Thanksgiving is so 2008

Since we joined Facebook, we've been too busy trying to make new "friends" to update our blog.  Jack hasn't figured out how to join yet (it's only a matter of months, I'm sure), so he's asked that we get back to the blog.  

We had a rough start to the year with several bouts of cold, flu, and an ear infection, but Jack is a healthy, happy, and growing boy now. He kicked off the year by surprising us with the alphabet.  He started calling out letters while playing with magnets on the fridge one day and hasn't stopped since.  He can recite the alphabet now, but often skips "N." He can also count to 12, but doesn't know 11. He started with letters and numbers and has moved on to words and animal noises.  It's been lots of fun to watch him grow up.

Thanksgiving 2008

Enjoy these pics from Thanksgiving with Nonnie and Grandpa. Jack had a great time with cousins Ethan and Michael.  He didn't try any turkey, but he had fun watching his Dad and friends playing the annual "Turkey Bowl" in the backyard.  No one was (seriously) hurt.

From Thanksgiving 2008

Today!

Nearly a year ago, I wrote a post about the healing power of Neil Diamond. Since then, despite the scurrilous rumors, I have not been bathing Jack's young ears with the music of Neil. Instead, he's been enjoying the tunes of Laurie Berkner and all the music-making toys in his arsenal. The kid is definitely into music.

Okay, I need to amend something I just wrote. I might occasionally sing a Neil song to Jack while he's splashing around in the bath. That doesn't explain the video Jen shot last night after the bath, though, where Jack picked up the triumphant finger-pointing cues from the big finale of "Coming to America" while I was putting on his pajamas.


We're now about 2 months behind on pictures, but I have finally off-loaded them from the camera, so I hope to get a few photo albums up soon. Thanks for your patience!

Santa Claus is coming to town

We are woefully overdue for some updates, and rest assured that the photos are piling up. We'll do a post-holiday wrap-up album that will go back to Thanksgiving.

We are in the middle of our annual Christmas sojourn to Ohio. This adventure starts in the Cleveland Metro area with Jen's family before heading down the road to Dayton late on Christmas Eve.

The roadtrip here was blessedly uneventful. We made use of a DVD player for the first time and this bit of technology helped to hypnotize our almost-18-month-old little guy for some of the ride. As parents, we felt a little guilty resorting to this trick, but as adults who needed to survive a 400-mile drive to northern Ohio, with plenty more miles ahead of us, we aren't going to be too hard on ourselves.

Today, in what can now be called an "annual tradition," Jen's mom, Debbie, took Jack to the Mall to see Santa. Jack was in pretty good spirits and, with a little coaxing from his mother, cracked a hint of a smile on Santa's lap.

From Building Blocks

Last year, I wrote about Jack's visit to Santa and that first picture. Be sure to click the link too see what a difference a year makes. It's fun to see our baby turn into a little boy. And, as a bonus, Santa was the same as last year! Do you think he was the real deal? Ho! Ho! Ho!

A good little monkey and always very curious

From Halloween and Election 08

Jen decided months ago that Jack would be Curious George this Halloween. Jack is a big fan of his Curious George stories, so this choice made a lot of sense. I was thinking a shark costume would have been more true to form since Jack has been an unpredictable biter (although he seems to be easing up on the biting.)

We weren't sure if Jack would wear his costume for the big Del Ray Halloween parade. (Click here for last year's pics.) Jen had tried the monkey headpiece on several times in the weeks leading up to the parade, and Jack would pull it off his head immediately. But it turns out Jack just wasn't willing to wear it until he had his full ensemble. Enjoy the pics in this monster album (pun intended) to see Jack and friends in their cute outfits.

Halloween and Election 08

The weekend of the parade coincided with a visit from my parents, and they didn't waste any time getting to work. Prior to their arrival, Jen and I had done some work to swap Jack out of the nursery and into a bigger bedroom with some floorspace to play. My mom and dad helped finish the job with new closet doors and baseboards in that room and other parts of the house. It was a great upgrade, and Jack seems to really enjoy his new digs.

From Halloween and Election 08

Jen and I don't get a lot of nights out together, so it's been really nice when our parents have been in town and we get to head out on the town. This particular weekend, we were thrilled to spend time with our newly-married friends, Chris and Shamila. We went to their beautiful wedding in August (courtesy babysitting from Aunt Niki) and got to catch up with them for a great night of food, drink and conversation. Of course, we were completely zonked by 9 o'clock (so pathetic!) but it was still a lot of fun.

After the parade weekend, Halloween night brought a nice procession of trick-or-treaters and an impromptu gathering of neighbors on the front stoop passing out candy. Jack was enjoying the proceedings until darkness set in, and then he got a little nervous as packs of kids in masks ran up to him and the candy bowl, so we went inside and mom fed him some dinner.

From Halloween and Election 08

In the album, there are also some fun pics from a visit to Aunt Lynne's house where her dogs, Gerdy and Tilly, are chasing (or being chased) by Jack. And, of course, we snapped a couple of moments where Jack is wearing his Baby Obama gear and then, after the election, reading the Washington Post. Enjoy!

From Halloween and Election 08

There Goes Speed Racer

I have a big album of pictures from a couple of weeks ago, including all kinds of fun shots from the Halloween Parade in Del Ray, my parents' visit and more. I'll put those up tomorrow. In the meantime, enjoy this short video of our guy, who is acting more like a little boy and less like a baby every day.

It's the time of the season for toddlers

From The Return of Mr. October

We're in the final week of October and, looking back on some of the pictures we took, I realize that this was a very active month for Jack. I was putting together a big album for this post and watching the last final innings of the Phillies winning the World Series when I realized I already had "Mr. October" album from last year. That was a "whoa" moment for me. Time sure does fly. Here's a couple of shots of Jack and his buddy, Alex, then and now.

From Mr. October

From The Return of Mr. October

At this point, Jack has advanced from walking to a funny little run. This causes some moments of mom and dad holding their breath because, inevitably, the boy trips. But he's getting better about catching himself and popping back up. The boy just doesn't want to slow down! I already miss the early days of walking where he held his arms up in the air for balance.

We're always amazed at how much Jack understands in his books and conversation. He points out all kinds of things he recognizes and is making new connections. He also takes direction (when it suits his mood.) It's a lot of fun to watch him develop.

The album below covers a lot of ground. There's photos from Sonja's 1-year birthday, which spanned our backyard as well as Danna and Sanjay's. We had a lot of little ones out on a beautiful day early in the month. Then there are a few pics from a Block Party we had to celebrate our neighbors from three doors down getting their citizenship (as well as have an early send-off for Julie and her family as the prepare for her foreign service tour.) Finally, there are pictures from Cox Farms, where Jack and Alex romped around in a pumpkin patch. Coming up in the next post-- Halloween pics!

The Return of Mr. October

Small, but mighty

A couple of weekends ago, we had a fun little breakfast outing with Josh and Jenn, and their awesomely fun son, Austin. Jack and Austin are old friends (if one can use that expression with a 15-month old) and now that they are both on their feet and moving around, the playground is the place to be.

From The Blue Park

The big discovery at the playground that day was a small car that a little kid in a Spider-Man costume brought but abandoned while he was on the equipment. Jack grabbed the car and had it for about 30 minutes (I gratefully thanked Spider-Man's dad for the loaner.) Our industrious son spent that time pushing the car around. I'm not sure why it didn't occur to him to get in the car, but hey, he was having fun. Austin enjoyed it, too.


Click the album for more pics from the park.

The Blue Park

Reading is FUNdamental

Jen insisted I title this post as you see above because she remembered an "ad campaign from the 80s to make kids want to read." Kind of nerdy, but it turns out the program is still around! Pretty funny.

If you know Jack, you know how essential reading is to his day. From first thing in the morning to his tuck-in at night, Jack wants his books! It's a great way to spend time with the boy, and he's extremely attentive to his stories. He examines the pages left-to-right and turns them one at a time. He's been turning the pages for practically as long as we've been reading to him.

Jack has a small bookcase that stores most of his books, and he fetches the ones he wants you to read and brings them over to you. Sometimes-- like this morning-- he gets a book and hunts you down (I was in the kitchen) and basically insists that it is time to read.

Jack also will pull out a book on his own. Enjoy the video below to see our little guy in action.



UPDATE: For some reason, this video isn't loading correctly. You can click here to view it in another window until Google gets their act together. (Yes, I just blamed Google. How could it be my fault?)

15 months!

Jack turned 15 months old today. We decided he officially became a little boy last weekend when we visited Jen's family in Ohio and Jack got his first official haircut.

From First Haircut and Lake Erie

What a little champ! Jen, Grandma Debbie and Steve all took Jack to see Joe at the barber shop in Vermilion shortly after our arrival. Jack had a great time and didn't fuss our try to jump down off the booster seat. With his wispy hair trimmed up, he graduated from babyhood to boyhood.

Another part of becoming a little boy is falling down once in a while and learning to get back up again. Jack took a little spill on our front stoop the day before we left for Ohio. He bit his lip and scraped his chin on the brick. This happened on Dad's watch and I was pretty upset about it. After a bit of crying, Jack contentedly sucked on a piece of ice wrapped in a paper towel and calmed down. Before long, he was ready to play again. Jack gives us so many reasons to be proud of him.

First Haircut and Lake Erie

So many steps!

Where have we been? Many apologies for how long it's taken to update the site with the latest and greatest from Jack's world. Now that he's walking, it's a whole new ballgame. It takes a lot of energy to chase your little boy around!

From Summah Fun

This summer was a blast. We spent a lot of time on the playground, in the backyard with our little inflatable swimming pool, and playing with the neighbor kids. Jack has a great disposition and really enjoyed all the activity that comes with sunny days and blue skies.

We had one hiccup this summer. Jack got a pretty nasty cold that lasted-- as promised by the doc-- 10 days before it finally cleared up. The poor kid was miserable with congestion and lost his appetite. Mom and dad were frantic keeping him hydrated and attempting to interest him in food. The one bright spot was that he managed to sleep through every night-- even on nights when he woke up briefly with coughing or sneezing fits. Such a little champ!

Enjoy the collection of pics from the album below.

Summah Fun