This Warm December...

Well, things are still a bit rocky on the wellness front, because Jack has brought home another great and more complicated illness from daycare, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). Imagine giving a 7 month old child a dosage of medicine through a nebulizer. Now, imagine doing that to a 7 month old screaming bloody murder. Make sense?

We keep telling ourselves that we made the right decision by putting him in daycare, because he's going to have one heck of an immune system one day! We just didn't know he would be at the doctor's office every other week. Now that we've got that out of the way, let's talk about the most wonderful time of the year, Christmas! As you can see, Jack's excited, really excited!

December 6th, 2008: First stop, Santa! Heck yeah, let's start this month off right! Let's put Jack and the big guy toe-to-toe to discuss Christmas gifts. Jack had a long list of things made by Fisher-Price and Leap Frog to share with the man in red. Jack thinks that Santa's a big NC State fan. Why else would his suit be that color, right? Our neighbors invited us to their church for "Breakfast with Santa." A chance to meet Santa and eat some delicious pancakes. As you can tell, Jack thought that this dude was pretty cool and will be even cooler depending on how December 25th shakes out!

"OK Santa, here's the deal!"

December 8th, 2008: The Card! So, when Mommy shared with Daddy what she wanted to do for this year's Christmas Card he chuckled and shook in fear. No matter how experienced he was at taking a few pictures there was no way this would ever happen, ever! However, Santa & Papa Roger must have been keeping a close eye on this shoot, because it happened and it happened fast. Seriously, 10-15 minutes tops, including getting dressed, posing and that was it!

Daddy was amazed and in shock. Snoop thought he was relieved of card duty this year, but we sucked him back in one more time and he rocked it. As for Jack, mad props to the little guy for not making this a nightmare. Many of you have received the card by now, so we thought you would enjoy the out-takes!

So, here you go......and yes, this is the actual course of events!

"Jack, you sit here." -Mommy

"Ha, this is kind of fun. Can you see my belly?"

"Ha, ha, you can see my belly!"

"Get outta here! I can't eat these cookies?"

"Ha, ha, ha, that doggy has on pajamas too!"

"Snoop, do you think they'll notice if I grab a cookie?"

"Almost there.....Gotcha!"

"Yummy! Yummy! Yummy!
Does this mean no more smashed peas and carrots?"

"Cookie Monster, eat your heart out!"

And, the final product.....
Happy Holidays!

We'll update you on Christmas in a few weeks!

November Rain...

No, this will not be a review of the new Guns N' Roses album, Chinese Democracy. However, after 15 years of waiting for that album we're so greatly disappointed! This is another recap of an entire month, even though you probably just read about the first half of December. As always, we'll start at the beginning! The month started off pretty rocky after Jack's big costume victory back in October and hasn't really let up. We pretty sure that Jack will have a room named after him at the pediatricians office when 2008's over!

November 7th, 2008: Arghhhhh, I'm a pirate! We woke up to Jack pretending to be Captain Jack Sparrow, but Halloween was long gone. Come to find out he had conjunctivitis in his left eye. It didn't really seem to bother him in spirit, but it really cut down on him checking things out on the left hand side of his body. Easily treated, but highly contagious. Can you guess who was lucky enough to experience this same beauty? Yep, Daddy, but it was a few days later.

[Enter Sigh Here. He's going for sympathy.]

November 8th, 2008: The big race. Many of you probably received my email about our participation in a 5k Race for Lung Cancer. OK, ok, you can stop laughing, because we all finished and lived to tell about it. That's right, chalk up another first for Jack! What started out as a cold rainy morning turned into a sunny semi-warm race day. We had a great time for a great cause. As you can tell, Jack was bundled up for the cold, fought through the rain, and really liked his trip around NC State's Centennial Campus courtesy of Mommy.

Seriously? Really? You know it's raining, right?!?

November 15th, 2008: Play date with Thomas. Daddy and the boys had a guys weekend planned in Charlotte to checkout a Carolina Panther's game and who only knows what else. While the boys headed to Charlotte, Patsy watched Thomas and Jack for a few hours. By looking at the pictures I'd say they had a good time.

You gotta problem with us?

November 22nd, 2008: Go Pack! Jack was excited that his NC State WolfPack crushed those little Smurfs he saw on TV! Final Score: Pack 41 - Tarheels 10. Uncle Jeff & Daddy had a great time at the game!

November 27th, 2008: Thanksgiving. Another trip? Really? Jack really doesn't understand why Mommy & Daddy want to go, go, go, so much! Thank God he's like his father and likes to sleep in the car for hours on end, because it was time to head to Fayetteville for Thanksgiving with Brad's family. AKA, Jack being man-handled by his relatives. We decided to stay overnight to be able to take in Thanksgiving, play some games, drink adult beverages, and allow Daddy to indoor skydive on Friday. All-in-all the trip was a success. Jack was a big hit with the relatives who only get to see him every now and then, and he got to spend Thanksgiving with his Great Grandma Snipes.

Brad's Grandma Snipes & Jack

November 28th, 2008: Indoor Skydiving! Brad & his family went for their 2nd flying experience at the indoor skydiving facility in Fayetteville. Out of his entire family only 4 were brave enough to fly, again. Brad swears it's one of the best feelings and he can't wait to jump out of a real plane. He was also asking the instructors how old someone had to be to participate. Somewhere between 2-3 years old is what he came up with. So, guess where Daddy wants to have Jack's 3rd Birthday? Check out Daddy and Jack scoping out the wind tunnel!

Daddy, where are her strings?

This is a good summary, but we forgot to mention the rest of Jack & Daddy's trips to the doctors, including a cold (Jack), dry skin (Jack), and Bronchitis (Daddy)! The winter's only begun!

Baby Jack Congratulates Mr. Obama!

Baby Jack would like to be one of the first babies in America to welcome his new President, Mr. Obama! Jack's heard about Mr. Obama for over a year. It started in Mommy's belly, he cast his vote early and kept his fingers crossed last night while he slept! Jack doesn't quite understand how big this event is for our country, but we're sure he'll read about it in history class one day! Just goes to show anything's possible!

October - The Recap

Well, I'm sure many of you thought that we had given up on the whole blogging idea, right? Actually, we've been so busy this month the blog became the new Snoop and got neglected! We know that we haven't posted in almost a whole month, so our goal is to summarize October with a few short stories and some pictures. We hope you enjoy! First picture to the left shows that Jack voted early this year!

First stop, a quick trip to PA. No, it wasn't to see the Eagles play! And no, we didn't check out the Phillies either! We made a trip north to see Patsy's family and introduce Jack to his (Great, Great) Aunt Teddy & Uncle Charlie. This was a trip that Patsy and I felt was very important to Jack and Aunt Teddy. As you can tell.....they had a great time together!
Trip summary: Big Success. Jack slept most of the way there and back. 6.5 hours one way.
Mishaps: Jack has been sick since he started day care and this weekend was no different. Big blowout on the way home.


Next stop, The WolfPack & Carter-Finley: October 4th! That's right, Jack experienced his first NCSU Football Game with his best friends Thomas, Jessica, and the rest of the crew. Jack was decked out head-to-toe in his NCSU gear, and he even finally got meet his "fake" Uncle Trombley. The great thing was Jack's participation in crowd cheers and waves. He was a big hit!
Game Summary: First tailgate, First game, First Crowd Wave, First of many NCSU Losses
Mishaps: Startled by crowd cheers, Hot First Half in the Sun



Busy Schedule Intermission: October 12th:Jack took a slight breather in mid-October to sample a potential Halloween outfit. He decided to skip this costume to be Daddy's sidekick. Keep reading for final costume decision!


Packing up and heading West: October 18th: Another big trip for Jack was to Aunt Sherri's & Uncle John's mountain house in Boone, NC. Again, Jack slept almost the whole way there and back! We're big fans of this habit for Baby-J. Wasting no time we arrived in Boone, dropped-off the bags, prepped the Baby Backpack, and headed into town. First stop, lunch. Brad chose an ASU favorite from his first year of school, Macado's. After lunch, we bundled Jack up in Daddy's jacket and toured the campus and a few snowboard shops. Unfortunately, the trip got cut a little short, but the 2 days we were there were awesome and beautiful.
Trip Summary: Another success. Jack stayed warm. Sherri & John's house is amazing. Jack & Mommy loved downtown Boone.
Mishaps: Jack's pants were to thin during the tour, hence the jacket wrap.




Fair Layover: October 20th: Well, on the way back into town from Boone, Mommy caught Daddy at a really, really weak moment and convinced him to go to the NC State Fair. Brad's never been a big fan of the fair, but caved when he thought of everything else Jack had done at less than 6 months old. Why not the fair too? Always feeling limited by the strollers, we decided to put the Kelty Baby Backpack to use, big plus. This gave Jack the ability to look and see everything around him by being up so high which kept him from getting fussy. Mommy and Daddy attempted to eat one of everything in sight, while Jack was stuck eating formula! Giving him a few more years to taste test. Notable events: Jack, Mommy, & Daddy paid one dollar to see the world's largest horse, Sampson. Jack & Daddy paid one dollar to see the world's smallest Haitian woman. Yes, we know, how sad!
Trip Summary: Great time. Backpack a big success. Jack's almost bigger than the world's smallest woman.
Mishaps: Parking was a nightmare. Horse poo's bigger than Baby-J.




Shopping Intermission:Pumpkin shopping at the NC Farmer's Market in Raleigh.


Next stop,Jack's 6 month appointment. Happy 1/2 Birthday Baby-J! This was a big visit for everyone, literally! Jack tipped the scales at a whopping 18.4 lbs. The kid is on a mission to make your arms as tired as possible as fast as possible when you carry him. Mommy suffered through another round of shots with Baby-J. And finally, Daddy & Mommy got the thumbs up on what seemed to be the day that would never come. Jack's been sleeping in his crib down the hall in his room for well over 3 months, but we've been using monitors to track his every move and getting up once a night to feed him or when the Angel Care monitor went bonkers. As of October 28th, the little man is on his own. No getting up, no feeding, and no changing diapers. You couldn't wipe the smile of Brad's face! So far, J-Rex has been sleeping through the night with only one or two cries those first few nights, but he cried himself right back to sleep. Oh yeah, he's starting to eat baby food and his favorite is squashed bananas.
Trip Summary: Jack's definitely eating. Thumbs up on not getting up with Jack. Yummy bananas.
Mishaps: Not a big fan of shots, but only cries for about a minute.


The last stop, Halloween! Brad's employer, Global Knowledge, goes all out for Halloween and we mean 'all out'. The first half of the day on Friday was his whole company dressing up and having a costume contest and skits. Remember, Jack gave up being a dragon to help Daddy out. What was the costume you ask? Brad was Colonel Sanders and Jack was a Baby Chicken in a KFC bucket. An idea that Mommy and Daddy had which actually won Jack & Daddy Overall 1st Place Individual Costume in the whole company. Brad's CEO even said that it was strictly because of Baby-J. Jack was a big hit at Brad's work, but then it was off to daycare after lunch. Halloween night wasn't quite as exciting, because Jack had been up all day. Jack didn't even make it one trip around the neighborhood before getting fussy due to lack of sleep. And yes, Daddy wore his outfit out again too!
Final October Event Summary: 1st Place
Mishaps: Having to out do ourselves next year

Brad's Idea of Father & Son Time...

Well, there's not much more you can write about this. Except, Brad has figured out a way to spend time with Jack, which keeps him from crying, and allows Daddy to continue practicing his Rock Band skills. Only Brad could conjure up such an ingenious way to spend time with his son and stay on top of his game. Sad thing is......Jack likes it!



"Red Hot Chili Peppers Eat Your Heart Out!" - Baby Jack

Let's Go Canes!!!

Lucky Daddy won 2 5th row tickets to the Carolina Hurricanes vs. Washington Capitals game a few weeks back. So, no time better than the present to get Jack to his first hockey game. Yes, it's our goal to have him experience everything at least once before his first birthday!

Mommy & Daddy knew this could be a really fun night of watching Jack be amazed by the lights and sounds of the game OR a quick trip out and back to the RBC Center. Lucky for us, he chose option 1. Never mind the game, Jack thought the scoreboard was the greatest thing ever! Not to mention the Canes players and cheerleaders. Although he never got comfortable with the quick crowd cheers or the horn signifying a goal........overall he had a blast.

We were hoping this would prepare him for his upcoming NCSU Wolfpack football game!

Oh yeah, did we mention he was attacked by a T-Rex on the way home? Don't worry, Lil' J-Rex walked away victorious from the battle!

Will the real Jack please stand up?

Boy, how they change!"

Let's eat...

The big news this week is Jack's introduction to real food. Well, maybe not burgers, fries, pizza, BBQ, Pei Wei, OTB or Bojangles, but he had his first taste of rice cereal. He gave it the old college try, but he was ready for some real milk after about 15 minutes.

Like most babies this was a brand new concept and quite messy. This was the first of many tries introducing him to rice cereal, because the pediatrician says that we should start giving it to him about once a day, so he'll learn how to eat solids. As you can see he has more fun spitting it out and not really eating it.

Now weighing in...

4 Month Weigh In
15 lbs 9 oz.
And....more shots and band-aids!

Jack's First Labor Day...

We know, we've got some catching up to do! So, let's hop back a few weeks to those final days of summer. The Percy Family invited us down to Emerald Isle for the Labor Day weekend and as you can guess, we accepted! Another trip to the beach for Jack and us is never a bad thing. This gave us a chance to rest, relax, and hang out with Dave, Leslie, & Jessica.

In short, it was a great Labor Day weekend and we're sad to see summer go, but we know that Jack will be old enough to really enjoy the beach next year!



Labor Day 2008

My Mommy's So Funny!

This past weekend someone turned on Jack's giggle switch!

Daddy Boot Camp

Daddy & Jack were invited back to Daddy Boot Camp class on Saturday as a Veteran Dad & new baby. After 3.5 months it was time for Brad to show off his parenting skills...how scary! Honestly, would you take parenting advice from Brad?

To prove what a responsible adult he is these days, Brad decided what better time for Jack to rock a mo-hawk and sport the Pearl Jam onesie that Uncle Brantley gave him! The soon-to-be daddies were pretty impressed on how well behaved and stylish Jack was for the class. Now Jack's just praying that Eddie Vedder & the Boys make it to town for him to catch a show!

Rock on!

Jack Meets Jack!!!

Well, he didn't actually meet Jack Johnson, but he was there to say, "Aloha!" That's right, Jack went to his first concert last week and who else other than Jack Johnson. Everyone's first response has been, "Really? He went to the show?" Yes, really!

To be honest, it couldn't have been more perfect. A sold out show, the weather was perfect, the concert was amazing, and our Jack did really well. No crying, a lot of dancing, and one good nap. Jack spent about 90 minutes in the Baby Bjorn and the remainder of the time in Mommy's arms. He even wore his baby headphones with no complaints!


Next stop....to be decided.

He's all grown up!

He's All Growns Up Now! -Vince Vaughn in Swingers

Time to catch up....

So, you're probably wondering why we don't update this blog everyday, right? Well, as you fellow bloggers know it's not that easy to come up with creative stories on a daily basis. Seriously, if you've heard one poopy diaper story you've heard them all. With that said, here's a Jack update.

First, Jack went one full week of sleeping through the night(roughly 8:30pm-6:30am) this past week! Only one word can describe this occasion, "Hallelujah!" Don't get us wrong...it's great to hang out with Jack at 3:30am in the morning for 30-45 minutes, but we prefer seeing his smiling face at 6:30am more. We're not sure if this is just a phase or something we should look forward to, but we're keeping our fingers crossed.

Second, the smiles, giggles, and coos have arrived. Mommy gets them more than Daddy, but it's a regular occurrence by the little guy!

Third, Jack's really picked up the pace on his eating. Somehow his little tummy has gone from holding 4 oz. every so often to 5+ oz. within just a few days. If you're somewhat good at math you should be able to add this up. More food + small body = big poopy diapers.

Fourth, Jack made his first trip to the pool. What does this trip entail? Little swimmer diapers, one big floppy hat, one baby surf shirt, swim trunks, a rubber swim diaper, and just a dab of sunblock on the exposed extremities. Jack wasn't quite sure if he liked it, but he wasn't strongly opposed to the idea either. Like everything with a new baby, it's a growing process.

Finally, Jack helped ring in Daddy's 30th birthday by wearing his Pearl Jam onesie that Uncle Brantley gave him and sporting a mohawk (Daddy's idea). Although he can't partake in the adult beverages, he put back a few milks. He also had a dance party with his neighbor, Elliot! They make quite the infant couple.

Up Next......day care in August! Stay tuned!

Surf's Up Dude!

Jack not only survived his first long trip east, but he also made his first trip to the Outer Banks! We decided to head to the coast for the 4th of July and try our luck at our first family vacation. So, packed the 4Runner full (literally) and set out on our journey.

The trip started out great as Jack slept all the way to the Kitty Hawk from Raleigh and the trip ended just as good, because he slept all the way back. We thanked the good Lord above for that blessing! Although washing bottles at the hotel and keeping Jack quiet was a small challenge at times....the rest of our trip was an overall success. Jack had many more firsts, including his first nap on the beach (just like his Daddy), stuck his tiny toes into the chilly water, slept in his first hotel bed (Yuck), and avoided the coastal wildfires! Daddy continually kept him in style by making sure Jack had a baby mohawk the entire trip (See pictures).

We're not sure what our next journey will be just yet, but I'm sure Boone's not far away!

Outer Banks Trip 2008


Jack's First Dip in the Ocean

Photos of Jack

For your viewing pleasure!

The Injury Report!

Ouch! Well, Jack was lucky enough to have his 2 month shots on July 1! Luckily for him he will not have to be put on the Injured Reserved list this year. He actually did really well while Daddy held his tiny hands. Where was Mommy? Well, she opted for a trip into the hall because she's not real chipper on seeing Jack in pain!

Check out his cool Garfield gear!

The prize for getting your shots!

The Other Half...

Finally, Jack was able to meet the other half of the family this past weekend, including Patsy's mom, brother, sister, and nephew. It was a busy weekend for the little guy who had to be on his best behavior for his other Granny. We had a great time over the weekend, and we hope to get up to PA sometime in the fall to see the rest of Patsy's family!


"So, you're my other Granny?"


"Uncle Rob, when do I get to play RockBand on PS3?"


"Sorry Aunt Pam....no NASCAR for me!"

Introducing Jack, Again!

The great thing about the past week or two was the many introductions that finally happened. Jack finally got to meet his Great Grandmother Charmalee, his Aunt Patti, his Cousin Jessica, Aunt Becky and Cousin Ben, Jessica Lee and the entire Allen Family. So, many of you have no clue who these people are as they mostly fall on Brad's side of the family. Brad's sister, Patti, and her daughter, Jessica, made their way in from Arizona to visit, and Brad's Aunt Becky and her son, Ben, traveled in from Charlotte. In summary, Jack was a big hit with the family!


"Really Aunt Patti?"


"I'm glad your here..."


"My uncle, your daddy...he's crazy!"

Jack also met Uncle Jeff, Aunt Emily, their daughter, Isabel, and the rest of the Allen Family. Well, Jeff and Emily aren't really Jack's Aunt & Uncle, but Jeff's been a friend of Brad's since early high school. After seeing the wild side of Jack and our blog postings they have decided their daughter, Isabel, who's 4 months old isn't allowed to be in the same room with Jack alone until she's 15. Wonder why?

Finally, Jack hit more milestones this week! Yes, another trip to Best Buy increasing the total to 4. During this trip Jack and his father used their gift card to purchase the new Motley Crue and G. Love CDs. Motley Crue? Yes, Motley Crue! Big day for Jack and his daddy. Jack also tested out his high chair this week with his mommy. OK, OK, we know that he won't be using it for a few months, but Brad's had it put together since before Jack was born and Patsy was dying to test it out.


"Daddy, how did Rolling Stone rate these albums?"


"I'll have a shot of milk, shaken, not stirred!"

Rockband clip is coming.....you'll see...stay tuned!