Drumroll, Please

After months of intense practice, Jack is ready to debut his newest skill.

We'll need a volunteer from the audience to assist.

Your line: "How Big Is Jack?"

His (non-verbal) response: "SO Big!"

Self Feeding: Spaghetti

Shortly after these pictures were taken, little Mr. Messy had a bath.

Then it was dinner time & we started the process all over again :)

Splish Splash

Jack reached a very important milestone today. He figured out how to splash! As you can see, he took to it very quickly. So quickly, in fact, that I was soaking wet by the end of his bath. The entire bathroom was too, thanks to the fact that he discovered how to use his toys to splash the water even harder. He had so much fun - which is good, since he's a bit under the weather today and had been a little grumpy. Splashing perked him right up again!

Cause & Effect

When you sleep like this:

You're bound to get hair like this:

I am so excited that he finally has enough hair to have a little bedhead. It's not much - but it's a start! PS: You may have to click on the 2nd picture to actually see the bedhead. It's there...really!

P-I-Z-Z-A!!

Since Jack decided to get up for the day at 4 this morning, I ran out of energy before dinner. Luckily, Daddy picked up a pizza on his way home. Jack loves pizza. He ate 1.5 slices, plus a banana. Hopefully all that deliciousness will fill his little tummy and put him to sleep. I could really go for a full 8 hours of sleep. I think I'd like that even more than the pizza!

Where's Jack?

Today, let's play a little game. Your mission: find the baby in the giant pile of toys. With all these options, which did he choose to play with, you ask? Today, it was a frying pan he stole out of the dishwasher to beat against anything & everything in the living room. He then tore up some kleenex - perhaps he was seeking revenge from all that nose wiping? He also enjoyed pushing an empty cup around the apartment. He keeps busy, that is for sure!

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!!

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.

One, Two, Skip a Few..

...and now we're in November! I missed a few days of pictures..I apologize to all of Jack's adoring fans who were sitting by their computers, anxiously awaiting daily updates. To make up for my lack of posting, here's an extra cute Jack smile for you. He's recently taken to eating pastrami. Daddy will sometimes bring sandwiches home from work and Jack loves to help eat them. I heated up some pastrami for him today at lunch, and he refused to eat it. Apparently it's only good if it's from Daddy's plate!

Muffin Man

I made a batch of Pumpkin Banana Muffins today and shared one with Jack. He is hooked on pumpkin! He also had some pumpkin puree mixed with vanilla yogurt & cinnamon for lunch. I am thrilled that he is a fan of my favorite fall vegetable. Now the challenge will be getting a muffin before they all disappear - since everyone in the house loves them!

Another great thing about the muffin: Jack ate one by himself at dinnertime! He is becoming so self sufficient. Messy - but self sufficient :)

Stroll & Snack

We hit the road today. Jack was in his stroller, while Cassady, her friend & I did the strolling. With summer-like temperatures, we just had to get out of the house. And we sure did! We took a four hour walk, visiting a few stores and getting lots of fresh air. We ended up being gone longer than I'd planned, so it was a good thing I had some snacks stashed away in the stroller. Jack does not like to be kept waiting when he decides it is time to eat!

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?!?

The Taste Test

Now that Jack is eating a more varied diet, it's really fun to give him bites of what we are eating. Today for lunch he tried YoBaby yogurt (not a success - I think it's because it was cold. He hates cold food.) and some macaroni and cheese. He really liked the macaroni and cheese, but in true Jack fashion, he refused to feed it to himself. Maybe it is a texture thing - he will feed himself crackers and Cheerios, but not "wet" foods. I'm sure he'll start self feeding someday...right?

The Big Cheese

As my clever and witty title, suggests, Jack tried some cheese with lunch today. He seemed to enjoy it, but refused to put it into his mouth himself. I tried putting it on the edge of the high chair tray, putting a piece in his hand...neither worked. I even demonstrated what to do by having a bite of the cheese (sacrificial, I know!). He won't put anything in his mouth but Cheerios, biter biscuits, and my old cell phone. Perhaps I will have to tempt him to self feed using more exotic foods than green beans and cheese...any ideas?

The Green Bean Machine

After having his meal, which consisted of squash & zucchini as well as pears & raspberries, Jack was still feeling a bit peckish. I gave him a few green beans to try and he loved them. I also slipped him a few spaghetti noodles and he thought those were tasty, too. He really liked eating the green beans, but he refused to even attempt feeding himself. He kept his hands at his sides and let Cassady & me do the work of getting them into his mouth. He is apparently not into self service. And really, I don't blame him for enjoying being waited on hand and foot!

The Drinking Game

Jack has decided that he loves water. He is getting better at using his sippy cup, but prefers to drink from water bottles or cups. I'm honestly not sure how much water he actually consumed during dinner tonight, but he certainly enjoyed holding the cup. He also really liked dumping all the water out of the cup. Of course, he then got mad that the water was gone. We are still working on figuring out the concept of cause & effect!

The Midnight Snack

Well...technically it wasn't midnight when Jack decided that he needed a little something in his tummy. Naturally, he decided on Cheerios and a few biter biscuits. He tries very hard to eat the Cheerios without help - and he is getting better at it. The biter biscuits are easier for him, but they're super messy. Plus, then he doesn't get in the self feeding practice. And, it's really fun to watch him wrestle a Cheerio & he gets all excited when he gets it into his mouth. He's fed and we're entertained. It's a win-win!

Where's The Beef?

Why, all over Jack's face of course! He has had it for dinner for the past week, and still gets excited about having more. A true test of how much Jack is enjoying a particular meal is to check how much he spilled. If he got his food all over himself, he didn't like it. If he does like it, he gets as much in his mouth as he can - no waste allowed. Other than a few traces on his chin, he was pretty clean after this meal. He is definitely not going to be a vegetarian anytime soon!

Cheerio, Dahling!

Since acquiring two very sharp little teeth, Jack has been all about biting anything he can get into his mouth. His very favorite items to gnaw on seem to be my cell phone, an old pair of Cassady's sunglasses and Cheerios. He still can't get the cereal in his mouth very well, but once we've helped him, he'll say "Mmmm!" Another fun thing to do with Cheerios? Dump the bowl all over the floor and watch Mommy pick them up. Then do it again. Repeat until bored. Then find the sunglasses :)

Chickening Out

Although you can't easily tell from today's picture, Jack was not impressed with his dinner. He tried some chicken, and while he did eat about half of it, he let me know that he was not eating any more. He used the cabbage patch face with great success, and mealtime was over. I honestly can't blame him on this one: jarred chicken just isn't right. It's got this gooey consistency, almost like silly putty (the same coloring, too). I think it's time to search for a good baby-friendly chicken recipe. Putty chicken just isn't gonna fly!