Jack and the Foam Blocks

Jack in DC

China town

Hanging out with Gramps at Potbelly's.

Ate a pork bun (yes, they gave him some which explains the look on this face in his picture).

DC was HOT! So humid....Jack cools off with a nice cool bottle of water against his Fudgy cheeks.

Frequent Flyer

Jack is officially the greatest baby in the world.

Well, ok, that was official the day he was born....

He is now officially the best infant traveller of all-time!

Both the trip to DC and back, he slept like a champ and didn't cry at all. That makes a total of 4 plane trips that he has not had any issue. On 2 of those flights, other passengers told us how every child should be like that on a plane.

Taylor and I are still waiting for the other shoe to drop. It will probably happen with the next one.

Big Kid Now

Jack is just about to be 10 months old and he has grown leaps and bounds recently.

He can now stand on his own for 30 seconds.

He can now take small steps forward without help.

He is eating food like a champion.

We are so proud of this little guy. To think that 8 months ago he had surgery is just amazing. The scar has already practically disappeared.

I look at this kid and I don't see a baby anymore. He has grown into a child. It is very weird to see something that you watched grow from literally nothing to a living, breathing person. It changes your outlook on the world and the things we choose to believe in. It makes me want to change things in this world for Jack so that he can live a life as good as the one I have been privileged to have.

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Jack makes some amazing faces. Nothing groundbreaking or anything like that, just faces. His eyes are bright and light up and his little grins just amaze me every time I see them. The best thing is that you can never catch one in a photograph. They are split-second looks that just connect him and me and I know how much he loves me. He doesn't give these looks to everyone. Sometimes I see him give them to Taylor and it just makes me happy to see. When Jack makes those faces, I know he is happy. And that makes me happy.

How I Found Jack In His Cribs This Morning (Part 2)

Taylor went out of town yesterday, so it is just Father and Son for the longest period of time ever. For the next week, there will be no Mommy to rescue Daddy when Jack wakes up crying at night. There will be no Mommy to get Jack in the morning when he wakes up while Daddy is in the shower. And, most importantly of all, there is no Mommy to put Jack to bed at night.

I have always had difficulty putting Jack down for the night. I think he knows I am for playing and Taylor is for serious business. But, this week I have to do it. I just got him down for the second night in a row. Lets see if he stays down for the count.

As you can see, this kid is a violent sleeper. I found him like this, completely asleep at 6AM. I don't even want to get into the fact he won't crawl. If he can do this, he better start moving across the floor when we want him too!

A Star Is Born!

I completely forgot to post this when it happened, but Jack made the cover of Wired magazine!

Wired had an insert in the magazine that the first 3000 people to login to a provided website would be able to upload a photograph to be featured on a single copy of the magazine mailed in June. The instructions said no photos of babies or pets, but I sent one of Jack anyway.

It arrived in the mail last week. Fudge is a star!

If you think the image at left is computer generated, take a look below at Jack holding his likeness! Look how proud he is!

Cherries

Taylor let Jack taste a fresh cherry. His reaction was priceless.

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