How we treat guests

Last weekend, we enjoyed a visit from Jen's family. Below, you'll find an album of pics from the weekend. Very quickly, you'll see pictoral evidence of the fact that "Grandma Boop" (a.k.a. Debbie) got to snuggle with her very snuggly grandson all weekend.

Steve, on the other hand, worked all weekend. Three years ago, we built a 10x12 foot deck to get the patio furniture out of the mud pit of a backyard we inherited with our lovely fixer-upper home. Imagine Steve's dismay when I asked if he'd kindly help me reconfigure and reposition that same deck. Result: not so many pictures of Steve (or me for that matter) as the weekend was filled with laboring. Oh Steve!

Very few family members get to visit here and avoid work altogether. We are very lucky to have so many handy people in our lives.

Debbie & Steve Visit

9 months old

This morning, Jack looked more like a little boy than the baby we brought home last summer. We are so happy to mark this day.

Here is a quick camera-phone pic of Jack I took before Jen and I left for work this morning. If you notice a mischievous sparkle in his eye, it is because he was plotting to grab the phone out of my hand about two seconds after I took the picture.

Hippity-Hoppity

We had a great visit from Debbie and Steve over the weekend, and, naturally, I have a fun new batch of pictures to post later this week.

On Saturday, Jen and "Grandma Boop" took Jack to the mall, which was very entertaining for him because of all the new things to see. Nothing-- not even Jack's trip to see Santa (also engineered by Debbie)-- could prepare the boy for the sight of a giant Easter Bunny.

I find the Easter Bunny to be the scariest holiday icon imaginable. Technically, leprechauns should be considered more frightening due to their well-documented evil nature, but they don't line up kids in shopping malls to sit on any leprechaun laps, so the Easter Bunny wins the scary freak award.

Curious about how kids typically react to the Easter Bunny, I did a little online reading and saw that kids get nervous about these things between 2 and 3 years old. Jack is still too young to make heads-or-tails of this bizarre tradition, but we'll get there.

Our Social Butterfly

Jack has had a great month. I hesitate to even type this because to do so is a sure-fire jinx, but for the past few weeks, he has been sleeping through the night. After our family suffered through a post-holiday series of ailments that included bouts of fever and cold symptoms, Jack was practically a newborn when it came to sleep. Once Jack recovered, it took a couple of days of sleep training for Jack to learn to sleep. Since then, he's been a little champion.

So what's new in Jack's world? Well, he's eating three solid meals a day. Lunch features yogurt, which is a favorite. He's a sitting champion-- no more toppling over. And he plays very well on his own with toys (but of course he loves it when you entertain him with silly faces and voices). Jack is very social and loves grabbing other babies. At bedtime, he turns the pages of the books you read him and in the morning, he is quick to turn on the smile machine. Enjoy the new album of photos.

March Madness

Let's Do Lunch

I have a serious batch of pictures from this month that I need to put up in a new album, but that will have to wait a bit longer. Highlights from this past weekend alone include lunching with Aunt Niki on the Avenue and visiting Jack's buddy, Austin. More pics and other updates as soon as Jen and I can catch our breath!

Our Growing Family

Today, my sister, Karin, gave birth to her second child. She and Dave named him Michael Jerome. Ethan has a brand new brother.

Finding His Voice

As Jack gets older, he is experimenting with new sounds. Jen and I are both talkers, so it stands to reason that Jack would follow suit. Lately, he's been working on projecting his voice (which sends the cats running.) Hope you enjoy the video!

Nonni Time

While my dad and Aunt Lynne were on their version of the Cannonball Run-- driving cross-country from Vegas to DC with Lynne's two dogs in the backseat-- "Nonni" got to enjoy some serious quality-time with her #2 grandson.

We had a fun weekend and even drove out to visit Matt, Mae and Alexander. On Sunday night, Lynne and my dad got to town (having set a land-speed record) so Grandpa got to enjoy his grandson all day on Monday before he and Nonnie returned to Ohio.

Nonni Swoops In

Let's play ball!

My mom arrived today for a weekend visit. Jack is very animated and chatty, which is just fine by Nonnie. He's finding ways to project his voice, too, which is pretty hilarious. And, of course, he's got his crazy little laugh.



There are a few more pics added to the end of the February album, so be sure to check those out.