Look Who's Talking

After a laid-back start to talking, Jack has moved on to using two-word phrases this week.  His first was uttered at the playground.  Jack was standing near the fence watching the cars and buses and garbage trucks go by (as usual) when Kamala asked him if he wanted to go play with Sonja. To which Jack responded: "No way!"

Since then he has said "turn page" and "the end" while reading.  We taught him to say "again" (instead of whining) when he wants to read a book again, to which we usually say okay.  He now will bring us a book and say: "Again? Okay!"

He also said "upstairs" and "brush teeth" tonight when heading up to bed - and "all done" when he was finished.  Some of his words and phrases are really clear like "no way," but some are best understood by his parents for now.

In other news: Jack also developed new attachments this week.  He now takes naps and goes to bed with his stuffed kitty, which was the first gift I bought for him when I was pregnant. He really had no use for it until this week though!  He now usually carries one or more Hotwheels around with him most of the day.  But his biggest crush is on... Sonja!  

From Building Blocks

For a long time, I've asked Jack, "Who did you dream about?" when he wakes up.  He's not had an answer for me before so I usually start down the list of his daily interactions, "Did you dream about Mommy? Daddy? Kamala?  Sonja?"  Every day this week, when I've asked the question, Jack immediately says, "Son," his name for Sonja!  Kamala also reports that Jack landed a kiss on Sonja this week too.  They always fall for the "girl next door."

Life's a Beach!

From Sarasota

Last weekend, we traveled down to Sarasota for Michael's cousin's wedding reception. We missed the main event in Antigua, but Rusty and Courtney's parents threw a great party to celebrate the happy couple.  This was Jack's first time meeting the Florida Tatone clan too. Jack had a lot of fun running around at the party - and dancing to Uncle Steve's rendition of some Neil Diamond classics.  Check out this video:

Jack also went to the beach for the first time on this trip.  He loved it!  We hadn't expected to actually go into the water.  The temperature was in the 70s but the water was still cold.  That didn't stop Jack.  He ran right into the water with his clothes on!  We couldn't keep him out - check out this video too:

Jack loved the sand as much as the water.  We are definitely going to plan a beach trip for this summer.  Here are some more pics from a great weekend:

Sarasota

Christmas Time Was Here...

We've got some new pictures to post from our mini-vacation to Florida this past weekend, but we are still overdue on holiday posts.  As our loyal readers already know, Jack made his second annual trip to Ohio for Christmas. 

From Christmas Part I

He was a better traveler than last year, but that's not saying much!  We've got friends who also made long treks for the holidays, but when we tried to share tales of travel woes with them, they told us that their kids slept half the way there.  That is not how Jack rolls.  We did buy a DVD player this year, which kept him busy for about 15 minutes at a time, but Jack prefers live entertainment, so we had a stash of toys, books, and snacks to fill the eight hours to Northern Ohio.

Once there, Jack had a great time though.  Jack was spoiled by all of his grandparents as you'll see in the pictures.  He also met up with the same Santa from last year.  They must have made a good connection since Jack got everything he wanted and more this year.

Enjoy these pics from Christmas, Part I in Vermilion and Lorain.  We accidentally used Nonnie and Grandpa's camera when taking pics for Christmas, Part II in Dayton, which we haven't retrieved yet, but look for those down the road (maybe summertime?)

Christmas Part I

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