Helping in the Yard

It's never to early for chores...

As much trouble as Jack can get into now that he is walking, I still love it. Now he is more easily entertained.

Sour Baby

Jack wanted some of the lime juice I was using last week. I just had to post the video.

My Shadow

Meet my shadow. He has to be a part of everything I do now. Watch as I attempt to cook dinner.

One Simple Word

Jack has been pretty chatty for months. He talks all the time. Dada, mama, go go go, and other sounds come and go, but none of them seem to have any meaning behind them. He tries out a new sound every week and babels constantly, but that has been it, until yesterday. He finally realized he can communicate to get what he wants, well with one word at least: mom. For the first time, he started saying mom with specific intention to get me. Not mama, but mom. Stuart was bouncing off the ceiling with excitement. (I just love how excited he gets with all the little things involving his children, he is a great dad.) I just cried.

The last 2 weeks have been challenging with teething and changing nap schedules and this just made up for everything.

Putting Things to Good Use

A long time ago, I bought a set of spring-form pans to attempt homemade cheesecake. Well, I never made the attempt, and as a result, the pans are seldom used. Luckily, Jack has found a use for them.

At least it keeps him occupied.

Our First Trip to the Zoo

Today we took Jack on his first trip to the zoo. The weather was cooling off and we thought he was finally getting old enough to appreciate it. Well, I guess we aren't very bright. It was still very HOT out, 99 degrees. I thought we were going to melt. Jack enjoyed the monkeys and some of the birds, but for the most part, he was more interested in watching the other kids that were there. I think we could have gotten the same excitement from him by taking him to a mall, and it would have been much cooler. Oh, well, we will try it again in another month and see how it goes. Here are some highlights:

Jack and Stuart, camouflaged to blend in with the background.

Me and my baby, notice how wet he is with sweat.

Jack, Stuart and some rhino butt. I hope you can tell who is who.

Stuart and the snake charming baby.

Jack and the giraffe; he could care less.

Jack had the most fun on the drive home, playing peek-a-boo with his burp cloth and wearing it as a hat. He thought he was so funny.

Strong Personality

Isn't he just the cutest?

Jack is really starting to develop a very distinct personality. He is extremely strong willed. When he wants something, he is determined to get it. If he wants to figure out how an object works, he keeps at it until he figures it out for himself. If he wants to go somewhere and something is in his way, he won't go around it, he forces himself, even if the item in the way is too heavy for him to move on his own. As a result, we have a lot of screaming in frustration from this kid. He is tenacious. Now, I am glad that he has all of these traits; they will serve him well in life. I can see him as an adult being ambitious and driven. As great as this will be for his adult years, I can see his toddler years are not going to be very easy on us. Karen told us the kid is doomed because his parents are so competitive and stubborn that there was no way Jack was going to escape inheriting those traits. Nice. No wonder I am always exhausted by the time Stuart gets home from work. Jack's current obsession? His diaper. He has decided he doesn't like wearing clothes anymore and the diaper is included. He takes it off all the time. Right now, I have to ensure he is wearing pants because he hasn't yet figured out how to get those off. Sheesh!