Proud Moments Prayerfully to Come

When I was pregnant and the tears came easily, I blamed it on the crazy hormones. After I had Jack and the tears still kept coming easily, I said it was post-partum. And by and large, it was. However, these days, there are just some surprising moments every now and then where I find myself with tears in my eyes, and I just didn't see it coming.

Can't blame it on the pregnancy, the hormones, or the post-partum. Guess it's just part of being a mom.

I had one of these moments yesterday morning in church. At the end of the service, the pastor said they were going to have one baptism that day. It was an 8-year-old boy with blonde hair named Christian. After he and one of the other pastors waded down into the baptismal, the pastor placed his hand on Christian's shoulder and asked him, "Christian, have you accepted Jesus into your heart as your personal Lord and Savior?"

Unconcerned of the hundreds of people that were watching him at just that moment, Christian looked up at the pastor and answered quite solemnly, "Yes, sir. I have."

And then I found myself with tears in my eyes as I watched him go under the water and come back up. All I could think about was how I cannot wait for the day that will hopefully and prayerfully come when I see someone ask my own little boy that question, and Jack will respond in the affirmative just as Christian did. I thought that that must be just about one of the proudest moments in life that a parent can have. I cannot imagine anything that would make me happier.

Even though Jack is just an infant now, moments like this are good reminders for me because they inspire me to want to show Jack Christ's love right now, not tomorrow, not the next day, but now. It's so easy for me to get wrapped up in the daily grind of diapers, baby food, trips to the grocery store, and then other days where I get to wear my Business Analyst hat for most of the day. It's like watching it rain and only focusing on the raindrops as they fall, forgetting that they pool together on the ground in a big puddle. Our days as we go through them seem so individual, but really they run together and create patterns and habits for living that pool together to make up our entire lives.

I want to give this idea some more thought about raindrops and puddles...which will probably be easy to do as they are calling for five inches of rain tomorrow thanks to Hurricane Ida. I think when it comes to changing my focus from the temporal to the timeless, I need all the help I can get!

October in a Nutshell

I cannot believe I have gone a whole month without a blog post. Bad, bad Mommy!

The month of October has been full of challenges but also excitement. As far as the challenges, Jack has been sick for much of the month which has not been fun. He had a couple of painful, fussy days of teething towards the beginning of the month, then he had an ear infection, then rounded out the past few weeks by getting a cold. He had to get a second round of antibiotics from the ear infection--I sure hope we're past all that now. He seems to be doing well lately, though, which has been so nice. It was tough around here for a couple of weeks. My heart goes out to those of you that have or have had children who get sick easily and often!

The flipside with his illnesses this past month is that he has grown in leaps and bounds with some new motor skills and developments. He now is a pro at clapping his hands, rolling over, pushing way up on his tummy, and even scooting backwards. I must admit, it is a strange feeling to walk away from him and then come back and find him in a different spot and/or position on the floor! I'm not used to that yet (but I better get there fast, huh?)

We also have continued to have the visits to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta about his head shape. At the end of September he was showing two months worth of improvement, but at the end of October his skull had not grown enough for them to tell anything conclusively. The doctor said it made sense because he had been sick so much, so his body had not really had a chance to grow because it was too busy fighting off illness. So...we have to go back there in yet another month for a re-evaluation.

Another interesting part of last month is that Lyle and I decided that we want to try and move to Peachtree City. There are a number of reasons why we'd like to move, and with the current housing market, provided we can sell our house here, we're hoping to get a good deal on our next place. We spent a couple different weekends in October visiting and driving around in Peachtree City.

So these are exciting times...life is definitely fun these days with our little pumpkin!

Fun with Rody

Meet Rody. He is an inflatable toy that was a garage sale find on our recent trip to Arkansas. We're not quite sure if he's supposed to be a donkey or a chubby horse, although a donkey sure is a strange toy for a kid. Anyway, apparently they are big in Europe, which is not terribly surprising. Doesn't he look like something you would find at IKEA?

Jack is not quite big enough to ride Rody by himself, of course, but he's already excited about the prospect as he continues to grow and get better balance. Jack loves to bounce so much. Sometimes I think he is two parts Sewall and one part Tigger!

Here's a minute of Jack and me having fun with Rody last week.

Little Rock Trip - Jim's Wedding

I'm a week late posting this, but the weekend was a pretty big deal, so it at least deserves a blog post, I reckon. (The above pic is blurry, but you get the idea...it was fun for all of us to dress up!)

The weekend of September 12, Lyle, Jack, and I drove to Little Rock, AR, for the wedding of Jim Phillips (he was the best man at our wedding). We split up the driving on the way there, and stayed Thursday night in Tupelo, Mississippi. We finished the remainder of the trip on Friday morning, and when we went to the tux place on Friday afternoon in downtown Little Rock we happened to run into the groom himself who was there at the same time! It was a great coincidence and fun to introduce Jack to Mr. Jim.

We then met up with John and Gloria at the home of new friends Robbie & Marie, who graciously let us stay at their house. The rehearsal dinner was Friday night, and it was fun to visit with some of Lyle's old friends, many of whom I had never met before. Jack stayed at Robbie & Marie's with his grandmommy and granddaddy, although I heard later he was not a very happy camper that night before bedtime!

Saturday morning we had a yummy breakfast at Mimi's Cafe. Any idea when we'll get one of those in the South Metro Atlanta area?? They are fabulous. The afternoon drifted away before we knew it, and then it was time for the wedding!

It was a beautiful wedding - lots of fall colors and pretty flowers - and Jack fell asleep through it, so we brought him inside the chapel instead of walking him in his stroller the whole time out in the hallway as we had planned to do. He went to the first part of the reception with us, but he really wasn't all that up for partying, so he went home a little early with John and Gloria. Too bad...I think he would have liked to dance to YMCA if given the chance.

Sunday was a looooonnnnnggggg ride home, but after such a fun weekend it was well worth it. Many thanks to John, Gloria, Robbie, and Marie who helped us out so much!

He's six months old already?!?

Man, time flies when you have a little one. It seems like we were just bringing home our adorable dark-haired "Hungry Jack" home from the hospital, and now he's half a year old already! I feel like I'm going to turn around and the next thing I know we're out picking out colleges. Scary.

Here are the official stats: At six months, Jack weighs 25 lbs, 9 oz, and he measured 29 and 1/2 inches long. So, that means he's almost tripled his birth weight and he's grown a whopping 8 inches in length! The boy is so tall! He's wearing 18 month clothes these days, and many of them I have a hard time snapping underneath his bottom because his torso is so long. He's basically built like a baby linebacker.

As far as what he's doing, he sits up very well by himself these days, loves to play with toys, loves music and listening to me sing, eats very well with a spoon, and is so stinking close to rolling over! He pretty much rolled all the way over a few days ago, and just as Lyle and I were holding our breath to watch him go all the way, he reversed course at the last second and flung back around. So even though he was close, he still has not "officially" rolled over. He loves bouncing in the Exersaucer but even more so in the Johnny Jumper. Lately he has started "crib-spinning" when he gets bored in the nursery, and I don't come in soon enough to get him out of bed. He's quite the pro at turning himself around in strange directions in that crib. Let's see, what else...he makes lots of noises with his mouth (mostly buzzing his lips) but occasionally shrieking or laughing. He loves to stick his tongue out. He seems to prefer vegetables to fruit, which is strange. He likes carrots, sweet potatoes, green beans, peas, applesauce, and pears. He does not like bananas or peaches. Who ever heard of a baby who doesn't like bananas? I thought all kids ate bananas!

I mentioned earlier that we had a dark-haired newborn six months ago. These days Jack's hair is a lovely shade of sandy light brown. His hair never did fall out, though, despite the many mothers who assured me it would when he was born with a head full of hair. His eyes are a strange color still somewhere between brown and blue. I think Lyle's and my genes are still at war for Jack's eyes.
As far as disposition, Jack loves to be where the people are! For the most part he is very laid back and "chill." He's very sweet and cuddly still, which I love, and he does this shy smile when he meets strangers that absolutely melts your heart. The owner at his daycare asked me the other day, "So, I just have to ask...is he really this good all the time?" I was only about as proud as a mother can be when I happily told her, "Yes, he really is."

Jack's First Christmas

Yes, I know, it's only September 1, so it's a little early to be thinking about Christmas, but this year I can't help it. But it's not just for the reasons you might think...


Here are some of the obvious reasons I hope December 25 comes quickly.


This year will be my first Christmas at home (YAY!) with Lyle since we have been married. It is Christmas #4 for us, and the previous 3 years we have always traveled. So another thing I'm looking forward to is really decorating the house since we will be here this time around. I hope we can start some family traditions of our own this year. I also can't wait to help Jack open his presents and then watch in amusement as he probably will be more entertained by trying to eat the boxes instead of actually playing with his gifts. Just having him here with us this year on Christmas morning will be such a blessing.


However, the real reason I'm talking about Christmas today doesn't at all have to do with the tangible aspects of the holiday. I'm writing about Christmas because of what it will mean to me spiritually this year, which is something I don't want to allow myself to forget...especially knowing that once Black Friday arrives it will be a mad rush to buy presents and attend parties and do all those crazy things that make Americans love and hate the month of December at the same time.


Last year Christmas had special meaning for me since I was about 7 months pregnant with Jack at the time. Boy, did I empathize with Mary in a new way! (Traveling to Bethlehem on a donkey, are you kidding me??)


But this year, my first year of becoming a parent, my first year having my own son...I already know that I will have a different perspective when I think about Jesus' birth. It hit me this past Sunday in church during Communion.


God sent His Son.


Not just an ordinary messenger, not one of His angels, not a highly trusted business associate. He sent His Son.

Wow. When I think about how I love Jack, I think of so many things. Snuggling his little head on my cheek as he's falling asleep in the rocking chair with me, wrapping him up tightly in his Winnie the Pooh towel after I give him a bath, tickling his tummy to make him squeal that delicious little "baby laugh" of his...the list could go on and on. Love doesn't just have one meaning for how I feel; it has several: protection, devotion, wonder, sacrifice, and affection, just to name a few. And all of these things come from my imperfect, selfish little heart! How much greater must the Father love the Son, when the Father's heart is perfect. I can't even try to put my brain around that one.

God sent His Son.

God sent Him knowing the abuse and treatment Jesus would receive while here on earth. Would any of us as parents knowingly leave our children with someone who would abuse them? Of course not! So does that make God a bad parent? What seems to be the greatest contradiction is in actuality the most beautiful part - He did it out of love for us! Me and you! He wanted to make us His children, too.

Oh, how I pray that we can communicate these amazing truths to Jack as he grows into a little boy across the Christmases. The gifts we can buy for him will only last a short time until they either break, or he outgrows them.

But if we tell him about God's Gift and we live it out in our lives...

Why, that is the Gift that lasts forever.

Fun with Fruit

This is just a short post. But it pretty much sums up what we've been doing new recently. Jack has started solid foods in the past few weeks. He'd been eating rice cereal for a while, but now we're expanding his horizons to fruits and veggies.

As soon as I gave Jack his first spoonful of pears I knew we had to get this on video. So Lyle got the camera going in time for Bite #3. I'm not completely sure...but I *think* he liked it.

Growing in the Right Direction!

On Tuesday we had our follow-up visit in North Atlanta with the orthotics / prosthetics specialists about the shape of Jack's head. I am very excited to report that he was down from 11.8 mm asymmetric to 9.9 mm!! That probably doesn't mean anything to most people, but this is actually very good news. The specialist was very excited that he had that much positive growth in just one month. If we can get him down to 7 mm then he'll be within normal range, and we won't have to even question the whole "Should we or shouldn't we get him a helmet?" thing.

Lyle and I were both extremely encouraged after this visit (and Jack would be, too, if he knew what was going on!) If you think of us, please pray that Jack's head will keep growing in the right shape to correct this problem. Thank you!!

Moments of Serenity and Insanity

The other day I had this great idea for a blog post. It was going to be about enjoying the moments of serenity and gratitude that come into our lives and taking each beautiful moment as they come. It was going to be one of those things that I would feel better after writing and you would feel better after reading. It was supposed to be something that would inspire all of us just to be thankful for happy little blissful moments as they are sprinkled throughout our day-to-day lives.

Here's the backdrop...

Thursday night around 9 p.m. I had just finished getting Jack to go to sleep. I went downstairs and ate some of Lyle's German chocolate birthday cake and ice cream and joined my husband to snuggle up on the sofa and watch the last part of a documentary on PBS. (PBS on a Thursday night at the Sewall house...woo hoo!)

Anyway, I settled into our sofa and my mind drifted away from the television to just thinking about how happy, thankful, and peaceful I felt that night. I had so many things to be thankful for...Jack is doing well and just knowing he was safely asleep in his crib upstairs made me happy. Plus, it was Thursday night which meant that there was only one more day to the work week before the weekend. Plus, I was just happy to be cuddled up with Lyle and eating my favorite kind of cake. Life was good.

So I had fully decided to write a nice tranquil post telling us all we should appreciate each and every moment of our lives including all the little things that make life sweet. Like German chocolate cake.

However, the weekend got in the way and tonight was the first time I had some down time to even really think about composing my little Oprahesque messaged blog. And after the events of tonight...I don't really feel so stinking serene anymore, so I'm not really sure what the message is now.

My emotions were already on a roller coaster because of the book I've been reading this weekend. It is an allegory similar to Pilgrim's Progress, and I remember my mom often saying it was one of her favorite books. The simple truths in this book have humbled me to the point of tears in revealing to me how far away from God I have strayed in my spiritual walk. So I had just been thinking how ironic it was that I felt like this was my mom's way of getting me back "on track," so to speak, and all these thoughts were making me rather emotional. I was feeding Jack upstairs in his room when this was going on, when suddenly, Jack started coughing. Well, the coughing turned into full-fledged vomiting, and the next thing I know I have a very wide-awake child on my lap whose jammies are now soaked. Plus I needed to go change my own clothes again...I think it was the third time today??

It was another hour before I was able to get Jack to go sleep again after that and needless to say, the serenity and gratitude of Thursday night feels clean out of my system -no pun intended.

What is the lesson here? Am I just one passenger of many on this crazy ride called the first year of motherhood? How do we learn to swallow (and keep down!) the sweet moments in life along with the bitter ones? How do we keep our hearts filled with gratitude and love when sometimes we just feel like screaming and running away? How is it that sometimes we can feel so in control and at peace with our circumstances and other times we feel like we're just being dragged along for the ride?

I'm not posting any answers tonight. Maybe those will come in the morning. Tonight is just for questions. I guess it's okay to go to bed feeling a bit overwhelmed, puzzled, and yes, even humbled sometimes. Maybe especially humbled. And if I am feeling thankful for something small tonight, at least I can go to bed with a dry pair of clothes on.

Over the river and through the woods...

...To the north Georgia mountains we went!

Last week Lyle, Jack, and I escaped for a few days to the beautiful country near Blue Ridge and Ellijay, Georgia. I felt like I was back in southwest Virginia for a few days - it was great.


We rented a cabin that was a mile and a half up a very steep and narrow gravel road. But once you got there, it was well worth the trip. Here's the view we had from our back porch.


Our trip started off a bit rough...I caught the rest of the virus that Jack had had the week before, which really tore up my stomach for a few hours. But it didn't stop us from hiking the Amicalola Falls the next day. All 425 steps of it!

The next day, we took a train ride (the first for Jack!) from Blue Ridge to Copperhill, Tennessee. What a fun adventure! When we got there, we had enough time to eat lunch at a Mexican restaurant, walk around a bit, and then catch the train back. The weather cooperated the whole time we were there, too. It was a little cooler than it's been here in Hot-lanta.

As you can see in the background of this picture, Roscoe came on this vacation with us. I guess it was better than the kennel for him, but boy, he was one stressed-out pup the whole time we were there. Too many new smells in an unfamiliar place, I guess.

Jack was much more laid back about traveling.



We tried to take a family picture with the timer, and it sorta worked, but it looks over-exposed. (Yes, we are all pale, but we're not THAT pale!)

Overall, it was great to get away for a few days. The cabin was very cozy, and we'd love to do this again maybe with some more people next time. I really missed a lot of the "creature comforts" for Jack that we've gotten used to at home! I bet other moms know exactly what I mean...things like the Johnny-jumper, the Exersaucer, and the high chair really make life with a baby a lot easier.

So...even though it was a great trip, it was good to come home, too!

Is it time for a vacation yet?

Thankfully, the answer to that question is actually, "Almost!"

This past week seemed like one of the longest I can remember for a while. Lyle was off this week for the plant shutdown, so I decided to work all 5 days. I should have known by last Sunday night that we were going to be in for a crazy week. That night Jack just decided at 2:30 a.m. that he was tired of sleeping for a while. No real reason, he was just very awake! So Lyle and I took turns with him until about 4:30 when Jack fell back asleep. He must have realized that it really was still night-time after all.

Wednesday was stressful because pretty much out of the blue, Jack refused to drink a bottle at daycare, so I ended up rushing home that afternoon to feed the poor guy. That night we made a Wal-Mart run to try a couple of different types of bottles that he might like better. (No real luck, by the way, on that one). That battle is still on-going. The next day, when I got home Thursday night I noticed that his skin looked a little spotty. He didn't have a fever, so I thought we would wait another day before we took him to the doctor.

Friday morning we were scheduled to have an appointment in North Atlanta with a specialist to talk about Jack's head shape. Note to self: Do NOT try to schedule another 8:30 a.m. appointment on the north side of town!! Stupid, stupid, stupid me. What a stressful morning. The appointment went okay and we really liked the doctor, but by the time we left, we found ourselves driving straight back to Stockbridge for an appointment with Jack's pediatrician. The spots we noticed Thursday had turned into a full-blown head-to-toe rash by Friday. The doctor said it was a viral rash and not an allergic reaction to anything, which is what I had assumed it was. Thankfully, he said it would pass and that Jack had already been dealing with the virus even before the rash showed up. This explained some of the fussiness and odd sleeping patterns we'd noticed in the past week. There were a few more complications Friday that made the day even more hectic, but you get the picture, right?

Suffice it to say, by the time the weekend finally arrived we were both completely and utterly exhausted!

Lesson Anne has learned this week: Be Flexible. Just when you think you've gotten yourself and the baby into a nice routine and things are going smoothly, something is inevitably bound to occur to change things up. Whether it's a trip, a virus, a growth spurt, or all of the above, that routine you've come to enjoy won't stay permanent for too long. But I guess that's what keeps things interesting, isn't it?

And P.S. - Jack's skin is back to normal now, which is a huge relief. Now only if he'll take a bottle tomorrow when I'm at work!

Blue or Brown? We can't decide...

It is so fun these days to see things come out in Jack that are hints of his personality to come.

First of all, we think Jack will be an extravert. He really likes to be where the people are! He's a big fan of his exersaucer these days, but he likes it best if you're in the room with him. He'll bounce and bounce as long as you're there, but if you get out of his sight, he's not a happy camper. The same thing happens at dinner. He doesn't like it if he's in his bouncy chair and we're at the table. He likes it much better to be sitting on my lap and being part of the conversation!

Second, we think he might be a leftie like his dad. I have no idea when this really starts to emerge in children, but so far Jack seems to prefer to grasp toys with his left hand. He seems to use his right hand as more of a secondary support for the toys. I'll be curious to see if this one pans out.

Speaking of whom...I know this pic is blurry - but doesn't he look like his daddy in this one??

And finally, there are his eyes. It is the strangest thing, some days they look just as clear blue as they can be. Then the next day they will be brown. Then the next day they'll be blue again. It's like his genes can't decide who's going to win this one yet!

Here's my hungry cutie...Jack has started eating rice cereal in the past week, and he is a huge fan! He was starting to get hungry all the time, so thanks to some advice from Aunt Amy we went ahead and tried some rice cereal with him. He was hooked after the first time! He still has a little trouble with the spoon, but boy is it cute to hear him get so excited to eat! MMMmmmmm!!!

4-Month Update

Tuesday Jack had his 4-month check-in with the doctor.

He weighed 21 lbs. and 10 oz now, and measured a lengthy 27 and 1/2 inches! The boy has grown six whole inches in four months! That is some major growing going on. If I did that, I would be 6 feet tall by November. Wow.

I am much too tired to write a longer blog tonight. The boy has worn me out two days in a row. I don't know if he's growing again or what, but he's wanting to eat a lot and he's not satisfied when he's done, so it has made for a long and frustrating (and painful) day. We tried to give him a bit of rice cereal for the first time tonight to see if that would help. I think it might; he seemed interested in eating, but he just had a hard time getting the cereal to actually stay in his mouth! You have to start somewhere, I guess.

Finally a Post about Myrtle Beach!

Well, we've been back home for over a week now, but I just have not had time to upload the pictures and tell you about Jack's first trip to the beach. Tonight Jack went to bed around 9:00, and when I went to finally upload the pictures and post a blog, I discovered that we hardly took any while we were there!


Shame, shame, shame on us...


We did have a good time at the beach, although it was so stinkin' hot that we really couldn't do much outside, especially with a 4 month old. Jack made it down to the sand twice, I think, and one of those times was when the sun was almost down. The closest he got to water was sitting on my lap on an intertube floating around the lazy river at the hotel. I can't say if he really liked that or not...he hollered for a bit because the water was cold, and then fell asleep with his floppy hat down over his face.


Here are a couple of pics to at least prove we did go to the beach!


This one should be captioned "It's a good thing the fashion police were not patrolling Myrtle Beach!" Between Jack and his flowery floppy hat and me and my goofy sunglasses, we weren't going to win any style awards, I don't think! (Oh well...at least we were having fun!)

This one has a sort of funny story behind it...so I spent all this money on an expensive little jumpsuit for Jack that has SPF 50 in the material. (I could have bought around 5 or 6 little rompers for the price I paid for this one outfit). I ordered it online, and it arrived in the mail the day before we left for the beach, so I was all excited for Jack to wear it. He had it on for less than half an hour before a rather explosive diaper erupted and just about ruined his expensive jumpsuit. As soon as that happened, I wondered what exactly I was thinking spending so much on one outfit for an infant??!! Lessons learned, I guess...


By the way, the orange striped socks he's wearing are actually foot rattles. They're a huge hit with Jack these days. Here's the pricey SPF-protected outfit prior to the diaper incident.

Here's another great memory from the trip. Jack's cousin Lauren celebrated her 6th birthday while we were all together. For dinner that night we went to Joe's Crab Shack at Broadway at the Beach, and the ENTIRE restaurant helped Lauren celebrate by singing Happy Birthday to her! Jack and I were outside during the actual song since one of us (not me) was having a meltdown. But the picture just says it all. I'm not quite sure, but I think she was having a ball.

Don't you just wish you could have a day where something would happen to make you smile THIS big??

And finally, here's a little clip of Jack talking to me in the hotel room before he went to bed one night. It's really short, but you can get the idea that he's really starting to discover his voice! I think he's going to be a talker. Who could he possibly take after??

Anyway, what a good vacation to get to hang out with my husband, my baby, and my sisters! Good times, good times.

The Boy Got Skills (motor skills, that is)

We have seen an amazing change in Jack during the last three weeks or so. He has suddenly changed from quietly observing his environment to wanting to interact with it. It is so neat to see him not only become more aware of his surroundings, but now he wants to experiment and play in those surroundings, too.

For example, about a month ago Jack was all about mobiles and ceiling fans. If it moved in circles and he could see it, that was enough for him and he was quite happy. Now he prefers toys where something can dangle in front of him for him to kick, grab, or touch. Just watching the mobiles are no longer enough! They are yesterday's news! He started out with being excited about kicking things, but now he's really improving on using his hands, too.

Isn't it amazing when you think about it? For us boring grown-ups, picking up something like a drinking glass or a ball is no big deal - we do it without even thinking about it. But for someone whose brain is so new like Jack's, there must be thousands of little electrical connections firing in his brain to create the sequence of stimulus leading to thought that then produces action.

All you veteran parents out there - feel free to go ahead and laugh at me! New mommy Anne is excited because Jack can kick a ball dangling in front of him! Well, yes, I am excited. I've never seen so up close and personal the many milestones that this little person is experiencing and the changes in his personality that they bring. Just one more amazing thing about becoming a parent, I guess.

Uncle Hayden from across the sea

Last weekend John and Hayden came for a brief but very enjoyable visit. Jack got to meet his Uncle Hayden for the first time. Lyle and I actually hadn't seen him since Christmas of 2007, but somehow it didn't seem that long ago once we were all together again.

It was a fun and busy weekend - We went to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, grilled out hamburgers and brats, ate pumpkin pie, and learned about how Hayden shares the Good News with those from the other side of the world through the art of storytelling. Good, good stuff!

So if he's "Little John", which one of us is Robin Hood?

Okay, so that isn't the best picture of Jack ever, but I'm trying to make a point here...I needed a more recent picture of him and this one was taken a week or so ago.

When the nurses handed Jack to us in the hospital, we could see from the beginning that he favors Lyle. As he's getting bigger now, though, we're starting to see traces of not just Jack's daddy's genes, but definitely those from Jack's grand-daddy as well! Sometimes I'll look at him and see John smiling up at me in Jack's face!

Well...whoever he looks more like - Lyle or John - there is no question the boy is a Sewall, that's for sure!

Side Trip down Memory Lane

Okay, so this little story in Jack's blog today doesn't really have much to do with Jack, but it does have to do with me and Lyle and without us we wouldn't have Jack, so I guess there is a connection...

This weekend we went to Sarah's house in Waynesboro and on Sunday night we spent a very fun evening watching home videos from when Ben and Lauren were very little. The video was made in the fall of 2004, right after Ben was born and Lauren was just about the happiest, smiliest toddler you've ever seen.

There are two pieces of background info that will help this story make a little more sense. First, some of you might not know that Lyle never actually got to meet my mom face-to-face. She passed away before he and I started dating, and although it breaks my heart that he's only gotten to know her through the stories we all tell, there's obviously nothing we can do to turn back time. Second, when I first met Lyle I had a huge (actually a HUGE) crush on him. During the 2004-05 school year when I worked as the intern at the BSU at Virginia Tech, my mom heard me talk about Lyle quite a bit. I was definitely "smitten" and just about everyone in the world knew it!

My parents and I spent Thanksgiving of 2004 at Sarah and Nathan's house (then in North Carolina). Nathan got out the video camera and started rolling it just as we all were sitting down for the big dinner. My mom asked us all to go around and say one thing we were each thankful for. I remember thinking at the time how cheesy this was to get on tape. So we started going around the table...Sarah was thankful for Benjamin since he had just arrived two months before. Mom said she was thankful that year just "to be here." When it was my turn, I said I was thankful for all my nieces and nephews and that I was thankful to be back living in Blacksburg.

Mom interjected and said "Oh, come on, Anne...that means 'Lyle!'" and she did the finger quotes sign in the air just to emphasize. In the video, all of us around the table laughed while I blushed, because, of course, she was right.

The laughter in the video mingled with the laughter in Sarah's living room as we watched this scene...and here it is five years later. This little incident was probably less than four minutes long on tape, but in that short time it brought so many feelings to the surface. It brought joy because I love that my mom can still make us laugh, here in 2009. It brought sadness because of the irony of her statement of gratefulness to be with us when we know now that was her last Thanksgiving here on earth. And it brought a bittersweet feeling of thankfulness for me that Lyle could witness in watching her - however briefly - some of the best characteristics of my mom that we all miss...namely, her sense of humor and her ability to always "call a spade a spade."

Watching this video was probably the highlight of my weekend. It brought my mom close to us if only for a few minutes. It was like a belated Mother's Day gift from my mom to me.

12 Weeks and Counting!

Today Jack is officially 12 weeks old. Can he really be 3 months old already? That sounds so strange...I feel like having him here is all still very new and we're just getting used to being parents, but when I look at him I can hardly believe that he ever fit inside my tummy! He is so much bigger and looks so much older than when he first arrived.

Speaking of bigger...we learned at the doctor's today that he weighs 19 lbs, 10 oz! I knew that the car carrier seemed to be getting heavy. Turns out it wasn't just my imagination!

Sad to say, Jack did not celebrate this milestone in a very fun way. He had to get two shots this afternoon, and he has not been a very happy camper since then. It's been a long evening...

Mother's Day in VA

I can't believe it's already been a full week since Jack and I returned from Virginia. We left the Thursday before Mother's Day and returned home a week later. Lyle came back earlier than we did to go back to work on Tuesday, which left me and Jack to fly home by ourselves! I was way more nervous about it than Jack was. He was perfectly well-behaved on both flights...the pressure changes didn't seem to bother him and the people around us were all pleasantly surprised by the lack of crying. I was so relieved both times to touch the ground, though! I was about a nervous wreck.

Here are some pics of our time in Virginia...we got to see lots of family and friends. Mother's Day was particularly a treat because we went to Mitty's house in Winchester. The weather was perfect that day, and it was so good to catch up with everyone.


The only bad part of the day was the trip home, where we got stuck in traffic on the interstate and poor Jack was inconsolable for about 45 minutes. I felt like such a horrible mother (which you shouldn't feel like on your first Mother's Day!!) but there was nothing we could do. We were stuck between exits in stand-still construction traffic. It was a bit of a nightmare, but the day was still very good overall.

We had lots of good time at Aunt Amy's house. We played a LOT of Guitar Hero there!


Here comes trouble...It was so crazy watching David toddle around the house and knowing that he's the size Jack will be a year from now! Boy, will we be busy chasing after him!!

Here are the two cousins together. I wish I could have gotten a picture of Jack when Mary played peek-a-boo with him. Jack took a particular liking to his Big Cousin Mary. When he's a little bigger he'll have more fun playing with David. For now, David still frightens him a bit!

Thanks to everyone we got to see and visit with! We had a great time!

Sleeping through the Night!

For the past two nights, Jack has gone to bed at 10 p.m. and we haven't heard a peep from him until 5:30 a.m.!! It may well be temporary, but he seems to have turned some kind of corner as far as sleeping goes.

Here's the ironic part that all mothers can probably relate to...

Note that I said we didn't hear a peep from him. It was, in fact, because we didn't hear a peep from him that in turn caused his mommy to wake up at oh, let's see...1:00, 3:00, 4:00, 4:30, and once more at 5:00 before he decided to wake up and eat half an hour later.

So while I'm excited that at least Jack is sleeping through the night, I think I'm actually getting less sleep than before, what with all the hopping up and down I'm doing now! Other experienced mommies can chime in here...does anyone know when my body clock will stop going off every two hours with the irrepressible urge to check and make sure he is still breathing?!

"Take Jack to Work" Day

On Thursday, Jack and I made our second trip to the CFA Headquarters. We got to have lunch and visit with co-workers and friends that I have sorely missed these past two months. Jack was passed around the table to everyone while I had a few minutes to eat. I think just about everyone got a chance to hold him, except for Marc who said he doesn't hold babies while their heads are still "floppy." That cracked us all up.

Thankfully, Jack was a good boy and didn't make any messes on anyone's nice clothing! I was crossing my fingers for that the entire time... I've been living in t-shirts and sweatpants the past couple months, so it doesn't phase me when messes are made at home, but it's a different story when there are other people's dress shirts and suits on the line!

These pics were taken on my first visit to CFA at the beginning of April. I was having so much fun I forgot to take any pictures on this past visit.

I've also missed the lunches at work. Leftovers at home are not nearly as exciting. Thursdays are "banana pudding day" at Chick-fil-A, so I did get to enjoy that while I was there. I also enjoyed some of Chick-fil-A's famous sweet tea...and it was gooooooood.

Boy, am I spoiled!! Anyway, we had a great time visiting somewhere that means so much to me.

Tickets to the Gun Show

We just love the little arm "muscles" Jack has! He is a beefy boy.

Jack had his two month check-up at the doctor's yesterday. He is officially 16 pounds and 12 ounces! I had guessed he was around 15 pounds, because his carrier is really starting to get heavy...but I didn't know he was that big!

We had a bit of a rough visit at the doctor's yesterday. He pointed out that Jack's head is a bit flat on one side, so now we're all paranoid trying to get him not to lay on that side, which he definitely does favor. However...it's the demeanor of the doctor that bothers me. He always answers my questions like they are totally obvious. Well...if they were so obvious, then would I be asking them? I'm a new mommy here - cut me some slack!

Anyway, we're giving him one more shot at the 4 month check-up and if things don't improve then we're going to find somewhere else to go. Aunt Amy had a great point yesterday...if I don't like the doctor when Jack is well then I'm certainly going to have a tougher time with him when Jack is not feeling so hot. Thankfully, we haven't had to cross that bridge yet. I think I just don't have great luck with doctors. The same thing happened when I was pregnant; the more times I visited that practice the more I was ready to look elsewhere. Thankfully, we found Dr. Arshad who safely delivered our healthy, big boy.

If anyone has thoughts on picking a pediatrician, I'd welcome them...

New Faces to Meet

Jack has been busy lately meeting new family members! The day after Easter, Uncle Melvin paid us a visit while he was in Georgia staying at Sarah's house. The weather was rainy that day, but we had a great afternoon together inside at our house.
Jack's favorite part of the afternoon was taking a nice, long nap on Uncle Melvin's shoulder. Boy, does he look comfortable!

This past weekend on Saturday the 25th, Jack got to meet Uncle Evan and Aunt Emily for the first time! They drove down from Greenville to see us and hang out for the afternoon.

Next time we'll drive up to their house so we can meet our new cousins Ella and Easton!

10 Things I Love about Jack

I will try to keep this short and sweet...

10. When I feed him at 2 a.m. he always is ready to go back to sleep. I can only think of one time in the past 7 weeks with him where he wanted to party all night.

9. When he cries there is something legitimately wrong. Actually, there are many times when he doesn't cry and I know if it was me I'd be screaming my head off. Like stinky diapers, for instance. If I had on some of the ones he's had, I'd be a lot more angry about it than he is. Must be those laid-back Sewall genes at work... 8. He's big enough now to fill up the baby bathtub so it's not quite as terrifying to give him a bath. (No blackmail pictures here, though).

7. He likes to talk to Mommy and Daddy...particularly on the changing table for some reason. It's fun to see him discover his voice.

6. He doesn't mind it when Mommy and Daddy are extremely silly and try to talk back to him the same voice he uses on the changing table.

5. I love to watch him follow the Winnie the Pooh mobile in his room. With as many Winnie the Pooh articles as we have, it's a good thing he likes it. Not that he has much choice in the matter right now!

4. This probably sounds tacky, but I secretly love it when he gets out a really good burp after I feed him. I don't know why that makes me proud of him, but strangely enough it does...

3. I love that when he's worried or concentrating on something, he looks the most like "Mini-Lyle." Sometimes I could swear he's already starting to solve the engineering problems in his head. No pressure, though, no pressure.

2. When I snuggle his head and hold him close, his hair is all soft and downy against my cheek. I'm going to be so sad if he loses his baby hair!!

And the number one thing I love about Jack is...

1. I love that I get to be his mommy.

Quiet Afternoon to Join the 21st Century

Sunday afternoon at the Sewall house.

Jack is asleep in his swing, Lyle is reading, and Anne is trying to navigate her way into the 21st century world of "blogging." I feel so behind on things. I've just been looking at Stephanie's and Tiffany's blogs, and they're so snazzy looking. Clearly they have mastered the art of personalizing their "blog space." I'm not that far yet, so I'll just stick with the standard boring layouts, templates, and colors. Man, I need to get with it, I guess.

I feel like I should introduce the blog. If you're reading, either you're very bored and found your way here and you don't know us - which is completely creepy, I might add - or more likely you are already acquainted with the Sewall family. You maybe even be related to us!

If the latter is the case then it means you already know me, Lyle, and our beautiful new son, Jack. Jack was born on February 26, 2009, at 1:05 in the morning. He weighed in at 9 lbs, 5 oz and measured somewhere between 20 and 21 1/2 inches. (The hospital said 20, but if you'd seen him that day, you'd know he was longer than that. The doctor said four days later he was 21 and a half. Hence the confusion.)

This is just a post to kick things off as I start the chronicles of our Adventures with Jack. And get up to speed on modern technology in the mean time.

Maybe tomorrow I will be bold and join the revolution of social networkers in the strange and mysterious world known as "Facebook."