we miss daddy!

what!?!? i thought daddy was coming with us. take me home!!

pete, here's jack sending you a wet one.

i never thought how rough it'd be to leave daddy home, taking jack on a trip for a whole week. jack woke up this morning to aunt laura and i, in a new enviornment, not to daddy at home. jack wasn't happy. he really missed his daddy, and i do, too. we love you!

bass pro shop

jack visited the coolest outdoor store in the world today! bass pro shop. grandpa took pete when we all visited Pop Pop in august, but i stayed home (or went shopping somewhere i was likely to like, not all sporty-style). i wanted to show jack the animals and big fish tank they have - i was surprised to watch my 12 week old baby track the movements of big ugly fish in dark water! he is so smart and advanced in his development!

travel day

big grins for daddy before we entered the airport
on our layover. he's such a sweet boy.
naptime with gran! jack loved holding her scarf as his blankie.

at 3:45 am on tuesday, the green family woke up, packed up the car, and ventured to sacramento international airport. jack ate a little breakfast while pete packed monkey mirror and the monitor in my already over-weight luggage. i am not a light packer (as most of you know, i have to weigh my suitcase for a weekend trip, ensuring i don't exceed the 50 pound weight limit) - add in a little guy with some explosive bodily functions and excessive drooling and we've got a problem. lucky for us, delta didn't give us the 'HEAVY' tag or charge us for being over the limit. we may have a problem getting home, though, because delta has a new baggage policy, taking affect on may 5th, the day before we return - only ONE free checked bag per ticketed passenger. jack is not a ticketed passenger. we have the 66 pound suitcase (busting at the seams), a travel bed, a diaper bag, purse, stroller, and car seat. i am getting away with way too much luggage for my $300 ticket, that's for sure. i have to make sure i don't buy a thing, or we'll have some real issues!

on to the great part... i didn't sleep much the night before our trip (not great). everyone says it's stressful to travel with children, no less a 12 week old (twelve weeks today! pictures, etc. later). jack is an amazing baby, but you never really know how your perfect baby will handle such an adventure. i barely handle a long day of traveling with grace. i cry. i may be short with people. i get exhausted. add in no sleep and our babe = major stress case. are you worried/stressed for me? don't be - jack was fantastic!!! after a tearful goodbye to daddy, jack patiently waited in the security line. when they asked me to take him out of his carseat and fold the stroller, he handled it with amazing calmness. we met my parents and got on the plane. jack and i were scheduled to sit in an aisle seat a few rows up, but a nice man kindly gave up his seat across the aisel from my parents. we were lucky enough to have the seat next to us empty, too! jack ate during the take-off - he didn't even bat an eyelash. he watched a bit of the movie (yes, he watches tv whenever he gets a chance, we're not encouraging it at all, tvs are just on sometimes, and he's interested) and fell asleep - until we landed! quick lunch and layover, back on a smaller plane. we sat with laura in the first row. jack ate, slept, and ate. he loves to fly, i think, just like his daddy!!

we still have to make it home, by ourselves, so keep your fingers crossed everything goes smooth then, too :)

from one end of the world to the other...

or so it will seem for our baby! jack, pete, and i visited berkeley yesterday. pete's been dying to take me to this amazing salad place, so after we visited point isabele with the girls, we ventured to telegraph ave:

jack is pumped!! he saw a ton of people & heard a few street bands!

this salad place is amazing!! simple, fresh, just delicious!!
trying to put anything in his mouth :)


berekeley is a different world - especially compared to millersburg, pennsylvania. we're heading there tomorrow morning, bright and early. we're visiting my pop pop and my aunts/uncles/cousins in the area. we'll be gone for a week and hope to post, but if not look for a recap at the end of next week :)

jack had a little lamb

 

if you're happy and you know it...

 

then your face will surely show it! jack loves singing songs with his mommy.

yoda

jack + yoda.


remember this?

wondering where i got a picture with yoda? my dad has yoda. yep. my dad bought yoda. saw dad driving around with a weird being in his passenger seat. yoda.

i will take offense to any suggestions of anyone looking alike. seriously, don't even think about typing it, he's a baby for goodness sake's!

jd's birthday

jd celebrated his 28th birthday on monday at the buckhorn in winters. happy birthday, JD! jack was excited to celebrate with his uncle!

picnic day!

pete, jack, and i attended the annual davis open house - picnic day! pete and i hadn't really done the campus thing of walking around, looking at exhibits, etc., so we rolled jack around in his stroller and checked out all uc davis has to offer. the weather was great and we had a really good time! next year, jack will be able to take part in so many activities designed for kids - had no idea the event was so kid friendly - so we look forward to taking him for years to come!

jack postings

just an update... we're switching from weekly 'posts to jack' to monthly 'posts to jack'. he's getting more and more fun and interactive everyday -- i can't tear myself away to write him a note when his here smiling and giggling! we'll try to post more pictures of our activities to keep you in the loop!

point isabelle

the day after the beach, we decided to take pepper & bailey to point isabel, an off-leash dog park in richmond. the girls had a blast! jack enjoyed meeting some new people and hearing the barks of other doggies. he is so great with noise - must've been his loud mommy & doggie sisters he heard throughout his time in my belly :)!! eager beavers
pepper taught many-a-dog about ocean fetching
bailey coached from the sidelines
too funny - each of these pups is waiting for their owner to finish using the facilities - how many times have you patiently waited for your dog at the door, too?
jack enjoyed his busy weekend!

beach day!

big stretch (added so his whole outfit can be seen - cute, huh? the onesie has crabs, pails, sandcastles, shovels... couldn't resist)
sitting in his bebe pod, checking out the scene
discussing putting toes in the sand

jack's first sandy step!

check out the beach, gang! and how cute is that hat?!?
nap time - way too much excitement for a 9 week old!

the weather was absolutely beautiful saturday, so pete and i decided to take jack to the beach! we loaded up the car with beach bags, snacks, and an umbrella. jack wore his little beach onsie, hat, and sunscreen (was a concern, but the doctor said it's better to have sunscreen than not to, even at his young age. most stick to no sunscreen until 6 months, but if you do an allergy test and it's clear, you can go ahead!).

the car ride started out smoothly, until we hit the highway one, stinson beach exit -- whoa! guess we weren't the only ones thinking beach day!! the road is very curvy at times, and i was worried about a carsick baby. not this kid! we saw little smiles after the curves through his monkey mirror. amazing, because i get VERY carsick (no, ladies, i haven't been using it as an excuse to sit in the front all these years, as previously suggested!!) and pete was having a hard time while driving! we continued on, found a parking spot, and planted ourselves in the warm (78 degree) sunshine.

jack enjoyed wiggling his toes in the sand, but the water was WAY too cold for him to try. he took a nice nap in the warm air while i got some sun and pete swam (he's crazy and will swim in ANYTHING). we had a great day and can't wait until we can go back - but with northern california beach weather, that may have been the one nice day of the year...

mid-morning meal

feeding jack has been solely my duty for the past two months. though the books say you can start bottle feeding after four weeks (nipple confusion isn't as prevalent after this time), we waited a bit longer (esp. since i don't go back to work for a while). after kickboxing, i came home and pumped while jack took a bottle from his daddy! it's nice to share this special time with pete! look how cute:

briones regional park

last sunday, i suggested that the green family start exploring the plentiful regional parks in our area (various reasons = fresh air, exercise, dog exploration, introducing jack to the wilderness).

load up! = jack (see him in his moneky mirror!), rugged stroller, pepper (top right), bailey, & snacks

the weather was beautiful today, so we ventured to briones regional park:

it's located in hills between pinole, martinez, lafayette, etc., and was the location of a few boy scout camping trips of pete's when he was younger:

camp site

jack checking out the beautiful scenery (trees + blue sky) from his stroller

the green family girls

we hiked to a beautiful picnic area and had lunch.

my review of briones (from a nonhiker, noncamper, 'indoor' type of girl):
restrooms: clean and plentiful
picnic areas: also clean and plentiful. with tons of trash/recylcing options.
hiking style: easy. very little in the way of hills = perfect for a stroller. however, we only ventured on one trail and it looked like there were some crazy hills for those searching for more adventure. the website boasts fews of all over the bay = hill-top views, so i know they're there somewhere!
cost: $3 for parking, $2 per dog

all in all the day was excellent, especially this time of year with the poppies and amazing weather!!

california poppies

a while later...

we were instructed to remove his band-aids, rub the injection sites, and administer tylenol as soon as we were home. we visited gran so she could take care of the mean 'to dos'. i had had enough of torturing my son and i wasn't about to ask pete to join in the cruelities...

jack's two month check-up

here's jack right after our appointment today. this was a big one... jack got his first shots :(. he took it pretty well, however, really only screaming while the injections were given. i think it was the worst experience ever! they have you help hold down your baby while they do the injections, all jack could see was my face. i sure hope he doesn't remember my being there, assisting in the horrible procedure! if you look closely, you can see the circular band-aids they place on his little leggies... two on one side, one on the other. poor guy.

happy 8 weeks, jackson!

jack, you are eight weeks old today! you've become quite the little sleeper... last night you only woke up once to eat! you were bright-eyed this morning at seven for your breakfast. your daddy and i are so proud of you! you don't take many naps during the day, which is so fun.

we got a new jogging stroller on monday which you love! you sit facing forward and have the freedom to wiggle around so much more. it's great for your mommy to drive, too. we use it at stroller strides and for walks around the neighborhood. i took you, pepper, and bailey on a walk yesterday so you could learn more about our neighborhood. you looked around the entire walk and smiled when i leaned around the corner of the stroller to see you... so cute and fun!

you have been smiling and laughing (your cute little muffled laugh) every day. you are so excited when your daddy comes home from work for lunch and the evening. it just melts our hearts when you get so happy!

we love you so much, jack!

love,
mommy and daddy