Well Hello There, 2011!

Jack still doesn't have a top hat, but he can definitely still rock the toilet paper sash!! Oh and in case you're wondering? Yes. It was much easier to pull off this photo idea last year...

Want to see how much Jack has changed in a year? Click HERE to compare photos. Happy New Year!!!

Baby Steps

Jack has been hard at work, practicing his walking skills over the last few days. He usually takes 5-6 steps per attempt, then sits on the floor with a smug smile on his face. He is very proud of himself - and rightly so! He has also been experimenting with making new sounds. In addition to the shriek, he has added "na na", "da da" and "addy". I'm hoping he won't put "da" and "addy" together before learning to say mama :)

Finger Foodie

Jack is no longer eating any baby foods. He has moved on to big boy foods, such as ground beef (he prefers it with peas and hot sauce...he gets that from Daddy!), bananas, peanut butter and jelly on waffles or toast, and tonight's dinner - spaghetti. He had a great time slurping up the noodles. His favorite part was definitely the meat, but it's fun to see him trying new foods. The not so fun part is cleaning up the mess - both on him & the high chair!!

Towel Dry, Please

Jack is still not the biggest fan of bath time. He doesn't splash, he doesn't move around and he certainly doesn't like having his hair washed! He has a hair pick (purple) and a plastic cup (red) that he plays with. He eschews fancier, more exciting bath toys for those two items. Every time. At least he doesn't scream through the cleansing process anymore..so we are making progress!

Breaking News!!

I think I know why Jack has been sleeping so much over the last few days. He's learned a new trick! Today, he stood up in the middle of the floor and walked 5-6 steps by himself. He repeated the performance several times thoughout the day and each time he took a few more steps! I will try to get a video tomorrow - he was unwilling to walk in the presence of the camera today :)

Too Much Christmas!

All this celebrating is really wearing Jack out. He took two naps today - both of them over 2 hours. He is a little grumpy too, which means he is shrieking loudly at the slightest provocation. Poor guy. It's not easy to return to the normal routine after partying it up for two days :)

Merry Christmas!

We had the pleasure of sleeping in this morning - no easy feat with a one year old. Jack decided to sleep in until nearly 10 am - and it was the best present he could possibly have given us! After our late start, we enjoyed brunch (scrambled eggs and toast - Jack's new favorite breakfast), and opened presents. Jack had fun playing with his new toys, and especially enjoyed a new book sent by Grandpa & Grandma Wessel. He had so much fun playing that he skipped his nap. Fortunately, the extra sleep he got in the morning prevented him from being a total grump when we went to Aunt Jeannette's house for dinner. Jack amazed all his aunts & uncles with his ability to consume large quantities of turkey, ham, stuffing, and pumpkin pie. Naturally, after all that yummy food, he fell fast asleep on the way home. Holidays can be quite exhausting!

Fashion Forward Family

Take a look at our snazzy new sleepwear, courtesy of Grammie! All four of us received a set of these rockin' fleece pants, as well as a long sleeved black shirt. We love our matching outfits - thank you, Grammie :)

PS: As soon as I can find someone to snap a picture of all 4 of us in our awesome new duds, I will update this post with a family picture. I considered recruiting a neighbor for the task, but sadly, no one else in out building was home on Christmas Eve.

Christmas Eve

Happy Holidays! We celebrated with family tonight, enjoying the company of lots of aunts, uncles and cousins. Jack had fun opening gifts - he was way more into the unwrapping this time around. The toy truck he received was definitely his favorite present, and he had lots of fun pushing it around the house. After playing with his new toys and charming all the relatives, Jack returned home to rest up for Christmas. He will need his sleep, as there are more gifts to open and more snacks to eat!

One!

Happy Birthday to Jack! Here's what he's been up to lately: He continues to be the strong & silent type, not really saying many words yet, but he has definitely discovered his voice over the last few weeks. His new favorite way to communicate is to shriek/scream. He is working on saying what sounds like "hi", but still has no interest in saying "mama" or "dada" with any regularity.
He pulls himself up to stand, and will remain standing, unsupported, for up to a minute. He has taken a few tiny steps, but prefers crawling as his method of transportation. He has become very fast, and recently we installed a baby gate to block off the kitchen, as Jack also figured out how to open cupboards and drawers.
Jack now has 8 teeth - 4 on top and 4 on the bottom. He did go though a phase where he enjoyed biting me, sometimes when eating and sometimes quite randomly, but luckily he no longer finds that fun. Some other things he likes to bite into: bananas, Cheerios, almond butter & jelly on waffles, ground beef mixed with peas, sweet potatoes and graham crackers. He's not eating any baby food anymore, and has switched to table foods. He uses a sippy cup, and is getting much better at not spilling the contents all over the floor :)
We have yet to take him to his one year check up, but once he visits his pediatrician, I will be sure to share his stats. He is growing quickly now - we are guessing that he is at least 27 pounds. He's turning into a toddler and losing his baby shape...it is rather bittersweet.

The Birthday Boy was decidedly unimpressed with the cake,

but he really enjoyed playing peek-a-boo with the plate.

The Triumphant Return!

At long last, I have been reunited with Internet in our apartment. I apologize to each and every one of you, as I know you have all been very disappointed with the lack of Jack updates for the last month. To make up for it, I will be sharing all 439 pictures currently stored in my camera!

Just kidding.

Here we are at the library, where Jack was trying to please his fans by updating the blog. He started working, then remembered that he is unable to type due to his rather young age. (This photo was taken back in November, so he was not quite one yet. I guess we can cut him a little slack, right?)