Saturday, March 28, 2009

Updates

So what's been happening in the last couple of weeks? Since you asked...

1. We had an awesome visit with my college roommate MK who was traveling from Boston back home to Texas to attend med school in the fall. Incredibly, she drove out of her way to come spend a couple of days with us. It was wonderful to get to know each other again as adults. We really have come a long way since 1086 Bingham...



2. Jack attended his first W&L event - a tailgate for a lacrosse game.


Oh, to be fair, Will was also in attendance, but he slept in the infant seat in the wayback of the car (with the tailgate open, people) the whole time. God bless him. Jack got his first major injuries of the season when he fell on the asphalt and skinned a knee and an elbow. He added the other knee a couple of days later in school. Poor kid clearly has my lack of coordination.

3. Jack says lots of funny things.

A couple of months ago, I was out doing errands with Lulu when Jack announced from the backseat that he wanted to "go out to yunch." My mother and I, not being one to turn down lunch invitations, happily agreed. Yunch with Yuyu is now our favorite treat.

We are clearly beating the concept of manners into him because he now says "no thank you" even when there is no pending question. For example, when Billy tickles or otherwise irritates Jack, Jack will look at him and say firmly "NO THANK YOU DADDY!" Also, we recently had this exchange:

Me: Jack, it's time to go to bed sweetie.
Jack: No thank you mommy.

Yesterday, I went in to Jack's room when he woke up from his nap. He was saying something about wanting his fire truck. Looking around and not finding any of his toy fire trucks in his room, I looked at him quizzically and told him I didn't see any fire trucks. He said he wanted the fire truck on the ground. I said "where?" to which he replied "ON THE GROUND I SAID." Sure enough, there was a tiny sticker, smaller than a fingernail, right there on the carpet. That kid is always right.

In the Jack's-been-spending-alot-of-time-with-my-mother department, he jumped out from behind a chair the other day, hand/finger point up and said "TA DA!" If you know Lulu, you know exactly where that comes from. It's so funny to see yourself or your parents in your children's expressions.

4. Will is continuing to grow like a weed. I have no idea how much he weighs now but the other day when Jack was sitting next to him on the couch I was pretty sure for a minute that Will was longer/taller. Otherwise, he is a really good baby and still sleeping like a champ. No complaints. He smiles a ton and he's very interactive these days. He also loves Jack. Jack continues to love him. Everyone loves each other. It's like a hippie commune around here.


5. Finally, we went to see the Thomas the Train show last week.


We didn't tell Jack about it until right before we left, for obvious reasons. When we told him, he looked at us like we were bonkers. I think he thought we were taking him to see a movie. We explained that we were seeing the "real" Thomas. Then he looked at us like we were loony tunes.

The boys loved the show - I have never seen them sit still without moving for that long. Ever. It was unreal.


At intermission, this is what happened:

The boys were running around in circles and then collapsing to the ground at the Ted, perhaps doing a more hyper version of ring around the rosey. It was hysterical and, more importantly, there was nothing we could do to stop it. Other people, were shooting us dirty looks, as if to convey that they disapproved of our parenting skills. Of course, their children were literally dripping with all the schlock they sell at these events for insane amounts of money and holding cotton candy and giant cokes. Not that there's anything wrong with those things but at least we weren't giving them dirty looks. I found the whole thing hysterical myself.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Home baked happiness

Alright alright, so it's been awhile. Oddly enough, I seem to have no time on my hands these days. One of these days, I'll fully catch up.. Anyway, for various reasons, Jack and I decided to make cookies yesterday afternoon. I am not normally a baker. I am a very ... loose cook. I measure in handfuls, palmfuls, turns around the pan etc. I like to view recipes as suggestions. Baking, on the other hand, requires exact measurements and strict adherence to recipes.

So for the most part, I buy baked goods or make them out of boxes or mixes. And I'm okay with that. But for some reason, yesterday I felt the need to make cookies from scratch. And to have Jack help me do it. This is significant because despite being a messy cook (ask Billy), I am a little bit of a control freak in the kitchen. So sharing my already small kitchen space with a toddler made me a little edgy.


But we had an awesome time. We mixed and poured and stirred. We licked batter off of beaters (yes, raw batter with unpasteurized eggs - call social services). We made a royal mess of the kitchen. We laughed and laughed and laughed.





Oh and we made some pretty awesome cookies while we were at it. Mine were mostly just crispy but I attribute that to my terrible oven and my inability to get an accurate temperature read, even with an oven thermometer.



In case you want it (and I suggest that you do), here's the recipe

Crispy, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from AllRecipes.com

2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk

2 cups chocolate chips (I mix semi-sweet and white chocolate)

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

2. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended.

3. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended.

4. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time (for giant cookies) or a tablespoon at a time (for smaller cookies) onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.

5. Bake larger cookies for 15 to 17 minutes, or 10 to 12 minutes for smaller ones (check your cookies before they’re done; depending on your scoop size, your baking time will vary) in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Monday, March 2, 2009

"Bottle" Royale

A couple of weeks ago, Will stopped taking a bottle. Jack did something similar at the same age (about 7 weeks old). We were stunned, shocked and aghast. Why, after taking a bottle for 5 weeks, would he suddenly refuse? Little did we know that kids routinely refuse to take bottles at about that age because they all of a sudden become "active participants" in the eating process. The ironic thing is that all the books and the breastfeeding gurus warn you not to give your kid a bottle or a pacifier too soon lest they reject breastfeeding altogether in favor of a bottle. Ha. I have NEVER known a kid who wouldn't breastfeed but I know a hell of a lot of kids who wouldn't take a bottle. So I bought every bottle (from the cheapie ones to the 20 dollar ones that look like a real boob) and every nipple (latex, silicone, regular, orthodontic) and tried them all in combination with each other. Here are just three of my big bottle bags (these are not normal ziplocs mind you but ginormous ones meant for sweaters or body parts).


We tried to feed him in the swing, in the baby bjorn, standing on the front porch, jumping up and down, upside down in the siwng...you name it, we did it. In the grand scheme of things, it wasn't a huge deal because Jack slept 12 hours (from 7 until 7) at about 3 months. So we'd just wait to go out until later. But it posed problems for late afternoon activities and it certainly meant we couldn't go away until he was a year old.

So when Master Will exhibited the same behavior, I panicked. We tried to give him bottles every day for a week to make sure it wasn't a fluke. When we determined it wasn't, Billy and I caucused and decided that before things completely spiraled out of control, we would make one last ditch effort to avoid a permanent bottle strike. We figured we'd either break his will (no pun intended) or die trying so to speak.

I'm sorry to say we went down in flames. We've been bested by a 2 month old. It surely won't be the last time...

And the beat goes on...




Brotherly love knows no bounds around here. Jack still thinks Will is the bee's knees. He is currently obsessed with holding his hand which would make even the most relaxed of parents totally paranoid, seeing as how we are in the midst of a particularly terrible flu season. But it's so unbelievably sweet that I can't put a kibosh on it. His other favorite activity is giving Baby Will "big hugs and smooches." Again, feel the heart palpitations. Like anything else in the parenting arena, you start out in absolutes and quickly slide down the slippery slope of trying to determine whether a previously verboten activity will lead to an immediate visit to the hospital. For example, we hauled the activity mat out of the attic to leave Will on when we are being inattentive parents (see post below regarding the failure of bouncy seat to handle such a task).


We originally told Jack that the mat was ONLY for Baby Will and that no part of Jack could touch it. At first, Jack was content to sit on the edge of the mat and slip in the occasional rub of the head.

Our acquiescence only made him bolder and soon Jack was lying down next to Will and giving him full body smotherings, er, hugs.

Not only that, Jack moves the animals for Will. The whole point is that the babies can kick and grab the animals and in the process learn all sorts of things. But given how much Jack wants to do on Will's behalf, it will be a miracle if Will ever lifts a bloody finger.

What I find remarkable is that Jack has yet to show us any real jealousy. I fully expected that when someone was holding Will, Jack would sidle up and try to take the baby's place in that person's lap. No. As it turns out, he cares only insomuch as he thinks he would be better suited to hold Baby Will than you.

He's not irritated when Will cries - he merely gives him a hug and announces proudly "Mommy, I make it all better."

He willingly shares his toys and food, which leads to slightly dangerous situations like Thomas the train balancing precariously on Will's nose or Jack putting a cheerio right on Will's lips. But I'm not about to tell him not to share with his baby brother because we all know that'll come back to bite me on the ass in about 9 months...

So we make compromises, with ourselves, with our children. Whatever it takes to maintain the peace.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Will at 2 months


Will had his 2 month checkup this week (although in the interest of full disclosure, this picture is from 2 weeks ago). He currently weighs 12 pounds, 8 ounces and is 24 inches long, 75th and 90th percentile respectively. This domination will continue for maybe a couple of months before he returns to the bottom of the charts where Jack currently resides.

For those of you keeping score, Jack was over 13 pounds at his 2 month checkup. Score one for Jack.

Other stats worth mentioning:

Will started sleeping about 7 to 8 hours at night, from 10 or 11 until 6 or 7. Score one for mom.

Will also has refused to take a bottle for the last week. Shoot me now. I'll see all of you again in a year...

Old friends...


Last week, we made a whirlwind (and I mean whirlwind) trip up to Washington to see two of my very favorite people (my college roommate and my big (sorority) sister) who both live in California but were attending the same wedding in D.C. Because we all have small children and live on opposite coasts, we hardly get to see each other. At this point I would sooner poke my eyes out than take my children on a transcontinental flight. Sarah and Dave managed to do it but only after lots of drugs. For everyone involved. As we say in the south, bless their hearts... Sarah told me that when the plane landed in D.C., they made their older daughter Eva (who just turned two) apologize to everyone on board. Anyway, when I heard they were coming east, I jumped at the chance, even if it meant 6 hours in the car roundtrip.



It was marvelous to see Sarah and Dave and Liz and Dan (who were sans child for the first time!) and it was a real treat to meet Sarah's girls. Jack stayed with with Mimi and Pops in Richmond for the morning (have I mentioned how much I love my in-laws?) so he didn't have the chance to meet his future girlfriend Eva but it was clear that they will be fast friends one day. One day when they are old enough to get on a plane and watch TV quietly like good children...

One sidenote. We picked up Jack in Richmond and he was so worn out from his awesome morning with Mimi and Pops that he fell asleep, mid-sentence, on the way home. I love the arms behind the head.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

You know you're the mother of a two year old boy...

---when you find yourself all alone in your car saying things like "Look - a fire truck!"

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Second child syndrome

Last week I went to my doctor for my six week post-partum appointment. It's an appointment I have looked forward to both times. It's such a personal relationship, apart from the obvious reasons of course. When you're pregnant, you see your doctor as much as you see your spouse practically. And she's the other person in the delivery room when your child is born. You get so used to seeing her all the time, it's weird to go six weeks without having an appointment. Even Jack misses going to the doctor. As we passed the hospital complex the other day, he said "Mommy go see Dr. Terry and hear baby's heartbeat." Anyway, it's fun to go in again and bring the baby to meet everyone and to have the baby's picture taken with the doctor.

On to the funny story. Will wakes up while I'm sitting in the exam room waiting for the doctor, so I decide to nurse him briefly. Two gulps in, Will has a total blowout. The poop shot straight up the back of his diaper and got all over his outfit and, consequently, me. Everywhere. There I am running around the room half-naked grabbing various paper products to contain and clean up this colossal mess. I do have diapers and wipes in my bag but do I have another outfit for him? Nah. Why would I? I did happen to have a blanket to swaddle him in so at least he wasn't naked. Fortunately it was 70 degrees outside that day or Child Protective Services would have taken him away before I could get to the car.

Second child syndrome...poor kid will be lucky to make it through adolescence. Shockingly I was not in any great rush to photograph this moment of terrible parenting but here is another example of what happens to latter born children.



Notice how he has slid off the edge of his bouncy seat. And instead of immediately remedying the situation, his parents pull out the camera and laugh at their lack of supervision. Do you ever feel like you're a character from Seinfeld? We do.

So if you happen to go to my doctor's office, look up on the bulletin board where they keep the pictures of all the babies she's delivered this year. Mine is the one without clothes on...

Miles of smiles

Will smiled for the first time over the weekend. For those of you without kids, for the first 2 or 3 months, babies smile only involuntarily. Typically, it's because they have gas. Around 8 weeks, babies have their first "social smiles" as they're called. You can tell the difference because when babies smile involuntary, it is with their mouths only. When they smile for real, they smile with their whole face. It's like pornography - you know it when you see it.

This past Saturday morning, we were sitting in bed, watching Curious George and reading the paper. Jack was in his usual position - lying on his stomach, chin in his hands, staring at Will and speaking to him in his high pitched squeal. Will looked up and smiled with his whole face. How cool is it that Will's first smile was for big brother? I will treasure that moment forever.

And today, Will smiled at me for the first time. It was the one ray of light in an otherwise cloudy parental day.

Ron Varnadoe strikes again

The previous owner of our house was a "handy" guy. We thought this was a bonus at first. He made lots of improvements to the house, including installing an in-ground sprinkler system. If you've seen our yard, you would know it is ridiculous that the system has approximately 14 sprinkler heads . Nonetheless, we're lazy enough to really appreciate it. Anyway, since moving in, we've found that Ron wasn't quite as good as he thought he was. As my contractor put it, he's the most dangerous type of guy - he knows enough to actually do some complicated things but not enough to do them correctly. Consequently, there have been several instances where we've had a problem that turned out to be more costly than it should have been because of Ron. For example, there are several holes in the walls of our finished attic because Ron hid the intake valve of the radiators behind drywall. And every year we have some part of the sprinkler system malfunction.

Just this last week, Billy attempted to replace the spray hose in the kitchen sink. To be fair, Billy should not have been playing plumber. But what he did should not have caused eight different leaks under the sink. When our contractor came to fix the problem, he ended up having to replace all the valves, gaskets and pipes as well as the faucet itself. Ron Varnadoe strikes again...

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Our family photographer

Ever since we had Jack, I have been slightly OCD about taking pictures. I wish I could capture every moment, every feeling, every expression of Jack and Will's childhood because I am already starting to forget things. Fortunately, we have a great digital SLR (thank you Buster!) that I love and carry with me everywhere. Hence the myriad monthly pictures (and yes I know I have yet to send out Will's pictures).

Billy is often annoyed because I am too often memorializing a moment instead of just being in it. To that end, I decided that we should have a family photographer, like the First Family.

Enter Kelly Willette. She is not only an incredibly talented children's photographer but also an all around fabulous person. If you are ever in Virginia, please have her photograph your kids. You won't regret it. She has an unbelievable ability to capture every aspect of a child's personality. It's uncanny. Her website is www.willettedesigns.com. If I had all the money in the world I would have Kelly photograph my children once a week...sigh.

Before Will's arrival, we signed up for Kelly's "baby plan." So we have her every three months until Will turns one! My own personal family photographer...







Thursday, February 5, 2009

Baby Will


When Will went to the doc for his 2 week checkup, he was already 8 pounds, 11 oz (well above his birth weight) and 24 inches (an inch and half taller than at birth). Since then he has continued to grow like a weed. Having not been back to the doctor recently, I can't give you precise measurements. I just gauge by how many outfits he has already outgrown.

Temperamentally, he is much like Jack, if not a little more mellow. The biggest kicker is that at 5 weeks, he has started sleeping 6+ hours straight at night (from 11 or 12 to 6). For those keeping score, that's two weeks' ahead of Jack. Score one for the Deuce...

Thursday, January 29, 2009

End of the season

Billy asked me yesterday why I hadn't yet written my apres-Super Bowl post on how miserable I was that football season was over. Usually my feelings of despair this time of year are slightly tempered by the fact that we're smack dab in the middle of basketball season. But when your team is in 12th (that's right, twelfth) place in the ACC, it's awfully hard to be filled with the basketball spirit.

So I watched the Super Bowl with more dread than usual, knowing that after the NCAA tournament I will have nothing to watch until that glorious day that the first pre-season game is played.

While it was indeed a great game, it wasn't as good as the Giants' victory last year. Speaking of which, some of us were clearly in denial about who was playing in the Super Bowl this year....


Thanks to Auntie Beth for finding such an awesome present. Maybe this will bring us luck next season...

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Parent Teacher Conferences


Yesterday was parent-teacher conference day at Jack's preschool. You might think such a thing is a bit of overkill for a 2 year old but it was such a wonderful reminder of why we love GUMP so much. Our favorite thing is the portfolio they compile for each child. The teachers in the infant room started the practice of taking pictures of the kids during the day and noting various milestones and accomplishments reached, as well as funny or sweet things they do during the day. They collect them and put them into a binder which is then passed along to next year's teacher. When Jack leaves GUMP, he will have this fabulous chronicle, not only of his time at school, but also of his development as a child.

One funny little highlight: Jack's teacher told us that one child in his class was coming in every day and taking the toy that Jack had in his hand. My little crackerjack (no pun intended) apparently concocted a scheme to protect his toy. He began taking the toy he really wanted to play with and hid it. Then he found another toy that the other kid could have. The kid was happy and Jack was then left to play with his remaining toy. Way to go Jack. Let's be fair - he's never going to be the biggest, strongest or most atheletic. So it's a good thing that he's clever...

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Mess

My jolly for the day: When I walked into Jack's room this afternoon after nap time and asked him why he had thrown all of his stuffed animals and pillows on the floor, he answered (in his very chipper, high pitched voice) "It's a big pile of mess mommy, a big pile of mess." I had to bite my lip and hang my head to keep from laughing hysterically. He then looked up and said "Jack will clean up but mommy can help." And he did. Will has big shoes to fill...

Monday, January 19, 2009

Seasons change

I almost cried last night at the end of the Steelers Ravens game when I heard the words "Thanks for a great season - we'll see you in September." I swear it was just yesterday that I was excitedly watching all preseason games on the NFL network.

It doesn't help that the Giants ended the season so ignominiously after beginning it so gloriously. I finally worked out my issues regarding their playoff performance by yelling at the television for a half hour last night. Billy just stared.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Small Victory

The only (and I stress the word "only") good thing about puking for all nine months is that I am wearing my regular jeans again. After several months of having to hike up my maternity pants every 3 minutes, I am so happy to be wearing pants with buttons again...

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Brotherly Love

It's been a little over a week now and Jack is still entirely enamored of his baby brother. The first thing he wants to do in the morning is "hug baby Will." Because Billy rarely gets home before Jack's bed time, morning has always been our family time. Jack snuggles in bed with us and drinks his milk. We were worried that the new baby would somehow change that. But it hasn't. If Will is still asleep, Jack is actually disappointed.

In general, Jack likes to check on Will every few minutes. He'll walk up to him and say "hello baby Will" in this slightly high-pitched sing-songy voice that cracks me up.

When Will cries, Jack either pats Will's head and says "It's okay baby Will" or he tells one of us to pick up the baby, not out of annoyance but out of concern. Yesterday, he was talking to his friend Sabrina and he shouted at the top of his lungs "I LOVE BABY WILL, BEENA, I LOVE BABY WILL!"



I'm sure the honeymoon will end, but for now it's wonderful. Seeing your child love another human being that much is the most beautiful thing I have ever been a part of...

Anniversary

Billy and I celebrated our five year anniversary on Saturday the 3rd. We had originally planned a trip to Paris but that obviously changed because of the Deuce. Instead, Kennon and Travis graciously offered to watch Jack while Billy and I went out for sushi (first time in 10 months...). So there we were, no doubt looking like something the cat dragged in, with a three day old baby, sitting in the corner of a sushi restaurant. It sure wasn't Paris, but we wouldn't have traded it for the world.

My boys

Jack came to officially meet Will the morning after he was born. Billy and I were naturally apprehensive, envisioning some sort of Mexican standoff between the two tiny Poynters (with parents as litigators it's bound to happen at some point) but Jack could not have been more excited.




He immediately wanted to hold Baby Will and hug him and kiss him.




We had to curtail the latter two activities because of imminent suffocation but it was an incredibly proud moment for a mother to see her beloved first born welcome his brother without a hint of jealousy or suspicion or anxiety. So here I am, surrounded by my boys. And I couldn't be happier...


Monday, December 29, 2008

The Deuce is Loose!


We are thrilled to report that Santa brought us a late Christmas present in the form of William Reeves Poynter, who arrived at 2:18 this afternoon, weighing 8 pounds, 5 ounces and measuring 20.4 inches. For those of you keeping score, that makes Will a wee bit longer and a wee bit bigger than Jack. Let the lifelong competition begin.


We arrived at the hospital at 6am this morning and settled in. I ended up getting two epidurals again (but no spinal headache this time!) and once again am totally in love with my anesthesiologist. They started the pitocin at about 11:45 and Will joined us at 2:18pm. Apparently what they say about second children is true. My doctor barely made it in time. He came out perfectly healthy, ate immediately and promptly fell asleep. If possible, he's even more relaxed than Jack.

The speed of the arrival also meant that our family didn't quite get to the hospital in time to see the baby before they had to take Will to the nursery for the three hours of tests that they have to run. Buster and Lulu brought Jack just as the baby was being wheeled out of the room. So Jack got a glimpse of the baby but hasn't gotten a chance to hold him yet. He seemed to be okay with the whole situation but that might be because the "baby" gave him two Thomas trains as a bribe, er, present.

We didn't have a name until late this evening because Billy was so sure the Deuce was a girl that we hadn't so much discussed boys' names. And we were lucky to have so many visitors that we didn't have much time to talk afterward either. Mimi and Pops, Aunt Kennon,


Uncle Peter,

the Dailey clan (including baby Caroline),


and Beth and Christian all came by.

Worn out by all the excitement, Will (and his father) are happily sleeping now...



Thanks to everyone for all of your good wishes, calls and emails!

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Baby Eve

The bag is packed (sort of), Jack is at my parents' house and Charlie's reservations at doggie daycare have been made. So I guess we're out of things to do before the Deuce arrives tomorrow. Unless of course there is a barrage of pregnant women arriving in L&D tonight and we get bumped from the calendar tomorrow. I am going to be awfully peeved if I wake up at 5am for no reason....

Oh and for the record, we still don't really have names...

Boxing Day

When I went in to get Jack out of his crib this morning, he looked up and said "Open more presents mommy!" Clearly we did not do a good job explaining to Jack that Christmas is a day, not a lifestyle, at least when it comes to gifts.

We went to the annual Patrick family oyster roast that afternoon, and had a wonderful visit with lots of old friends. We even managed to get a picture of all of us with the kids.

Charlie and Jack got quite a treat - the Patricks have an incredible electric train in their basement that awed the boys. The luster of the Thomas train tables that Santa brought the boys seemed to fade just a wee bit...

After being well behaved during the group picture, they were also given chocolate lollipops which they inhaled. Not surprisingly, they almost immediately began a rousing game of chase, up and down the front hallway. For the record, NOTHING GOOD happens when you give 2 year olds chocolate lollipops at 5:30...

Although they have perfected the "who? me?" look, haven't they?

Christmas Day

For the first time ever, we woke up in our own house on Christmas morning. In fact, we woke up before Jack did. After a half hour of waiting, we finally went in to wake him up at 7:45. He was not at all pleased until we reminded him that perhaps Santa had left some presents downstairs for him. That perked him right up and he practically jumped out of bed.



I think it might be more fun to be a parent on Christmas morning than to be a kid.

One of Jack's favorite presents was a shiny new red Radio Flyer tricycle, courtesy of Mimi and Pops. Not only did we have to ride it around the living room IMMEDIATELY....


but we also had to go outside and ride it down the sidewalk too, along with all of the other parents and children, clad in pajamas, trying out their new "outside" toys.


It was a real treat to have that time Christmas morning with just the three of us. We haven't had a lot of that recently and we're certainly not going to have it come next week which made it all the more special.

Mid-morning, we went over to my parents' house where Santa had left Jack a train table.

You'll notice that there are really no pictures of Jack smiling or, in fact, looking at the camera. This is because he was SO enraptured that we really didn't hear from him for the rest of the day. He did occasionally join the land of the socially engaged to play Santa


to read one of his new books (notice the fake "just take the damn picture mom" smile that he has perfected at the age of 2)...


and finally to crawl into a box and take a snooze. Some might consider this a sign of a good Christmas...