Jon and I were
n't up to making an 8 hour trip with a baby twice in one month, so this year, for the third year in a row, my family came down to celebrate Thanksgiving with us. And I have to admit, Virginia Beach is a very nice place to celebrate Thanksgiving. Almost as good as Central PA, or say, Plymouth Rock. There's the annual after Thanksgiving dinner beach walk, the creepy guy down the street who sells Christmas trees (and who also hangs dirty, old stuffed animals around his house), fabulous Black Friday shopping, and Christmas lights at the boardwalk and Botanical Gardens. This year was extra special with baby Jack around, and it was also the first time Uncle Micah and Uncle Jared (who prefers to be called Sir Jared) were able to see the baby.
Jack was the center of attention the whole weekend. Both Uncles tried their hand at changing diapers, Marmie got to feed Jack a bottle and give him a bath, and Poppa got to carry him all over the mall. Actually, there weren't too many moments over those 4 days when someone wasn't holding Jack. I was afraid he was going to get used to it!
As Jack gets older, I feel like I'm understanding hi
m a little better each day. It must be very difficult to be new to this world and only have one form of communication, especially when that form of communication is something that most people don't want to hear. As a mom, it's also hard to distinguish the "I'm hungry!" cry from the "I'm tired" cry from the "It's too loud in here" or "I'm too hot" or "Change my diaper now!!" cries. One thing I did learn over this holiday weekend was that Jack needs his quiet time. After being held for nearly 3 days straight, spending several hours at two malls over two days, touring Old Towne Portsmouth, sitting through family movie nights, getting his picture taken several hundred times, and having 6 different people ogling over his every smile, frown, wink and grunt, I think Jack was suffering from a little "over-stimulation." Throw in some delicious broccoli that his mom ate and having to sleep in the pack 'n play in the same room as his snoring dad, and Jack had a tough weekend - to the point of crying through his feedings and eventually not even wanting to participate in that activity. You know Jack's had enough when he buries his little face in your armpit and covers his eyes with his hand.
Like his mom and dad, Jack appreciates the predictab
ility of a routine. It's taken us a few days to get back on track, but I think we're starting to pick up where we left off sleep-wise and his appetite has more than returned. I think the weekend has better prepared us for our upcoming Christmas break. It's going to be a crazy, busy 10 days with lots of traveling for the little tyke. At least we know what to look for now, and hopefully the three of us can work together to make this a good experience for everyone!
We really did have a fun time over Thanksgiving. My mom, in her usual fashion, went overboard in planning several large meals. W
e're still working on the leftovers. The house is all decorated for Christmas. And although Jack slept through the entire tree-picking experience, I think he enjoys staring at the lights and ornaments. It's always hard to say goodbye to family, especially when we know Jack will probably be wearing a whole new sized wardrobe when they see him again. But Thanksgiving is always the easiest because we know there's less than a month until we see each other again!
n't up to making an 8 hour trip with a baby twice in one month, so this year, for the third year in a row, my family came down to celebrate Thanksgiving with us. And I have to admit, Virginia Beach is a very nice place to celebrate Thanksgiving. Almost as good as Central PA, or say, Plymouth Rock. There's the annual after Thanksgiving dinner beach walk, the creepy guy down the street who sells Christmas trees (and who also hangs dirty, old stuffed animals around his house), fabulous Black Friday shopping, and Christmas lights at the boardwalk and Botanical Gardens. This year was extra special with baby Jack around, and it was also the first time Uncle Micah and Uncle Jared (who prefers to be called Sir Jared) were able to see the baby.Jack was the center of attention the whole weekend. Both Uncles tried their hand at changing diapers, Marmie got to feed Jack a bottle and give him a bath, and Poppa got to carry him all over the mall. Actually, there weren't too many moments over those 4 days when someone wasn't holding Jack. I was afraid he was going to get used to it!
As Jack gets older, I feel like I'm understanding hi
m a little better each day. It must be very difficult to be new to this world and only have one form of communication, especially when that form of communication is something that most people don't want to hear. As a mom, it's also hard to distinguish the "I'm hungry!" cry from the "I'm tired" cry from the "It's too loud in here" or "I'm too hot" or "Change my diaper now!!" cries. One thing I did learn over this holiday weekend was that Jack needs his quiet time. After being held for nearly 3 days straight, spending several hours at two malls over two days, touring Old Towne Portsmouth, sitting through family movie nights, getting his picture taken several hundred times, and having 6 different people ogling over his every smile, frown, wink and grunt, I think Jack was suffering from a little "over-stimulation." Throw in some delicious broccoli that his mom ate and having to sleep in the pack 'n play in the same room as his snoring dad, and Jack had a tough weekend - to the point of crying through his feedings and eventually not even wanting to participate in that activity. You know Jack's had enough when he buries his little face in your armpit and covers his eyes with his hand.Like his mom and dad, Jack appreciates the predictab
ility of a routine. It's taken us a few days to get back on track, but I think we're starting to pick up where we left off sleep-wise and his appetite has more than returned. I think the weekend has better prepared us for our upcoming Christmas break. It's going to be a crazy, busy 10 days with lots of traveling for the little tyke. At least we know what to look for now, and hopefully the three of us can work together to make this a good experience for everyone!We really did have a fun time over Thanksgiving. My mom, in her usual fashion, went overboard in planning several large meals. W
e're still working on the leftovers. The house is all decorated for Christmas. And although Jack slept through the entire tree-picking experience, I think he enjoys staring at the lights and ornaments. It's always hard to say goodbye to family, especially when we know Jack will probably be wearing a whole new sized wardrobe when they see him again. But Thanksgiving is always the easiest because we know there's less than a month until we see each other again!
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2 comments:
did someone quilt the blanket on Jack in his infant carrier? I have that same print in one of the quilts I'm making now!
Oh and Ocean is the same with his routine. If it gets messed up it takes 2-3 days to get him back on track. :)
Yes, one of our friends from church made him that quilt. I love the colors and pattern!
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