Jax Turns One

My second baby turned one in April! As is our tradition, Jonathan and I used our amazing cake decorating skills that morning on a special birthday cake - a crown for our little princess.













Jacqueline is named after my wonderful grandmother who loves life and loves others and will always be one of my favorite people . We decided our baby's middle name, Grace, because we felt so blessed when she arrived just days before Jonathan's departure to Kuwait.


Already Jax has shown such kindness, love, and beauty that we can hardly wait to see what is ahead for this little girl. When she hears music she dances, when she sees a challenge she confronts it straight on, and when she needs attention she laughs. We love our precious baby so much.

Getting to Know All About You

We have really been enjoying ourselves now that Jonathan is back. Most everything we've done is fairly mundane, but it suddenly seems so great! We've been visiting family, visiting area parks, and I have even (I know, this is amazing) gone a few places all by myself.

Michael is certainly having a good time with his dad around. With Jonathan at home Michael has another adult besides mom to read him stories and play with him outside - and Jonathan doesn't tire of such activities very quickly, as he is making up for lost time. Michael loves it!

As for Jax, she was a daddy's girl from day one. In fact, in the first weeks of her life she would cry inconsolably at night until Jonathan held her. But with only four weeks of together-time in her entire first year I was worried that special connection they shared would be lost. But the two still enjoy each other so much, and when she hears the key unlocking our door at the end of his workday she runs to greet him.

One of my favorite things is a bit weird, since it occurs when Jonathan leaves. Each day when he heads out for work the kids run to give him a hug and chase him as he goes out the door. Then they wait at our gate, sticking their toes through the slats, until he tickles their feet on his last step. They love it. I love having a moment like that to start the day.

So, you've heard about some of the great things about having Jonathan home. Want some of the other stuff that happens when a man comes home after a year away to a young family?

- While Jax was sick she needed to be held by me for six weeks straight. If anyone else moved near her (including Jonathan) she'd scream. That made him feel welcome, you can be sure.

- Michael was sleep-deprived from Jacqueline's many late-night wakings, which exacerbated the fearful developmental stage he was going through. About a week before Jonathan got home Michael started following me from room to room, and if I walked out of the room he would completely break down. Once Jonathan got back, Michael got worse before he got better.

- I was going to write more but Jonathan doesn't want to put anything else down in the histories... Hah!

But, even with some bumps in the road, the kids have adjusted now and are so very happy to have him back home with us.

Jacqueline's Weight-Loss Program

Jax began acting a little sad and cranky a few days before Jonathan's return. She perked up a bit at his arrival but then the mystery illness came back full-force; continuing for six weeks, causing Jax to lose lots of weight, worrying us, confounding doctors, until at last she recovered - a much lighter child (she dropped from the 95th percentile in weight for girls her age to the 35th percentile), and she temporarily lost her language skills, but everything seems to be coming back to normal now. Her first healthy day was a happy one for all of us, and prompted Jonathan to exclaim, "Oh - she doesn't just cry all the time!"



We laid pretty low during those weeks. We did manage to squeeze in a "Welcome Home" party for Jonathan, though! (Of course, Jax was so sick and needing so much attention that I was a complete stressball by the time Jonathan got home from his day's appointments - he saved the party with his help with the many last-minute preparations. He now maintains that his next party must be a surprise party...)

Apart from all that, though, thanks to the illness Jax now has a new set of "first" words - and Jonathan was happy to be included this time. Her new set began slowly and by the end of May she had three words: mama, dada, and "mai" for Michael. By the end of June her vocabulary would increase to include "look!" (when she sees something that she wants to show others), "that!" (when she wants to know the name of something), along with some almost-unintelligible sounds that mean squirrel, trees, birds, shoes, and book.

Together Again

After what has been a very long year, Jonathan has arrived back at last! Despite a few days' delay because of airline trouble (something that plagues Jonathan everywhere he goes, and Kuwait appears to be no exception), we have now been reunited.

Michael, Jax, and I emptied the car to make room for a year's worth of luggage, and then navigated the airport with an umbrella stroller and jump-rope (to keep Michael close - he was instructed to hold on at all times). We arrived a bit early, but the kids were really good as we waited the last few minutes.

When Jonathan came around the corner we were all so excited! Jax was immediately interested in dad and couldn't wait to get out of her stroller to see him. Michael was a little more reserved, but Jonathan won his heart while waiting in the "lost baggage" claim area (did I tell you that Jonathan has airline trouble wherever he goes?). We are all so happy to be together again.

All About Eggs

We had our friends over for Easter dinner and dyed eggs with the kids. To reduce spills and stains, Michael had one side of the table all to himself and Tyler had the other - and we covered the table with foil and newspaper, hovered over them to aid their every move, and strapped them into booster chairs too! Despite all these precautions, both kids seemed to enjoy the activity, and Michael even escaped with a few dyed fingers...

I am tempted to say that Michael's favorite part of the Easter Egg Hunt was tipping the traffic cones and running to the furthest extremes of the park with Tyler, but he does seem to be enjoying himself in the picture. Maybe the egg hunt ranks a distant third...

Lost in Translation

After a few days' build-up about the importance of Easter, on Easter morning I wanted to read the kids our little board-book about the resurrection.

After finishing the book I turned to Michael and summed everything up by saying, "Jesus came alive again on Easter morning. That is why Easter is so special." Then I asked him the all-important question, "So Michael, why is Easter so special?"

"Because the Easter bunny comes!" Well, hmm, not exactly what I was going for...

Jax is a Princess

After we finished with all the morning activities, the kids put the chocolate away, washed up, and got dressed in their church clothes. When Michael saw Jacqueline's new dress he exclaimed, "Jax is a princess!" and asked excitedly, "Is Jax a princess, mama?"

Jax seems to have caught on to her new royal status, as she has now begun to point (in a very haughty manner indeed) at items that she wants brought to her. She doesn't even ask for water anymore, knowing that a well-aimed point of her finger will bring it immediately.