How I Found Jack In His Crib This Morning...

Notice that the blankets are perfectly laid as if no one had been firmly tucked under them 8 hours earlier. This kid is getting a magic set as soon as he is old enough.

Jack Loves Oral-B

My dad sent a case of toothbrushes for Jack a while back. We figured now was a good time to introduce him to it. He stuck both ends in his mouth and banged it on the wall, but I think we found his new favorite item (at least for the next 24 hours).

Jack's First Haircut!

Well, we did it! Jack got his first ear-lowering today. He was very well behaved. He didn't squirm or move his head at all. He even got a toy school bus for being so good. Take a look at the slideshow below to see Jack's new coif!

Jack: Cool As Ice

Father's Day Collage

New Layout

I decided to spice up the site. It was looking kind of drab. What do you think?

Jack likes it. :-)

9 Month Checkup

Stats:

Weight: 21 lbs 6 oz
Height: 28 inches
Head: 17.75 inches

Shots: 1

All in all, Jack is doing well. He gained 2.5 pounds since the 6 month mark and his head circumference grew a quarter inch. His length was debated since 3 different people got 3 different measurements. We came to the conclusion that he was 28 inches, which was only a half inch bigger than his last appointment. Taylor, the number cruncher that she is, was upset that he doesn't seem to be growing as much as he did before. She always thinks the worst. Jack is still in the 60-70th percentile for all three measurements, which is still a big kid. I think he is going to have a big jump between now and the one year appointment. Time will tell.

Dr Winiger also predicts Jack will be walking right on schedule. This of course means he is a late walker in Taylor's mind since he isn't an early walker. Sigh.

Dr Winiger told us not to worry because he looks healthy and is happy and that is all that matters. Sure, I wish Jack was a big burly monkey and breaking records in growth, but he is only 9 months old! He has plenty of time to get big!

We also have to stop weighing him and measuring him at home. We are always getting bigger numbers than the doctor's office, which invariably makes us disappointed. We are getting a little crazy here.

His next checkup is at one year and he gets no shots (Yay!), but he will need to get blood drawn (Boo!).

Father's Day

I cannot believe I am a father. Sometimes it still seems so surreal. Yet every single time I look at Jack I cannot imagine anything else.

He had some chicken pot pie yesterday. He likes it!

Jack has choked twice in the last week. Most recently, he almost turned blue. It was the scariest thing I have ever seen. Taylor and I are signing up for infant CPR class.

Jack's first haircut is scheduled for next Saturday. Stay tuned!

Cheeri-O!

Jack has taken a liking to Cheeri-Os.

He can't quite eat a whole one yet, but broken in half he loves them. Each morning when I take out the box and begin pouring myself a bowl, his eyes light up like it was Christmas morning. It is the cutest thing in the world.

Jack Stands!

Jack at Cantigny

We took Jack to Cantigny Park, the site of our wedding photos. It was a beautiful day and we got some great shots of the little guy. This was his first outing wearing "big boy" clothes (i.e. not a onesie). He did well, his belly getting exposed less frequently than we thought. It was a very fun adventure.

Trailer for Jack's New Film

The majesty....
The power....
The emotion....
Coming Soon To A Theater Near You....

Dadadadadadadadada....Deet!

Jack has been babbling like a mental patient the last week. There has been a sudden explosion of language from him, starting with when we got to Florida. He does not stop talking these days.

The ear infections are back, causing little Jack to be very clingy and congested. He has not slept through an entire night in a long time. He finally broke his high fever yesterday, which at least means he is on the mend.

The teachers at daycare really missed him. Despite our problems with the place, it is nice to know Jack is cared about and loved.

Taylor and I have discussed entering Jack in some baby modeling. We think he has the looks for it, but it could just be parental vanity. We will wait until he is a year old before we do anything, though.

Jack Goes To Florida

Jack had quite the adventure in Florida. A detailed post will follow shortly, but to tide you over here are some photos from the entire busy week.

Jack Sees The Ocean!

Jack Balking Wackwards

Mr. Fudge Goes To Florida

In case you didn't know, we are all in Florida right now enjoying Jack's first trip away from Illinois. He did fine on the plane and we will have TONS of pictures to share when we return. Stay tuned for that update on June 3rd!

Jackson Bites The Table REMIX

Chipotle and The Park

Jack's Uncontrollable Laughter

Jack finds things falling down or smacking into each other very, very funny.

Jack Jack Plays Blackjack and Goes Smack Smack

Self-explanatory.

Officially: "Ma Ma"

Ok, we have come to the conclusion that Jack's official first word is "Ma Ma." He directs it specifically towards Taylor and uses it only when he really needs comfort. Sigh, I was hoping the first word would be something like "jackass" or "Cubs." But, "Ma Ma" will have to do.

Fudge Status

Jack is doing great.

His sleep has been off lately which has him waking up at 2 or 3 in the morning and then again at 5am. He just goes right back to sleep when we get him, though. Once we return from Florida, the sleep training will begin.

The kid sweats like nobody's business. It is tough to tell how he will deal with visiting my family in Boca Raton. Hopefully we can crank the A/C up for the little guy.

Currently, he has formed 4 "words":

Bla Bla

Ma Ma

Ba Ba

Da Da

But, the only one that he seems to use often is "Ma Ma," which represents both security/safety and wanting to eat. Taylor still doesn't think he knows what he is saying, but I think Jack associates Taylor with security, safety, and bringing him food.

Not quite crawling, not quite walking. Sitting very well.

Possible dandruff/exczema.

All in all, Jack has been amazing. His favorite food right now is bananas and tonight he is trying some potato. In Florida, we may even make him some chicken!

This is the best time to be a parent.

Jack Says "Ma Ma" (Sort of...)

Fudgy Bangs

Jack's hair is getting longer every day.

My mom keeps asking when we're going to cut his hair.

His hair may be getting longer, but they are still very fine and sparse!

6 Hours

That is the amount of time that you need to watch for side effects from head trauma.

Yep, you guessed it: Jack took his first fall.

Taylor was getting Jack ready for bed last night and she turned for just one second (isn't that the way it always is?) and Jack leaned a little too far and did a somersault onto the floor from the changing table. He landed flat on his back and she said he did not cry at first. She, of course, screamed, which sent Jack into hysterics. It took a long time for him to calm down and he fell asleep.

I was in the kitchen and ran to see what happened. While Taylor calmed him to sleep, I called our doctor and asked if we should do anything. She told me the same information I read in the Mayo Clinic Book and the What To Expect The First Year book. She said if we did not see any swelling, bumps, or discoloration, there was a much smaller chance of head trauma. But, we did need to wake him up every 2 hours for 6 hours and make sure he would get up. Any vomiting, lethargy, or general strange behavior were other warning signs. The kid really did not have a scratch on him; not even a bump or a bruise.

He slept like a baby.

This morning he awoke and was happy as could be, and more than likely already memory free of the fall.

Taylor was (and still is) very upset. She blames herself and feels horrible that this happened. I kept telling her that even if she was standing right there and turned to close the diaper bin or grab some powder, Jack still would have fallen and she wouldn't have been able to react. It was not like she left the room, she just moved a foot away from him.

I can tell you that we will both be extra careful with Jack from now on. I guarantee Taylor will be in OVERPROTECT mode for at least the next week or two.

On top of everything, when I checked in on him this morning, he was asleep on his stomach. He flipped himself over in his sleep for the first time. That was definitely a cool sight. He was also rolling around like crazy before bed. This kid is going to be trouble.

*************
Taylor's side note: I had a dream over the weekend that Jack fell. I couldn't remember how or from where, but he fell and I'd just casually mentioned it to Alex. Weird.

House of Pain

We are all sick. We all essentially have the same problem. We caught some kind of virus/bug.

We all have the poops (Jack alone had 6 watery, runny BM's today and went through 4 outfits). Alex and I are vomitting. Oh, and I almost forgot....to show that he is part of the family, Newt puked by our patio window. Sigh.

Our first family illness.

Alex and I are taking in Gatorade when our stomachs can tolerate it and Jack downed 2 ounces of Pedialite which I think we'll send to daycare tomorrow as well as a few more changes of clothes. Other than the messy BM's, Jack is just his usual self, no fever, no complaints.

We wiped down everything in the house - door knobs, light switch plates, handles to the faucet, all of Jack's toys that would withstand a little water and bleach, and Alex re-washed by hand every single nipple and bottle base in the house. We do NOT want to recycle this bug.

I think Jack is getting over the bug. When I went in to check on him he was in the same position I'd left him when I put him down to bed. He is sleeping very soundly and is motionless (which we read is restorative sleep).

I hope we are done with this tomorrow.