"All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth... My Two Front Teeth...My Two Front Teeth"

Well...Ok, I'll settle for just one front tooth!!!!
Finally... I have one itty bitty tooth to dig into all of my toys. I obviously don't need it for chewing since I do just fine with my gums, but it sure is cool to touch with my finger, and Mom's thrilled that it's looking more positive that I might escape the odd missing-tooth gene that runs in the family. :)

Once it gets a little bigger, Mom will try to take a picture of it to show the world (or just the viewers of my blog)!

Merry Christmas, Everyone!!!

9 Months Old!

It feels like it was just the other day when I turned 8 months old! But 9 months- now that's a milestone... 3/4 of a year old. I'm just shy of 20 pounds and I'm 30.25 inches long. My weight gain has bumped me to the 50th percentile, while my freakishly long body keeps me in the 95th percentile. If you've seen my dad, it would all make sense...But the big growth has been in my head! It's now 18 inches, bumping me into the 50th percentile (it's always been around the 10th percentile until now). My Nagy says that little heads run in the family, but we'll see!

I'v accomplished a lot this past month:

*I've survived my second cold (and my first fever!).
*I've learned how to walk while only holding onto mom's fingers (I use my own strength to do it, and just use mom for balance...and I'm fast too!!!). I'm working on using only one hand and holding the coffee table with the other.
*I've figured out how to get underneath and around just about anything that's in my way or piques my curiosity... ANYTHING. I crawl under the dining room chairs, I crawl inside my exersaucer... under my walker and rocking horse...under the lazyboy when dad's relaxing...and of course, under the Christmas tree!!!!
*I've figured out how to get into the sit position after crawling...it's a lengthy process but it works. Aunt Amy showed me a few tips, but in the end - I figured out a completely different way to do it.
*I've started "dancing" when there's music on... well, sort of - at least I bounce a little and wave my hands and kick one leg. It all stops when the music is off.
*I've eaten so many new foods too - cheese, yogurt, bread, all kinds of veggies and meats...whatever mom and dad are eating for dinner!
*I THINK that I said "doggie" on numerous occasions now. Mom and Dad aren't sure if I really said it, but I only say it when Hannah or Otis come near me.
*In addition to doggie - I have added several other words to my vocabulary, like bababa and kakaka and anything that follows a sloppy raspberry. This morning, I was whining and reaching up at mom and said "mamama" - she thinks I was calling for her, but we all know it's too early for that...or is it???
*I met Santa Clause (see previous post)
*Most importantly - I've learned how to get what I want. I now SCREEEEAAM whenever I drop something (which I like to do repeatedly), or when I'm bored, or when I want something that mom took away from me, the louder I scream, the quicker I get what I want. :) It's my new trick. They try to resist, but in the end, mom and dad cave in every time.

All and all, it's been a great month! I had a blast during Thanksgiving at my friends Ella and Kellyn's, and then again at Aunt Jill's wedding! Can't wait until Christmas - Mom says there's tons of stuff under that big shiny tree for me... I like the wrapping paper, in fact, I've already started unwrapping most of the presents (even the ones that aren't mine - sorry if one of those is yours).

And oh ya... still no teeth but the doc said my gums were swollen today (though she said that 2 months ago).

Aunt Jill's Wedding

Aunt Jill and Uncle Chris got married on Saturday, and I got to go to the wedding!!! My babysitter and her family were sick so Mom and Dad packed me up and brought me to the wedding. I had a blast...I even got to dance a few times!!!

Check out our pictures here...Kruger Wedding

Me and Santa

I met Santa for the first time. Everyone thought I would be scared of him but I wasn't - he's a pretty cool dude! I especially loved his long beard and big red suit (red is my favorite color). Here's a few more pictures from my visit with Santa...

GO GATORS!!!

Birthday tracker

Aunt Kelly found this cool birthday tracker... Mom's still trying to figure out how to use it, but this is what it looks like. :)

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

My first Thanksgiving was a blast! We packed up and headed to my friend Ella's house for the day... I got to spend lots of time playing with my cousin Grayson and my Aunts while Dad and my Uncles goofed around on motor bikes that were WAY TOO SMALL for their tall bodies bodies. :) And for dinner, I got to eat turkey, squash and mashed potatoes. Here's a few pictures of our day.

I did it!!!

I've figured it out - I'm crawling!!! Well, it's not the most graceful crawl, but I can move one arm and and then one leg, then the other leg, but when it's time to move my other arm forward, it gets stuck under my legs and then I'm back to square one. Then I start all over again until I get to where I want to be. :) Dad's gone backpacking but he'll be so proud of me when he gets home!!!!

Look at me go!!!


How did I get over here????

My Dogs

Here's some pictures of me and my doggies (Hannah and Otis).





I love them soooo much! I smile and giggle every time they walk into the room. Hannah loves to kiss me... all over my head, my hands, my face, my ears.... Otis doesn't like to come near me though (he's jealous of all of my squeeky toys because he can't play with them). I think I'm starting to respect that Otis doesn't like me much because I don't reach out for him like I do for Hannah. Mom and dad thought it would be the other way around... that Otis would be by my side, since Hannah is older and set in her ways. But instead, Hannah is always checking on me - if I cry or yell - she comes running every time!

Otis will come around one day too... he's starting to pay attention to me (especially when I'm eating at the table like a big boy). Like last night - I was eating a cookie and Otis was sitting next to my chair, so I held it out to him and he licked it and licked it and licked it. Then Mom and Dad told him "NO", so I put the cookie back in my own mouth instead. They made "yuck" faces at me but I thought it tasted just fine. Oh well, maybe next time they'll let me share my cookie with Otis again.

8 Months Old

Today is my 8-month birthday. I feel like a little boy these days... no longer a baby! I just love all of the new things that I can do and say.

I've got a few words that I like to say regularly, but I'm the only one who knows what they mean: like Dobbin and Blaadin and banabanabana to name a few.... I also say dada but that's just what I call everyone (not just dad but mom, Hannah and Otis too). Mom and dad have been signing with me since I was about 6 months old - I think I'm starting to understand some of the signs, but I don't know how to use them yet (like doggie, no, quiet, more, help, and all-gone).

I'm not quite crawling but I'm still getting around just fine... I think I'd rather crawl with my feet and hands instead of my knees and hands. Mom (and my Nagy) have seen me attempt to do this several times now and today, I actually got to my toy by moving on my feet and hands (and sometimes elbows). Otherwise, I just scoot like I'm in the army and that works just fine for me. I've been pulling myself up on the side of the bathtub (dad gets scared when I do this) and if Mom puts me in front of the coffee table, I like to stand there and grab stuff - I've even taken a step this way! Luckily, Mom and Dad started protecting me from things like electrical outlets and the corners of the brick fireplace... Just wait until that Christmas tree goes up though - Wooohooo!

Mom and Dad measured me and I'm now 30" long and 18 pounds. Mom said I grew last week because all of the sudden, my 9 month clothes stopped fitting. :( It's no wonder that I'm growing because I eat so much now! I'm still a slow eater, but I eat large quantities when I'm hungry... my latest favorite is Dad's cream of wheat! Last night I ate some of Mom's green beans but they weren't as yummy. But mix anything with applesauce and I'm all over it! I eat three real meals a day, but I still love my bottles and have 4 or 5 of those a day too. I also love my cookies and cheerios... i figured out how to gently pick up one piece at a time and feed myself.

I've been feeling pretty good since my pneumonia last month...I've got the sniffles right now but it might just be allergies. I had ear infections with my first cold in September, and never again since then. And to this day, I still haven't ever had a fever (even with the pneumonia!!!). All and all, I'm doing pretty darn good. Mom said to knock on wood. :)

Here's a few pictures of me over the last few weeks... click here

A Word From Mom - Crawling

Each day, Jack does something new and exciting and it blows us away. Sometimes we think we can follow "the manual" and watch our baby progress through life, just as the chapters tell us he will (and usually, this works out perfectly). Then other times, we find that he does what he wants and only when he's ready. No practicing or warming up first... For instance - rolling from back-to-front. We tried and tried to "teach" him...countless hours on the floor with him, coaxing, cheering (also pulling in other resources, like tid-bits from Aunt Amy)- but in the end, one day he just decided it was time and we found him rolling all over the living room. Same with drinking from his sippy cup... he just chewed on it and played with it for a month or so, then one day he grabbed it and started chugging! Even laughing and smiling (I can't tell you how many cumulative hours we've spent trying get him to smile and then laugh). In the end, he just decided one day that he was ready, and then he ran with it.

So as far as crawling is concerned... this task is a tough one, but, he'll do it when he's ready (or maybe he'll skip this all together), and that's that. Worst part is - "the manual" doesn't rate this task as a milestone of any kind and Marc and I are very much goal-orriented people (we like to follow "the manual" through life checking things off as we go). Will he crawl soon? Only Jack knows... but for now, we're just going to have to watch him "scoot" across the floor to get around, which he does well. :)

Other new milestones - he started saying "da da" (more like "da da da da da" - so no, he's not choosing to say "dad" over "mom" as his first word). He's also using his pincer grab (using two fingers to pick things up) and has become quite precise with this. He pulls himself up, but only in the bathtub (real safe) and with certain big toys that he can wrap his arms around. He has even taken one step on his own, while holding on to the coffee table. And of course all of the other "manual" goals that should have been hit by 7 months.

By the way...still waiting on teeth too, but I'm sure he'll get them when he's ready. :)

Bath time!

Every night, I look forward to my bath time with dad. It's our time to bond with eachother, and play our own games, with our own toys... just me and dad. We both love this time together and even if I'm not dirty, it's just something that we do each night, together. It's our "routine". Anyhow, here's a few pictures of us goofing around during bath time.

Halloween

My first Halloween was a blast! Mom and dad and I sat on the porch with a basket of candy to hand out to the kids in our neighborhood. I loved watching the swarms of kids in costumes, and they all loved my costume too... What do you think? Mom always makes me wear silly things...

Arizona Trip

I just got back from Tucson to visit my cousins, and then Mommy and Daddy added on a couple of days at the Grand Canyon.
This was my second plane ride and again it was a piece of cake! The only problem was, I got a little excited and peed all over my clothes when Mommy was changing me in the teeny-tiny bathroom. But within 5 minutes I was back in my seat and in a new pair of britches.
While in Tucson, I got to meet my Uncle Chris, Aunt Emily, and my cousins Sarah, Sam and Ben who is 2 weeks younger than me. I also got to visit with Grammy and Grampy - I miss them so much!!!
While at the Grand Canyon, I got my first taste of hiking and I truley LOVE the outdoors! Mom and Dad are thrilled about that because as I get older, they plan to take me on more and more hiking and backpacking trips (maybe next time Otis and Hannah can come). It’s pretty fun, especially since Dad carries me on his back and I can just relax. Mom took tons of pictures (of course) - click here to see them!

Pumkin Patch

Mom and dad took me to the Pumpkin farm near our house. They thought that they would get a bunch of great pictures with all of the blue sky and bright orange pumpkins... however... with all of the blue sky and orange pumpkins, I had a hard time relaxing and I just didn't want to smile for the camera. :( Anyhow, here's a few pictures of our day...

A Word From Mom - The First 6 months

A few pictures from Jack's first 6 months of life. A lot has changed since those first few weeks... He's changed so much in such a short amount of time!
In chronological order:

month 1 - teeny, tiny


month 2 - huge hair loss


month 3 - huge weight gain


month 4 - huge length gain, and return of the hair


month 5 - rounded out some


month 6 - just plain long

Welcome!

This is me - Jack....
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