Potential Musical Talent?

Both Stuart and I would love it if Jack had some musical talent. But, if he takes after his parents, the odds are against him...

Watch out Heather and Karen. Jack has been practicing Guitar Hero while you are away. He is anxious to play you both soon!

Jack's favorite word these days is no. He says it even when he means yes. It's very confusing. It's also very cute.

Gardening

Today we did some gardening.

Jack helped.

It got messy.

I probably should have stripped him naked first.

Jack and the Jack Russell Terrier

Regular readers know that Jack loves dogs and cats. For Christmas, Jack got a little Jack Russell Terrier...a Ninetendog bean bag. This isn't the expensive interactive one, just a cheap little dog that barks, pants, and growls when you press his ear. He really loved his dog and took it everywhere with him. He often chewed on him until he was soaking wet.

Well, he finally broke it last week. Jack still loved him, although I thought he was looking a little gross at this point, so I tried replacing him with another one, but apparently Jack is very specific on which breed he wants. I bought him a pug and he wants nothing to do with it. (Sorry Grammie.) He has a Chihuahua he is receptive to, but he still doesn't want to play with it. We went back to Target together and he firmly rejected the toy poodle, the dalmatian, the miniature pincher, and the labrador retriever. I thought we might be on to something with the cavalier king charles spaniel, but I was mistaken. I looked on-line, however nobody sells these toys but Target, and they only sell them in the stores. Finally, I found a Target that had a bigger selection and I bought both of their Jack Russell Terriers. Jack was very excited. He kissed the dogs the whole way home. He carries them around the house and eats their little faces. I love it!

Jack is sitting on my lap as I type this morning and sure enough, he has his Jack dogs with him.

Fountain Fun

Yesterday, Jack and I went to Desert Ridge to meet my girlfriend Sarah for a play date with her daughter Savannah and her friend Connor. They were running late, so I had time to get some good pics of Jack in the water. He loves the water. Even though it got a little cold, Jack loved it. He was shivering, but didn't want to leave. He had so much fun.

To my embarrassment, he even tried to get some of the little kids in on the fun.

Unfortunately, his buddies Savannah and Connor didn't want to go near the water. That's OK, though, since Jack had no problem making friends. I was so entertained by Jack. I think we will have to make this a part of our regular weekly schedule.

Apples

Jack loves apples. He helps pick them out in the grocery store. He asks for them by name. He likes to chew them up, but unfortunately, he doesn't actually like to eat them.

Seriously, he has been doing this for weeks now. At first I thought it was just the skin he didn't like, so I peeled one, but there was no change in his approach. I told you all he was a strange little eater these days.

20 Months Old Today

Today, Jack is 20 months old. Here are some Jack Facts:

• Jack always calls me "Mom." Unless he is frustrated, or upset. Then he calls me "Mommy."
• Jack's favorite book is Elmo's So Big.
• Jack's favorite TV shows: Elmo's World and Super Why on PBS and Orangutan Island and Meerkat Manor on Animal Planet. Oh, he also loves Steve's Songs which plays between shows on PBS.
• He loves to ride in the car. We can't tell him we are going somewhere until it is time to go out the door, otherwise he gets impatient with us.
• He is currently wearing a size 3T and 4T. Although, most of his height is in his upper body, so pants are always too long for him.
• He loves to chase and be chased, especially around the kitchen island. He slows down to make sure you can catch him.
• His favorite toy of the moment is his cardboard box houses. He has 2. (We are starting a little cardboard village over here.) He loves to get inside and knock them over--his fearlessness still scares me.

Food Challenges

Yes, I tempted fate when I bragged about what a good little eater Jack has been. I brazenly talked (and blogged) about the fact that he eats strongly flavored foods, loves salmon, and even preferred veggies to fruit. Well, those days appear to be over. Getting Jack to eat anything but applesauce is an effort. These are a few of our recent struggles with food:

1. Jack's high chair has holes that allow you to attach toys to to keep him entertained. Problem is, he can remove these toys. If you think he has finished eating, you might want to double check. Sometimes his food has been hidden in these holes. And believe me, it is not easy to get it out of there.
   
2. Jack loves cheese. Last week I found he had stuck his cheese on the wall so he could take a break from snack time to play. (Notice it on the wall behind him in this picture.) I told him to take it down and he did...and then gladly finished eating it.
3. This one cracked me up! He got jelly beans for Easter. He doesn't really eat them, he prefers to lick them. And he laughs after each lick. Well, I guess he got tired of holding the slimy little jelly bean, because he found part of an old medicine syringe and carefully placed the jelly bean on it. He then walked around with his newly created jelly bean holder and licked it as he played.
4. Oh, and whatever you do, don't leave him alone in a room when chips are on the counter.
   
5. I saved the best for last. Sunday night, we made steak for dinner. Stuart and I were eating and feeding Jack off of our plates. I was giving Jack bites of broccoli, which was fine for awhile, but then he got upset and pushed my fork towards the steak. OK, he made his point, I cut him some steak. That was OK for a couple of bites, but then he made it clear he wanted to do it himself. I got out his baby fork and gave it to him. He kept pushing my hand away when I tried to help him get a piece on his fork. When I stopped trying to help him, I learned why he wanted to do it himself. He didn't want the little piece, he wanted the entire steak. He quickly stabbed his little fork into it and took off with the meat.

Yummy Play Dough

Today we made edible play dough for the first time. Jack didn't really want to make anything with it, but he sure thought it was yummy.

Star Wars

The following post is dedicated to Alex. My fellow geeky girlfriend will appreciate this...

Jack and I were playing in the front room yesterday when suddenly, he heard the TV in the family room. It was the music from the opening credits of Star Wars. Jack ran into the family room and sat in front of the TV and didn't move for 10 minutes. I was shocked. He hasn't ever watched this before now, so he didn't know what the music was.

In case you doubt me, here is the screen shot.

There is no question now, he is definitely our baby.

Sick Again

Guess who caught dad's cold? Yup, Jackson has a sore throat. Poor baby. The good news for Jack is, I gave up trying to get him to eat anything for dinner and let him have a popsicle. Don't judge me, I barely survive some days over here.

Oh, and in reference to my previous post, apparently he isn't done wearing mom's clothes.

Don't mind his crazy hair. He rubbed ketchup in it at dinner today (another reason to switch to popsicles.)

Dressing is Dangerous

I think Stuart is relived that Jack's interest in mom's clothes is fading and has since been replaced by an interest in dressing in dad's clothing. Jack often tries to put on Stuart's jeans or shirts that are laying around the house. It is cute, although, it does look like he is going to a toga party...




It's not all fun and games; sometimes, it turns dangerous...

How can one child pee so much?!

If that headline hasn't driven you away, then I am surprised. Today I laid Jack down for his nap at the usual time of 11:30. I can hear him playing and banging around for a long time, but ignore it because he will eventually fall asleep. By noon, he is still awake and the playing has turned into fussing. By 12:15 he is screaming. I go in and find him standing in the crib upset because he has thrown his blanket on the floor and he can't reach it. (This is something he does almost every night at bedtime, by the way.) I pick up his blanket and give it to him when I notice he is naked from the waist down...not a good sign. I pick him up and discover the entire bed is soaking wet, including his bumper pad. Man, that is a LOT of pee! Jack won't stop crying. He pushes himself out of my arms and runs over to the corner of his room to where he had thrown his diaper on the floor. He brings it to me. I try to put a clean one on him, but he wants the wet one. I give up and instead clean up his bed, sure that he can't have anything left in him to pee again. He and his bed are finally clean and back down for a nap. Although, I can still hear him playing as a type...sometimes I miss they days when he was little and fell asleep wherever you put him.

Be grateful the battery in our camera is dead and I have no picture of the craziness. Instead, here he is at 6 weeks old, when he was more agreeable at nap time.

Jack and Elmo

Jack and Elmo have a complicated relationship. Yes, he loves to watch Elmo's World, but until recently, he hasn't really cared for his Elmo toys. Actually, that is an understatement. He would push them away, or put things in their mouths to shut them up. (He has 2 Elmo's. A small one from Grammie and Papa that talks when you shake him and the larger talking Elmo from his sisters.) Not surprisingly, he first warmed up to the smaller Elmo. This last week, however, he has taken an interest in the larger Elmo. It is really cute to see.

He took him for a car ride. (Obviously, this was taken pre-haircut.)


He even gives him an occasional kiss!

Snuggle

I have a lot of things I have been wanting to post about Jack, but they will have to wait. I put him down for his nap today and this is what I found when I checked on him after he fell asleep.



I guess he just wanted to feel all snugly when he went to sleep.

Happy Easter

It is apparent that I am struggling over this daily blogging thing. We just have too much going on these days. Oh well, I'm doing the best I can. Here is the latest Jack news. We had our annual Lambson family Easter picnic on Saturday. Jack liked grabbing for the eggs, but didn't want to put them in the basket, and couldn't be bothered with more than one at a time. Oh well, more for the other kids. We have more pics of the egg hunt, but most of them prominently feature my butt, so I won't post those. (Mental note: don't let Stuart take the pics next year!)

Jack really enjoyed the piano at my cousin's home. I have come to the conclusion, however, that taking Jack to family functions is often more work than I am up for doing. He is so excited about being in a new place that he has to investigate everything. It's exhausting for mom and dad.

We had over an hour drive to get home, so Jack amused himself in the car by pulling his socks of with his teeth and then getting frustrated when he couldn't get them back on by himself.

Sunday morning he got his Easter basket.

He was really only interested in the foil wrapped eggs.

He was even more excited when he figured out there was chocolate under the foil.

I keep trying to capture video of Jack talking, but he normally refuses to do so on camera, so this is the best I could do.

BTW, I got some great board books for Jack that explain the real meaning of Easter. I love them. Jack thinks they are ok, but still prefers his monster book at the moment. What are you gonna do? I am trying my best to ensure he doesn't grow up thinking holidays are all about what you get.

Little Boy

Little Baby

Little Boy

Guess what we did today? Yup, we took Jack for his first haircut. He was so good! Surprising since Jack doesn't sit still for anything. He was calm through most of the process; we did have to hold his head at the end, but overall he was great.

Afterward, he got a sucker.

He looks so grown up right now.

Can You Understand Jack?

I know, I missed posting yesterday. It was kinda a busy day. We had some of our new kitchen appliances delivered. Stuart was also home sick in the afternoon. As a result, it was a little chaotic in our house. Jack was very excited about everything. When the delivery men arrived to install the refrigerator, Jack kept taking off with their tools. He even grabbed their step stool and ran out the front door with it before I could catch him. Later, Jack insisted on helping dad with the new range. I don't understand him when he starts talking like this, but I can only guess he is giving Stuart instructions. He talks like this often. He will keep calling out "mom" until I look at him and then he proceeds to talk to me quite a bit. I wish I knew what he was saying.

Vacuum Baby

What a good boy. He insists on helping do his share around the house.
Of course, I should mention that we have 2 vacuum cleaners. He loves this one and is terrified of the other one. The upright vacuum is something he plays with frequently, until it is turned on, then he cries and hides in the other room. He will even run and hide at the mention of using the other one. This one, however, is one he will eagerly help use.

Hats

Jack refuses to wear hats and gets very angry if you put one on his head. Buckets, however, are perfectly acceptable. He voluntarily wears them whenever he can.

Cheap Entertainment

We have the best entertainment in our house. We call him Jackson, Jack for short. He is always happy and playful.

I bet you wish you had a Jack in your house.

Bed Head

Here is my beautiful baby after he woke up this morning. That is some messed up hair. I don't care what you all think, he needs a trim! This is just pitiful.

Feeling Better

After 3 days of eating nothing but applesauce and juice, I think Jack may be feeling better. He had pizza for dinner tonight. Well, he ate the pepperoni off the pizza at least. It's a start.

Jack's Fort

I know it is only April 3rd, and I already missed a day for my month of posts. I have a good excuse, however. Jack has been sick the last 3 days and has been waking up in the middle of the night with a fever and lots of distress. I am functioning on very little sleep at the moment. Last night he went to bed at 7:30pm with no fussing. However, he woke up screaming at 9:30 and did not go back to sleep until midnight. He then woke up at 5am screaming again and at that point we just put him in bed with us. With all of this, you would think he would need to sleep in, but no, he woke at 6:15 this morning. I am so tired.

Anyway, here is my Jack update for today. Jack loves to make tents and forts. I love it since I used to do that myself as a kid. Last weekend, my dad came over to help Stuart replace our hot water heater. The box has been very entertaining for Jack. Stuart made him a window and a little door. Jack has put pillows in the fort and hides out in there during the day. He is so much fun to play with these days.