LIFE WITH JACK | WEEK 68

Week 68 was a full one marked by fun glimpses of Jack maturing. When I think back on week 68 I’ll think about watching Daniel Tiger, building with blocks, climbing all over everything, and the beginning of our love/hate relationship with food.

On Sunday Jack watched a lot of the Browns v. Chiefs game with me. It was fun because at times he would actually sit and watch the game with me. Sure, most of the time he was jumping up and down on the couch or roaming around the house, but I’ll remember the time he spent sitting next to me as we watched the Browns put up a good fight. That game has me looking forward to the dad/son moments that we’ll hopefully share with one another as time goes on.

With quarantine over, Jack went back to daycare on Monday. I could tell he was ready to go after being stuck at home with me for 10+ days and I was ready to get back to work in the office. It was clear how much he enjoyed being back at Mrs. Angie’s when I dropped him off, and it was amazing how much more efficient I was without a toddler to look after. You are a saint if you’re working from home and taking care of a toddler. Monday evening we did something that is slowly becoming a pre-dinner ritual in our house. On Monday evening Jack and I watched Daniel Tiger while Allison made dinner. We’re only a few episodes in and the songs are already stuck in our heads.

On Wednesday Jack witnessed the inauguration of the first new president/vice president in his lifetime. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were sworn into office and Jack was there for it most of the day through a constant stream of news coverage. Our lives don’t rise and fall with politics, but I do want Jack to grow up in a home that at least engages in the political conversation. The rest of the week was spent running through our normal routines and on Friday we picked up my dad and went to visit my mom’s mom. Jack always enjoys going to Mamaw Tapp’s house because she gives him anything he wants.

Blocks, blocks, and more blocks. This week Jack ignored most of his toys except for his blocks. He enjoyed them so much that we bought a block table for him to play with. (Pictured above.) This is the first toy that has really captured his attention for more than a few seconds. I like that the blocks keep Jack’s attention and I also really enjoy building things with him. We’re also continuing to grow in our climbing confidence, though thankfully Jack is still only climbing couches and chairs. There are a lot of great memories from this week, but there is one negative one that stands out – one that you, dear reader, have probably seen coming.

This week, it finally happened. We weren’t sure if it would and we were starting to think the moment would never come, but it finally did this week. We fought about food…a lot. It finally hit us, friends. After spending a year or so of eating the exact same things as us, Jack is now starting to become more picky about what he eats. This week he voiced his disapproval about green beans. He may not eat everything as readily as he used to, but that hasn’t changed how much he wants to eat. This kid eats a TON. Between meals and snacks it feels like he’s eating constantly.

That’s the week that was week 68 of 936. Thanks for stopping by!

When we count our time, we make our time count. That’s the mantra that keeps me going when the days feel long. Life With Jack is a series designed to help us count our time in a way that motivates us to make our time count. Each week we stop and take a look back at the week that was and we’re doing this every week from the time Jack was born to the time he turns 18 – a period of 936 weeks. You can read more about this series by clicking here.

LIFE WITH JACK | WEEK 67

In week 67 Jack struggled a little more with teething and all the comes with it. We battled a diaper rash and learned some new skills. It was a busy week for all of us and we’ve finished it more tired than usual. Jack and I were quarantined, again. This being quarantine number three we have a system that works well. It was more challenging because he’s now down to one nap a day, and is less content being stuck at home, but we made the best of it.

He perfected one thing worthy of mention during this edition of our quarantine. He learned a new skill that will keep us on our toes for a while. In the weeks leading up to week 67 Jack had developed a love for jumping on the couch but has always required helped getting up on the couch. That is, until now. Early in the week Jack decided he no longer needed help and figured out how to get himself up on the couch. I came into the living room at one point on Tuesday to find him laughing and jumping up and down on the couch unassisted and looking very proud of himself. Honestly, he’s fallen off the couches twice now, but it doesn’t deter him for more than a few minutes. I believe we have a very strong willed child on our hands.

Jack learned to climb on the furniture this week and I had a major break through of my own. ack was having a bad day on Thursday. He was restless after being stuck at home and he wanted my full attention. Normally I go about my work and he eventually moves on to something else, but there was something different about Thursday. On Thursday something told me that the most important thing to do was focus on him and leave the work stuff for another time. So that’s what I did. I got a little bit of work done that day, but the world didn’t end because I wasn’t as productive as normal. Not only that that, I also appreciated the time I spent focusing on Jack. This might seem like a no-brainer to you, but it was a revolutionary insight for me. I write these posts and I like to think that I’m making the most of the time we have with Jack. Thursday was one of those moments where I had to choose to practice what I preach.

I spent most of Friday morning childproofing the remaining cabinets in our house that we don’t want Jack getting into. It was more fun than I anticipated because Jack sat and watched me as I worked my way around the house. The drill scared him at first, but by the end of the morning he was trying to help me install them. As you can imagine, he wasn’t happy later in the day when he went back to the cabinets he wanted things out of that he could no longer get. My dad (papaw) came to visit for a few hours and we crashed after he left. We didn’t nap, but we all limped our way through to bed time. The convergence of life stuff found us riding into Friday evening on fumes which meant we didn’t observe our new sabbath tradition, but that didn’t stop us from enjoying a low key day together on Saturday. We’re very ready for warmer temperatures so we can spend more time outside.

One thing I’ve noticed as I continue working through the Life With Jack series is that we’re taking less pictures these days. In year one we would at least take a few pictures a week, but other than the pictures we took over the Christmas holiday we haven’t taken many. Maybe that’s because we spend most of our time chasing or toddler around the house.

Thanks for stopping by for week 67 of 936! We can’t wait to share next week with you.

Life With Jack is a series all about counting the weeks we have with our son, Jack, front the time he was born to the time he turns 18 – a period of roughly 936 weeks. We’re motivated by the belief that counting our time will help us make our time count, so each week I pause to reflect on the past week. You can read more about this series by clicking here.

LIFE WITH JACK | WEEK 66

Week 66 found our family returning to life as normal after an awesome 10 days together with very few distractions. We had mixed feelings about returning to the routine on Sunday night, but we went back with full hearts and rested minds.

It was actually difficult for me to leave Jack at daycare on Monday after spending so much time together. I’m convinced Angie is one of the best childcare providers in our area and I love the time Jack gets with other kids, but it stung a little bit to say goodbye to him on Monday. Though, I didn’t have to wait long to spend quality time with him because I was exposed to COVID on Wednesday and placed back in quarantine…for the third time. So, Jack got to stay home with me on Thursday and will get to stay home with me during week 67.

On Wednesday we, along with many Americans, spent the evening watching the news coming out of the nation’s capitol. That night before Jack went to bed he and I talked about the importance of living lives characterized by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and self-control. I talked at him and he went back to playing with his toys, but I feel an imperative to raise a son who sees the world from a better angle than the prevailing rhetoric of our country right now.

Jack and I couldn’t do any of our usual things on Friday, but we did start a new tradition as a family! On Friday we decided to intentionally celebrate the sabbath. So, at dinner on Friday we lit a candle, read a psalm, and prayed a prayer as a way of welcoming the sabbath. Jack wasn’t real sure what we were doing, but I hope we instill some solid faith traditions in him as he gets older. I’m convinced that we can combat some of the chaos in our country right now by leaning more heavily on the things that are constant like faith built on loving God and loving others.

We spent Saturday relaxing in an attempt to get back some of the vacation vibes we enjoyed so much over the Christmas holiday. It didn’t feel the same, but we did fight the urge to pay attention to all the noise in the world around us and instead pay attention to one another. It was VERY refreshing and had a way of refocusing on the things that are most important.

Thanks for stopping by for week 66 of 936! Come back next week to hear about how we faired over the second week of our quarantine.

When we were preparing for Jack’s arrival there was a phrase that stood out above many others: When you count your time, you make your time count. That’s what Life with Jack is all about – counting the time we have with our son, Jack, from the time he was born to the time he turns 18. You can read more about this series here.

LIFE WITH JACK | WEEK 65

Week 65 was awesome! I can’t imagine a better way to end a difficult year and launch into a new one.

The week started with a practice we’ve been able to enjoy for a few weeks now. I’m looking forward to getting back to gathering with others for worship on Sunday mornings, but I will miss worshiping with Allison and Jack at home when this phase is over. It has been really nice to share breakfast together and participate in the service while Jack does his thing. It’s fun and formational for him because he gets to see us participating in worship and it’s also flexible because he gets to engage when he wants to and play during the times he doesn’t. Mostly he enjoys the music and then does his own thing, but sometimes he will stop and listen to what the preacher is saying. I can’t wait until we can get him back into the church building so that he can start to form friendships with other kids and relationships with awesome leaders, but this phase has been awesome.

Christmas festivities continued on Sunday with dinner with friends. Allison works closely with the wife and all three of them have received the first round of the COVID-19 vaccine (I was the odd man out 😞), so we decided to go for it. We had a great evening together and Jack got a new linkimal. If you have a kid and you haven’t seen these things you should check them out! They’re way cooler than any toy I had when I was a kid. They each do different things and they pair together seamlessly to sing together and participate in one another’s activities. They’re pretty great. Jack now has the Smooth Moves Sloth and the counting Koala thanks to our friends. (Isn’t it funny how much our worldview shifts when we have kids? I never thought I would care about kids toys. 😂)

Jack has a new facial expression that we think is playful, but still aren’t quite sure. He showed it off a lot during dinner on Sunday and has started using it more consistently this week. He’s developed a scowl that he’ll use when he’s looking at people sometimes. He still warms up to people quickly, but this is his resting face when he’s trying to figure someone out. Most of the time he follows it up with a smile, so it will be interesting to see if this is playful or serious.

The only downside to this week was teething. Teething hit us hard this week. Jack is getting some of his bigger back teeth and they’re giving him a hard time. We noticed on Wednesday that he was being less energetic and more irritable, some congestion he had been fighting had gotten worse, and he was turning down food he normally loves. We put all the symptoms together and realized that his teeth were giving him a hard time. As soon as switched back to soft and blended foods his mood improved and with a few doses of Tylenol he’s been more like his usual self.

We didn’t do much different on New Year’s Eve. We had Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner and then played for a while before Jack went to bed around his usual time. Allison and I didn’t feel the imperative to stay up to welcome the new year and were in bed by 10pm. Yeah, we’re officially old.

We’ve had some great weeks as a family in spite of everything everything 2020 threw at us, but week 65 was by far the best. It was an awesome week of play, rest, and time spent together as a family. Life will return to normal in week 66 and I know that every week of 2021 won’t look like this one, but I’m definitely looking forward to the ones that will.

Happy New Year from our family to yours! Thanks for stopping by for week 66 of 936.

2020 was an eternity and the blink of an eye all at the same time. From what I’ve heard, raising a child can feel the same (minus the global pandemic and all that). That’s why we started this series Life With Jack – to make sure that we made the most of our time with our son between the time he was born and the time he turns 18. You can read more about this series by clicking here.

LIFE WITH JACK | WEEK 64

Week 64 felt like a marathon, but it ended with the best finish line I’ve experienced in life up to this point.

We celebrated Christmas with my dad and nephew on Sunday. It’s always a joy to watch Jack and my dad play with one another. Jack was stoked about his first two Christmas presents – building blocks and a ball. He spent the evening building things in our living room floor and bouncing his ball around the house. Time with family feels a little more special after everything we’ve gone through together this year and it felt extra special knowing that were going to have to miss some of our other annual family gatherings.

Christmas week is always a hectic week in my line of work and the same was true this year. Monday through Thursday I worked hard to stay focused on Christmas Eve plans and we didn’t get to spend much time together as a family. There were several nights this week where I didn’t get home until after Jack was in bed. I was able to make it through, though, by staying focused on the time we would have together on Christmas Day and following.

The festivities got up and running after the final Christmas Eve service on Thursday! Allison and Jack were able to make it to one of the Candlelight services at church, and Thursday night I played Santa Clause for the first time. Jack got a food truck for Christmas, so I spent the evening assembling it while Allison and I watched White Christmas and The Santa Clause together.

We finished the night with our favorite Christmas Eve tradition – Jolabokaflod. Jack was already asleep, so he didn’t get his book until Christmas Day. If you’re curious, Allison gave me The Joys of Travel by Thomas Swick, I gave her Frontier Follies by Ree Drummond, and Jack got Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. The best part about Christmas Eve was ALL. THE. SNOW. For the first time I can remember we had an awesome, white Christmas.

Friday started the greatest three day stretch in our family’s young life to this point. We all slept in on Friday morning and I don’t think I will ever forget how Jack responded when we came downstairs together on Friday morning. He said, “whoa” serval times when he saw all the presents under the tree and the snow outside. We opened a few presents, FaceTimed Allison’s parents so they could see him unwrapping their presents for him, and enjoyed a delicious breakfast.

Unwrapping presents this year was an unexpected change of pace that we really appreciated. I thought Jack would tear into all of his presents before playing with any of them, but he actually opened one at a time and wanted to play with it before moving on to the next one. He took it so slow and spread his unwrapping over pretty much the entire day. Slowing down made me that much more grateful for the generosity of our friends and family. The blessing that is the large network of love and support we have around our little family is not lost on us.

We spent the rest of the day playing with new toys, reading books, and enjoying time together as a family. We took Jack out in the snow for a few minutes, but other than that we lounged around in our pajamas most of the day. We finished the day with an awesome Christmas dinner. I can’t remember a better Christmas Day.

When I remember this Christmas I don’t think I’ll remember how hard it was to get everything done. I don’t think I’ll remember the things I missed. Maybe I’ll remember those things and maybe I won’t, but I know for sure I’ll remember all the uninterrupted, undistracted, and unhurried time we spent together as a family. We spent the next few days doing the exact same thing we did on Christmas Day and it was awesome.

May 2021 be full of more moments like that.

Happy Holidays from our family to you. Thanks for stopping by for week 64 of 936!

One question for our readers: How do/did you approach the whole Santa thing? We have an idea of how we would like to approach it, but we would love to hear what others did in the comments.

It was a bit of a surprise (to put it lightly) when Allison found out she was pregnant with Jack. We knew we wanted to make the most out of our life as a little family, so we decided to count the time we have together. Life With Jack is series about counting that time – each week from now until the time Jack turns 18. You can read more about this journey here.

LIFE WITH JACK | WEEK 63

Week 63 started off awesome! With me working in the church I feel like my weeks start on Sunday rather than Monday and this week couldn’t have gotten off to a better start. We worshiped together at home and I was able to get a bike ride in during Jack’s nap. On Sunday evening we participated in a drive-in prayer vigil at a local hospital as a family.

There was something significant about the three of us together praying for those who were sick, their families, and the medical professionals who are caring for them. I want us to be a family that feels comfortable sharing our faith journey with one another. It was nice to share this experience with one another. We needed all that prayer and those good Sunday vibes to get us through the rest of the week.

The rest of this week was a bit chaotic for us. It was one of those weeks that passed in a flash of storm and stress. It was definitely a week where we were thankful Allison isn’t a full-time OT and it was one that we won’t miss now that it’s gone. It wasn’t an awesome week, but we made it through because we leaned into one another and the awesome support system we’ve been blessed with.

Allison had to work more than normal this week which meant that Jack got to work with me on Wednesday! He spent the morning on video calls with me and then got to join me for a meeting with the Family Ministry team. We might not have been able to accomplish as much as we would have otherwise, but the team had fun hanging out with Jack.

Friday couldn’t come soon enough for Jack and I. We spent the day playing and he enjoyed an extra long nap without a care in the world. We spent Saturday playing and getting ready for Christmas with my Dad, brother, and nephew.

Thanks for stopping by for week 63 of 936. We may be happy to be leaving week 63 behind, but we can’t wait for week 64! It starts with Christmas with my dad, continues with Christmas Eve services, and ends with our little family’s Christmas celebrations! Merry Christmas and happy holidays from our family to yours!

I tend to focus on the future so much that I miss the present. When we were preparing to welcome our son Jack into the world I knew I wanted to do something to help me be present in each phase. That’s what this series is all about. Life With Jack is a series that’s tracking life with our son, Jack, from the time he was born to the time he turns 18. You can read more about the philosophy behind this series by clicking here.

LIFE WITH JACK | WEEK 62

If I had to pinpoint a week when Jack transitioned from baby to toddler it would be this week, week 62. Jack has made loads of progress in walking and talking in what feels like the blink of an eye.

This week we started exclusively walking to and from the car when Jack gets dropped off at Angie’s house. He will let us carry him over the grass, but as soon as we get to pavement he’s off on his own. You’re putting your life at risk if you think you’re going to carry him all the way to the door.

Jack is picking up on a lot more words this week and he’s learning how to use others in the right context. This week we started saying “bye” when someone is leaving, when he knows he’s leaving, or when he wants to go somewhere. He’s also doing the same thing with “hi” and he’s repeating words with a lot more consistency.

Our week finished nice and quietly. On Thursday we had a nice dinner together. You can tell from this week’s picture that Jack particularly appreciate his penne from our favorite, local Italian restaurants Bella Vita. On Friday we played at home and then visited my dad. Our Saturday was low key and we spent it watching soccer and hanging out. In news that’s big in our house, Jack was alive for Columbus Crew SC’s second MLS Cup victory! He may have slept through it, but I know he rested confidently knowing that Columbus would bring the cup home.

Christmas is now less than two weeks away, and our plans are uncertain. We may not know what we’re doing, but it’s nice to know that Christmas will be awesome and meaningful even if it’s spent with just the three of us at home.

Thanks for stopping by for week 62 of 936!

I got caught up this week! I’ve been working in fits and starts to get caught up with Life With Jack posts and with this post I’m 100% up to date. Thanks for following our Journey. You can read more about this series and the sources that inspired it by clicking here.

LIFE WITH JACK | WEEK 61

How is it December already? It seems like Just yesterday we were celebrating Jack’s first birthday and the temperatures were in the 70s. This week we got our first real cold front and our first snow of the year!

As has been a recurring theme this holiday season, it has felt like this is really the year of Jack’s firsts. He was just a tiny sleeping nugget last Thanksgiving and the same was true for his first snow. He was so young last year that he never got to experience snow. This year he was enamored by it. He liked looking out the windows at in the morning and he liked putting his hands in it on our way into day care. There wasn’t much of it, so most of it was gone by the time we got home that evening and we didn’t get to play in it together.

Jack is much more confident in his walking this week. He’s becoming decreasingly content being carried and increasingly interested in walking anywhere and everywhere. He’s even starting to try to walk from our car to the door of Angie’s (his child care provider) house. He gets distracted a lot, but each time he gets a little bit closer to the door. He keeps showing signs that make me believe he’s going to be an independent guy and I like it! He’s not much for holding hands or being held when he gets hurt and he picks up on things very quickly. This might be a lethal combination with his temper, but I guess time will tell.

Jack is getting into EVERYTHING! He can now open doors and I love it! People have talked about how rough it is when kids start walking, but I’ve really appreciated it. Of course, it’s stressful at times because he can now get into every room that isn’t locked or isn’t able to be locked, but I really appreciate his curiosity. Plus I can tell that he enjoys being able to get around on his own and do a few things for himself.

Thanks for stopping by for week 61 of 936! Time keeps rolling forward and this week it feels like 2020 has passed in the blink of an eye. Jack has grown so much since January and I can’t wait to see what life looks like for us this time next year.

The best way to make your time count is by counting your time. That’s what I’m doing with this series, Life With Jack. This series is all about tracking the weeks we have with our son from the time he was born to the time he turns 18. You can read more about this series here.

LIFE WITH JACK | WEEK 60

Week 60 was Thanksgiving week! Jack was technically alive for Thanksgiving last year, but this year feels like his first real Thanksgiving. After all, this was the first year he was awake for most of the day, able to interact with others, and enjoy some delicious Thanksgiving food. Last year was fun, this year was more fun, and I can imagine that the holidays will only get more fun as Jack gets older.

Jack and I’s festivities started on Wednesday. Allison had to work this Wednesday when she’s normally off and I’m working from home more these days, so Jack just stayed home with me. He enjoyed playing in the background as I had my usual meetings and I was able to get a few things knocked out before our Thanksgiving break officially began.

Rather than one day of Thanksgiving, we had multiple! The party started on Thursday when we had lunch with my grandmother and a few other family members. Jack got to play with one of his cousins that we hadn’t send in a few months and it was fun to watch them interact with one another. It feels like life has completely changed now that he can walk! It took them a few minutes to warm up to one another, but by the end of our time together Jack and his cousin were playing.

Thursday night we FaceTimed Allison’s parents before dinner. We also decided we hadn’t had enough of the Thanksgiving Day goodness, so we ordered take out from Cracker Barrel. We finished the night playing in an attempted to burn some of the excessive calories we consumed and to exhaust our baby after an exciting day.

On Friday Jack and I took a road trip to visit our family in North Carolina while Allison was at work. It felt like he talked THE ENTIRE WAY to North Carolina. For an hour he barely stopped to take a breath. He’s talking so much all the time and I wonder if he’ll ever stop. I hope he doesn’t. We once again spent the evening playing as a family and it was a gift to have our house full of laughter and happiness. Things aren’t always perfect, but on Friday Jack went to bed without much fuss.

Something compelled me to get up early on Saturday. I got up and did some work on The Wandering Proffitt and around the house before anyone was awake. I expected Jack to wake up around seven, but the festivities must have worn him out because he slept until 8! If you’re reading this without kids that won’t seem like a big difference, but it felt HUGE for me. I can’t believe Jack slept 13 hours. We spent the morning playing as a family and capitalized on Jack’s nap to make Thanksgiving meal number THREE (stop judging us, it’s rude) and put some Christmas decorations on the house.

This week was full of awesome memories as a family and I’m finishing the week with a heart full of gratitude for the life and family God has given me. When I remember Thanksgiving 2020 I don’t believe the stress caused by a global pandemic will be on the forefront of my mind. What I think I’ll remember is all the awesome family time and a house full of Jack’s laughter.

We hope the same is true for you. We hope your holiday season is full of special moments, albeit unique moments, that you’ll remember for years to come.

Happy Holidays, friends! Thanks for stopping by for week 60 of 936.

Life with Jack is a series tracking life with our son Jack. In an attempt to make the most of our time with him we’re counting our time. Each week I drop a post reflecting on the past week. You can read more about this series by clicking here.

LIFE WITH JACK | WEEK 59

Some of you may be checking out The Wandering Proffitt for the first time because you’ve seen a million “New Post” updates in your newsfeed. My updates won’t come this thick and fast forever, I’m simply trying to play catch up on my posts. If you have been following this post series you’ve probably noticed that I became much less consistent in the 30 week range and I’m working hard to get back on track.

I have been keeping notes for each week in my notes app, but I’ve been using the craziness of 2020 as an excuse to fall behind. I’ve been focused on trying to be present with the people around me and I’ve decided that’s much more important than looking for things to write about. Some posts aren’t as developed and clean as I wish they were, but that doesn’t take anything from the stories they’ll remind me of when I look back on them in the future.

In week 59 we were snapped back to reality in regards to Jack’s allergies. We accidentally fed Jack something that had egg as an ingredient so we spent much of the week battling rashes. Thankfully his egg allergy isn’t aggressive, but it did make for a grumpy baby.

Saturday was a big day for us this week. We hung around the house on Saturday morning and after nap we went to get this year’s Christmas tree (Allison and Jack pictured with it above). Jack really enjoyed WALKING around the Christmas tree lot and really DIDN’T like being redirected when he was getting too close to things like the road or giant ditches. It was difficult to give him boundaries, but it was really fun to walk with him through the Christmas trees. He’s very independent and I’m already imagining how interesting his personality is going to make parenting in the years to come.

Jack is quickly becoming a daredevil. He’s moved on from walking to running and from running to…wait for it…CLIMBING. While we sat in the loving room together this afternoon Jack took the opportunity to stand up on the seat of his sit-on airplane several times. He almost fell a few times but that never deterred him. Maybe all kids do this, but right now it feels like he’s a determined and adventurous individual that doesn’t shy away from taking risks. Other things that totally won’t keep a child’s parents up at night, right?

We finished our Saturday with dinner with some close friends before coming home. Jack was a champ and stayed up over an hour past bed time on a single nap. I braced myself for a meltdown of biblical proportions on the drive home, but it never came! We ended the day with a smooth bedtime routine. This week is definitely one for the books!

That’s the week that was week 59 of 936. Thanks for stopping by! Come back next week to read about Jack’s first real Thanksgiving and probably about the injury he will like sustain from pushing his boundaries.

Life With Jack is a series focused on slowing myself down and reflecting on each of the 936 weeks we have with our son, Jack before he turns 18. Some weeks loads of things happen and other weeks are pretty boring, but each of them represent a significant period in our lives worth pausing and reflecting on. You can read more about this series by clicking here.