Jack L-O-V-E-S Grace!!!

Thank goodness for Grace (Jack's cousin)! She kept him so entertained that not only did he quietly (and happily) sit with her for quite awhile--but he did so nearly 2 hours after bedtime. A feat I have never seen accomplished. I think its safe to say that Jack has taken a liking to her.

Sleeping Beauty

Of course, we also got to see Greta today. She has grown quite a bit since we saw her last. She decided to spend most of her time cuddling/sleeping (which probably meant she kept Jace and Laura awake all night), but it was sure nice to snuggle with a little baby for awhile--Jack, uh, doesn't really go for that kind of thing. Never has. Can't wait to see this pair playing together in a year or two. And I hope Jack doesn't corrupt this sweet little girl.

Aunt Jen comes to town...

Bob's sister Jen came to town this weekend to visit Jace, Laura, and Greta--fortunately, we were lucky enough to catch an afternoon with her as well. We loved seeing everyone, but sure wish we didn't have to wait until summer to see Jen, Chris, and the kids.

Aunt Jen and Jack

Grandma Teresa and Jack

Cousin Kendra and Jack

Trucks

Jack usually uses this truck as a climbing accessory. If he lays it on its side, he can use it as a step stool onto the fireplace and occasionally the couch. Today, though, he actually rolled it along the floor and pushed the buttons--you know, what its made to do.

Is this not seriously the most ornery face you've ever seen?

Mmmm--when he looks like this, I just want to eat him up. He's so stinkin' cute sometimes (if I say so myself).

Goofing around...

Double Digits!!

10 Months Old !!!!

Its so hard to believe, but today, Jack is 10 months old. The last month has certainly been trying at times--primarily with all the sickness we've experienced. We're on our 2nd round of antibiotics for an ear infection that doesn't want to disappear, but I think we're on the right track. Last Thursday (at our 5th doctor's visit this past month)....Jack finally hit the 19lb mark. While apparently not the least bit concerning, Jack's weight gain since 6-7 months has dramatically slowed....probably because there is no way to feed him enough to keep up with his crazy state of constant activity. However, as the puking has (thankfully) slowed, his appetite has definitely increased, and it appears he might be starting to put a little meat on his scrawny little self. Although--I don't think he'll be catching up with his cousin, Jason (who's almost 9 months old)--he's got him beat by 4 pounds.

A week ago, we got to see him take his first step. And he appears to get a little braver all the time. Currently, he's really big into climbing--quite scary. He'll use anything to give himself a boost. Really, he's just all over the place. And into everything. There is no way to contain him. He has only 2 modes--insane or asleep, but we're starting to adjust to that fact.

The last couple weeks he's been taking GREAT naps...and we are ALL sleeping much better now that he's in his own room. He now wakes up in the morning and from naps happy...usually willing to sit and play for several minutes without us rushing to to get him. He's also starting to more discriminately say ma-ma, da-da, ba-ba, and makes this weird 'gong-gong-gong' noise when he's playing--I have no idea what that means. Its really funny to watch. He's gotten extremely goofy over the last week. Laughing and giggling at the smallest things.

So far, I'd have to say we are LOVING 10 months.

A new hideout...

A Big Step...

Today, these little piggies took their first solo step. We certainly weren't expecting it. Jack had been standing near the couch and had turned around to look at Daddy. Bob held his arms out and Jack's little feet tried to oblige. No, we didn't get it on video. It wasn't even more than one step, but I was SO incredibly glad that we were both there to see it. Can only imagine where these feet will take him next.

FYI

I just added plenty of pictures from the middle of January up until today...so be sure to scroll down to the 11th.

Let it Snow....Or Not!

All ready for a quick 'plop' in the snow.

What I really wanted was to sit him in the snow...take a quick picture of him and go back inside. Jack's speedy enough though that I didn't even have time to snap a picture before he was trying to crawl away. Inevitably, this was not fated to end well...

....so yeah, he totally face-planted. And, then, well having your entire face covered in snow kind of stings I imagine.

Might go without saying, but this was the end of our snow adventure.

Ba-ba-ba-bath

Jack kept trying to escape his blow-up tub, so we pulled the plug on it...and put him in the plain old bathtub. Although, now he's all over the place, but that's sort of just how he rolls.

Blurry, but funny...

A Precarious Position

Jack's crazy. I mean, literally, just plain crazy. You don't have to spend much time with him at all to realize this. Most people figure it out fairly quickly. He's a boy on the go...ALL the time. His curious and crazily active nature frequently get him into 'scenarios' that he can't quite get himself out of. But sometimes, you just have to take the picture BEFORE you get them out of the bind they've gotten themselves into.

Standing on your own two feet...

This is not an easy picture to capture. But Jack's been letting go and free standing more and more frequently. And, like most things with him, he'd be able to do it much better and longer if he would just stand STILL (the meaning of this word may elude him for years to come).

Someday soon...

...I'll find the energy to post some pictures (once I load them on the computer, that is).

For now, we're just hanging in there. We finally thought we were on the mend from the week of pure torture, but Jack got sick again at the end of the week. Poor guy is congested, had goopy eyes, a fever, and turned out to have a double ear infection. Thankfully, the antibiotics have seemed to kick in (plus, we're keeping him happy with some motrin and tylenol). I tried my hardest to disinfect and scrubbed my hands and face like a crazy person for 3 days...but all to no avail. I certainly knew that kids were germy little creatures, but I really didn't plan to be sick every other week for the entire winter. Guess this is why we make all our parents/babies at work go into seclusion for the whole cold/flu season.

Anyway, soon I'll post more Jack pictures.

Let's Play House!

Trust me, Jack....we already know the sun rises and sets with YOU. No need to prove your point. Anything and everything go in the mouth. No wonder we're sick all the time.

Anything to give himself a boost.

He's a climber already.

Stretch!!

Our Little Superhero...

Up until recently, Jack has always required bibs. All these adorable clothes...always covered up because he's been a puking monster. Lately, things appear to be getting better, but I hate to say so and jinx us. Today, though, he somehow managed to get it turned backwards, and he traipsed around with his little 'cape' for awhile. I'm sure he thought he was pretty cool.

Up, Up, and Away!!

Jack's a bit of a daredevil. He loves a good toss in the air.

It makes him laugh, and while it sure scares mommy...

...there's nothing that compares to knowing Daddy's right there to catch you.

My Little Teddy Bear

Some things take time...

Being that he's 9 months old and all, we're trying Jack on the Stage 3 foods. Other than having more in the container, the big difference is the chunks. I wouldn't say that Jack 'loves' the chunks. Perhaps its the texture. Maybe its that he doesn't really mash them well enough yet before they go down. So, teeth or no teeth (well, 2 teeth)...we're forging ahead. He'll figure it out.

Welcome to the family...

Greta Caroline Smith

Today, Bob and I got to meet the newest addition to the Smith family--our niece Greta (Jace and Laura's daughter), who decided to make her dramatic entrance into the world yesterday afternoon. She is tiny yet beautiful, and has the daintiest little cry. She weighed in at a solid 5lbs. She's going to need to pack on some weight just to fit in her clothes (wouldn't that be a wonderful problem to have?), but I'm guessing she'll more than make up for it in the months to come. We are so excited for Jace and Laura....WELCOME TO PARENTHOOD!!!!

This past week...

So I've been stuck at home this past week with a sick, grumpy, tired, yet still insanely active Jack...and thought I would share with you some statistics since last Friday.

2-the number of times I've had to change MY clothes because I was covered in vomit

10-the number of times I've had to change Jack's clothes due solely to puke or poop

6-the number of loads of laundry Jack has created

12-the number of times I've taken Jack's temperature

3-the number of baths Jack's had

1-the number of shower's I've had (gross I know)

6-the number of days I haven't gotten to sleep past 7:00

12-(a.m., that is), the earliest I've been able to fall asleep

3-the number of times I've had to call in to work

1-the number of hours left in my PTO bank

3-the number of vacation days I had in March that I will not get to use

1-the number of breakdowns I've had

23-the number of poopy diapers I've changed

16-the number of times I've complained about not getting enough sleep (maybe more)

2-the number of total hours Jack has napped each day (he needs roughly 3-4)

4-the number of Kleenex boxes I've been through since Sunday

2-the number of red, raw noses in the house

1-the number of tired, worn out, sick mommies in the house

6-the number of nights Jack has slept in his own room

11-the number of days left til our new niece's due date :)

9-the number of months old Jack is today

7-the number of days I've still adored every single minute of Jack (well, almost every minute)

Hope everyone else's week was much better...and filled with much less poop and vomit than ours!!! :-D

What's left...

What more could Jack possibly do after infecting his daddy with a nasty stomach bug and giving his mother his gross little cold? (And saturating outfit after outfit with diarrhea, plus, let's not forget what he did to me at the movies) Well, I think he's set his sights a little higher today while he's got us all home sick. He might be trying to give us a heart attack! Crafty little feller that he is...I guess he wanted to stand a little taller at his table, so he used a toy truck to give himself a boost. I know we probably should have grabbed him down BEFORE we took the picture to prevent a fall, but we couldn't help ourselves....and in the end, he caught himself when he lost his balance! We are certain that he's going to give us a huge run for our money over the next several years.

The waiting game...

So, last night I awoke to the sound of the bathroom door slamming shut followed by vomiting. In other words, Bob, too, has fallen victim to 'the sickness'. I spent the rest of the morning--and all day today--waiting silently for it to come over me. There's just quite simply no way I think I can avoid it. I mean Jack, the original culprit, covered me in vomit Friday night....and I'm certain he has infected me with his germs. Bob certainly got it. It seems inevitable. So, I wait...

Our Little Colts Fan...

Even though Jack is slightly under the weather still today and will most certainly be in bed long before kickoff...he felt the need to show some team spirit today. He's the cutest little Colts' fan I have ever seen!!! (Thanks for the hat Uncle Jason)

We survived!!!

Well, Jack's first night in his own room went well for all of us (despite the events of the evening prior to bedtime). Hopefully, tonight when everything is back to its normal routine, it'll be even better.

Jack's got a slight fever this morning, so I'm hoping that this isn't a stomach virus....only time will tell!!!

Be glad...

...that I've decided not to add pictures with this post. But if you have a weak stomach, maybe you should pass on this one!

Tonight, Bob and I decided since Jack had taken 2 awesomely long naps today, that we could brave going to the movies. We were dying to see Marley & Me (especially since we'd read the book when it came out 3 years ago--right after we got our own 'world's worst dog'). So we headed out.

For nearly the first hour Jack sat there completely enthralled with the movie. Then I gave him his nighttime bottle, which got him just sleepy enough that he even drifted off to sleep, although he didn't quite want to finish it--not the usual deal, but I didn't think much of it. I couldn't believe how well this was going. It was SO great!!! I was enjoying a good movie with my husband and my little guy was sound asleep on my chest. All was good in our world.

Ha ha ha....little did I know.

About 30 minutes after he'd fallen asleep...he started to stir. No biggie! Then he coughed a few times, and completely woke up. Then he puked.....we're still fine at this point because well, we all know that Jack is always spitting up. As I'm trying to wipe up the small mess on my chest, Jack pukes again. Little more this time! So I decide to exit at this point to discreetly clean up......when he projectile vomits 3 times all over me. Whole last bottle down my sweatshirt! Okay, fine. I get out of the theater......JUST IN TIME for assault #2. He projectile puked his entire dinner (from about 5 hours before) out his mouth and both nostrils!!! And he'd had peas with his dinner--so it was all thick, green, etc (sorry for the description, but I need someone else to feel my pain).

Eventually I manage to find a changing table and got him changed while I dry-heaved my way through the smell....I sadly had no change of clothes. As soon as the puking was over, Jack seemed none the worse for the wear. We managed to (barely) catch the end of the movie, then high-tailed it out of there. We were attempting this afternoon to start switching Jack over to regular formula--and had done a couple 1/2 and 1/2 bottles--clearly that didn't work out so well. So that could be the culprit and not some awful stomach bug.

He is acting quite fine, but, of course, this had to happen the night he's going to his own room. I'm a little freaked out, so we'll see!!