Nicholas has started pitching this baseball season. I am very proud of him because he hasn't pitched during a baseball game in about 3 years and I think at 13 years old it is really hard to put yourself out there and give something difficult a shot. He never ceases to amaze me. He has had two outings so far, neither were easy, and he is willing to keep practicing and trying to get better. The video below is a celebration of his effort, showing many of his strikes. He is in the blue uniform, number 12. Enjoy!
Friday, May 29, 2009
New Jack Video
Ok... so it isn't exactly new Jack video - but it is new since the last blog post. At six months old, the little man is almost sitting up on his own and nearly crawling. Here is some video of him giggling and of him eating bananas for the first time.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Video
I know I have been terrible about posting updates to this blog, I apologize. I don't have time right now to post a lengthy update. Instead I'm posting a video of the first time Jack held something other than his pacifier in his hand. Before this, he would yank his pacifier out, not realize he did it, and then scream because he wanted it. He is just beginning to understand cause and effect and it is very cute. Enjoy!
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Ping Pong
Awhile ago we decided to tu
rn our dining room into a game room. It is a room we really only use for special occasions like Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter. We found a four-in-one table that we purchased for Christmas but due to issues with Sears Home Delivery, we didn't bring it home until recently when we could rent a cargo van and pick it up ourselves. It is a pool table, ping pong table, air hockey table, and dining room table. Since it has come into our house it has been the location of many late night and often heated tournaments. Rules tend to be made up and changed mid-competition. It has been a lot of fun so far. You will have to play with us (or against us) next time you come over. I want our house to be a place where Nick and his friends can relax and have fun, and this is hopefully another step in that direction.
rn our dining room into a game room. It is a room we really only use for special occasions like Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter. We found a four-in-one table that we purchased for Christmas but due to issues with Sears Home Delivery, we didn't bring it home until recently when we could rent a cargo van and pick it up ourselves. It is a pool table, ping pong table, air hockey table, and dining room table. Since it has come into our house it has been the location of many late night and often heated tournaments. Rules tend to be made up and changed mid-competition. It has been a lot of fun so far. You will have to play with us (or against us) next time you come over. I want our house to be a place where Nick and his friends can relax and have fun, and this is hopefully another step in that direction.Super Bowl Sunday was pretty quiet for us. Since the Cowboys, Packers and Jets all did not make the playoffs, we did not really care about the game. This picture taken in about the 3rd quarter shows just how enthusiastic we were. I think Bernie and Jack are in just about the same position with just about the same expression.
I went back to work at the office this week. While it was hard having to leave the baby, it helped that he was with family and at home. He was with my mom on Monday and Bernie the rest of the week. It was nice that he was at our house because I did not have to worry about getting him packed up and out of the house. It was a whirlwind week back at work because I thought I had a case going to trial. We were taking videotaped testimony on Thursday and we were supposed to pick a jury on Friday but the case managed to settle Friday morning. I was exhausted by the end of the week.
This week should be interesting. Jack and I have both managed to come down with colds. I think he will probably have to go to the doctor tomorrow because he has a wheezy cough we need to get checked out. He is spending this coming week with Bernie's mom, so we will actually have to be organized enough to get him out of the house and get ourselves to work on time. Bernie is also going to be traveling for part of the week. It is the first time since Jack's birth that we will both be working. I am sure we will figure out how to make it work and deal with all the little bumps along the way.
In other news, Bernie and his friend Jim got picked to coach a Sr. Baseball League for the spring. It is nice because Nick really likes it when his dad can coach his team.
Here is a new picture of Jack - he is 10 weeks already. It is amazing that it had been that long, but it is also amazing that he has been with us for such a short time, yet it seems like he has always been part of our family.
Have a good week!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Counting My Blessings
Jack had his two month check-up today. This is the first visit in a long line of vaccinations in which you bring your happy, unsuspecting baby to the doctor, only to have him look at you in disbelief, shock and horror when the nurse actually sticks him with the needle. Jack took it like a trooper, I think it hurt me more than it hurt him (I am a big baby, I know – now I am remembering why it was Bernie who took Nick for most of his shots). The stats: at nine weeks, Jack weighs 14lbs. 3oz, he is 23 ½ inches long and his head circumference is 41cm. He is above average in length and way above average in weight and head circumference. Dr. Sullivan still thinks Jack is one of the noisiest babies he’s ever seen!
The fact that Jack is growing so well is a relief. When I was pregnant, without having ever done it before, I resolved that he would be breastfed exclusively. It seemed like such a natural thing, how hard could it be? Like many other things in my life that I have passionately declared, I was completely wrong about this. He wouldn’t latch on, he wasn’t gaining weight, he was getting jaundiced. I spent hours with a lactation consultant and still we could only get him to latch on with a shield and even then he wouldn’t stay on very long. We weren’t home long from the hospital before we started supplementing with formula. Now, Jack is fed mostly pumped breast milk, which makes the process very long – 20 minutes to pump, 20 minutes to feed, repeating this cycle every two to three hours. We don’t supplement very often, except that lately I have been trying to give him one formula bottle per day so that I can build up the breast milk supply for when I go back to work. Jack is not a big fan of the formula. He’ll drink it if he is hungry but will let you know he isn’t happy about it.
The dog has been very interesting with Jack from day one. She is extremely protective of him. If he is crying in the other room, Jenny will come get me and literally lead me to Jack to make sure I know he needs me. If Nick is playing with Jack, Jenny will try and get in between them, worried that Nick is going to somehow hurt him (of course, Nick is totally fine with him). Jenny is not supposed to touch the baby, but if he is on the floor in his activity gym and I turn my head for a second, she will lick him on his head and face. At the same time, Jenny is jealous of the baby. She tries to eat his toys, she has destroyed countless breast shields, pacifiers and bottles. Jack’s first words might very well be “leave it,” “no Jenny,” or “get in your crate NOW.”Jenny isn’t getting the attention she needs mostly because it has been too cold to take the baby outside to walk the dog. For those of you who don’t know Jenny, she, as most Airedales are, is notorious for counter surfing. If anything is left on the counter, English muffins, apple pies, M&Ms, etc. she will eat them the minute we leave the house, sometimes before we’ve even left the driveway.
I got home from taking Jack to the doctor, and Jenny had been counter surfing again. Only this time, it was a can of powdered baby formula. Not a little can, a HUGE can, which had only been opened for a few days. The white powder was all over my kitchen floor where she had clearly opened the can. Then she proceeded to drag the can to the big couch, and for some reason, she even had some on the loveseat. It was all over her face, and her water dish looked like I had poured a few of Jack’s bottles into it. There was white powder everywhere. I would’ve taken a picture for you, except Bernie brought the camera to work with him. The minute we walked in the door, Jenny made a bee-line for her crate, knowing she was in BIG trouble; and Jack woke up needing to be fed.
I was sitting in the rocking chair, feeding Jack, in the middle of my living room that looked like it was the victim of a dry snow storm, and contemplating the fate of my dog. Then I realized that I am lucky to have such problems. In this economy, where people are losing their homes and jobs every day, I am blessed in so many ways. In order to have this problem meant that: 1. I have a house; 2. I have couches; 3. I have a baby; 4. I can afford to buy formula for my baby; and 5. I have a dog. Having a dog may not seem like a blessing in this situation, but at the end of the day she brings us much more joy than aggravation.
When I changed my perspective, cleaning up the mess seemed more like a good thing and less like a burden. I am not sure the couches will ever be the same, and the dog is still in her crate, but if she keeps whining and looking at me with those big puppy dog eyes, I just might let her out.
The fact that Jack is growing so well is a relief. When I was pregnant, without having ever done it before, I resolved that he would be breastfed exclusively. It seemed like such a natural thing, how hard could it be? Like many other things in my life that I have passionately declared, I was completely wrong about this. He wouldn’t latch on, he wasn’t gaining weight, he was getting jaundiced. I spent hours with a lactation consultant and still we could only get him to latch on with a shield and even then he wouldn’t stay on very long. We weren’t home long from the hospital before we started supplementing with formula. Now, Jack is fed mostly pumped breast milk, which makes the process very long – 20 minutes to pump, 20 minutes to feed, repeating this cycle every two to three hours. We don’t supplement very often, except that lately I have been trying to give him one formula bottle per day so that I can build up the breast milk supply for when I go back to work. Jack is not a big fan of the formula. He’ll drink it if he is hungry but will let you know he isn’t happy about it.
The dog has been very interesting with Jack from day one. She is extremely protective of him. If he is crying in the other room, Jenny will come get me and literally lead me to Jack to make sure I know he needs me. If Nick is playing with Jack, Jenny will try and get in between them, worried that Nick is going to somehow hurt him (of course, Nick is totally fine with him). Jenny is not supposed to touch the baby, but if he is on the floor in his activity gym and I turn my head for a second, she will lick him on his head and face. At the same time, Jenny is jealous of the baby. She tries to eat his toys, she has destroyed countless breast shields, pacifiers and bottles. Jack’s first words might very well be “leave it,” “no Jenny,” or “get in your crate NOW.”Jenny isn’t getting the attention she needs mostly because it has been too cold to take the baby outside to walk the dog. For those of you who don’t know Jenny, she, as most Airedales are, is notorious for counter surfing. If anything is left on the counter, English muffins, apple pies, M&Ms, etc. she will eat them the minute we leave the house, sometimes before we’ve even left the driveway.
I got home from taking Jack to the doctor, and Jenny had been counter surfing again. Only this time, it was a can of powdered baby formula. Not a little can, a HUGE can, which had only been opened for a few days. The white powder was all over my kitchen floor where she had clearly opened the can. Then she proceeded to drag the can to the big couch, and for some reason, she even had some on the loveseat. It was all over her face, and her water dish looked like I had poured a few of Jack’s bottles into it. There was white powder everywhere. I would’ve taken a picture for you, except Bernie brought the camera to work with him. The minute we walked in the door, Jenny made a bee-line for her crate, knowing she was in BIG trouble; and Jack woke up needing to be fed.
I was sitting in the rocking chair, feeding Jack, in the middle of my living room that looked like it was the victim of a dry snow storm, and contemplating the fate of my dog. Then I realized that I am lucky to have such problems. In this economy, where people are losing their homes and jobs every day, I am blessed in so many ways. In order to have this problem meant that: 1. I have a house; 2. I have couches; 3. I have a baby; 4. I can afford to buy formula for my baby; and 5. I have a dog. Having a dog may not seem like a blessing in this situation, but at the end of the day she brings us much more joy than aggravation.
When I changed my perspective, cleaning up the mess seemed more like a good thing and less like a burden. I am not sure the couches will ever be the same, and the dog is still in her crate, but if she keeps whining and looking at me with those big puppy dog eyes, I just might let her out.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Hello
Welcome to our blog!
Nicholas
Jonathan
First off, I must admit that I have copied the blog idea from my cousin Charlene Virkler. I have really enjoyed being able to watch her kids grow from 500 miles away, and I like the idea of having a "record" of the events that happen in our lives since I have not been very good at keeping a journal, photo album, or the like. So thank you, Charlene, for the idea.
I cannot promise that my pictures will be nearly as good as Charlene's or that I will be as faithful in posting as she has, but I will do my best. Hopefully this will give our family and friends who live further away than we'd like, a better window into the daily lives of the Edwards clan. Enjoy!
Here are some recent photos of the kids:
Nicholas
Jonathan
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