kickboxing note

Baby is really kicking up a storm lately. When Jackson started doing this, Jon wrote this note to him:

Dear Baby,

I'm glad you like kick-boxing, it will help you grow strong and healthy but try not to do it at night so mom can sleep. She does carry you around all day! Jeesh.

Love,
Papa

block party

Last night you were on a tear for a little while. Not sure exactly what was going on here......

Penn!

How cute is little Penn?!

blankie

You've loved this blankie from the beginning, but now it has a name. You call it "Blue."

There's a photographer who based a whole series of work on children and their lovies. It's so sweet. See it here.

I think I'm beginning to show......

30 weeks.

With Jackson we took a picture of my growing belly every day. The idea was that Jon would eventually make a movie out of it.

Here we are at the Barnett Newman sculpture outside the Mark Rothko chapel in Houston.

ice cream days

Today was 90. Really hot at the playground. I think it's cruel that the ice cream truck sits next to the playground for hours. Right now Jackson thinks it's "the truck that plays songs for the children."

I also think it's cruel that I can't get any ice cream in front of him and eat it without inciting a major riot/tantrum, tears and some confusion.

update

It WAS the most exciting birthday for John!

Penn Edward Jurgensen was born Sunday morning at St. Luke's Hospital in New York City. He weighed in at 9 lbs, 5 oz. I think.

Ruth and Penn are both doing well and we got to see them this morning.

What a happy visit. Holding little Penn made me realize that soon, real soon, we are going to have a new one that little to hold too. I can't wait.

happy birthday, JJ!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
JOHN JURGENSEN!

This just might be the most exciting birthday of your life!

Hope at some point we can celebrate like last year!

mother's day hint

When Jon used to live on Houston Street in Manhattan, we would often go to Donut Plant for their huge, delicious, organic donuts. My favorite is the square jelly. I think they sell them at Dean & Deluca, which is conveniently located near Jon's office. I don't encourage sugar for Jackson, so maybe they have a nice blueberry muffin there too.

image from here.

Jackson says 'dog' by panting, like a dog

Jackson likes to flip through my magazines and look for pictures of dogs. So we were both pretty happy when we came across this image in Elle Decor.

best thing that ever happened to Jackson

Mimi found him a HUGE set of Thomas the Train stuff ~ and now all I hear is 'Doot doot, doot doot' (train) which means, 'I want to play with my train. Again. Now. '

Thank you Mimi!

Oh yeah, the best part - tag sale - $20!!! That's what Percy and Gordon cost alone!

craving, pregnancy

Hot dogs.

{Picture of John from upstate last summer.}

morning reads

I think it's pretty funny that you wake up at 6:30, turn your own light on, and read the books that Dada's planted in your crib. On a good day, you might read til 7:40 or so.

TEXAS!

This weekend we are going to Houston for Daniel and Aimee's wedding. So excited. Mimi and Nonno are coming to stay in Brooklyn with Jackson. It will be our first (and probably last, for a while) weekend alone without him. Knowing all the love and attention he will be getting all weekend, he probably won't even notice that we are gone.

I'm really looking forward to this wedding!

make room for baby

I think I'm nesting. All I can think about is reorganizing Jackson's shelves in order to accommodate new baby's clothes and things. I think the solution is to get more canvas bins from Land of Nod (unless someone knows who sells them cheaper) in a different color. But I don't love the color options: Blue, Brown, Blue, Green, Khaki, Lavender, Light Blue, Light Green, Orange, Pink or Red. I like orange but I think they might be TOO bright. What do you think?

saturday fun

Saturday we started out the day at the Brooklyn Flea Market, where Jackson roamed around, Jon waited in vain for the empanada stand to open, and I got some delicious pickled green beans. Then we went to the playground, then lunch at Root Hill with Ruth and John. Home for nap, back to the playground, home for dinner, trains, bath and bed. It was a good day. And it was about 75 out. Summer!

a sort of bird mobile

I have to share how impressed I am with John Jurgensen's version of a bird mobile he originally saw in ABC.

The top photo shows a mobile by Tamar Mogendorff. The second photo - - John's version, for much less than the price of the original, I might add.

And, completed just in time for Baby Boy Jurgensen's arrival, which should be any day now!

bunny bowl

This is a cute baby gift.

When Jackson gets older I hope we can make some stuff like this in Mimi's studio.

pretty

This Silk-ribbon chain-link necklace from J. Crew (No. 1 in the picture) has been in my thoughts since seeing it yesterday. If only I didn't have a toddler who will gleefully grab it the second I tried to wear it (all the while smiling up at me with the devil grin) AND a newborn on the way who might get scratched up from all the metal. Oh sigh. Oh yeah, that and it's not on sale.

new mom

Wondering what to do for a new mom? I love this list here. It's perfect.

1. Buy us toilet paper, milk and beautiful whole grain bread.

2. Buy us a new garbage can with a swing top lid and 6 pairs of black cotton underpants (women's size____).

3. Make us a big supper salad with feta cheese, black Kalamata olives, toasted almonds, organic green crispy things and a nice homemade dressing on the side. Drop it off and leave right away. Or, buy us frozen lasagna, garlic bread, a bag of salad, a big jug of juice, and maybe some cookies to have for dessert. Drop it off and leave right away.

4. Come over at about two in the afternoon, hold the baby while I have a hot shower, put me to bed with the baby and then fold all the piles of laundry that have been dumped on the couch, on beds or in the room corners. If there's no laundry to fold yet, do some.

5. Come over at l0 AM, and make me eggs, toast and a 1/2 grapefruit. Clean my fridge and throw out everything you are in doubt about. Don't ask me about anything; just use your best judgment.

6. Put a sign on my door saying "Dear Friends and Family, Mom and baby need extra rest right now. Please come back in 7 days but phone first. All donations of casserole dinners would be most welcome. Thank you for caring about this family."

7. Come over in your work clothes and vacuum and dust my house and then leave quietly. It's tiring for me to chat and have tea with visitors but it will renew my soul to get some rest knowing I will wake up to clean, organized space.

8. Take my older kids for a really fun-filled afternoon to a park, zoo or Science World and feed them healthy food.

9. Come over and give my husband a two-hour break so he can go to a coffee shop, pub, hockey rink or some other R&R that will delight him. Fold more laundry.

10. Make me a giant pot of vegetable soup and clean the kitchen completely afterwards. Take a big garbage bag and empty every trash basket in the house and reline with fresh bags.

{Card from Elevated Press. }

sunny day in the park

A few weekends ago ~ finally ~ a little bit of spring.

blog book

There's a website called Blurb that can turn your blog into a book. (Your blog. Automatically slurped into a real book). I've always wanted to do that with Molasses Candy, and was just thinking what a great Mother's Day (Sunday, May 10th) present that would make! (hint hint). And, since you have to download a program to do it, I thought of someone who was really good at that sort of thing, much better thane me (hint hint).

little tin bike

I love the vintage look of this little metal toy from Abigail and Steven, although we were all concerned about the poor man's backwards knees situation.

THANK YOU, Abigail & Steven!

lists, a few of my favorite things

1. When you put your hand up to my mouth and tap it, which I finally figured out means, please sing to me.

2. This morning when you gave Dada a hug goodbye, then Mama a hug, then back to Dada, then said "Mama" cause you wanted a group hug, totally your own idea.

3. When I sing Froggy Went a Courtin', and you sing the mmm-hhhmm part with me.

4. When you know you're doing something bad and you say "No no!" to yourself.

5. The way you call Mimi or Dada to come get you in the morning.

6. The way you say Ma-ma sometimes, with the accent on the second syllable, like a little French boy.

baby's first picture

Jon let Jackson push the button on the camera in the park the other day. There were about 49 pictures of Jon's wrist, but with a little help, Jackson took this picture of us.

sweet booties

Aren't these so sweet? Found them here.

easter naptime

happy easter!

We had a great Easter in Connecticut. More pics soon.

easter pictures

Great Aunt Jane sent some pictures of Great-Grammy and Great-Grammy and family, Easter, around 1956. I like the little bunny toy Robert or David is holding in the second picture.

Jane, Mary Lou, David and Robert (or maybe the other way around), I think it was in 1956, ready to go to church. Sorry, no Bill, Bill was In The Army? Also Dad and the twins and Mom and the twins on Mother's day same year.

Too bad we don't have a little coat and hat like that for you, Jackson!

morning

Jackson usually gets to spend time with Jon in the morning. On this morning, I got up and Jon was sleeping. After a little while, I let Jackson go in to wake him up. It was a really sweet moment ~ no matter how tired Jon is, he always has a smile and a "OH! Good Morning Buddy!" for Jackson.

connecticut, where the woodpeckers live

Specimen of a "Lewis woodpecker"

[Asyndesmus lewis, collected Camp Chopunnish, Idaho, 1806]
Preserved skin and feathers
Courtesy of Harvard University Museum of Comparative Zoology, Boston (71)

The woodpecker displayed above may be the only specimen collected during the Lewis and Clark expedition to survive intact. Lewis first saw the bird on July 20, 1805, but did not get a specimen until the following spring at Camp Chopunnish on the Clearwater River in Idaho. Lewis's description of the bird's belly is still accurate when examining the specimen today: "a curious mixture of white and blood red which has much the appearance of having been artificially painted or stained of that colour."

We're in Connecticut til Easter, and hoping to see some birds and squirrels tomorrow.

{Woodpecker from here}

aw, cutie

Many months ago Jackson did a shoot with Kate. How precious are these photos?

cakies

I wish I could bake one of these cakes for Easter dessert. I will have to be happy just drooling over the picture.

{seen on Oh Joy}

who's a bag?

Could this bag double as a diaper bag? Probably not, since I can't see it hanging off a stroller. Plus, it it's any heavier than 3 oz., forget it.

boerum hill kitchen

Look at this amazing kitchen, right here in our neighborhood. OOoo, I love it.

Someday, Jackson, we'll have a kitchen like this.

{found on casaCARA}