Uncle Jason comes to town...

My brother, Jason, and his wife, Alex, came for a visit this week. They live in Key Largo--and sadly, this means that we don't get to see them very often. The last time they were here was in April right after Jack was born. Needless to say, I think Jack had changed quite a bit since that last trip. Many times looking at Jack it reminds me of Jason in baby pictures--and I have a feeling that Jack will also follow suit when it comes to the hyperactive behavior (can't wait). We had a nice couple of days. Jack went to his first movie at the theater--he was rather good, especially for being up past bedtime. And he got to spend some time entertaining Uncle Jason and Aunt Alex--and he certainly showed them his stellar puking abilities. I was sad to say goodbye (I miss my little brother LOTS when he's not here)--hopefully, another 8 months doesn't go by before we get to see them again--perhaps we'll find a way to manage a trip down to Florida sometime next year.

Moving on up...

Now that Jack is entirely mobile--why I was excited for this I am not sure--but he can easily get into ANYTHING. He'll spot something from two rooms away and off he goes. He's also discovered that he can pull up to get to whatever it is his little heart desires. Most of the time he pulls up and stays on his knees....although the other day he was in this position at the window, I turn my back for a second, and when I look back he had moved his hands up the window pane and was standing ALL the way up, swinging his backside around like it was no big deal. Scary stuff! His new feats have already led to a few bumps and bruises--but he seems to be taking them all in stride (I'm trying my best to do the same).

The End of an Era

We recently rearranged our living room again--in need of more space (which you can only get so much of in 1200 square feet so every inch counts). In doing so, we decided that it was time to put away the things we haven't been using so much--first item on the chopping block was the baby swing. And while he basn't really used it in a month or so...it seemed kind of sad to me that some of the staples of 'babyhood' are slowly disappearing. Anyway, Bob took it apart and Jack was right there beside him to 'help'. So we said our first farewell to an old friend--and I'm certain there will be more in the weeks to come.

Naptime Bootcamp Part 2

After months of not wanting to take naps anywhere but in my arms...I came to the conclusion that drastic measures needed to be taken. I really didn't understand why a child who goes to bed on his own every night was so adamantly opposed to taking a nap by himself. So--some 'crying it out' was necessary (although I kind of tweaked it my own way--so it didn't seem quite so traumatic for him or for me). However, I am quite happy to report that after deciding to restrict naptime (at home anyway) late last week to his own 'bed' and around the same times everyday--Jack has been taking marvelous naps (up to 3 hours in the afternoon even) all by himself for a couple days now--that frees me up to get stuff done around the house or even take my own nap sans Jack (even if he was kind of cuddly). The first couple days were tough, but then he took to it like a charm--and is doing great. And, thankfully, it wasn't quite so traumatic after all.

He's definitely going to be upset with me one day...

Some things are just way too cute not to video/photograph. And when your child crawls (naked) from his room to the bathroom to take a bath for the first time...its pretty darn cute (even if he is trying to eat the laptop right now as we speak). So I'll share with you all what I know Jack will kill me for later. Forgive my voice in the video--I still haven't quite recovered from being sick last week and I sound pretty awful.

Yelling....for fun!

Just being his silly little self!!

(Definitely need the volume on for this one)

Mission Accomplished

And magically....it just happens! I guess when you want to GO so badly--you have to figure it out pretty quick. Jack can really crawl! Not just army crawl (aka drag himself) across the floor--but do it right. I worked all weekend--and Friday he couldn't totally do it, yesterday he figured it out, and today he's trying to pick up some speed. Tonight, he crawled TO me for the first time tonight...and then lifted his arm--his new thing for pick me up. Made my day!!!

Naptime Bootcamp

20 Minutes of Crying (okay--screaming)

2 Puddles of Vomit

3 Rounds of "Guess Who Lives On Sesame Street..."

Finally, taking a nap IN the Pack N Play--Beyond Priceless

Before Bedtime

Seriously--goofy

Come on...isn't that the cutest little grin?

Loving that those dimples are starting to show

We had a good hour of playtime tonight--all three of us--after the nighttime bath and before bedtime. Jack was in an excellent mood (a rarity in the evening)--laughing, smiling, being totally squirrely--I don't think that boy will ever sit still.

Now-- I know you can't see it, but some serious headway was made today. Tooth numero uno has finally broken through the gums. You can see the opening and feel the actual tooth now, but its not quite visible yet. Hopefully, the other one will follow suit shortly--and maybe we'll get to see some teeth in the days to come.

A Lesson in Feeding

A lesson in SELF-feeding, that is. Today, Jack got his first finger, er, hand food. Most of the time he just held it and sucked his thumb....although he did manage to get some of it down in between the thumb sucking and banging it on the high chair (as you can see in the video at the bottom).

First bite (okay, first gumming)

Maybe he thinks he's a pirate.

Visiting Nana & Poppi's New House

A real suit...

Hanging out at HH Gregg...

Just my size.


My (other) totally cool hat...

This weekend we went to my parent's house...their NEW house that is. They have left the home where Jason and I grew up...to live on the land where my mother grew up. That's right, folks! My parents have fairly familiar downstairs neighbors--my grandparents. This has been in the works for some time. They've been working hard to completely renovate, remodel, and create their own (separate) home right above Grandma and Grandpa--this was the first time Bob and I had gotten to see it since they'd been there. The transformation from workshop to living space has been quite amazing.

Jack is quickly learning thAT Poppi (my dad) is all about making him laugh--and if Jack wanted to play and my dad wasn't paying attention to him, Jack would keep smacking dad's arm until he turned to look at him. I think those two might cause some trouble down the road. Nana (my mom) totally treasures the time she gets to spend with Jack--and I think they got some good snuggle time in.

We ended up staying late to watch the Colts BEAT the Steelers. Yeah!!! Jack also had a fever (101.2--a real one this time) and an icky cough which prompted me to stay home from work today. According to the doctor, though, it's 'just a virus' (thank you, that'll be $20). The doctor also suggested that I be very diligent with washing my hands so that I didn't catch whatever it was he had--that's fine, but exactly dear doctor, what do you recommend when he simply skips the transfer to my hands and just sticks HIS hands in MY mouth. Moot point anyway--I now have a stuffy nose, a sore throat, and don't feel well. Oh well...I'm sure it's 'just a virus'.

P.S. Jack turned 7 months old on Saturday. How crazy is that!?! Oh, and we still have NO teeth--but we've got every teething symptom in the book. Now, that IS crazy!

Bumming Around the House

Jack continues to amaze me every day. He is so curious and appears to have nearly boundless energy. He's a wild man and extremely goofy. Not only is he working diligently on his physical skills, but he's really figuring out how he can affect those around him. He sat with me on the floor today and he'd smile and then yell (happily) until I laughed--then he'd laugh really hard, and do it all over again. There's no doubt in my mind that he's going to be one rotten little boy--and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Below are some pictures of him playing with toys, exercising his new found skills, and some of the odd places he finds himself:

Jack likes to pull the binky out of Elmo's mouth!

This only lasted a couple days...

...then he moved on to this (I have no idea why he keeps doing this or where its going to get him)

He kept moving backwards until he found himself under the shelves in the entry way.

Goofing off on the floor of his room (in cool diaper covers I might add)

Move to the Big Boy Tub

Tonight Jack had his first bath in (almost) the real bath tub. He was totally outgrowing the baby tub and was kicking way too much water onto our kitchen counter. So we made the switch, and I don't think he could be any happier. He loves his new squirt toys (from his Aunt Ellen). And for the time being, he can splash and kick to his little heart's content.

First Trip to Granny's

Bob, Jack, and I made our first trip to Bob's mom and stepdad's this weekend. We hadn't seen our nephew Jason since July--and oh my, has he gotten big--he's definitely got Jack beat in that department (and the hair department as well). This was the first meeting that they actually took notice of one another. They spent a couple hours playing together on the floor. The only skirmish we had was Jack pulling Jason's hair (shocking, I know) and Jason choking Jack by pulling on his bib. Neither was any worse for the wear. Here are the pictures:

Relaxing with Granny

Wrestling match

Rolling around on the floor

First hands-on meeting with Jason

Figuring It Out

Jack has been a busy little guy the last few days while he tries to master some new skills and hone some other ones. I'm way tired from working the last couple of days, so I'll just leave you with some pictures and a couple videos (they're a few minutes long).

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Realizing that maybe he can sit still for a few minutes.

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I come home from work. Jack's in bed. I go to check on him. This is the bottom of the bed (the bed that's on an incline due to his pukey nature).

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Video of Jack

(there was another video but for whatever reason Blogger messed it up--I'll repost it tomorrow)

Hanging out...

Getting ready to go out for lunch. That teething ring takes 'cool' to a whole new level.

And here we are at one of our favorite lunch spots--Panera--with Lindsey.

Even Jack thinks its funny to leave a shirt stuck on his head. Goofball.

Proof that absolutely anything that CAN go in his mouth...WILL.

Jumping around on mommy--minus the jumperoo. Its a workout.

In the beginning, there were messes because he hadn't quite figured it out--the whole eating thing that is. Now...well, he's figured it out. Its a game to see if he can flip the spoon before it gets to his mouth, and then, he'll smack his hands all over the highchair and intentionally make a mess. Can you say rotten....really, rotten?

The many faces of Jack...

We've had a fairly busy weekend with different events and outings going on. So this afternoon, we devoted some time to just lounging around the house and playing with Jack.

Jack really reminds me of someone in the above picture, but I haven't quite figured out who. He kept pulling my glasses off my face, so...he got to try them on. Personally, I think he's still cute.

Below, is Jack sitting. This is a RARE occurrence. Not because Jack CAN'T sit...but because he really just doesn't want to.

In the picture to the right....this isn't exactly where I put Jack to start. He was originally laying near me on the floor next to the couch. After deciding he could scoot to get places on Friday, he figured out that maybe rolling was a little bit more fun (and faster) tonight. As for the hat and mittens, well, he got a little chilly during his bath because he literally splashed over half the water out, and then his little hands and cheeks were chilly, so I improvised (its not like he'd sit still to cover up with a blanket).

Over the last couple days (which also prompted an easy day at home)...Jack has become a little sensitive. He doesn't like to be laughed at. He certainly doesn't like to hear raised voices. And sometimes, he's just downright not happy. We're not sure if its just been a little too much activity and he's tired....or if like everything else, you could just blame the extra crankiness on teething.....but literally 20seconds after the above picture was taken, we took the one below. I don't think even HE knows how to feel these days.


I took the bumpers out of Jack's (rarely-used) crib today since he was just using them to pull himself places in hopes that maybe he would take a nap in here. Mmmm...not so much. It looks like he's found other ways to entertain himself like eating the bars and getting his arms and legs stuck.

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