What A Difference A Year Makes

I could give a laundry list of excuses for why I haven't been keeping up on my entries here but really what's the point?  It's no shocker that I am busy.  Being a mom of two has been a big adjustment and some things have had to go, blogging being one of them, but it's time to get back in the routine because these days, months, years, are flying by way too quickly.

On the morning of August 19, 2011, after the quickest of labors, Jackson Reagan Martin was born.  He arrived on the scene a little blue causing a few minutes of panic but he was soon crying, a skill he sure mastered - Mr. Jack cried a lot during the first 4 months.  He had a classic case of colic and didn't particularly enjoy sleeping.  The irony is when he wasn't crying he was smiling, the biggest, sweetest smile you've ever seen.  We have nicknamed him "The Charmer" and I am sure it's a name that will stick.  With his gigantic blue eyes, and flirty grin, watch out ladies.  Jack certainly deserves his own journal so stay tuned for the Jackson Reagan blog.

Jack is now 7 months old, Sailor 20 months.  Our days are scheduled chaos, a steady march of eating, cleaning, sleeping, rinse and repeat.  In between the tasks are magical little moments like this....

Sailor narrates our days with her every expanding vocabulary....

"Milk please"
"Delicious"
"Jack sleeeeeping, shhh"
"Im a baby"
"Dora!"
"Socks, shoes, coat, hat, side (outside)"
"Mommy's purse, Daddy's tie, Sailor's blanket, Jack's pants"
"Mine!"
"Peek-A-Boo"
"I seeeeeee you!"
"I Sailor Martin"

For every word she knows, she understand 20 more. I can tell her to go into her bedroom, look under the crib, find the pink shoe, and put it on.  Every time she gets it right.  I am now 100% certain that she's much smarter than both Mike and I.  Uugh, oh.

Jack is my athlete.  He's not quite crawling but he doesn't let that stop him from getting anywhere.  With speed, and total determination, Jack will army crawl his way across a room.  It's a blast to watch and he knows it, after every mission he looks back and flashes his killer grin.  My favorite of his tricks is the plank, which he can hold for over a minute (see below) I am wrapped around his little finger.  Total love.

Despite exhaustion, zero freedom, and a chronic messy house, I have never been happier.  Now only if I could find an extra hour so I can keep up with this journal.

The Enthusiastic Foodie

I must spend at least 50% of my time consumed with what Sailor is eating... I am either preparing it,  watching her eat it, cleaning it up, or thinking up new things for her to try.  Taking the leap from traditional baby food to "real" food has been quite an adventure.  Armed with a good grocery list, a willing attitude, and a strong vacuum, Sailor and I are having fun navigating our way through eating-year-one.

I was keeping a list of all the foods she tried and liked but it was simply one long list!  She hasn't sampled anything she didn't like and the list got so long it would have been easier to keep track of what she hadn't tried.  With things like smoked salmon, skirt steak, quinoa, broccoli rabe, pulled pork, sushi, grilled cheese, so on and so on, Sailor has a nice repertoire going.  Here are a few of her current favorites...

The first bite... banana

If I could open my mouth any wider I would

Love my broccoli

Sushi (brown rice)... shocked, then loved

Avocado... a mess worth making

Not sure what this was but I'll take some more

Master of my sippy cup

Mommy puffs are for babies!

Corn on the cob... keeps my busy for a long time

Do I have a little hummus on my face?

Aint no thing but a chicken wing

Weeeeeee!

It's the first Spring-like day here in NYC so of course it's time to hit the park. Sailor's first time on the swing set did not disappoint, she loved it.

Rewind

My cousin Lauren had her first baby yesterday, a little boy named Finn. I was really emotional about it and I realized it's because it brought me right back to that magical night I met Sailor. So in my reminiscing I dug up some old photos of "doodle" as we then called her.

I use to stare at these and wonder what he or she would be like, look like, feel like to hold. I spent 9 months daydreaming and the truth is, Sailor is more than I could have ever imagined. We love you baby girl, then, now and forever.

Taken the day I went into labor

On The Move

Sailor is a waving, clapping, eating, crawling, laughing, singing machine! Sailor changes so much everyday, I think even she is amazed by her new skills. After cutting her first tooth about three weeks ago she took off on all fours and hasn't stopped moving since. She's crawling all over the place and loves exploring... under furniture mostly.

She's a Fish!

Of course the girl can swim, and with her daddy as her teacher she's on track to bring home the gold in 2028. Aside from looking too cute for words in her swimsuit, she took to the water like a natural. I know this is a moment Mike dreamt about as soon as we found out we were expecting, so to see it happen was just the happiest thing ever. My face still hurts from smiling.

Happy Half Birthday!

Last night we celebrated Sailor's 6 month birthday. Can someone please tell me where those 6 months went? Didn't we just bring our tiny 7 lb bundle home from the hospital? She has certainly become her own little person in this span of time. She has definite likes (her clothes, Hannah, sweet potatoes, bananas, anything soft or pretty, the list goes on and on) and she has her dislikes (getting bundled up in 10 layers, teething, staying up past her bedtime).

Last night we made reservations at one of our favorite spots and it began perfectly. She smiled, kicked and cooed as she sat proudly in her restaurant highchair. She was so irresistible she caught the attention of Mr. Philip Seymour Hoffman and his gaggle of kids. They all came over and gave lots of attention to the birthday girl. Sailor ate her dinner with joy and we ordered ours. Then it all went south. We ended up getting our food to go but with a sleeping baby, a cozy apartment and great takeout the evening ended up being perfectly perfect.

Thank you Sailor for the past 6 magical months. I can't wait to see who you become in the next 6. Love mommy.