It's Too Much!!!

Picture overload time. It's not my fault - I couldn't pick just one.

There was just too much cuteness. See?

Fall Is Here!

Since the weather has been absolutely gorgeous the past few days, Jack and I went to the park today. He was a little sleepy, since it was nearly naptime, but he still had tons of fun swinging. He also liked sitting on the playground equipment steps and playing with the sand. He found the texture of the sand very intriguing. We stayed for about 30 minutes, then walked home. We left just in time too - he was barely back in his stroller before he was fast asleep. I think I just found the best way to get him down for a morning nap!

Is This A Happy Smirk?

This little guy never ceases to make me laugh. I have no idea what this expression even is, but it's so stinkin' adorable!

Play Ball!

Jack received this fun toy from Cassady for Christmas. It has a bell inside so it makes lots of noise. It's also weighted, so it rolls away from him when he plays with it. He loves to chase it around the room. Another love? Mandarin oranges. he had a few with dinner tonight and he was instantly smitten with the fruit. Granted, he will eat pretty much anything put in front of him, but it is still fun to see him try new things!

Big Comfy Chair

Jack & I spent our whole day helping Cassady clean her room. It was a huge mess! He assisted us by taking an extra long nap this morning. He also had fun playing with toys in her room after waking up in a very cheerful mood. He found many treasures in her room, some not so baby-safe. We'll be putting up a baby gate to block his access to the bathroom & bedrooms soon. Until we get the gate up, she will just have to keep her room extra clean!

He's Reflecting.

Jack was sort of late to the looking at himself in the mirror party, but is making up for lost time now. He adores staring at himself and playing peek a boo with his reflection. He gets a bit upset when he sees the mirror Jack playing with a toy, and has to quickly look down to make sure he has that toy too. Once reassured that he is, in fact, in possession of the toy, he will resume admiring himself. He has a very healthy self image :)

So Many Stripes!

Jack received a "new-to-him" toy last night from Uncle Dan & Aunt Kelly. This toy has apparently made the rounds - lots of babies have enjoyed this adorable zebra. Jack is certainly no exception. From the moment we put him on the toy, he was all smiles. He likes to just sit and jump up & down. What he really likes, though, is being pushed on it. He can't quite make it go all by himself, so he requires a bit of assistance. He gets so excited - he laughs, squeals and claps. The funniest part about this toy is Jack's dismount. He does a sort of face plant to the floor when he has decided he's had enough. Mr. Independent doesn't want to wait for help!

My Sunshine

It's a rainy day today (it seems to have been raining all week, actually) but Jack is his usual sunny self. He spends his days crawling around, getting into anything he can get his little hands on and making us laugh. He's got a funny personality and is quite the ham. I think my favorite activity right now is making him laugh really hard - you can see his top teeth and they look so funny! He also does this thing (you can see it in yesterday's video at the very end right before he smiles) where he opens & closes his mouth repeatedly. I think he is trying to get used to those funny new teeth, too!

Wordless Wednesday

Crawling: The Motion Picture

Mr. Manipulator

Just try and say no to this face. I dare you.

What's that? You can't?

I know. Believe me.

Besides, even if you did say no, he would just look at you and laugh hysterically. I know this from experience. He is a handful in training!

Jack's Pearly Whites

Today I braved Jack's ire and managed to photograph his new teeth (sort of). You can see three of his new top teeth in the first picture (he has 4). I know it looks as though I am torturing him, and if he could talk, I am sure that he would agree with that assessment of today's photo shoot. The second photo shows off his winning smile - and two bottom teeth. He had snacks in hand, and therefore was much more cooperative for that picture!

Mischievous Boy

I think we are going to have our hands full with this one. He has a naughty little twinkle in his eyes. But he's just so cute!!

PS: You know you're jealous of his style. Orange stripes with cow print baby legs is totally the new black!

Weekend Update

Crawling has really opened up a whole new world for Jack. Tonight he was exploring the kitchen while we made dinner. He had lots of fun with a cardboard box and a bag of potatoes. In other news, Jack is now proudly sporting 6 teeth - 4 on the top, 2 on the bottom. He's been putting his new chompers to good use - he tried new "table foods" this week. He loved both shredded chicken and mashed potatoes. He is such a good little Midwestern boy!

On the Ball

Jack will play with anything that he can find. Today, it was a beach ball that captured his interest. He had lots of fun holding it and looking at it. Even better was hitting it, then crawling after it as it rolled away. He chased it all over the living room for about ten minutes. Until he saw a stray Cheerio. The poor ball didn't stand a chance against a snack!

Open House

We went to Cassady's school tonight for Open House. Yes, that is Jack in her locker. As you can probably tell, he was really excited about being stuffed in there. People walking by were also a little confused as to why I was putting a baby in a locker. Clearly they have not visited this blog :)

All Eyes On Me!

Jack is all about testing his boundaries these days. If he can crawl there, he has to check it out. He really gets around, this little guy. He also likes attention. A lot. Anytime he does something, like press a button on a toy to make noise, for example, he will turn to one of us with a huge smile. He likes to make sure that we are aware of each and every accomplishment. He doesn't have to worry. Of course we are always watching him!

Mission Accomplished

I am pleased to announce that Jack is now the proud owner of an activity table. He loves it. Other than crawling to play with a piece of paper for a few minutes, he has been playing with his new toy all afternoon. Success! Now that we have even less space (due to toy overload), I am going to focus on building up Jack's fall/winter wardrobe, rather than acquiring any new toys. Especially noisy ones. We have quite the symphony in our living room now!

9 Month Stats!

We visited the pediatrician today to hear all about how fabulously well Jack is growing. Our little guy is currently tipping the scales at 22.3 pounds and is 28 inches tall. My favorite measurement today was of his head circumference. He's got a 19 inch head - and is in the 98th percentile. He is going to be so smart!

Note: 2 of the bandaids have Wolverine from X-Men, the other has Ironman. He refused to move his hand so all three showed. I figured I would cut him a little slack since he did just have 3 shots :)

Even Cuties Get the Blues

A certain someone is teething along with getting over a cold. He's had his nose wiped approximately 700 times today and gets more irritated with each tissue. He is probably also outraged that he woke up in his crib this morning. Then there was the fact that Mommy failed to get him the activity table that he really wanted. (Baby toys on craigslist go really fast. Especially the good ones with amazing prices.) Poor little guy - it has been a rough day. At least he can console himself with the fact that Mommy found a bunch of other fun toys that he'll be getting tomorrow. Also he is wearing an awesome sparkly shirt (thank you, Aunt Janet!) and cool powder blue pants. At least fashion has not failed him!

On the Mend

Jack appears to be feeling much better today. He has been more playful and is back to touring the house. (We really need those baby gates, like...yesterday!) All that activity must have helped him work up an appetite - after eating his fruit & veggies (FYI: Baby broccoli, carrots & cheese is so stinky. I am glad I can not smell anything at the moment!), he still had room for his favorite snack - a blueberry cereal bar. He likes eating this treat all by himself, but he needs to be hosed down afterwards. Into the bathtub he went. He had lots of fun playing with his red cup (the only toy he plays with in the bath). He also discovered that the tub has a ledge and tried to pull himself up. Slippery baby plus tub does not equal a good idea. Luckily he quickly lost interest and returned to the red cup. Phew! Potential crisis averted :)

Taking a Sick Day

Jack has his first cold. He has been running a low grade fever on & off since last night and is a wee bit grumpy. He has a runny nose and a little cough. He didn't sleep well last night, waking every few hours. We were glad to return to our apartment today so that he can recuperate in the comfort of his home. He needs lots of TLC and extra rest. Poor little guy!

Living the Corporate Life

Captain's Log: Day 3 and the littlest native is getting restless (and sick). In an effort to spare ourselves hassle upon moving back to our apartment, we only brought the bare essentials. Jack is sorely missing his toys, swing and Johnny Jump Up. We are missing his changing table (aka: chest freezer topped with changing pad). Jack seems to think it is a fun game to wriggle away while having his diaper changed. This game is also entertaining to whichever parent is not changing the diaper. Who needs TV when you have an infant?!

Teeth Tales

Another day in our "vacation home"! Jack is loving the freedom to roam around. He even came up with a new game: chasing Daddy. He follows Daddy around everywhere now. He also found another way to pass the time: he popped out a front tooth! He has 4 teeth coming in right now, all on the top. I will have a picture as soon as he allows me to take one. He can be rather stubborn...I still say he gets that from me!

Jack & the Big Flood

Wow. What a day! We had a giant flood in our apartment (hooray for leaking/geyser-esque toilets) and it was a huge mess. Our complex moved us to their "corporate apartment" for a few days while they clean up the mess. Jack loves it here! He has had so much fun crawling around & exploring the place. Leave it to Jack to find the silver lining in all the mess :)

Keeping Busy

Jack began the day reading with Cassady, followed by a quick work out. (He favors the two pound weights, knowing that its the repetition that helps gain muscle tone, not necessarily the weight.) We went to the grocery store, where he charmed everyone in sight. Upon returning home, Jack enjoyed a leisurely lunch. His favorite part was stealing my spoon. He also fed himself corn. After lunch, a nap was needed. He snoozed away the afternoon, waking in time to play with his toys and crawl around the house. This flurry of fun was followed by a delicious dinner. Then more playtime, a few diaper changes, and bedtime. How's that for a Labor filled Day?!?

Movin' On Up

Jack has this new thing he does where he pulls himself to at least a kneeling position on pretty much anything that is taller than him. For the most part, he uses our legs (or shoulders if we are laying on the ground to play with him), but he has also tried using the glider ottoman too. Upon successfully hoisting himself up, he will look at us and gloat, making sure we are watching him do his tricks. I don't think he's on the verge of walking anytime soon, but he seems very intent on increased mobility. Yikes!

He's So Excited...

...and he just can't hide it! No doubt his cheerful demeanor today is aided in part by the fact that he got over 6 solid hours of sleep in his crib last night. (Yes, you read that correctly.) I have taken to calling Daddy "The Baby Whisperer", seeing as how he can get Jack to sleep in record time. He can also move Jack to his crib without waking him - and that is a skill worth praising!

Mr. Uncooperative

Now that he is mobile, Jack is not a fan of staying still for the myriad photo sessions I torture him with every day. He has a super cute outfit on today that will probably only fit for another 5 minutes or so, and I was trying to get a picture. Apparently, this did not fit into Jack's busy schedule. Silly little man, thinking he is allowed to shirk his photo responsibilities!

Wait...does this make me a stage mom? Hmm...don't answer that :)

All The World's a Toybox

Jack had a really long nap this morning, and after sleeping, he is very cuddly and loving. After our post-nap snuggle, he immediately made a beeline for his toys. The toys entertained him for about 2 seconds, then he remembered his other favorite pastime - traveling around the apartment. His favorite is crawling for the kitchen - I am thinking baby gates are in our near future. Hard to believe we are already at this stage - it's going by so fast!

My Precious

Jack had another full day of playing today. He is also growing two teeth. His two canines are making their appearance . He's been a little fussy here & there, but nothing like when his first two teeth came in. They haven't quite broken through his gums yet, but when they do, he is going to have the smile. Is it possible to be cuter than he is now? Stay tuned...and we'll see!