Da-Da

This past Saturday, Jack said his first word! Okay, so he probably has no idea what it means, but he has been saying "Da-Da" or "Dadadadada" or sometimes even "Dad" (that one kills me) nonstop since he first discovered the word. I love it, and obviously Marc does too, as Jack sits around all day asking for his daddy :)

It makes sense, I suppose...Marc IS pretty awesome. One of the many reasons I fell in love with him was that I knew he'd be a great father. And he is. He also has a completely different approach to parenting than I do, and I think it's great that Jack gets to have both of us in his life. Don't get me wrong, we agree on the big parenting issues, but we definitely have different styles when it comes to our interactions with Jack. For instance, last night I went into the kitchen to grab a glass of water and when I went back into the dining room I found this:



Seriously? It would NEVER occur to me to put my baby on the table, during dinner, and give him a catalog to flip through/rip up. But Jack loved it, and it made me smile, so I guess it wasn't such a bad idea. It would also never occur to me (at least at this age) to give my baby a mohawk. But again, last week I walked into the living room and Jack was sitting there with his daddy, sporting his new 'do. I am looking forward to a lifetime of laughs with these two jokers!



In Like a Lion, Out Like a Gram

If February was the month of all of Jack's other grandmothers, then March is the month of his Grandma Carol. The month begins with her birthday on March 2 (random and embarrassing fact: it is also Jon Bon Jovi's birthday, which means that my mom shares a birthday with Marc's favorite singer), and will end with a week-long visit. I CAN'T WAIT for my mom to get here. I never imagined I'd be raising a child 500 miles away from my mom, and although we visit as much as possible, I miss her (and my dad) daily.

Although I don't get to see her as often as I'd like, my mom is always here when I really need her. After Jack was born, I needed help while I was recovering from the c-section, and Marc had to go back to work. My mom arrived the day that Jack and I left the hospital, and took care of me so that I could take care of Jack. She cooked, cleaned, chauffered Jack and I to our doctor appointments, and - her favorite - watched Jack while I slept. Then when I was ending my maternity leave, my mom came out for another two weeks to help me transition into work outside of the home. I don't know if I could have made it through that time without her...it was so difficult to leave Jack after spending all of our days together for his first three months, but Grandma Carol loves that little baby as much as I do and I knew he'd be in good hands.

So Happy Birthday, Mom! We love you and can't wait for you to get here!