Jack's Full Day

We have ourselves one great kid!

We had several errands to run and wanted to take Jack out with us. We were only planning a morning excursion to Babies R Us and a couple of other stores. We left the house at 11am.

We didn't get home until 7pm.

Jack only had a 45 minute morning nap, but we ventured out nonetheless. We shopped at Babies R Us and got a second convertible seat for the other car, a new bathtub, an Easter outfit, and some other little things. We met Wany and Ellie there and then ventured to Target.

Now Jack has developed a habit of falling asleep 5 minutes before we get to our destination. But, having the convertible seat now, we do not have the luxury of taking Jack in that and locking it into the stroller. Now, Jack has to be picked up and tends to wake up each time.

At Target, I took the newly roused Jack into the men's room to change his diaper. He looked very confused at all of the strangers walking in and out as he had his lower half exposed, but didn't complain. We shopped for a bit, then decided to hit Barnes & Noble. As we left, a man stopped us and said he we had a beautiful family. He also said he was the grandfather of seven and he knew good looking kids when he saw them. We thanked him and went to the car.

This time, Jack would be taken inside in the Baby Bjorn so he wouldn't wake up, but alas, he woke up and stared at me then entire trip. But, no complaints.

We then ventured to Grandma's house because Baby Kate was there. We went up and I ran out to get some lunch from Pita Inn for everyone. When I got back, Jack was napping and he stayed down for 75 minutes. We then ate and hung out with Grandma before leaving to venture to Woodfield.

Jack napped as we hit the stores and shopped around, constantly seeing people checking Jack out and others coming right up to tell us how cute he is.

Before we knew it, the clock read 6:30 and we had to get home.

But, not before visiting the Easter Bunny. By this point, Jack was very tired. You can see in the picture above he was not quite sure what to make of the 7 foot tall rabbit. But, no complaints.

Now he is asleep after a little bit of cranky crying. All in all, Jack was phenomenal being out for so long. He ate well, had OK naps, and was almost entirely covered with smiles! This kid will do great when we go down to Florida in May.

More pictures coming soon!

Round 3

Sigh.

Jack is on his 3rd round of antibiotics this week. This one is called Omnicef, it's relatively new, very potent and is also used to clear up sinus infections which the other medications did not. So maybe this will help????!!!!

We saw another doctor in the office as our doctor was on vacation this week. She was very nice to talk to and listened to my concerns. She said that some babies just don't respond to certain antibiotics and need to try different ones till one comes along that clears everything up.

The director at our daycare said the same thing. Her little girl had frequent bouts of ear infections and they went through round after round of antibiotics till they found one that worked.

Despite his ear infection however, Jack has been in good spirits as ususal. He plays well, eats well, is alert and as cute as ever. Every day Jack makes a new face to entertain his mom and dad and we LOVE it.

His pincer grasp is well developed. He picked up a Cracklin' Oat Bran (cereal) yesterday when it was offered to him. He promptly put it in his mouth. I think he's ready for Star crackers by Gerber. They disolve very quickly in baby's drooly mouths.

He's sitting up on his own longer and longer and even begin to 'right' himself when he starts leaning to the side or backwards. We sat him on the kitchen counter last night as he played with the bread bag. All those toys and he decided he wanted to play with the bread bag. Sigh.

Speaking of toys he doesn't 'use', Alex installed a mirror that plays music and lights up in the back seat facing Jack so he can be entertained while in his car seat. Jack barely pays it any attention at all.

However, since it's a mirror, when I adjust my rear view mirror slightly towards the backseat, I can see what our little man is up to. This morning the hoody on his light jacket fell over his eyes. He kept lifting his head in hopes of getting the hood out of his line of vision. Finally, he put his hands up on the hood and tried to remove the obstruction himself. When he succeeded in pulling the hood over half of his entire face instead, he began to get upset. At the next stop light I reached over to the back and pulled the hoody off his head. Jack looked up and all around to see where the magic hand that let him see again had gone. So cute.

It's not a milestone in his baby career, or a milestone in mine, but it's theses little moments I think I like the best. Every day is an adventure with this little guy.

Jack Dates

Jack was born on his due date
Jack was born in the year of the dog
Jack's room decor/theme is Snoopy (also a dog - and no, this was not done intentionally)
Jack's gift from my work, PSA, is a dog rocking chair named Norman
Jack had surgery on Halloween
Jack's gift form Emoh and Emoh-Boo (Wany and Jae) after surgery was a big fluffy stuffed dog
Jack turned 3 months old on Christmas day
Jack's 100th day celebration fell on New Year's Day
Jack's 6th month check up/Dr. appointment falls on Good Friday (Easter weekend)
We fly out to Florida the day Jack turns 8 months
Jack turns 9 months old on 6/25, also my friend Yea's due date

Jack's Third Movie!!!

Family Shots

Here are some new family shots we took this past weekend while enjoying the wonderful weather.

Beautiful Day!

With the amazingly beautiful weather, we took Jack for his first stroller ride outside not in his infant seat! That is right! Jack now rides in a convertible seat like a big boy!

What a way to celebrate his 6 month birthday! We cannot believe this little guy is half a year old! Weighing in at just under 20 pounds and 27 inches long, this kid is a beast!

Jack's Layout

Hope you like the new layout. Jack picked it out. So, all decisions on how it looks were based on direct input from a six month old. Grunts, cries, drooling, and spit ups designated which ideas made the template and which did not.

Jack to Star in Another Summer Blockbuster!

Jack just got cast in the new Batman movie! Hot off the success of his Superman feature, they wanted him to take over the Dark Knight! Check out the poster, test shots, and rough trailer for the movie below!

Jack Rolls Over!!!!!

19.5

Jack has finally slept through the night again after discomfort from his antibiotic. He is also up to 24-26 ounces a day and weighs in at 19.5 pounds! He has gained almost 4 pounds in the past 2 months! What a chunker!

Ba Ba Bas & Flips

Jack has said his first "word."

Out of nowhere, he started to repeat "ba ba ba ba ba ba ba" which sometimes comes out like "bla bla bla bla bla." He does it purposefully and intentionally and it is very exciting. It is only a short jump from here to Dada and Mama!

He also is an expert roller. He can now roll from back to tummy with almost no effort at all. On our bed he can roll from back to tummy to back to tummy, but not on the flat floor yet. Only a matter of time for this as well!

I will post a video of the rolling soon!

Full Body Diarrhea

Jack had a tough weekend with his antibiotic. While this one seems to finally be working for him, it has given him a really upset stomach. He wailed and complained most of the weekend and got up every hour on the hour last night. Around 1am, he went to sleep with Taylor in our bed and I took the couch so my snoring wouldn't wake him. He slept until 5am and had a better day today.

We also gave him a bath in the bathtub. I threw on some swim trunks and bathed Jack in a tub full of bubbles. He seemed to really enjoy it, especially the splashing. Taylor and I looked at each other with beaming pride.

Not even 2 hours after the bath, Jack began to poop. He had diarrhea and finally felt better after pooping. I took him from his mother's lap and laid him on the changing table.

The poop smelled like the smashed peas and oatmeal he had been eating. It was also leaking out of his diaper. In fact, it was a solid poop streak that was as wide as his back and all the way up to his neck. It was the biggest poop I had ever seen. So, Jack got a second bath.

Frustrated and annoyed, Taylor and I snapped at each other the remainder of the evening. But, upon seeing Jack happier and feeling better this morning, we apologized and made up.

Seeing Jack at daycare made the entire ordeal worthwhile. Jack's smile is magic.

Jack Goes For A Walk

The Great Sock Mystery

x2

Well, Jack didn't get over his ear infection. In fact, it spread to the other ear. Taylor took him to the doctor yesterday and the prescribed a stronger antibiotic. Sigh, hopefully this time it will work.

Jack has despite all of this kept a great attitude. He has been very happy despite the obvious discomfort. He even learned to roll from his back to his tummy!

He still manages to amaze us every day with how good he is. Methinks he is going to do something someday that will make us think differently about all the praise we are giving him now. Until then, he is a superstar!

Jack Thoughts, Volume 2

Enjoying the Weather

We finally received some nice weather after what seemed like an eternity. It was 70 degrees outside and we took a nice long walk with Jack. It was a bit windy, and you can see he was bundled up nicely in a blanket. Jack loved the wind and seeing the sky and trees, but true to form, he started dozing halfway through the walk.

Jack's Next Movie!

Future Modeling Career?

Super-Fudge!

Jack Thoughts, Volume 1

Squash

I decided to try giving Jack oatmeal again yesterday and he did very well. We tried it again this morning and he was even better. The kid wants to eat. Since he isn't doing as much from his bottle anymore, we decided to call Dr Winiger to ask if we can take his solids to the next level.

She gave us the OK to try yellow veggies first, then green if he does well. On her way home from work, Taylor bought squash for Jack and he LOVED IT! The kid ate it down like there was no tomorrow. We were both extremely excited to see him going at it so well.

Now, we just keep it up with the squash for a week to make sure he is not allergic and then we try sweet potatoes. If that goes well, then peas! The possibilities are opening up for Jack and we cannot wait to try everything with him!

Sleep Cycle

Jack is in the middle of Day 5(of 10) for his antibiotics for his ear infection. The fever is now gone, the coughing almost gone, and the flatulence at an all time high. He has pooped once each day for the last 4 days and gotten it on his clothes twice at day care.

He has also taken to being cradled to sleep, which he has not done since he was 2-3 months old. Taylor said it best when she told me she missed holding this 20 pounder like a baby again.

But, the price this illness did was cause the wonder of Jack sleeping through the night to end. Over the past 2 weeks, he has gotten up almost every night either around midnight or 1am to just waking up early at 4 or 5am. I have slept through almost all of them, but Taylor has been getting up to check on him and get him back to sleep. It was due to coughing before, but now it is because he has kicked his blanket off and is cold.

Silly Fudge.

Hopefully once the antibiotics are all done, he will go back to his old habits. If not, we are in for a rude awakening (no pun intended) after being spoiled by sleep filled nights.

Trooper

The source of Jack's eye scratching and latest bout with crankiness has been solved.

Taylor took him to the doctor today because his gasping coughs and slight temperature had us concerned. Dr. Winiger determined Jack had an ear infection. Despite being on the tail end of it, she said it was the reason for the fever, the sinus pain that caused him to scratch at his eyes, and the fever.

The amazing thing is Jack still was not that bad attitude wise with the infection. He still played, had fun, and was in overall good spirits. This kid is a trooper of the highest caliber. I am very proud of him.