For the first time....

(Springtime pics taken at Lakeview Cemetery on April 27th....)

.. this evening as we headed out for a walk, Jack got upset at me for taking a toy away from him. I think it may have been his "first tantrum"! While this is, I am sure, an exciting milestone in his cognitive development, I am not all that excited about what this means for the future of my happy, easy going, content-with-whatever-is-at-hand baby. As I watched my toothy little boy yell at me from his stroller, I felt, suddenly, just how fast we are hurtling toward toddlerhood.

The funny thing about this is: the object that he go so upset over. Yeah. It was the dog leash. After I relented and let him hold onto a part of it for the rest of the walk, he was perfectly content again, gumming and gnawing away on the grimy leather. To think, some people sterilize their baby bottles....

In other news:

I am not sure if I've reported yet that he now has 6 teeth. The 6th one came in the day after I responded to a BZ poll that he had 5. Spoke too soon. I can really see his top teeth now when he smiles and laughs and it makes him look so different! He is also learning how to use those teeth effectively on mum-mums. Thankfully he is not yet (knock on wood) using them while nursing.

We are thinking that if Jack ever decide to crawl, he's probably going to do the bear-walk variety. One of his new favorite games is being supported to stand, then hinging from the hips to reach down to the floor for something. Of course he takes it for granted that we'll hold him up. He is not too happy if I let him slide down onto his belly on the ground!

We have discovered that Jack likes cinnamon. I gave him a bite of my cinnamon oatmeal the other morning and he loved it. We are now adding a dash of cinnamon to all of his cereal experiences and he has nearly doubled his cereal consumption.

And, thanks to the emergence of stranger anxiety, I am finally starting to feel like the little bugger may like me, after all. He's been earning money for his college fund left and right by fussing when I leave him with someone else, and reaching out for me when I reappear. I may not look upon this behavior so fondly in the future but for now, it feels pretty good, this evidence that my baby thinks I'm someone special.

Oh yeah-- and the kiddo is 8 months old. Actually 8 months and 2 days. I remember back when we used to count his age in days, then in weeks. Now I am hardly keeping up with the months. Soon it will just be years. Egad. Time does fly...

In bloom....

The whole world is growing, so fast it is almost audible. The flowering trees are glorious, every branch coated so fully with blossoms it's as if they have always been that way, and always will be. The imitation of permanence is so convincing I almost take them for granted. The world is awash in "spring green," and the air smells like budding leaves and new grass. Jack and Cor and I had a simply delicious walk this evening, out in all this glorious spring. The sort of evening where I could walk forever. Jack happily played with his feet, took his hat off, said a lot of stuff that all sounded like "ahhhh" and looked around at the sun. I narrated the tour with a description of every flower I could see, and some commentary on house architecture. Corydon sniffed a lot.

Jack's new flashes of the day:

* His FIFTH tooth is coming in. Yep, 5 teeth. The kid is a dental overachiever. My boobs are a little concerned.
* He can now sucessfully feed himself every 3rd Cheerio or so. He has also decided that he likes matzo crackers.
* He can spin in a circle using his belly as a pivot point. He is also pushing his entire upper body and even his hips off the ground with his arms. Just no apparent desire to GO anywhere.
* His 12 month size clothes are fitting much better than I thought they would when I bought them for summer...! They seemed so big when I brought them home. All of a sudden they're the size of Jack.
* He is very opinionated about being laid down these days. Almost every time he is laid down on the changing table he complains loudly-- until we start Pooh singing his "up, down, up" song, that is.
* The night before last he slept for 8 hours straight, 10:30pm-6:30am. I was hoping it might be a habit, but last night we were back to our usual (as of late) schedule, up at 12, 3, and 6.
* He knows to clap on command ("clap, clap, clap") and was all about the clapping today on our walk.
* He is saying "da da da" a lot, with some "ba's" and a lot of "ahh's". And sometimes, like last night, he screeches, seemingly for the joy of hearing his own screech. (15 minutes of it at bedtime...)
* When I tuck him in, he really likes to have his hair and his forehead stroked. He'll look up at me and relax visibly when I do it.

Jack's first Passover Seder

So Jack has been to his first seder, thanks to Uncle Phil who invited us to his family's event. Here's Jack being an "honorary" Jewish boy, with Phil's grandma. He was a super baby and really enjoyed the chanting and singing. He clapped along and bounced to a couple of the songs, much to everyone's delight. He also ate some matzoh. A good time was had by all.

He is feeling better than earlier this week (thank goodness) and actually slept for 5 straight hours last night. Five good ones, too, from 11 to 4am. I was very happy with the kid. Leave it to Jack to find a way to make us appreciate his somewhat crappy sleep habits. Get REALLY crappy sleep habits for a while and then we are so happy to have his old ones back again! The child really thinks things through.

His 2 front teeth are visible now. It's crazy how "grown up" it makes him seem all of a sudden.

The weather has been delightful the past few days, high 60's to 70's and sunny. The nice offshoot of this in baby land is that we get a lot more exposure to baby skin than we've had all winter. Doughy little arms poking out of short sleeves, round belly to kiss when his shirt pulls up. Today he was quite the boy in his jeans and t-shirt. Extraordinarily cute, that kid.

Thursday nights...

I just have to say that I enjoy the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month. Jack and I have a little ritual whereby we meet up at Starbucks (Jack gets chauffered by dad) and hang out with a straw and a latte, respectively. Then after Nat heads off behind the counter for his shift, and Jack has a little nip, we drive up to Target and shop around. There is always something we need and a whole lot of stuff on sale that we don't need. Tonight, for instance, we got a lot of scrapbooking ribbon from the dollar section. I am not sure if I will ever scrapbook again or not, but getting that ribbon sure seemed like a great idea at the time...
After spending gobs of money, we then head across the parking lot to breastfeeding group, or as we like to think of it: time with the drinking buddies. The past few meetings its been a bunch of little guys hanging around, drinking, in a room full of women with their tops undone. Sounds like a party to me! :) Tonight it was just us, Maya, and Jessica and Kenny. So we just sat around and chatted while the boys sat around and played and were generally too distracted and social to nurse much. It's a breastfeeding group in name only, sometimes...

Jack and I didn't stay too late there tonight as he is still struggling with his yucky cold. (see description of the illness on daddy's commentary page) He and I were BOTH pretty tired. But as exhausted as I am and as frustrated as I as getting with the non-sleeper-mouse, we still had a nice time on our evening out. The weather is sumptious, 65 degrees and calm. Hooray for no coats, especially as Jack now has a big boy car seat in BOTH cars. The days of the handle, and the cocoon cover, are over.... As a bonus for me, kiddo went to bed nicely. Who knows what's in store later tonight (please, please let it be some sleep!) but at least we had a nice bedtime.

Oh-- Jack (who is, by the way, 33 weeks old, egad!) has 4 teeth now. Four!! Those top two have come close on the heels of one another. mentioned this to Maya (our lactation consultant tonight) who said that in Russia they always said colds come with teeth! Perhaps there is something to that. At any rate the kid does have an excuse for the non-sleeping. This time...

And another funny thing about that baby... until tonight he had a phobia of his bulb syringe. Screamed like a banshee when he saw it coming towards him. The other day he even started fussing when we walked into the nursery! But tonight, he had a change of heart. Not only did he hold still for me to stick the thing in his nose, but he started giggling when is suctioned out the snot! Giggling! The first giggle I'd heard from him all day. He's an odd duck.

The ides of April...

Well, almost. Time flies. I am shocked to realize that it is halfway through April already, and I have only one blog post. Tsk tsk.
Here is your latest update:

Little boy is officially cutting his third tooth! We had suspected teething as he has had the world's reddest cheeks for a week or so, and was waking up at night even more than is usually his norm. And, sure enough, on Thursday I stuck my thumb in there and the right top front tooth is just beginning to show its pointy little self. His new teeth always get me a bit choked up. He is growing up so very quickly. I had just gotten used to his jack-o-lantern bottom-tooth grin and now its going to change again... and, he is going to be officially a danger on the boob, with teeth on both jaws! Be kind, my little one!!

On the topic of teeth, here is some noteworthy news. Today we brushed Jack's teeth for the first time. It's only taken us about a month...(sheepish grin)... He seemed to really enjoy it, leaving his mouth open and leaning in for more brushing. It was, like most things done by the Jackster these days, very cute.

Another news item-- we are making tremendous headway on the "Jack's playroom" project, and have, in fact, a functional room for playing in, even if I don't consider it quite done yet. Nat purchased the jazzy foam floor tiles at a sale last week and we have been inspired to really clean lean it out and to start painting over the yucky putty color on the walls. We aren't nearly done with the painting and I have yet to buy shelves/organizing bins, but we're getting there. Jack seems to really like it so far. He can pivot around on his belly with great aplomb on the smooth tile surface, and when he throws himself backward from sitting, he doesn't bump his head. Brilliant.

The photos above show the playroom in action, and no, Jack hasn't grown that fast! Today Randy, Amy, and the kids stopped by for a surprise visit on their way home from a trip to Lexington. Our house always gets a sneak preview of what life will be like in a few more years when the crew comes over. Three year-olds times three. Lots of adorable chaos. David and Hannah (shown above) LOVED going through Jack's toys in the playroom. Sarah was torn between playing there and playing with Jack. She's such a caretaker. Lauren is officially taller than me now and is a wonderful grown up young lady. And Randy and Amy continue to amaze us with how sane they remain, and what a good job they do with their children. Jack was pretty overwhelmed by the visit. He smiled at everyone and didn't cry at all, but was a pretty serious guy the whole time they were here. He's been babbling like crazy lately, but didn't say a word til everyone left. Little snob. :)

Speaking of babbling: He is now saying da-da. Nat is thrilled and sure he is referring to him. I am kind of thinking he is referring to the dog. Seeing as he has, on at least one occasion, looked right at the dog and said "da-da" to her. (before grabbing her foot and trying to chew it, of course). He continues to have a major love affair with that dog.
Other "likes" right now: He also is enjoying a game of throwing himself, face first, at pillows that are nearby. He continues to love plastic, straws, paper, and tags. He is also getting into some of his new toys. Today he enjoyed his leapfrog drum and also the little "heads" off of one of his wooden toys. Little faces and a tuft of yarn hair. He took all of them off their stackers and played with the yarn in the most studious manner. He is becoming a fan of table food. Today he ate two different kinds of toast, noodles and beans from our soup at lunch, and noodles and bread at dinner. Along with a LOT of carrots. (I'm a bit worried about how his poop will look tomorrow...) He's still pretty lazy about trying to feed himself. He's a total baby bird-- he'll sit there with his mouth open as his way of "telling" us he wants more. And he'll take just about anything off of my finger. Trusting little thing.

He's pretty darn cute, you know.

Here is is after a bath last week. Check out the mohawk.

And, about to dive bomb his dog. Don't believe her "long suffering" face. She laid herself down there on purpose!

Spring!!!

Spring is so good for the soul. We have had 5 days of nearly perfect weather, 50's and 60's during the day, sunshine, a few showers. Jack and Corydon and I have been able to take nice, long walks on a couple of evenings. Jack continues his obsession with Cor's leash. Yesterday he also enjoyed sitting up on the "big boy" setting on his stroller for the first time. I think he could see more than he is used to, and kept turning around, wanting to face forward in a way that he usually doesn't. The crocuses are out in all their glory and the world is greening up and its so fun to talk to him about it all. He seems to be very attentive to his first spring.

Tonight at bathtime he was into splashing again. That kid can move buckets of water, I swear. Nat wore his Starbucks apron to bathe him and it was soaked!

Updates on development: not too much is new but we are seeing a bit more moving around these days. The other day he managed to pivot about 90 degrees on his tummy during play time on the rug. He also is rolling onto his side like a banshee, especially when he is on his changing table. Nothing like the element of danger... He is babbling the cutest noises. He likes "B" sounds most of the time, and lots of ahhh's of varying pitches. When he is hungry or wants to be held he makes "mmmmm" sounds and we think he is using his open/closed hands to indicate that he wants something (its up to us to figure out what that something is!). He is into eating his toes whenever we are changing his clothes. Can't wait til its barefoot season and he can play with those feet more than a couple of times a day. Ok, I can't wait for barefoot season for a lot of other reasons, too....

Tonight he initiated peek-a-boo himself, holding his pants (yes, his pants, he likes to hold them when they're off for diaper changes) against his face then taking them off and smiling. I think his social interactions are his strength right now. He is getting into tickling and any other reciprocal game. Tonight at Target he was belly laughing as Nat played "near, far", pushing away and then running and catching the cart. Jack is also loving patty-cake and can anticipate the tickling part. He is clapping more and will do it in response to our clapping or even our excitement. And I *think* he is trying to wave, which is neat. He has got the most charming scrunch-face smile and continues to be a hit with his adoring public wherever we go....

He is also eating more solids these days. Here are the foods he's tried to date: Apples, pears, peaches, avocado (loves this one!), sweet potatoes (another fave), carrots and squash (pretty good too), prunes, green beans (yuck!!), rice and oat cereal (he prefers oat), baby mum-mum crackers (loves them!), Cheerios and corn flakes, Gerber puffs (Cheerios are better)-- and tastes of our bread, cornbread, and Chipotle guacamole (he really loved that, the kid has good taste).

Cuteness

Jack was a real doll during our evening together tonight. It was the most gorgeous, cool and sunny spring day out. We went for a nice long walk, Mr. Jack sitting happily in the Bugaboo with his shades on. He has developed a slight obsession with Corydon's leash, and he kept sitting forward and leaning off to the side to try to grab the leash. It's always nice to see him acting motivated to move.
Another fun moment: Jack discovered the circular bamboo placemats on the table, and leaned out of his highchair to grab it. I put it on his highchair tray and for some reason he thought it was super super fun to pick up the edge of the placemat and then bang it back down. He laughed out loud, especially when I added an enthusiastic narration of "up! Down!" to accompany the movements. I managed to get a bit of the fun on video. Hooray.
And (the fun continues) Jack also really enjoyed playing "this little piggy". He giggled when we did "wee wee wee" with tickling up his leg and belly and into his armpit, and (this is the cute part) after a few repetitions he started to squeal "EEEEEE" each time I started the tickling. He was so excited. So was the dog. She has a hard time dealing with any enthusiasm I show when I am playing with the baby, and feels the need to immediately get into my lap, roll over, and paw me each time I clap or talk in a high pitched voice. Needless to say this made playing "this little piggy" more challenging than it otherwise would have been. But we persevered.

On an unrelated note, I remembered that I have not posted about Jack's first beer-tasting party, or his first time hosting playgroup! (All sorts of excitement...) The beer tasting was at Josh and Katie's annual fest. Jack did get to play with an empty plastic cup (post tasting) so may have gotten himself a hint of hops.... He was a very nice baby. A very small and stationary baby, too, compared to the two 18-month olds and one 2-year old who were running all over (I guess it was a combination of beer-tasting and playgroup, all on the same day). They are so big and mobile and noisy! It was nice to see Katie, who I haven't seen since the last party, I don't think. It was also really refreshing to talk with her about her impressions of motherhood over the past 18 months. She was very upfront and said that she could've really done without the first 6 months! :) It was nice to be able to be honest about the fact that dealing with the teeny-tiny baby is not all wine and roses. We all decided that most new parents lie rampantly, gushing over their infants and their love of motherhood, just to cover up for the fact that they're not sure how much they like their baby just yet.... its such a good thing that things get better.

Last week Jack also played host to the Thursday playgroup. His friends Gavin, Stella, Grayson, and Grady came over. Good times. Everyone had fun rolling about and taking the same 3 toys from each other. All of the babies also took a turn in the exersaucer. It's nice to know that our little man is popular and has the cool toys, already! :)