We took the entire Bernard family (Durel, Heather, Jack, Pablo, and Lucy) to Houston last weekend to see Jack's grandparents.  Next time we do this, I'll grab some pictures of what the car looks like when we undertake this venture.  It reminds me of George Carlin's comedy routine about "taking your favorite stuff" on vacation with you.  No minimalists, we.

Anyhoo, Nonna and PapaDu have the best pool ever.  And while Jack needs some serious baby swimmng classes before he can participate in water activities, he definitely enjoyed the sidelines, with umbrella coverage and heavy sunscreen application.  He's a stylish one, ready to dress for any occasion:

Hope this finds you well,

Heather

A Big, Toothless Grin

Jack is smiling.  Life is good.

There's a Baby in Aisle Three

Coffee.  Soy milk.  Bread.  Eggs.  Trash Bags.  Yup, it is time to go to the grocery store.

Though our friends and parents have been lovely about making sure Durel and I didn't subsist entirely on Chinese delivery since Jack's birth, the time came today for me to make a foray to the grocery store.  I knew it was coming.  I had a list.  I was mentally preparing myself for the new experience of Having a Baby at HEB.

I might have put it off for another day or two, in all honesty, but for two things:

(1)  My friend Jess's ode to the grocery store on her blog yesterday, which I loved.  She and I might share a brain sometimes:  Jess's blog entry about groceries

(2)  Durel is sick.  He's got a fever, aches, and has determined that it's some nasty virus.  He's been banished to the guest room so as not to infect Jack and I.  If I thought pregnancy had made me a germophobe, motherhood has increased it exponentially.  I won't even expound more on this for fear of putting it out into the universe.  Ahem.  Anyway, suffice it to say that our house could use a little homemade chicken noodle soup. 

So, off to the store we went.  We got lots of smiles from strangers, which I liked.  We got NO errant touches from strangers, which I adored.  One mom noticed that Jack was wide awake and commented to me on it.  We had just entered the store and I was not at all sure that I would not be ditching a cart half-full of groceries to flee in about three aisles if he melted down. 

Other Mom:  "Congratulations! ... He's awake."
Me:  "I know.  That was not my plan at all.  I hope this goes okay."
Other Mom:  (knowing smile)  "Congrats.  Good luck."

I saw her again in the cereal aisle and got another smile, infused with her respectfully noting that by halfway through the store, my little bundle was asleep.  Awesome.

To wit:

Victory is mine!  And we will be having chicken noodle soup for dinner (and red wine for the healthy adults in the family, namely, moi).

Time to make the donuts...

--Heather

Six Weeks Old!

Yesterday was Jack's six week birthday!  I swore to myself I wouldn't be one of those moms who measures everything in weeks.  This is because, prior to having a child, I was perpetually dividing my friends' answers  by four to figure out the "real" answer in months. (How old is he?  Sixteen weeks.  Pause.  Oh!  Four months!)

However, six weeks is quite the milestone for Jack and his doting parents.  He rewarded us for our tenacity with gas drops, reflux, and millions of poopy diapers by sleeping for a record-breaking five hours straight the other night.  We are joyful.  I am not being facetious.  This is big stuff.

Jack agrees:

Happy Friday to everyone!

Heather

Existential Baby Questions

Being a mom has expanded my vocabulary quite a bit.  I now toss around words like Boppy, Bumbo, swaddle, Mylicon, and poopy all the time.  (Not that I didn't know the word "poopy" before, but as an attorney, I didn't use it much.)  What can I say?  I'm learning.

But, as my analytical mind processes some of the idiocracies of motherhood, I have some questions.  These aren't rhetorical.  If you have answers, please feel free to provide them.  They are stumping me a bit.

• What is the point of a burp cloth that is 4 inches wide when a baby spits up in an 8 inch diameter?
• Why doesn't anyone tell you that spit up stains your clothes?
• What is baby oil for?  I mean, really?

The first two questions came to mind the other night, as Jack proceeded to vomit forcefully all over my top, completely missing my cute and well-placed burp cloth.  Damn.

He proceeded to smile angelically for the picture, of course.  I moved said burp cloth to cover said stain and smile, myself.  Hey, if you can't beat'em, join'em.

From 9 Months to 13.1 Miles

It's hard to believe that Jack is almost 6 weeks old!  And it's still hard for me to believe that 6 weeks ago, he was in my belly.  How time flies!

It's gorgeous weather in Austin right now, and Jack and I have been taking full advantage of it to get some fresh air and to get Mom back into shape.  I have decided to run the Austin half marathon on February 20, 2011 -- as a personal goal and to get back in shape.  So, it's time to get started!

Jack is my new personal trainer:

This is us on the trail in our neighborhood.  You can tell that he takes his role as my trainer very seriously.

Hope this finds you well,

Heather

Overdue Update #3: The Many Moods of Jack

I have received a lot of advice about babies lately.  By far the best two nuggets are these:

(1)  Sleep when the baby sleeps.
(2)  Remember every moment.

I'm having better luck with #2 than #1.  I am hard-wired to be Type A, and I find myself cleaning up the kitchen, doing laundry, etc., when Jack is sleeping.  That's misleading, though, because it makes it sound like I get a lot done in a day.  That is not true.  I am sitting right now at the kitchen table, surrounded by a bouncy chair with a cooing boy on one side, and our taxes on the other.  Which do you think is more fun to contemplate?  Which has a federal filing deadline of Thursday?  Hmm...

Anyway, with regard to #2 (and evident disregard for our taxes), here are a few of the precious moods of Jack that I've captured lately.  He says hello.

Really, Mom?  A photo shoot?  Right now?

I'm feeling sort of shy.

Woah!  A close up!  Okay!  Okay!

Should I show off my dance moves?

Is it a smile or is it gas?  You're not sure yet, are you?

Not done yet, huh?  Hmmph.

I'm running out of steam.  Is it naptime yet?

I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille.

Overdue Update #2: The First Few Days Home

Our dear Jack is now almost eleven pounds!  Before I fill the blog with the current chronicles of our growing boy, ;et me quickly flash back to when the wee nine pound lad arrived home a few short weeks ago:

The ride home from the hospital.  FYI, being in a carseat is exhausting.

Hanging out with Dad is fun!

Stripes?  Can I pull this off?

Peace, love, and pom pom hats for all!

Overdue Update #1: Grandparents

Okay, so Jack is a month old, and this post is about a month overdue.  Oops.  Sorry!  I'm a little sleep deprived!

With Jack's arrival crowned the debut of his four grandparents.  (The Davies grandparents have years of practice with Eli and Francie, of course, but they are brand new grandparents to Jack!)

Without further ado, introducing:

Grammy Davies

Granddad Davies

All together:  Jack, Grammy, and Granddad Davies!

Also introducing:

Nonna Bernard

Jack, Nonna, and PapaDu Bernard!

Jack is destined to be spoiled by all four of his adoring grandparents.  We are bracing ourselves already!