Jackfish

Dear Jack,

Some day, one of two things will happen. Either I will run out of Jack puns, or you will grow old enough to object to them.

Happily, today is not that day.

This is a jackfish.

This is also a Jack Fish.

The Jack Fish likes to play in the water, getting his face in the water and blowing bubbles.


Guess who's taking swimming lessons this summer?

Love,
Mama Fish

Jacques on ze computaire!

Dear Jack,

Being a second child has its advantages, and seeing all the wonderful things your sister can do and striving to emulate them is just one of them.

After Sydney got back into playing on the computer, you asked to do the same.

I searched around and finally found Poisson Rouge. I don't know what that means because it is French, but I do know that they have a red fish on their link bar and at the bottom of each page on their site. I also know that I have a hard time navigating the site because it is also all in French. But fortunately for all of us, there is a whole section called Croft Park which requires no reading, no typing, and really very little clicking.

Even more exciting, the different activities teach different mouse skills... move the mouse, move and click, click and drag, click and hold, click and move then click again. It's really a neat site.

I know you thought so because you cried and cried when it was time to be done for the evening.

I so wish you could understand that tomorrow is a whole new day and as World War II taught us, the French are not going anywhere.

Love,
Mom

Who's Mama's Baby?

Dear Jack,

You had kind of a rough weekend. It started with a visit to our old friends, the Foxes, who have two new baby girls. Since there are two of them, I was holding one of them most of our visit, helping their mama get them ready and feed them and everything else.

Then, we went from the Fox's house to your Uncle Dave and Aunt Suzanne's house to see Baby Zoe, whom I also held quite a bit.

You did not like your mama holding all of these other babies. In fact, between the stress of that displacement and being thrown off of your nap schedule, we almost missed the event we drove all the way to Houston to see... your cousin's baptism, as you were crying and screaming in the narthex during most of the service.

Luckily, I remembered that I still had the old Moby Wrap in the car from when Mrs. Hazen returned it to me. I did wonder if you were too big for the Moby Wrap, but it turns out that you are not.

Not even a little bit. You fussed for a bit and then fell asleep, taking your nap like you did all the time when you were the age of these little girl babies we saw this weekend.

So even though you look ginormous compared to little baby Zoe, you are still little yourself, and it's okay that you needed to be snuggled a little bit more today than you normally do.

Especially considering that I spent all weekend holding these little girls, telling your daddy how much I missed the time with you and your sister when you were little bitty, most particularly the time holding you asleep in the Moby Wrap.

Thank you, and you're welcome.

Love,
Mom

My Choo

Dear Jack,

In addition to being obsessed with shoes and fish, you are, as of late, very interested in motor vehicles.

You like 'rooms (cars) and near-ooms (planes) and now you have discovered choos (trains) -- more often called possessively, "my choo!."

I re-did the train table for you (having always been annoyed with myself over the old one because it wasn't a perfect loop) and set it up in your room, which has a lot more room now that the twin bed is out and your crib is a toddler bed.

You like this set-up a lot, but I have to mention that you still make me get out your car garage in addition to the train table.

Because, my orderly son, cars don't go on train tracks.

Love,
Mom

Diddle Diddle Dumpling

Dear Jack,

Having chosen a blog address like "one shoe off one shoe on" with that old nursery rhyme in mind, I keep waiting for an opportunity to take another picture of you asleep with only one shoe.

I have finally realized that it isn't going to happen, at least not any time soon.

You love shoes.

Let me say that again.

You LOVE shoes.

You will not go anywhere inside or out without them. "Shoes!" "Shoes!" you repeat with increased frenzy when getting dressed on the changing table in your bare feet.

You bring the rest of us, especially your shoe-averse mama, pairs of shoes to put on during the day while we are hanging out at home.

You prefer footed pajamas, accepting the "feet" part as shoes and when put in other pajamas, ask for house shoes. Then you keep on the houseshoes while sleeping, which boggles my mind.

You have actually asked for shoes in the bath, and although I understand that either crocs or actual watershoes would work, I feel the need to draw the line somewhere.

So, no half-shoeless pictures for you.

Instead, I would like to showcase your ingenuity.

After falling out of bed two or three times the first night you slept in your new bed, you decided enough was enough.

This will solve THAT problem.

Good for you, smart boy. That's my son, John.

Love,
Mom

Are You Sleeping?

Dear Jack,

You were sick again this weekend, which meant we spent a lot of time at home. Your daddy gets bored when he is home too much, so he turns to household projects.

Transitioning your bed from a crib to a toddler bed was just one of many projects he did this weekend, but it was the one most meaningful to you.

He showed you some of his tools, which you thought were neat, but mostly you enjoyed the ability to get yourself in and out of your own bed.

That first night, you only played in the bed since you were sick enough to sleep with your mama, but tonight, as I am typing this, you are fast asleep in your very own bed, using Beandip Bear as a pillow.

Is there anything sweeter than a sleeping Jack?

Not to this mama.

Love,
Mom

Phone Jack

Dear Jack,

Your grandma's phone has been ringing a lot lately. She keeps getting these two minute phone calls where I ask her if she has a minute and she says, "of course."

And then you get on the phone.

You immediately press the big button on the phone because you see me press a button before I speak on the phone.

Then you walk all around the house with the phone held mostly to your mouth and only sometimes at your ear.

You jabber away as your grandma keeps up the conversation until you are done talking and then you say "bye!" and press another random series of buttons.

It is so adorable and since your grandma lives far away and your sister isn't much for phones just yet, I know that she loves that you call her two or three times a week.

Love,
Mom