1 friend), Max put the finishing touches on Jack’s kitchen (see photo) and wrapped all the presents. Then, we picked up and tried to make the house presentable.
Jack's Kitchen
I woke up this morning to Jack and Max standing over my bed saying, “Mommy, we’re awake.” Turns out that Max slept in Jack’s bed last night. Oops. So, Jack and Mommy and Daddy all went down the stairs. Jack saw his kitchen and smiled widely, “I got a kitchen” he announced happily. Not too loud, just brightly. He kept saying over and over “I got a kitchen”. We had bought two play sets – a dessert set and a baking tools set – which Max wrapped and I placed in the refrigerator and oven respectively. I also put all of his old food in the kitchen. Jack was happy to open the two presents and play with his kitchen. For awhile, he pretended to be Baby Jesus and I was Mary. Then, Max was Baby Jesus and Jack was Joseph and I was Mary. It was very interesting.
Jack opens his first 2 presents.
I went back to bed for an hour until Nana, Grandpa, and Great-Grandma came over. As soon as they were in the door, I got out of bed and headed downstairs. It took a bit of wrangling to get everyone ready for presents. I had to take a photo of the tree with all the presents underneath it.
Our Christmas tree with presents
So Jack was finally ready when I happened to catch a whiff of him. Yucky diaper. I mention this only because: I changed him from a diaper into his Dora underwear. And he used the toilet like a big boy all day, without getting Dora wet or dirty. Such a big boy!
Jack opened his first non-kitchen present of the day – a small Play-Doh factory package that had 2 cans of Play-Doh and an extruder. We don’t know who it’s from; he came home from school with it. He wanted to open and play with it, and started crying when we tried to get him to open other presents, he started to cry and throw a fit. I handed him a package and got him to unwrap it. It was a pair of dress-up shoes, which delighted Jack, because he could put them on.
Jack puts his shoes on
Jack wants to open his Play-Doh
Then Grandpa reminded him about the Play-Doh and Jack melted down again. I had to hand Jack a package and say, “Jack, do you see any trains? Should we open some presents and see if we can find some?” So, he opened the package, which turned out to be Sir Handel. Jack picked up another package, and it was another train. After that, he apparently recognized how the trains were wrapped, because he picked out all of the trains from the small mountain in front of him.
Jack opens Sir Handel
We were able to open slightly more than half of Jack’s gifts before he really wanted to stop and play with his trains. Another slight meltdown occurred when Grandpa tried to see Jack’s new trains. Jack didn’t want Grandpa to play with his trains. Again, I had to tell Jack that if he didn’t share at least his old trains with Grandpa, then all of the trains were going in time out. Jack actually said, “You being mean to me!” but he did ultimately let Grandpa play with his trains.
At that point, the adults opened their presents. For the most part, we got what we had asked for. Great-Grandma brought pastries for breakfast, so we ate. Jack had more issues with Grandpa and the trains. Jack got another big set of track, and was trying to connect it all himself. He couldn’t get the two ends to join up, and wouldn’t let Grandpa or Mommy touch it. For the first time, my Dad said something that he used to say to me and get me upset when I was a kid. Oh joy.
That issue was ironed out, but then Jack couldn’t get his huge string of engines, coaches, caboose, and brakevan to go around the track. He couldn’t understand that the train just couldn’t bend that way. Ultimately, Grandpa did configure the track and Jack could get most of his trains in a line around it.
Say Trains!
“Dinner” came at 1:00 and it was quite nice. Max cooks, and he does a wonderful job! My mom is very ill (COPD) and was having a hard time breathing. It’s rough to watch my 80+ year old grandmother run around and get down on the ground with Jack, while my not-quite-60 year old mother can’t walk 8 feet without getting winded.
Because Nana was having a hard time, the grandparents left just before 2pm. Our neighbor called and asked if Jack could come over and get his present. I said, “Sure, why not?”. We brought their presents (fudge for the humans and treats for the cats and dogs). Our neighbors got Jack an easel, something I hadn’t asked for for him because I thought it would be too expensive. My neighbor’s aunt got Jack some art supplies – chalk, crayons, markers, and a huge coloring book to pin up to the easel. We stayed long enough to open those presents, plus a bundle of Thomas books that my neighbor gave him. Jack really wanted to read them, so we convinced him to get going so we could read them before nap time.
When we left, Jack was amazed to see that Max was carrying the easel. “We can take it home?” he asked. He started to hurry out. At the screen door, we convinced Jack to say “Ho Ho Merry Christmas”, and he leaned against the screen and toppled out of the house.
Everyone was disappointed that we didn’t have the video camera. It was THAT hilarious. Fortunately, Jack wasn’t hurt and found it amusing too.
We did try to get Jack to nap, but it just didn’t happen. Max did let me nap. As soon as I woke up, Jack opened the last of his presents. He enjoyed the unwrapping, and he was excited by almost all of his gifts. It took one and one-quarter legal pad pages to list them all, so I won’t bore you with them here. The ones that got the most play today:
Jack plays piano
Jack was mostly a good boy today, and he did say the proper thank yous. He had tons of fun playing, coloring, and reading. I’m so happy that he likes most of his gifts, and isn’t so spoiled that he just tosses them aside. We’ve had fun this Christmas, looking at Christmas lights and visiting a live Nativity. Although we don’t “do” Santa, we did see Santa at the Brentwood Christmas Tree lighting.
The best lit house in Antioch
Jack with Santa and Mrs. Claus
A funny note to end the post: We were reading one of Jack’s new Thomas books, which featured Emily. Jack noted that we had Thomas, Gordon, and Edward, and I said, “But we don’t have Emily” and he said, “Let’s put her on the Christmas list!”. So, no worries about him thinking he’d get everything, and no worries about him throwing a fit because of what he didn’t get.
And Jack went straight to sleep when I put him down, so overall, a very good day and a lovely Christmas.
Quick post. Max is giving Jack a bath, and all of a sudden, I hear Jack counting. He gets to 20 and keeps going … 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 (pause)
Max: Jack, the number that comes after 29 is 30.
Jack: 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38,
Not bad for 2-11/12ths.
