THE ADVENTURES OF THE JAC ATTACK!

A Blog about a clever boy and a mom determined to out-smart him.

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Slow Summer Days.

Jess is away on business and I'm a single parent for the next week. Thankfully, the week should be uneventful. Our weather has finally gotten nice and JAC and I are taking advantage of it. We have been doing lots of running, taking strolls around the neighborhood and sitting in the front yard enjoying the sun. A few days ago JAC and I were out on our run and someone catcalled at us. Annoyed I looked around for the culprit but no one was there. We ran a few steps further only for someone to shout out us. Perplexed, I scanned the area. I thought I finally had conformation that I was loosing my mind. I decided to keep jogging only to hear another catcall. I was getting a bit angry. One catcall might boost my ego but two is just crossing a line. Then out of the corner of my eye I caught the culprits. Two huge Macaw parrots were sitting on an apartment balcony squawking at me. I had to chuckle to myself a bit. So much for my ego boost!

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

You Might Be Former Military If:

Today I was out on my run and realized I have been completely brainwashed by my military training. I have been out of the military for over six month yet it still has lingering effects. If you are former/current/military or a military spouse you'll sympathize with the following list.

You might be former military if:

1. You have tried to teach your child and your dog how to low crawl.
2. You still singing running cadences on your daily jog.
3. You still write your dates backwards and sometimes can't remember how to do it the "normal" way.
4. When your spouse doesn't retrieve the correct groceries you tell him, "You have failed to execute the mission."
5. You end phone conversations with the words, "Roger, tracking or out."
6. In recounting your day for your spouse everything is in military time. For instance, "Our child made a gigantic poo at 0900.
7. You're obsessed with ironing things that really don't require ironing
8. You own a can of Brasso
9. You refer to your baby as, "The Screaming Patriot."
10. You practice airborne jumps with your 6 month old. Jess has taught JAC to put his feet and knees together before landing. Its the Airborne way.
11. You can't figure out why the other people in the airport won't "Walk with a purpose."

I'm sure there's more I could add to this list but its getting late and I have a big test to study for so I should get some rest.

Have a great Thursday.

JAC - An Innovator by Nature

JAC has never seemed to go about things in the usual way and his approach to crawling seems to be no exception. From what I have read most babies start by rolling to where they want to go, pulling themselves with their arms or at least rocking back and forth. JAC would have none of that. For the last two months JAC has desperately wanted to walk and will throw a fit if you don't help him stand on his own two feet. Today JAC started crawling but he does it his way. Instead of sliding on his knees he has found a way to tuck his knees under him and then put his feet on the ground. It looks a lot like a bear crawl. Today he could only make it a couple of feet but I expect to see greater progress soon. I'll try to catch it on video. He is such a funny little guy.

Orange and Blue

I was beginning to worry my kid was going to turn orange. He would only eat orange food - carrots, sweet potatoes, carrots and peaches. Luckily, this week I found a food he just can't seem to get enough of - Blueberries! I blend them, mix in a little baby cereal and he'll eat them until I have to take them away. He loves them so much that he'll lean as far forward as he can in his highchair and try to put the whole spoon in his mouth. He's even accidentally gagged himself a couple of times. JAC does this really funny thing when he is eating food he likes. He growls at every bite. It's pretty funny to watch.

My Newsweek came yesterday. This is always the highlight of my week. I had to resist reading it all day and instead study for my mid-term exam. Last night at around 12 I finally gave in and read a couple of articles. One article caught my eye because it was something I've been pondering for a while. Apparently JAC is part of a "baby boom." Like the previous baby boom analysts speculate the current baby boom is due in part to troops returning home. The baby boomers have done a lot to shape our nation including bringing us the Hippy movement. Apparently baby boomers are now settling down and cutting back for retirement. Their reduction in spending has contributed to the economy tanking. A very similar thing happened in Japan and it took 12 year for there to be signs of economic recovery. In my mind there is only one real solution. The baby boomers are going to have to start showering my kid (and their grand kids) with gifts. As I see it, it is a "win -win" solution.

Monday, June 22, 2009

Can a Baby be Spoiled?

All of a sudden JAC has gotten very opinionated and it is frankly exhausting. I just put him down in his crib so I could get a short break. For the last week JAC has started getting absolutely furious if he does not get his way immediately. He screams, turns red and kicks and throws his arms around. It turns out JAC has a lot of strong opinions about a lot of things. Today's tantrums include the following:

1. JAC is mad that when I didn't continue to help him stand up and instead tried to get him to sit down.
2. JAC is mad that he can't have my cell phone.
3. JAC is mad because he can't have the TV remote.
4. JAC is mad because I fed him peas.
5. JAC is mad because we can't continue to sit outside.
6. JAC is mad that I'm trying to hold him and instead wants to wallow all over me.
6. JAC is mad because I put him down.
7. JAC is mad because he didn't get his bottle fast enough.
8. JAC is mad because he had to ride in his car seat.
9. JAC is mad because he doesn't want his bottle but wants solid food instead.
10. JAC is mad because he has to take a nap.

What happened to my happy baby? This has gotten really out of control and I am really tired of it. I hope this is not foreshadowing of things to come.

Half Way There




This weekend JAC turned six months old and I have mixed feelings about it. Part of me is simply utterly exhausted. Babies are a lot of work and JAC has helped me gain a whole new appreciation for my parents who had four kids in five years. Part of me is very proud. I'm proud that we've survived half a year and have a healthy, happy kid. Finally, part of me is surprised it has gone by so fast. I think this has been the fasted half year of my life.




Jess and I celebrated JAC's birthday by going out on a date. It was the first time we had gone out for dinner since February and we are very thankful to our great friends Jayna and Matt for babysitting. It was so awesome to have a really good dinner without one of us trying to wrangle JAC while we ate.




On Sunday we celebrated Father's Day by going to a baseball game after Church. It was Jess' first time at the Nationals' stadium and he was really excited. The stadium is brand new and we got great seats. I almost felt like we could touch the grass in left field. I don't think I watched any of the game but I could tell Jess was really enjoying it. At the bottom of the seventh inning JAC fell asleep in Jess' lap. As Jess carried JAC out of the stadium people keept stopping to wish Jess a happy Father's Day. It was a special a very special memory.




In closing, Jess is a really good dad and I hope he had a great day because he deserves it. I would also like to say a special thanks to my Dad who always worked hard and was always a great dad.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Girly Stuff


Today I was driving around town feeling particularly lonely. The never ending rain was only adding to my glum mood. Since the pregnancy I have not been able to do anything with my hair and this is partially due to the rain. Usually I curl my hair with hot rollers. I have never been able to work a curling iron but when it rains my frizzy hair won't hold the curl. Pre-pregnancy I would just add gel to my hair when it was humid and the natural curl would come out. Unfortunately now my hair just hangs limply in the swampy weather.

I had reached my breaking point today. I was lonely, it was raining and my hair looked horrible. After a pep talk from my mom I decided to take action. I drove to the rich neighborhood (I can't find a hairdresser in my neighborhood), found a hairdresser and asked if they would take a walk in. They said "yes," and I prayed JAC would be extra good.

Usually I hate going to the hairdresser because I never know what to talk about and they chide me for cutting my own hair but today was different. A sweet older Belgium lady cut my hair and when I told her I usually cut it myself she did not flinch. Instead she said, "Hair grows back." It was a good experience and the nail tech even held JAC for me while I was getting my hair cut. I now have a new short hair do with layers. It's not perfect but I think it is spunky and will grow out nicely. It felt good to do something out of the norm. What is next for me? Perhaps I'll try getting my nails done.

Biology from a Dork

I am taking a Biology class and I have really begun to embrace my inner dork. Tonight I was studying and as usual I could not help but be fascinated. I thought I would share a tiny bit of Biology with you tonight too.

One in three people will get cancer in their lifetime. While all cancers are different they all consist of "out of control cells." Naturally cells die off and reproduce but when cancer occurs cells fail to die off. Instead they rapidly reproduce and take over. This is how a tumor is formed.

Cancer is a deadly force but there is one type of cell that reproduces faster than cancer. It is an embryo cell. The Embryo's ability to rapidly grow allows for a baby to be completely in a matter of approximately 40 weeks.

I could not help but find it somewhat ironic that the scourge of cancer is caused by cells not dying but the only thing more powerful than the disease is a new life. Hopefully that will give you something to ponder for a while.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

A Random Post about Running and Thankfulness

I woke up this morning on the couch groggy but with an overwhelming feeling of thankfulness. JAC woke up twice in the middle of the night starving and so I had moved to the couch to get some sleep in between feedings. Jess knows that if I'm sleeping on the couch I've had a bad night and he woke me up this morning with a kiss. He usually takes care of JAC early in the morning so I can get some extra sleep but since JAC had eaten at 4:00 a.m. he was still sleeping. Instead Jess had made me some coffee because he knew I needed it. It was really thoughtful and I felt blessed to have such a great husband.

Yesterday when Jess got home from work the three of us went on a run. I had already gone running in the morning but I'm trying to increase my mileage so I decided to go again. It was so much fun and reminded me of when we ran together when we were dating. Jess pushed the stroller and he encouraged me to run ahead so I could work on my speed. I tried to run as fast as I could and it felt really good. I've spent so much time running behind a stroller I was afraid I'd never get any speed back. It was nice to feel fast again. (In total disclosure fast for me is currently a 9 minute mile - not too fast.)

Our extra work out last night paid off because this morning I felt great on my run. I definitely shaved some time off my usual run route. Part of the run route takes us on a paved trail through a very wooded area. I have always suspected snakes lived in those woods but today my suspicion was confirmed. We were jogging along and right in the middle of the road was a small snake. I initially freaked out and came to a complete stop. (My friends and family know I have been terrified of snakes my whole life. When I was little I was even scared of pictures of snakes. ) I took a deep breath, reminded my self the snake was harmless, summoned all of my courage and kept running on past the snake. Could having a kid have made be braver? I am secretly proud of myself.

I'll end this post with a quick word of thanks to my sister Laura. I've been working really hard to loose weight. I spent a month running over 20 miles a week only to not loose a single pound. I was feeling really discouraged but Laura - who is an expert at working out - reminded me that its not the first month that counts. It is the second month that matters and I should keep at it. I took her advice and now that I'm half way through my second month of serious running I'm finally starting to see a little bit of progress on the scales. Thanks for the encouragement Laura!

Monday, June 15, 2009

Artomatic

Jess was out of town this weekend and I decided to make the best of it by indulging in some art. Each year there is a huge art show in D.C called Artomatic. It moves locations every year and local developers donate the use of vacant buildings for the six week show. The show has no curator. Instead artists pay a small fee and donate fifteen hours of labor to display their work in the show. This year Artomatic was held in an unfinished condo high rise and consisted of eight floors of art, performing arts, and music. Almost 1,000 artists participated. I was excited to go and I thought it would be a fun, laid back place to take a baby. JAC seemed to enjoy the art and we found free parking which is almost unheard of in D.C. I had a good time but I left the show with several distinct observations.

1. There is a lot of really bad art. I feel the same way about a most acting. I generally love art of all genres but I'm pretty sure some of those artists might need to try a new career.

2. Artists really seem to need a cause. Most of the booths were trying to portray a message. I wondered if the great painters of the Renaissance felt so much angst.

3. Naked lesbians making out and guys with disproportionately large members seemed to be the unstated theme of the year. (I should have guessed when there was a parental warning posted as we walked in. I hope JAC isn't scarred for life.)

As we drove home from the show I tried to decide what is the true value of great art. I have always loved art and perhaps part of the value is simply entertainment. Still, I have always felt art has the ability to document what a society was really about. I couldn't help but wonder, if art serves to document society, what will the art of this generation say about us?

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Chow







In the last month I have started feeding JAC some solid food. The pediatrician gave us permission to start him on solids a bit early because he's such a big kid and she hoped it would help him sleep through the night. JAC has very strong opinions on which foods he likes and typically expresses his displeasure by spitting food back at me. Here's a list of what I've tried and JAC's reactions:

1. Applesauce: JAC thought it was pretty good.
2. Spinach: JAC hated it and spewed it everywhere.
3. Peas: JAC tolerated it but refused to eat more than 3 bites.
4. Spaghetti Sauce: JAC utterly hated it, covered his eyes, turned his head and spit it everywhere.
5. Carrots: Currently the all time favorite. JAC even tries to suck the left overs off of his bib.

Next week I plan to try sweet potatoes, bananas and avocados. I kind of approach this like a science experiment. It is fun to see JAC's reactions. It will be interesting to see his preferences change as he get older. Hopefully he'll grow to like more than just carrots.

Sunday, June 7, 2009

The Everglades











We just returned from a quick trip to Miami to see my older brother get married. Second to the wedding my favorite part of the trip was our trek to the Everglades. Jess had surprised me by renting a Jeep Wrangler so we put the top down and headed south. Rainstorms quickly forced us to put the top back on but it did not damper our fun. The everglades proved to be wonderful, mysterious and frankly a little creepy. The area is a swamp and home to reptiles of unusual size. We walked on a trail and spotted alligators both in the swamp and near the trail. We also saw huge snapping turtles. The alligators alone were enough to creep me out a bit but while we drove we ran over a snake and then had a large snake lunge at our wheels as we passed by. We drove 48 miles through the everglades until we reached Flamingo at the southern trip of Florida. It almost felt as if you were in another world as vultures flew over in a landscape of water and jungle type plants. The highlight of our trip was seeing two sea manatees swimming in the Flamingo Bay. They are beautiful and gentle creatures and seemed to be unfazed by the alligator swimming near by.

The Everglades has recently faced a problem of the introduction of exotic species into the habitat as humans release unwanted pets into the water. This includes exotic fish and snakes but pythons have become especially troublesome. The python is not indigenous to North America but released pythons have thrived in the warm swampy Everglades with little to natural predators. The National Park Service was looking to rid the Everglades of pythons and received an interesting solution from Africa. The proposed solution is to create wooden boxes with slats and openings wide enough for a python to enter. In the box place a small pig. The python goes in the box, eats the pig and is too large to exit the box and is thus trapped. I can't help but find this kind of funny. In Africa this is a logical solution. In America this is an opportunity for pig lovers to protest.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

On the Run!
















I just got back from a very hot and muggy run. Summer in D.C tends to be pretty swampy and summer is definitely here. As I was walking out the door with JAC, Roxy bolted out the back and despite all of my coaxing refused to come back in. She really wanted to go on the run too and against my best judgement I relented. Roxy has been nursing a sprained leg so I decided it would be best to only do my short route. Unfortunately our usual return route was blocked by construction and our short run turned into a longer run. About 4 miles into the run Roxy had had enough. She lay down in the lawn of some grungy apartments and refused to go. I knew this was a bad sign. Most animals are content to try to please you and if they totally refuse to move they are truly tuckered out. I stood there perplexed for a few minutes trying to decide what to do. I did not want to wait in front of the run down apartments for an hour in the sweltering heat while Roxy tried to recover. I tried to come up with a good idea. Roxy couldn't ride in the stroller with JAC - not enough room. The stroller was purchased off of Craig's list and was missing the undercarriage storage compartment so Roxy couldn't ride below and I didn't want to carry a twelve pound dog up hill for a mile. Finally I got and idea. I grabbed Roxy and placed her on top of the canopy. I thought she would balk at the idea but instead she seemed really content perched on top. She kind of held her head high while she panted as if she were royalty being carried through town. So that is how we finished the last leg of our trip. I pushed JAC the whole way home while Roxy perched on top. I know we must of been a spectacle to see. Crazy Dog!

Are You Satisfied

A study was recently released that stated that 40 years after the launch of the feminist movement women are actually less satisfied and more unhappy with their lives. I recognize that in many ways women are asked to carry a much heavier load today than in the past - juggling work, family and other commitments. While we women have gained opportunities in the work place, we have perhaps lost a sense of community and peace overall. I personally feel two factors contribute to this. First, I believe women have very unrealistic expectations about life. I have grown increasingly frustrated with romantic comedies. Women tend to love them but they are full of completely unrealistic scenarios. (If I see another movie where the woman has an affair because she's really meant to be with the other man I'm going to gag!) Another study recently published showed that women who watch these movies are typically less satisfied and more likely to be depressed. I think this is because they quickly begin to believe their lives should be as romantic as the movies.

Secondly I believe that women are more likely to be an island alone rather than a person surrounded by a community of support and family. Women are juggling more demands but are more likely to be single parents, less likely to live near family, and less likely to belong to a community of faith.

I'll finish this post by asking, "Are you satisfied." Today I got to hold little JAC for half an hour. JAC has gotten so active that he won't let me hold him anymore. Instead he tries to flip over or wiggle out in an attempt to learn to crawl. I miss my cuddly baby and can't believe how fast he is growing up. It was a huge treat to be able to hold him and I am thankful for that today. I hope that today you are feeling satisfied with whatever small joy you have in your life and I appreciate you reading my daily rant.