Jack is 9 Months Old

Another month has passed and Jack continues to grow and develop in so many ways. In fact, I think this month I saw him develop more then ever before. He is learning so many skills. I keep telling people that this is the fun baby age, because he is so interactive and it is exciting to see him learn how to do new things everyday. I enjoy everyday, but I find that I can't keep my eyes off him or he will get himself into a mess. So we are fast approaching the toddler years and that makes me super nervous! Well, here we go with the usual stats.
Nicknames: Peanut (we use this the most), Little Man, Little Stinker, Mr. Trouble

Temperament: He is starting to go into the stranger anxiety phase. He seems more reluctant to be held by others, but usually after a little time he warms up to them and is all giggles. Jack has also learned to whine. He does it all the time. If he does not want to be sitting on the ground, or he doesn't want to be held, if he doesn't like the toys he is playing with, it really doesn't matter why, but he will whine. I think it is cute, but it does get a little old to hear his high pitched squeak! He is teething as well, so there are definitely days when he is not his happiest, however I think he continues to be a very happy little boy.

Solids He Has Tried: We were going through a phase where it seemed like I could not get Jack to eat any baby food. It was always a fight basically. However, when I saw my family over Memorial Day weekend, my mom showed me what I needed to do. She basically forced the first bite in and then he was opening up his mouth for more. So that is what we do now. He has tried prunes, kiwi, chicken, corn, and green beans in pureed form. Jack is also super curious with what we are eating and starting pulling food from my hands because he wanted to eat it. So we have started to also give him small bites of our food. He has tried, chicken, bread, rice, beans, apples, carrots, yogurt, and pasta. I feel bad if I eat something that he can't try yet so I have to eat something things when he is not looking. Oh, and after visiting all his family it was basically impossible to not let him try some ice cream (in very small amounts).

Items/Toys That We Love Most: I recently pulled one of his Christmas presents out from the toy box (since he is just now old enough for it). It is an electronic toy that can be put on plastic legs. He likes to pull up and stand next to it and push all the buttons. He also really loves to look at books and flip the pages. All he wants to do is flip the pages. It is not so much about the toys as it is all about pulling them out of their basket. Or pulling the dvds off the shelf. At my parents house he liked to pull the dog toys from their box. I guess that is the most fun for him right now. He is also in love with throwing things. It is funny to see him pull a pacifier out of his mouth and just throw it across the floor. I think this is the first time that toys have become super important, especially if they have buttons on them. It is nice to see Jack grow in his interests.

First Experiences: Well, he was able to do so many new things this month. He officially sat up on his own, started fully crawling without his belly on the floor, began pulling up onto his knees and then onto his feet, and eating food from our meals. He also took a trip to NY to see relatives from his father's side. We took a plane ride to Myrtle Beach to see my grandparents since the ticket price was so good. He did an excellent job on the plane too. Jack went to the national zoo and took a subway ride in Washington, D.C. He was also able to go to a Pet Farm on Long Island with some of his aunties and his nanny. Many of the pictures included are from that trip to the farm. He showed very little fear of the animals. It was cute to see him grab at the birds.

We are truly spoiled to have Jack in our lives. I know I say that every time, but he is wonderful and I can only hope that our next child will be just as cute and fun. I can't wait to continue to see him grow up! Who knows, maybe next month he will be walking!

A Funny Video

This is for Joe's family that read my blog. I think this will give them a good laugh!

What do we do when dad is away?

Joe has been gone the past three days for a school field trip to Washington, D.C. I wish we could have gone with him, but would have had to drive separately and gas is just way too expensive. From what I hear, the kids are having a blast. Most of them come from really poor families, and through funding the school was able to cover most costs. So about thirty kids and three days of D.C. sight seeing. Joe told me that the kids were so excited to be in the hotel, because they had never been in one so nice (how cute is that?).

So what did we do? Well, not too much. I have been tired lately and it was pretty hot outside. However, we did get out a little bit too. We took lots of walks (I was unmotivated to run...boo hoo), a trip to the park, a picnic in Babcock State Park, a trip to Summersville Lake, we watched a movie, I ate ice cream. Jack grabbed at my peach at one point the try it...he did the same thing with some bread and grabbed a big piece to eat. I guess pureed food just isn't cutting it anymore. We made homemade strawberry ice cream with berries from a friend's garden, and worked in our garden.


Our picnic at Babcock State Park...that is the first time Jack kept his hat on.

We both took a bath every night, because no air conditioning makes us very sticky through out the day (don't worry we have window units in the bedrooms).

Look who is taking over the whole bed? He sleeps just like his dad with the arms out!

Southport, NC

Over Memorial Weekend, Jack and I boarded a plane headed to Myrtle Beach, SC. However, we did not stay there, but drove an hour north to my grandparents house, which is also basically on the beach. We spent two days at Oak Island beach, a day in a swimming pool and shopping at an outdoor mall, then lots of relaxed time with family. I feel like I ate way to much, but thankfully I was very diligent with a running routine (which is super important to me right now since I really wanted to lose more weight...but, well, that would be happening for a few months). Anyhow, I thought I would add some pics for my parents to see. Enjoy!

"Dad, where did your dog go? Where's Roxey?"
Oh, she is sitting in his lap...that's my dad's new favorite child!

My mom was playing with Jack...I decided not to add too many more pics from the beach, because I look so bad in my swimsuit. I am embarrassed by it!