4 months...and still standing

Somehow we are already in March...it's all going so fast. Not much to update from the Claypool house. We are enjoying Jack so much. He is so animated and interested in everything around him. It's fun to watch him take it all in. He turned over for the first time last week, which is incredibly dull for everyone besides John and I, who, by the way, were thrilled - we now harass him constantly to do it again.

John is busy with work and trying to finish up his Master's program. He is starting the job search for an administrative position for the fall. Work is going well for me - a little exhausting lately, since Jack has decided that he doesn't like to sleep through the night anymore. He went from sleeping 8-10 hours a night, to waking up 2-3 times per night. He cries briefly and puts himself back to sleep which is good, but it is enough to wake me up, so my sleep is not exactly restful these days. Everyone keeps telling us that this is his "4 month sleep regression" phase, and that he will grow out of it. Let's hope so...until then, I just invested in some heavy duty under eye cream to mask the bags and dark circles from sleep deprivation.

Anyway, here are a few new pics of the little guy...

Jack's new Jumperoo which we have named the ADD MachineMicha sent me a Moby wrap, which is so comfy...it took me a couple tries to get it wrapped right, but now that I have it figured out, it works great

Happy Birthday Daddy!

February 11 was John's 28th birthday, and we celebrated with a low key night at home. Dinner, a basketball cake and ice cream while hanging out with our sick little guy. He (actually we all) started out the week throwing up and has now progressed to a little cold. No fever, but just enough of a cough to interrupt his sleep and make him a little cranky. He really does look so sad.

Photo Session with Jack

I couldn't believe Jack participated so well with me playing around with my camera...but here are the best ones from our picture time.

Almost 10 Weeks!

Our little guy will be 10 weeks old on Friday. It's hard to believe so much time has gone by already. And at almost 13lbs...he's really not that "little" anymore either.

The last 10 weeks that I have been able to be home with Jack have been great. I feel so fortunate that I could have so much time with him before heading back to work. But, all good things must come to an end, and this week is my first week back.

I actually worked my first shift on Sunday, which was sort of a trial run. John was home with Jack, and all went well. Tomorrow is the first day of day care. John and I met with Sue and feel comfortable with her, but it doesn't change the fact that I am nervous about leaving him tomorrow. I don't know how much babies do and don't comprehend at this point, but I just pray that he doesn't get afraid in an unfamiliar setting with unfamiliar faces.

Anyway, here are just a couple more pics of my "peanut."

This one was taken by Aunt Lisa when we were home for Christmas.
She got a lot of cute pics, but I think this is our fave!

Last week he had his first boo-boo.

Occasionally he gets really frantic with his hands,
and he managed to cut his nose with his finger nail...
I swear, I really do trim them, but they just grow right back.

He is becoming so animated.
In the last couple weeks, he has started to smile a lot, and his laugh is so sweet.

Welcome 2010!

Hello All. Another holiday season behind us...I had no idea what crazy was until this year. Experiencing holiday travels and festivities with an infant in tow is a whole different type of crazy!! Despite the chaos, we had a great time visiting family and friends. We started on the 23rd with a drive down to Philly. I had spent the day while John was at work attempting to get us all ready to go. Jack, however, was not very much a fan of that plan because that meant mommy was not very attentive to him. So after a lot of sweat and tears, we were on the road by 6pm and in Philly by 1130pm. Not bad for our first time traveling with an infant.

We spent 5 days in Philly with the Claypool clan. Having Liam and Ber with the two newborns was a lot of fun. Here are some cute pics from our Philly Christmas.

Jack and his new cousin Samuel Webb Kurtz ("Webb") on Christmas Eve.Jack's first Christmas morningNana and Papa Bill Bill with all the grandkids. Liam, Ber, Webb, and Jack.Webb KurtzPapa Bill Bill with Webb and JackMommy & JackToo much excitement...naptime for Jack.Alex, Lee, & Ber...aka the Galanii : )Uncle John with Liam, now almost 3, he loves, loves, loves his trains.Daddy and Jack were pooped after the Christmas morning festivities.Daddy & Jack with Maarten & Samuel Jacbos.

In a week of firsts for Jack, he also had his first trip to the park. It wasn't very snowy and not too cold, so we bundled him up and went to the park with Nana & Papa Bill Bill, Liam, Aunt Lee, and Ber. Jack seemed to like it. Here are some pics.

Aunt Lee & Ber with Daddy & JackNana Cis & Ber with Mommy & JackAunt Lee with John Berihu "Ber"

If we thought our time in Philly was a little chaotic with all the little ones, then we were definitely in for a shock when we arrived in Michigan for Christmas with my side of the family. We are up to nine grandkids in that family, with four new additions this year (the youngest just a couple weeks old...). It was hectic but still a great time. Here are some of the pics from Christmas in Michigan.

Ava...such a cutie.Aunt Sara with Landen & AidenUncle John with Landen...seriously one of the most photogenic kids ever!Jack loves his passie (how do you spell that??)Taylor with EthanEthan William Venema, just over a week old!Ava again...can't get enough of this little one : )Genna loves having her picture taken...such a cheese!At the end of the day, Genna and Austin decided they would make a little cash from all the food we had leftover. They put prices on all the plates and tried to get money from us adults...$5 for a Rice Krispy treat is a little rich for my blood... : )

Finally, after all of our festivities, we made our way back home to Rhody to the peace and quiet of our little home. Jack did amazing on his first plane ride. The poor guy spent 17 hours in a car seat on Sunday as we made our way home, and he barely made a peep. What a trooper!

I hope all your holidays were as enjoyable as ours!

New Pics...

Hello from Babyland...Sorry I haven't posted more pics of our little guy. Life since Jack's arrival has been great and strange and funny and crazy all at the same time. It's weird how I don't manage to get anything done besides feeding and changing diapers, and yet I feel like things are so hectic and busy at times. How is that possible?

At any rate, we are still enjoying him immensely. We especially can't wait to see the rest of the families for the holidays, so they can meet him, but also so we can meet our other two new nephews - Samuel - "Webb" - who arrived last week, and Ethan who should be joining us any day now!