I can guarantee that you're gonna have a ball...

Monday Oct 20, 2008

I can guarantee that you're gonna have a ball...

Learning how to do the watermelon crawl
Well we got a hundred gallons of sweet red wine
Made from the biggest watermelons on the vine
Help yourself to some but obey the law
If you drink don't drive do the watermelon crawl
Do the watermelon crawl
Have fun you all
Do the watermelon crawl!
-Tracy Byrd "Watermelon Crawl"

Remember back to the days when "Torquil" was a vegetable of the week? (For newcomers to my blog, I got an email each week I was pregnant that compared Jay to the size of some food - grape grows into lemon grows into cantaloupe ... you get the idea.) I was just sure he'd be watermelon at 40 weeks. Well, he was a watermelon all right. And a big 10 lb. one at that. But this watermelon has learned to crawl.

Yep, you read that right - Jay is crawling. He had been rolling for movement for about a month, and we thought that was an entertaining (if a bit odd) way of getting around. He started to scoot on his belly right before we left for the beach, and he got really good at it during that week. The funny thing is that it's not the traditional hands and knees crawl - we call it the Army Crawl. He never gets his belly off the ground and he pulls himself forward with his elbows. I call it the Army Crawl because that sounds cool and tough. Truth be told, he looks a bit like Lieutenant Dan in Forrest Gump, dragging his body behind him.

Now that our little guy is mobile, our world has really changed. In no way will I pretend to be a good housekeeper. I'm a slob, and my house shows it. I rarely vacuum, but I think this crawling business may finally get me going. Poor kid has a thick layer of cat hair all over his clothes, all the time. And those shoes I leave lying all over the house? Jay goes right for 'em, and they go right into his mouth. In fact, he'll crawl PAST a toy to gnaw on a nasty tennis shoe. That's just gross. And it's a whole new world for Jay's feline siblings, too. He's on a mission to grab that fuzzy tail. While he hasn't caught a cat yet, it's only a matter of time.

Check out the video from 2 weeks ago - this was what we called the "turtle on his back." It's like he knows if he wiggles his arms & legs enough, he'll move forward, but just can't QUITE figure out which way they need to go...


Turtle stuck on his back from Jen F on Vimeo.


And now, just 2 weeks later:


On the move from Jen F on Vimeo.

(Yes, I realize that he's crawling over to the trashcan so he can look at his reflection. Yes, I agree that's kinda gross. Just think of it as an inexpensive funhouse mirror where your face looks all distorted, and it's somehow more appealing.)
Oh, the things you never expected from parenthood...

Posted at 06:43AM Oct 20, 2008 by Jen Foster in General | Comments[5]

I believe in the sand beneath my toes...

Tuesday Oct 14, 2008

I believe in the sand beneath my toes...

The beach gives a feeling, an earthy feeling
I believe in the faith that grows
--Third Eye Blind (from Semi-charmed Life)

The song may be mostly about sex & drugs, but I do love that line - and I do believe in the sand beneath my toes!

Jay doesn't just believe in the sand beneath his toes. He also believes in the sand inside his mouth, between his fingers, in his hair, behind his ears, under his armpits, and in his diaper. He didn't particularly like the taste of sand, but he kept putting handfuls of it into his mouth, as if the next fistful would somehow taste better than the last.

We had a great time at the beach - lounging around, reading magazines, admiring the cuteness of Jay and his cousin Camden, and taking pictures. Lots and lots of pictures. He was completely spoiled by having all of his grandparents around, since he spent the entire week being passed from one set of loving arms to another. And perhaps, just as bad, we were completely spoiled during the week, too. It's been an adjustment to go back to the bottle-washing routine. While Dorothy may have said, "There's no place like home," for me there's no place like the beach.

Posted at 07:32PM Oct 14, 2008 by Jen Foster in General | Comments[2]

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound...

Wednesday Oct 01, 2008

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound...

...That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now am found
Was blind but now I see

When we've been here ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we'd first begun

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**Update 10/1/08**
Little Gracie got her angel wings this morning . While we are certainly sad for her family, we can find comfort in the fact that she will feel no more pain. She was a fighter and her story has been, and will continue to be, an inspiration to many. Please remember the Lockyer family in your prayers as they face the difficult days ahead.
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Many of you have heard me talk about a beautiful little girl named Gracie. We joke about all of Jay's girlfriends and future prom dates, but Gracie was his first love. Born on the same day, both Jay & Gracie spent their first day of life with their parents, oblivious to the serious heart problems that each had. Both arrived at Duke Hospital within a few hours of each other and shared a room in the PICU.

Jay and Gracie each had heart surgery, and both surgeries went well. Jay quickly moved to a step-down room, but Gracie continued to have lingering troubles that kept her in the PICU. She has been there ever since, battling infections, fluid build-up and continuing heart disease. That is nearly 7 months in intensive care. Can you imagine what that would be like as a parent? Seven months of watching your baby get sick, get better, get sicker again. To say it's been a roller coaster ride doesn't even begin to describe what they've been through. Her mom, Amanda, has invited everyone to learn about her story.

Gracie's ordeal is all the more touching to me personally because I can't help comparing her to Jay. When he learned to laugh, Gracie was still in the PICU with a breathing tube down her throat. When Jay rolled over for the first time, Gracie was still lying in the same position in the same tiny hospital bed. When Jay growled over his first taste of green beans, Gracie was still receiving food through a tube. She's never felt the sunshine on her face or seen anything beyond the hospital walls. My heart absolutely breaks for her, for her parents, her grandparents and for her big brother, Haddon.

Amanda's unwavering faith through the entire time has been amazing. Her journal is very personal, sharing her intense faith with readers. When I would have felt doubt, she has confidence in a miracle. And the miracles have happened! Gracie has nearly died so many times I can't even keep count. But her parents keep praying for a miracle. And if ever she needed a miracle, today is the day. She's having the second of her 3 open heart surgeries, and has been given a 10% chance of surviving the surgery.

Please take a minute to remember her, and then take a minute to hug someone that you love and be grateful for the sunshine on your face.

Posted at 03:43PM Oct 01, 2008 by Jen Foster in General | Comments[1]