Our other big first of the month happened last night. We've been talking for a month about how it's time to move Jack out of our room and over to his crib. For one reason or another, we keep putting it off. First, it was because he had a cold. Next, it was because I wanted to get through my first week back. Last night, it was because he'd slept a lot and we knew he'd be up at night. When Jack woke up at 3am, we went through our normal change-feed-rock routine, to no avail. He decided he didn't want to be held. I was so tired that I put him in his crib and sat in the rocking chair. When I woke up an hour later, he was happily sleeping in his crib, so I went back to bed and listened to the monitor for another hour! I'm happy to report that Jack lasted over 4 hours in his own bed last night, so we removed the bassinet from our room this morning. I felt a little snubbed. He was so anxious to be rid of us that he transitioned himself out of our room! He's been sleeping much better lately--as long as 6-7 hours at a time. Can't wait until that becomes more consistent! The Jackapotamus, as he's affectionately known, now weighs almost 19 lbs according to our scale at home. That's what Mere weighed at 9 months!
Meredith has been a busy girl, as usual. Mimi and Papa presented Mere with her second birthday present a little early. We went to Toys R Us on Tuesday and picked out her very first tricycle. The bike is a huge hit. The helmet that she's required to wear...not so much. She's very into Dora the Explorer lately, so I thought a Dora helmet would be a winner. She hates her helmet because it messes up her hair and apparently cramps her style. It's going to be a long process to convince her that I really mean "No helmet, no bike". She's also taken to calling us Chris and Erin, then laughing hysterically. The other day, I yelled out through the garage to Chris and she stood next to my legs and yelled "Chris babe! Daddy babe!" until he answered. She told him "Hi Chris!" when he came home from work last week, then laughed about it for the next five minutes. She recently learned to count to five in Spanish (thank you, Dora!) and to eleven in English. We're trying to move ahead with counting, but so far she tells us that 14 is the number that comes after 11.
Here are a few pictures from the last month:
Jack and Philly hanging out in the playroom
I love this precious little face!!!
Grandma Rooney bought Meredith these little foam people about a month ago. She calls them her family. Mere's "Famy" is never far from her side. She puts them in her purse and takes them everywhere. They include Mommy, Daddy, Meredith, Baby Jack and Justin (our neighbor from across the street--the family included a brother, a sister and a baby, so she named the brother after Justin). She decided one day that she wanted to build a house for her family to live in. She did these almost completely by herself. 
Mere and Jack in the playroom one morning before breakfast
Mere was giving Jack every rattle she could find so he could play with them
Jack is an outdoor man. When he's fussy, a trip in the Bjorn with Daddy to take a walk outside magically fixes whatever is bothering him. Our neighbors crack up when they see Chris, Jack and the dogs out for their nightly walks.
Jack during his first tea party. He was not a fan. Philly was a much better sport.
What a happy kid!
