A Picture Share!
posted by Mark H @ 6:08 PM
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Hull Bros.
This is the Hull Family blog! Our family is expanding, and as such, so has our blog! Time to share!
Saturday, July 31
Friday, July 30
Fortune
This has been a really hard week at work, but whenever I wake up in the morning, or walk in the door at night, it all seems to melt away. I really enjoy coming home to the family, and settling into our routine (even if it means juggling cooking with the few minutes Jack sleeps around the witching hour).
Jack's been smiling a lot more, and even laughing, especially in the morning when he first sees Jenn or me. I can never get enough of that feeling, when he looks at you. Of course, he pushes his luck every once in a while with peeing on you (twice in a week!), but I guess that's OK.
We had some really sad news from some good friends of ours this week. This family faced perhaps one of the most difficult experiences a family and parents could go through. In talking with the father, he relayed to me the fact that this experience really made him treasure the family and all the time he could spend with his child all the more.
Our family has been blessed in so many ways, sometimes we wonder when the other shoe is going to drop. But there is no greater fortune than the family that we're growing together, and the memories we build, the time we spend, and the smiles we share.
posted by Mark H @ 11:19 PM
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Thursday, July 29
Wednesday, July 28
Tuesday, July 27
Monday, July 26
Sunday, July 25
Smiley
Jack is starting to recognize his Mommy's and Daddy's faces. There's nothing better than calling your son's name, and having him look up at you and smile.
We've also found that Jack is a fan of the great outdoors. It seems that walking outside always seems to cure any ails (or wails) that may come from Jack.
Jackeroo and Daddy broke in the baby jogger stroller (I'm not quite sure how we ended up with three strollers, but there you have it). Mommy went to the theater this afternoon, so I decided to take Jack on a little jog. Of course, Jack was ready to go at about 2 in the afternoon when it was about 95 degrees out.
Let me tell you, despite the jogger's smooth rack and pinion suspension system, cold fusion based shock absorbers, bulletproof tires and hyperlight aluminum frame, the dang thing didn't power itself and out-of-shape Dad about died at the end of mile one. Jack didn't seem to mind that we walked the last few blocks home.
Jack's sleep patterns are a bit erratic still, but are improving. He did 5 1/2 hours last night, and seems to get better every night. But I'm still exhausted from the lack of sleep on Friday night when I took the night shift. Not sure how Mommy does it.
Jack enjoyed seeing his Auntie Carrie and his cousins Jessica and Ashley today. Grandma Lynn and Grandpa Mike come into town next week, as does Great Grandma Gerri. Should be a busy household!
posted by Mark H @ 9:03 PM
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Saturday, July 24
Friday, July 23
Thursday, July 22
Wednesday, July 21
Tuesday, July 20
Monday, July 19
Jack's Capitalist Father
Most important things first: The sleep update.
Jack teased us with us 7 1/2 hour session last week. Sunday night, he was up at 2 and then awake off and on the rest of the night. Nice guy. I'm hoping tonight's a better night. Mommy needs her rest!
On to the fun stuff. If you've spent time on websites of musical bands, you've probably seen areas where you can buy t-shirts and hats of the band. Someone told me about a site that will let you make your own items. Well, I thought I should check it out. Not on a profit-seeking venture, mind you, but just to help get the word out about how cute Jack is.
I'm happy to introduce: Jack's Store!
Yes, now you can buy BBQ aprons, truck driver hats, bibs and lunchboxes with your favorite little Jackeroo on it. All of the things are sold at wholesale, so we're not making anything on it. I think it's pretty funny, although I'm sure when he's a teenager, he won't be laughing. We don't expect to sell anything (not counting what I buy for myself), but if you really want your Jack goods, you can grab them for a bargain!
We'll see how long the store is open before the big boss (Mommy) makes me shut it down. :)
posted by Mark H @ 11:04 PM
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Sunday, July 18
The weekend
Jack pulled a 7 1/2 hour sleep session on Friday night. I woke up at 4am in a panic that I had slept through him screaming for food in the middle of the night, but turned out he had slept through that too! Seven and a half hours is a long time. You could drive down to LA and part way back in that much time. You could play seven poker tournaments (and win) or 15 tournaments (and lose) in tha tmuch time. You could also sleep a lot in that time, too.
Since it's been the weekend, I've taken the late-night feeding shift to help give Jenn a break. I like doing this since I get to see Jack wake up, and give me his old man face (i'm trying really hard to get that picture, but my timing's been off).
This weekend is Carter's and Ava's first birthday! We went to their birthday party Sunday. Talk about setting a high bar! With a caterer, two musicians, a balloon guy and more sets of twins than you can shake a stick at, Jack was overwhelmed! He had a great time at the party, and next time promises he'll be on the dance floor.
He got to meet his future girlfriend Adrienne (that is if Mr Park lets Jack take her out on a date), in addition to hanging out with all of his buddies.
It's pretty exciting to see so many little kids in the neighborhood. Jack's going to have a lot of fun playing with them as he grows up...
posted by Mark H @ 3:08 PM
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Saturday, July 17
Friday, July 16
Thursday, July 15
Wednesday, July 14
Tuesday, July 13
Monday, July 12
Sunday, July 11
About Jack's Tunes
As Jack's birth announcements make their way through the mail, we thought it was a good time to talk about Jack's tunes, and why we chose these songs. You can download each of the songs on the lower left of this page.
1. Over the Rainbow - IZ (Listen | Learn more)
We love to vacation in Maui, and inevitably, this song is played on the radio, in hotel lobbies, at the airport, everywhere! We thought that it was a nice message for Jack, and that it represented a special part of how we loved to spend time together, and how we look forward to spending time together as a family.
2. Mine to Keep - Debbie Shaefer (Listen | Learn more)
When Jenn was pregnant she envisioned Mark holding Jack sleeping. The lyrics are very tender and seem like a perfect fit to describe the relationship between Mom and Jack.
3. Baby, I Love You - Natalie Merchant (Listen | Learn more)
This is just a fun song, and there's a line in a song about the boy leaving. "Someday you may wanna run away...I'm gonna stop you from saying 'goodbye'." In a way, it made Jenn think about that day in the future when Jack will leave home, and in a funny way, how Jenn will be the overprotective Mom who'll always want to watch over him.
4. You've Got a Friend in Me - Lyle Lovett and Randy Newman (Listen | Learn more)
This song is from Eddie and Truman to Jack. The doggies will always be some of Jack's closest buddies, and the boys wanted to share their big furry welcome to Jack.
5. Teddy Bear - Elvis Presley (Listen | Learn more)
You have to have a little bit of Elvis in your life (not too much, mind you). Mark likes this song because he sees himself and Jackeroo dancing around the room to this song. We also wanted to start Jack early in the art of sweet-talking, just like Pops. :)
6. Crying Won't Help You - BB King (Listen | Learn more)
Jenn chose this one because you need some levity in your life when you've been crying for a long time. It's a good bathtime song. No matter how much you cry, Jack, you're gonna get cleaned up in the bathtub!
7. American Boy - Chris Isaak (Listen | Learn more)
Jack is the original American Boy (and Mom loves Chris Isaak).
8. Pop's at the Bop - Indigo Swing (Listen | Learn more)
Just like our wedding CD, the swing music tradition continues with this fun little boppy number. Jack is working on his Charleston step right now.
9. House at the Top of the Tree - They Might Be Giants (Listen | Learn more)
Mark chose this one simply because it's such a cute kid's song. As Jack gets older, Mark plans on telling bedtime stories like these to Jack, about fantastic things like dogs driving cars, mice eating houses, and living in trees with bags of potato chips.
10. Wonder - Natalie Merchant (Listen | Learn more)
We like this song for what it says about the amazing miracle of life and how beautiful and wonderful children are. Who knows what Jack will grow up and become, but we're sure we'll be in awe.
11. Best is Yet to Come - Frank Sinatra (Listen | Learn more)
Need we say more?
12. Extraordinary Thing - k.d. Lang (Listen | Learn more)
Jack coming into our world has changed things in such an amazing and wonderful way. He's such an incredible gift to both of us, and we cherish him very much.
13. The Prayer - Charlotte Church and Josh Groban (Listen | Learn more)
A song full of promise and the future, just like Jack. This song has a really nice message. Parenting can be hard, and we hope that we can continue to be blessed as our family grows
14. Return to Pooh Corner - Kenny Loggins (Listen | Learn more)
Jenn loves Winnie the Pooh, and this is one of the greatest little kids songs out there. Jenn can't wait to share the things she loves as a child with Jack.
15. Lullaby Baby Blues - Keb Mo' (Listen | Learn more)
A sweet little lullaby, which we hope will come in handy when Jack needs to go to bed!
16. When You Dream - Barenaked Ladies (Listen | Learn more)
Mark wrote about this song previously here:
"It's a song from the writer to his newborn son, and when I hold Jack while his mom is sleeping, and it feels just like the two of us, I like to wonder what he's dreaming about as he makes little noises, and flexes his legs. But even moreso, I love pondering what fantastical things he will dream about in the days to come."
A last note, but an important one! The design for the birth announcements came from Jack's Auntie Lindsay. If you need a designer for anything, drop her a line.
posted by Jenn @ 9:52 AM
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Saturday, July 10
Friday, July 9
Thursday, July 8
Dad's a dork
My pal Ellen pointed out that I must be using a calendar from 1986, because today is July 8, and Jack is not a month old until July 10 -- Saturday.
I guess that's just a sign that I'm soo excited for Jack to be a month old that I'm willing to move the clock forward (kind of like how Superman flew really fast around the earth to slow it down and change time -- or not kinda like that at all).
Surprisingly, Mommy didn't pick this up either. Or she just humored me. Oh well.
So we get to celebrate the one-month birthday again in two days! Huzzah!
posted by Mark H @ 10:48 PM
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Big
Jack is big.
I don't know when or how it happened, but when I came home last night, I noticed he was big.
I went back and looked at his earlier pictures taken just a few weeks ago, and it confirmed my suspicions of his big-ness.
Maybe the little onesie he was wearing was too small for him, but he just seemed like a big boy.
That's great. I'm glad he's gaining weight, but sheesh, if this is a sign of how quickly he's going to grow up, I'm not cool with that! Slow down, kid! He already asked me to borrow the car for Friday night. Is this how fast it's supposed to go?
Jackeroo is also one-month old today! Hard to believe that just a few weeks ago, he was still cookin'.
Jenn's been working on some new happy-baby-strategy techniques that she watched in a DVD. It seems to be working. Last night, he slept for 5 1/2 hours (i think). The happy-baby strategy requires tight swaddling and fast swing action. He seems to be good with that, but I worry a little bit about his arm freedom. Supposedly, babies wake up a lot at the beginning because they hit themselves in the face. By tight swaddling, they can't do that. They also can't move their arms, and they look like little worms, but they don't wake up.
(btw, my new nickname for Jack is Sherm, since he wriggles like a little worm, and since "Worm" isn't a great nickname for a baby, i had to find a name that rhymed with it. I'm also calling him Jackeroo. Makes him feel a little Australian).
Grandpa Warren and Grandma Merna are coming up this weekend, and Jack is really excited to see them! Also, Auntie Lizzy is walking her big walk this weekend, so we'll be cheering her on too).
Big Jack and all!
posted by Mark H @ 8:48 AM
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