Newest member of the family...

Meet Bob... No, we did not name our second born "Bob." Our second born is not here yet. But we have been looking forward to Bob the stroller joining our family for almost as long as we have been looking forward to Baby #2. Jack really likes Bob, and so do we. He is the Rolls Royce of the stroller world. As soon as our 3 feet of snow melt, I'll be hitting the pavement with Bob and the kids. So far it's passed the mall test with flying colors.And here Jack is enjoying his new Christmas toys. He loves pulling the drawer out of his train table and scattering all the parts all over the house. He also likes sitting in the drawer - but that's not allowed.

Christmas!

Snowsuit

What a blessing! I finally found some boots and a snowsuit for Jack. LLBean and London Fog for $15 each! So we ventured into the great outdoors. Jack didn't move an inch! But he enjoyed being pulled around in the sled... with a very pregnant mommy doing all the work, of course. I'm sure he'll figure out how to walk in this gettup sometime before winter is over (so what, like June?)

Brrrrr.....

That's all I could really think of to title this post. It's just so cold here! Right now it's 3 degrees. And this is a view out the window next to the computer desk... Yesterday I heard little squeeking noises - but I could not find Jack anywhere. Finally I found him squished between the couch and the window. Apparently it's a lot easier to get in than out. And speaking of the little squeeker - he's banging on his bedroom wall shouting "mamamama." He's been on naptime strike for the past 4 days - I really hope he'll be over it by the time Baby comes. And I'm starting to hope that Baby comes soon. Maybe today or tomorrow so I'll be feeling great by Christmas. But as I learned with Jack - they usually come when they want to come, not Mom. So I'm not expecting it for a couple weeks still.

White Christmas?

This is the view from our living room window. It's quite pretty and quite cold. Our windows aren't exactly the best. The view from them is sure nice, but they let a lot of cold in. They have a good inch or so of ice and frost along the bottom tracks. With highs in the single digits this next week, it's looking like the snow might just stick around for Christmas.

I found Jack playing in the baby's crib the other night. Apparently it's great fun in there. Maybe Jack likes it because it makes him feel bigger. Or maybe he just likes climbing and getting into trouble. So I snapped some pictures and then told him that the baby's crib is a no-no.

Copycat

Jack's really been a copycat these past couple of days. He loves to talk on the phone, which so far has been a spoon, ball, buckle, play keys and a cookie. Today I answered my phone while Jack was eating lunch, so Jack had to answer his "phone." Sometimes he even says "hi". While I was making dinner tonight I hear Jack shouting quite loudly at something in the living room. I go in there to find him yelling at somebody on his phone (which happened to be his play keys this time around.) I hope he doesn't think we shout at people on the phone.

Today Dan was sitting on the couch listening to music. Everytime he would point his remote at the stereo, Jack would do the same with his own battery-less remote. When Dan put the remote into his shirt pocket, Jack tried very hard to put his own remote into his pocket-less firetruck pjs.

He's also starting to say more. He mimics sounds I make all the time. Not necessarily words but sound effects. The other day he started to lift the lid off his diaper pale. I said "Jack, that's a no-no." He very vigorously shook his head while saying "dat no-no." He's really starting to grow up - and that's quite a comfort knowing that we could have a new baby around here in just a few weeks.

Christmas Time

This is the wreath I made with a bunch of holly I picked off of Grandpa and Grandma Bakken's holly tree in Seattle. It looks nice and festive next to our kitchen window which is lined with lights.

I've been busy getting ready for Baby #2. I found this cute mini-crib at Goodwill, painted it green, and made a flannel sheet for it. I still need to make more sheets, as I know full well how quickly newborns can get them dirty.

It can be so hard to get Jack to hold still for pictures. Oh, and check out the tree skirt I made.