It's Tournament Time!!

One of the very best things about Leo's birthday is that I got to watch nearly every single NCAA tournament basketball game in 2011!  My maternity leave began the week before the tournament started.  Leo's birthday will forever be a pre-tournament celebration.  Well, and it marks the opening of Polly's Freeze...

This picture is from 2012 - the year of the Cats!  I have a feeling that this year's picture will include IU jerseys...Probably won't make those photos public!

Jack's little brudder just turned 2!

Since our last post, Jack has grown from an alert newborn into a thoughtful and smart pre-schooler. And, he's become a big brother!  Introducing Leo to the blog!!  If you're able, you should roar like a lion, which is what Leo loves to do most right now!

Last night, as we drove home from the YMCA, I asked Jack if he has a Savior.  He said "Yes, Jesus."  We talked about why we need a Savior and how important it is to love God and Jesus for the sacrifice that was made for everyone - because we are all sinners.  As I talked to Jack and told him to love God with his whole heart, Leo patted his little chest, nodded his head and said, "Whole heart.  Amen."  He said "Amen" a lot actually.  Last week, he got on his knees in his dinner chair, put his elbows on the table, folded his hands and said, "Amen."  James called him Pope Leo.  He's only 2....what does he understand?  Maybe as much of a mystery as to why he likes to roar??

And so, to the real point of the post...Leo's 2d Birthday pictures!  Two little boys had a blast with a small balloon bouquet!   

Jack is partying hard with his little brother, Leo, who is wearing a Lion headband.

Yummy birthday cake in circus theme!

Not sure what to do about the fire on his cake??

Still not sure!

But, he does know what to do in his new Woody pj's from Grandma James and Pop Tom - cheese!

Even big brother got a new pair of pj's.  It was a good birthday weekend!

Little Jack is officially 3 months old

Our sweet little baby is 3 months old. Sadly, his 3 month birthday was a rough one. When I got to daycare, I heard him crying as soon as I walked in the door. Vi said that he'd had a tough day. The weekend was clearly just too much.

We went to Ashland this past weekend for a party hosted by Dandaw. Jack got to meet lots of family and friends. He also got handled by lots of family and friends. He got very little rest while in Ashland, which has made for a cranky start to the week. We're going to spend the next few weekends at home so we can rest and get back on schedule. Maybe we can both practice taking naps! Momma can only hope.

Regardless, Jack's 3 month birthday was a big day. We laughed together, took a walk together and nearly cried together! Jack has developed a sweet little giggle. He spent some time playing in the floor with Daddy, practicing his laugh. As you can see from the picture, he also spent some time working on his cry!


Daddy fed him some rice cereal. Momma gave him a bath. Finally, little Jack settled down. Now, let's see if he'll sleep through the night!! It would be the perfect end to a less than perfect day.

Little Cousins Meet

James, Jack and I visited Dan, Claire and Silas on Sunday, August 9th. Silas was 3 weeks old and Jack was soon to be 12 weeks old. The little cousins, only 9 weeks apart in age, posed for a few pictures with Dan, Jack's uncle and Silas' daddy.

Silas is still pretty focused on eating and sleeping. Jack, on the other hand, is becoming more interested in being entertained and remaining the center of everyone's attention. I wonder whether Jack is already concerned about the fact that he's not the new baby anymore!

Regardless, we hope that they become the best of friends.

Mommy and Daddy go on a date!

The Abner's invited us to Winchester for a wine tasting at Talon Winery in Lexington on August 1st. We went to Winchester the Friday night before so that James could play golf Saturday morning. James did, in fact, play golf with Chad, while Jack & I went with Davida to a children's consigment store owned by one of Davida's friends. Saturday afternoon, Dandaw and Auntie Suzy picked Jack up from Chad and Davida's house. He spent the night in Ashland - his first night away from Mommy and Daddy.

James and I had a great time with the Abner's and their friends. We were overdo for a night out with adults - our last date was the night before we went into labor! The winery was really nice (and the wine wasn't bad). James and I hope to plan other trips to visit the Abner's.

Apparently, Jack did just fine with Dandaw and Auntie Suzy. They hung out with Mama, Papa and Mama K, went to Wal-Mart and then went to church Sunday morning. Dandaw said Jack was really good - so, she has no excuse when we ask her to babysit in the future!

Jack is almost 3 months old

It's so hard to believe that our tiny little newborn is nearly 3 months old. Jack has changed so much already. He's been a lot of hard work, while at the same time a great joy. James and I know that we've been blessed to have such a sweet and healthy baby.

At his 2 month appointment, Jack weighed 12 pounds and was 23 inches long. He's a good eater and, fortunately, has adapted to day care. Ruby and Vi are taking really good care of him and have introduced Jack to Leo, who is one month older. Jack and Leo get to hang out in the swings, bouncy chairs and on the play mat at day care. By the way, Leo has the most awesome head of dark hair - enough to make even John Edwards envious.

This week has been a turning point - Jack has slept through the night 3 out of the last 5 nights! I didn't know how sleep deprived I was until I got a few nights of good sleep.

Sleeping through the night is big. But, I think James and I have most enjoyed Jack's little sweet smile. He may fight sleep and be fussy in the evenings, but he wakes up with a smile on his face. It's very rewarding to see our little man smile at us and react to our singing and teasing.

Jack has arrived!

Jack Thomas Powers was born Monday, May 18, 2009 at 2:19 p.m. Momma's labor began at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday the 16th. We made two trips to the hospital on Saturday and were sent home both times. Although contractions were regular and only 5 minutes apart, we were not dilated enough to stay. Labor continued through Sunday. At 7:30 Sunday evening we returned to the hospital and this time we got to stay! By 8:00 we were admitted and Momma got some much needed pain mediation and rest. Sunday night was a long night for the Powers and Douglas families. Finally, Jack decided to make his entrance into the world.

We came home Wednesday about lunch time and have been doing really well. Jack hasn't grasped the concept of day and night yet, but we feel confident that he soon will. He's eating well and has gotten good reports from his pediatricians. We are truly blessed and appreciate the prayers, love and support we've received from our family and friends.

Now that Jack is here, our blogging lives will be much more exciting! We'll be better about adding pictures and stories of the amazing little Jack!!