Talkin' Jack

So, I don't post very often but I thought I'd add something to Misty's blog. When I do, it's usually quite long, so I apologize for so many words and no pictures!

Contrary to this post's title, Jack really isn't "talking" yet, but he's doing a pretty good job communicating in his own variety of Sign Language. For those of you looking to "Talk Jack", here's a translation key:

1. "More" - traditionally signed by tapping one's fingertips together. Jack: clap your hands vigorously with fully extended arms. In Jack Talk, this also means "I want", "give me", and "I like".
2. "Please" - traditionally signed by rubbing one's chest in a circle. Jack: grab your arm with your other hand and squeeze repeatedly. (Misty tried teaching him this one by holding his arm and demonstrating the motion.) In Jack Talk, this also means "I want", "give me", "hold me", "let me do it". This sign is now the preferred sign for Jack trying to get what he wants.
3. "Thank You" - touch your chin with your fingertips and swing your arm forward. Jack: open your mouth, say "Ah" and bop your palm against your mouth making low volume Indian war-cry noises. A variant of this is a single "Bwah" resembling blowing a kiss. Usually said before receiving something, while receiving something, and after receiving something.
4. "Water" - form the letter W with your first 3 fingers and bring to your mouth, extended fingers up, pinky side away from you. Jack: open your mouth, say "Ah" and bring your open hand to your mouth with all fingers extended up and thumb extended towards the body. This also means "drink" of any kind.
5. "Milk" - make a fist, thumb extended up, hold it up and open and close the fist repeatedly. Jack: make the sign correctly, but don't use it more than once every two months, just to frustrated them. Instead, use "Water" and "Drink".
6. "Drink" - a proper sign hasn't been taught. Jack: pucker your lips and make a sucking motion and smacking sound. This usually means "I want to drink want you're drinking whether its from a full cup or a straw, and whether its water or a forbidden brown, bubbly drink, and I will usually spill it on myself and backwash into your drink." Usually accompanied with "Please".
7. "Sleep" - place your palm on your cheek, and maybe tilt your head. Jack: place your palm anywhere on your head -- check, neck, hair, ear, forehead -- except nose and eyes. All are equivalent.
8. "Bye" - Jack: Wave your hand, wrist limp, repeatedly. Said whenever somebody comes, goes, or moves from room to room.
9. "Music" - extend one arm forward and wave the other hand back and forth above the extended arm. Jack: extend one arm forward and wave it from side to side. Also means "let me turn on and hold my lullaby box" and "turn on the radio".
10. "Eat" - bring your closed fingertips to your mouth and tap. Jack: say "Nmnmnmnm", sign "please", yell or shriek loudly, and/or sometimes sign "drink".
11. "No" - present your closed fingertips in front of you, palm towards you. Jack: don't stop what you're doing, and reply back "NNaAAAHnnNaaAH NAH!"
12. "Daddy" - Jack: say "Dadda dada dadadd dadadaddad"
13. "Mommy" - Jack: say "Dadda dada dadadd dadadaddad" or "Nannan nananaan". See also "No".

Jack can also tell you where his "hair" is. Sometimes he will show you where his "nose", "mouth" and "ears" are, but sometimes they're in the same place as his hair. "Hair" also means soft, as in a response to "Ouch, Jack, that hurts; be SOFT" -- Jack's response: "Hair". Jack can also show you "dance" when music is playing, which usually involves bending your knees and bouncing and making "ahAAAHaaahAAAHHhhAAAAAhhh" sounds.

Jack's most commonly used sign or gesture is definitely the "cheesy smile" accompanied by the sound "Eeeeh". This means "I'm having fun running around", "I'm doing something naughty", or "Look at me!" He likes to giggle and to show his cheesy smile, and, as those of you who have played with Jack know, it's quite contagious.

CHORES!!

I've always believed that it is vital to teach children the importance of hard work and that everyone in the family needs to play a part in keeping the household clean and orderly. I was worried that these things might be hard for a child to pick up, but I was mistaken!!

Jack loves chores! I started making him pick up the food that he drops off of his high chair tray, and now I don't even have to ask! He starts right after I take him out of his high chair!! He is constantly pulling things out to put them back! I love it!

He also loves the vacuum and now takes his turn every time that I vacuum!




I'm sure that it is just a phase, but I am going to enjoy it while I can!!

Home Improvement!

Don't get excited yet, but I am planning some home improvements and am so anxious to get started! This is nothing major, but I am planning on doing some painting! This is very exciting for me as I have never really painted! We are on a smart budget and doing well at moving forward paying off student loans and such. The smart thing about it is that we get a certain amount of "blow money" per month, so that we're not constantly going over and then feeling guilty. So, this is what my money is going to go towards (with some of the "fixing up the house" money).

Look at what I ordered:

I found an amazing deal on this 14 piece bedding set!! I am now in love with overstock.com! So, this will go in our bedroom and I am thinking of painting our room a brownier tan color...maybe two walls...and then go from there with decor.

This is what I am thinking of getting Jack. I am more of a cutesy person, but if you know Jack, this fits him perfectly.

This is where it gets crazy. I am thinking of painting the upper walls the light green color, getting a white wooden border for around the middle of the wall and then using the other colors to paint vertical stripes down the bottom part of the wall. I might just do 2 walls so that it isn't too crazy...Am I crazy? What do you think?

As for the baby room, it depends on whether we have a girl or boy...but I really want to take the colors that we choose and take a wall and measure it off into equal squares and use those colors to paint the squares...I am going to be painting forever, aren't I?? But, I'm so excited!!!

Think positive!

So, one of my goals for the new year is to do a better job at updating our blog. Unfortunately, I have been blessed with this nasty, awful cold that is making me absolutely miserable!! I say blessed because I have also been trying to "count my blessings" and look for the positive in everything. And this morning, I did find the positive in having this nasty cold! I am finally getting over the sick part of the first trimester, but Jack's morning poopy diapers KILL me!! I really struggle with them!! But, this morning...I couldn't smell it! Not even a small little whif!! Yea! I am happy for this wonderful blessing...but I think that I can get better now!

Merry Christmas!!

I just wanted to send out a Merry Christmas to everyone!! It's been a nice and quiet Christmas here! We woke up to no power for about 3 hours. I was very thankful that we decided not to cook a turkey today!! :) We opened a few presents, ate cold cereal for breakfast and have been lounging around all day! It's been lovely!! French dip is on the menu for dinner and luckily the power has stayed on during the hour it took to cook the cheesecake!! Travis is being a good neighbor and shoveling our neighbor's driveway! What a thoughtful husband I have! Well, I hope that everyone is enjoying a great Christmas! I am so thankful for my Savior! God Bless!!

Does it ever get easier?

Hey Mothers out there!! I'd say that 75% of Jack's meals end up like this!! Is there ever going to be a day that I don't have to vacuum and mop after every meal? I am so glad that he is such a good eater...but I'm tired of cleaning!! Isn't he cute though!?!!

Some stories- WARNING...contains poop!!

It's been a while since I have updated this blog and I am sorry for that! Life has been busy watching 2 little boys and this first trimester is really making me think that 2 kids is plenty!! But, there is hope...I am in week 11, so only 3 more weeks to go and it should magically disappear!! Right!?!

Well, I don't have any pictures. I seem to have misplaced the cord that transfers the pictures from my camera to the computer. I know that it is in the "scrapbook room"...but since we are planning on moving my stuff downstairs so that Baby Moesser #2 does not constantly wake up Baby Moesser #1, I have not been too diligent at putting things away! Anyway, there are two stories that I want to share....the first is not gross...but the second is...so those with weak stomachs may want to stay away from story #2.

Story #1- I have been a little worried with Jack's inability to figure out the purpose and function of the "straw" and be able to use it effectively. The doc said that we should start introducing him to it at 9 months. Although we have not been completely diligent, we have given him plenty of opportunities...to no avail!! I was beginning to wonder if he had some sort of straw disability and was trying to think of there was any way that not knowing how to drink from a straw might be detrimental to his survival. We grabbed dinner last night and in his meal there was an apple juice jucie box for the drink. I was going to dump it into another cup thinking that the straw was tiny and there was no way that he could do it, but I let him try...and he drank the whole thing!!! Boy, was he fooling us!!

Story #2- I'm hoping that I am not the only mom that has made this mistake!! Jack woke up the other morning at 4:30 AM and he had pooped in the middle of the night (which he NEVER does) and when we changed him, he had horrible bum rash! I was almost in tears! He woke up again at 6:30am and had gone again!! So, for 3 days, he suffered from these almost diarrhea diapers all day long...like every 2 hours, which did not help his rash!! We were using ointments and vaseline and everything. Well, things started to slow a little, so after to reading some books, it was advised to let his little bum free from a diaper for a while. He has just done his business, so I thought that it was safe. He seemed very happy and was running around happy! His new thing is to stand over the heater vent when the air is blowing...and this was especially funny to him with no diaper on! Well, I looked away for second and when I looked back...There he was peeing across the kitchen, with poop running down his legs right into the heater vent!!! I had to decide whether to puke of laugh...I went for laughing! Luckily, the heater vent cleaned up easily and we mopped twice with our new steam mop! But, no more heater vents when diapers are not involved!!!