"Doogs"

We were not at all sure how our dogs would react to a new baby when we found out we were having Jax. Hannah had just turned 1 year old when Jackie was born. We weren't sure if Lucy was too old to be patient with a baby. We took Hannah to training to try to "calm" her (which ultimately failed) and we sort of just hoped everything would work out. The dogs were immensely curious and unfortunately had to take a back burner for awhile while we figured out the whole "baby" thing.

Soon Jackie became as curious of them as they were of her. Although, I suppose at this point they were less curious and more cautious! Well, Lou at least.

Jackie never showed fear of Hannah's physical body, despite Hannah's monstrous size compared to Jackie's little peanut self. Occasionally, a loud bark would startle her, but that's about it.

Jax steals toys from the doggies and the dogs would steal toys from Jackie. We recently taught Jackie how to play fetch with Hannah.

This is Jackie back in April- Hannah is like a horse compared to her!



The water bowl serves as a regular form of entertainment....







And there is nothing better to nap next to than a big soft golden...



When the dogs play-fight, Jackie sometimes feels left out and tries to join in by yelling and laughing at them.

One of Jackie's very first words was "Hannah"- pronounced "Nah-nah" at the time (the first time she said it she was handing Hannie one of her bones). And "doog" came shortly thereafter. She loves pointing out dogs on walks and in books. In our photo album, she is constantly searching for pictures of Hannah and Lucy- and when she sees one, a huge smile spreads across her face and she says, "La-la" or "Loooouuuiee," contentedly. When we leave her room to get in the bath or go to our bedroom, she passes the dogs in the hallway, pats each of them and nonchalantly states, "Hi La-la! Hi Louiiie." Right now Hannie has a hot spot and Jax is very concerned about Hannie's "Boo-boo."

We are always careful to supervise the interactions between Jackie and her sisters, Lucy and Hannah (as much for the safety of the dogs as for Jackie). Jackie gets frustrated with Hannie always being up in her grill at times and will occasionally hit Hannie and then gets a time out. We have a strict "No hitting doggies" rule. The dogs are certainly a lot of work, but they are absolutely an integral part of the family. I can't imagine life without the excitement, love and coziness that they bring. Before we leave for vacation, we drop them off at the vet the night before. Our house is then quiet and empty: there is no dog to walk, no dog to feed or demanding water, no dog to watch TV with on the couch or to kiss or pet or to bring you the remote control when you are in the kitchen trying to cook dinner. Life is undeniably easier, but it is much more lonely and I feel a definite void. We are blessed to have Hannah and Lucy in our lives.

Looking Back

I love looking back at pictures of Jackie as a newborn- especially of her with greasy eyes in the hospital (Mom- I know you feel the same way about those greasy eyes!) I totally regret not stealing the little shirt and hat that she's wearing below from the hospital. That hat was so shabby chic- I haven't found a beanie I like more since.

I can't even believe that this is the same Jackie. She must have been so confused!





And after reading about a million baby books, I started tummy time right away. The poor thing could not look less comfortable in this picture. I think I even started reading to her on day 1. In retrospect, that seems a little ridiculous. Something tells me that if I started reading to her a month or 2 later, she would manage just fine in life... Jim and I always laugh about how we hellbent we were to have the crib ready- she didn't sleep in her crib until she was about 4 months old. Who knows how things will be with the next one??

And this obviously is one of my favorites. Her little facial expression is so serious. We were trying to get the perfect picture for her birth announcement. I think this one was a runner up.

Utensils

We've embarked upon the world of utensils. Jackie has a ton of interest in eating what we are eating and also using the utensils that we use. We bought her plastic utensils for toddlers but she was not to be fooled. She wanted the real deal.

This was about 3 weeks ago and was the first time we really sat there for over an hour as she attempted to feed herself yogurt. She was peeved that I poured the yogurt into a different container at first, but she got over it. She did really well. I was convinced she'd be starving by the end of it but she seemed fine and turned down any additional food. And by "turned down" I mean handed off everything I gave her to the dogs.

Sunday

Sunday we pretty much waited for the rain to pass so that a walk or a trip to the playground was possible. This resulted in us doing a great deal of this:




We seized the opportunity to have brunch at one of our favorite restaurants. One of the many things I love about Jackie is how everything is an adventure: the grocery store, Target, taking a walk and spotting a squirrel, waiting for a table at the restaurant..
She's wearing shoes she got from her cousin Abbey- Theyr'e still a little bit too big, but she wouldn't hear of it.

Finally, we were seated. And the restaurant was nice and loud- so nobody could hear any fussing that may or may not have went on, since it was so close to nap time.






The weather did let up briefly between 530 and 7, at which time we seized the opportunity to run to the grocery store (where Jackie excitedly and loudly and repeatedly pointed out balloons and cheese) and then for a quick walk around the neighborhood. She spotted the playground from a distance and started to point and call for it, but we made a sharp left and avoided it entirely without incident. It was too late and all the equipment would be wet. And, frankly, sliding down a slide with a toddler while 9 months pregnant sucks.

Saturday with Jax

We had a nice relaxing Saturday with the Jackster.

Jim picked up "lil crunchies" while at Target- they looked relatively healthy from the can... Upon opening them we discovered they were cheese curls and Jax, Jim and I devoured them accordingly.

As usual, Jackie was generous and shared her cheese curls with the dogs.
Hannie is wearing a hood because of her new hot spot. The poor thing must be so uncomfortable. Jackie is still saying "boo-boo" every time she sees Hannah.

In other news, Jackie's crocs finally fit her. Although when we went to the playground, we changed shoes. I don't trust them quite yet.

Later that night we had a quick dinner at Grammy and Pops where Jax, wearing her Phillies outfit from Aunt Donna, insisted that Pops cart her around the house and explain to her every picture on every wall. She insisted on wearing her purple flip flops. They do not look comfortable, but she loves them.

Grammy also whipped out an old Cabbage Patch Doll for Jackie to play with. The fact that it had a "dee-dee" (read: pacifier) made this doll quite a hit.


And, as usual, ball was played. It wouldn't be a night with Jackie unless we threw a ball around.




Back at the homefront before bed, Jax was still carrying around her doll (who we named "Richie Omar"). Unfortunately, Richie lost much of his appeal by the next day but during nap time on Sunday, I did catch her holding him and patting him on the head. She also sleeps with a hard, plastic cookie monster (which she calls "Melmo") and a small plastic rake that came with her sand toys.

18 Month Wellness Visit

About a month ago, Jax had her 18 month wellness visit with the doctor. She received multiple vaccinations, which she vividly remembers. I know this because this week we saw the doctor for a mysterious neck rash (which ended up going away on its own) and as we walked back to the examining room, she burst into tears. She regained her composure as we read a book, but cried again when the nurse placed her on the scale (she finally broke 22 pounds!) and then again when the doctor entered and examined her. Below is a picture of her in the waiting room a month ago. She is always shy initially but then quickly begins to smile at people and try to make friends.

Below is a photo of her in the examining room at her 18 month wellness visit, filling out her own chart before vaccines.

As of July 20, 2011 (18 months), she weighed 21.7 pounds (5th percentile) and 32 inches long/tall (53rd percentile). Her head was 47 inches (55th percentile).

After the vaccines, the nurse gave her pretty band-aids to console her. Jax was not to be fooled- she ripped those band-aids off and threw them. She's no dummy!!!

Our visit on Monday was less intense. We had some time to kill beforehand, so we stopped at McDonald's for breakfast (pictured below). She ate all of her yogurt parfait and some of my egg mcmuffin. She was an angel the entire time. Then we went to the Christmas Tree Shoppe to check out their Halloween decorations, which Jackie enjoyed. She also pointed out every "baby" she saw.

Dinner Time

Getting Jax to eat dinner is regularly nothing short of an adventure. After daycare she is tired, which makes her picky. And her hunger only makes her more picky. The more "fun" a food is to her (at that moment- this can change at any given time without notice), the more she will eat. On Thursday, it was watermelon time.

As for the rest of the food on her tray? Half of the avocados were eaten and the sausage (not pictured here) and animal crackers all went directly to "La-la" and "Loooouuuiiee." On Tuesday she ate 2 huge avocados herself. But that ship has already sailed.

She is very generous with her food and shares every single meal with the dogs. When we lock them out of the dining room, she calls for them. When she hears them sobbing behind either the gate or the door, a look of concern grows across her face and she asks for them. After dinner, we took our almost daily 45 minute walk around the neighborhood until it was time for a bath. She enjoys a bath, but after about 10 minutes, she is ready to get out. We still have her sit in a baby bath because that's how we roll. I wonder if she'll get jealous when she sees her little sister bathing in that tub in a few short weeks. I'm going to go with "definitely."

She is posing for the camera here, for the record. And when I showed her these pictures on my phone, she yelled "Duck!" excitedly. She also will sometimes refer to herself as "Baby Jackie," which gets me every time. :)