Working out with baby

That very terrible picture is of a bunch of moms (including me) doing this little exercise aerobics/dance class where you wear your baby in a Bjorn or Ergo or Sling. It was really pretty fun. And even the easiest exercise becomes exponentially more taxing with a 20 pound baby strapped to your front. The group of us is hoping to make it a regular weekly or bi-weekly thing. As for Jack...well, he seemed to like it enough. He thought it was pretty funny, bopping up and down.

This is a little video that one of the moms took of us. Short but sweet.

Photo Challenge Week 20 - Faceless

Next week, Light.

Today Jack is...49 weeks old.

This week Jack and I got to do a lot of fun things (as usual). The big news is that he has a new stroller that he seems to really like.

I know he doesn't look super happy in that picture but that's because he's mesmerized by the seals at the zoo. I found an Uppababy Vista stroller on Craigslist for an awesome deal so I went for it. He loves sitting straight up and much higher and can hang on to that bar.

Prior to the new purchase, we had a play date with one of my favorite moms and her son who is the same age as Jack. They were nice enough to patiently stand by while we filled up our frozen yogurt cups.

Jack definitely enjoyed being with his bud.

This week was full of more exploring and getting into things. He can now lift up the toilet seat as well as flush so that's fun. It's pretty exciting that he's learned how to climb stairs so well but also to climb back down feet first. He used to just dive off the step and cry when he fell. But now he's learning!

It was really warm this week (80 degrees) so Jack got to play outside a lot. He truly LOVES the backyard. I let him out the door and he runs wild, crawling from one end of yard to the other. Which is a long distance if you know my yard. He starts on the one side with the trashcans which he seems to really enjoy.

And here he is picking lemons off our tree.

And studying the trees.

Oddly, after I saw this photo I thought of Wyeth's Christina's World

He loves playing outside so much that I've got to start researching some outdoor play stuff. Maybe one of those plastic houses with doors or maybe a miniature slide with steps or something. I don't know but I know he would really really love something like that.

He's not walking yet but still cruising on everything. He can stand without holding something pretty well now. He still loves his walker though.

And now more pics from the week!

"Let me into the pool!"

And a little video from our park visit this week. He was a speedster climbing up this one piece of equipment so I wanted to take a video to show his dad. He usually got to the slide and then sat down and waited for me to help him. Of course, the time I chose to record a video, he got a little more adventurous and threw me for a loop at the end.

Five for Friday: Movies Too Painful to Watch Twice

These are movies that, when I saw them, I recognized how good they were but they were so sad/painful to watch that I have never seen them again.

My top 5 Movies that were too painful to watch twice:

5. Schindler's List

4. Requiem for a Dream

3. American History X

2. Dead Man Walking

1. Dancer in the Dark

A Day at the Office

Last Saturday John was stuck at work so Jack and I decided to visit him down at the Sony lot. I hadn't been there since I was 8 months pregnant with Jack and it was kind of weird. I had made the long trek from the parking lot to my office for so many months while pregnant that, this time, I had to pause and enjoy the fact that I wasn't waddling. Though I was carrying a squirmy 20 lb. boy which is another obstacle.

Jack loved John's office because there were so many new things to look at. He was a big fan of the movie's poster. I'm not sure he would get most of the jokes in "Think Like a Man" but he's welcome to see it in a few years. Maybe he can learn all of the dating do's and don'ts from the movie so I don't have to give him any advice.

Jack was very helpful while we were there.

He made lots of good edits and I think the director wanted to hire him right then and there but I told Jack he had to wait until he was potty trained to hold down a job.

He happily banged away on John's Avid and made himself right at home. He loved wandering around the lot and seeing all the sights.

While we were wandering we saw a poster for an upcoming superhero movie that Jack and I are especially excited about. Maybe he feels connected to it since he essentially got to sit in on all the production meetings and rehearsals and casting sessions. Though I'm not sure he had the best hearing at the point. Or ears for that matter.

All in all, it was a great Saturday and Jack handled the long drive very well. His daddy is almost done with the movie and it's a good movie. So go see it in April. Jack recommends it.

Where's Elmer?

Jack has these series of books about Elmer, the most colorful elephant in the world. He reads them every day. I only tell you this because he's getting so good at recognizing words. When we get to this page about Elmer playing hide and seek, I can ask him where Elmer is and he finds him!

Just a tiny bit of his colorful trunk sitting out of the bush and he finds him. So cool! All day I ask him where things are and he can point them out. We find the fridge, toaster, microwave, bedroom, shower, bathroom, dinosaur, TV, curtains, and pool. John is particularly happy that Jack can march us over and point to the Pavement/Sonic Youth poster as well as hightail it across the entire house to his guitar when we tell him to. So, while he can't say a darn word, he's getting good at understanding them.

Food update

Just a little food update to put on the books. Jack is a pretty adventurous eater in that he'll try anything once. And he likes most things. His current favorites are chicken, turkey, sausage, and basically any kind of meat. His favorite fruits are bananas and oranges but he also likes cantaloupes, strawberries, and blueberries. I'm trying to give him more dairy and I'm sort of succeeding. He doesn't like string cheese or yogurt but cheddar is okay. I've tried cottage cheese but he thinks it's really weird. (isn't it?) Other things he eats... Butternut squash, hummus, black beans, broccoli, apples, and prunes. Foods he hates? Peas and carrots. Just like mommy.

But his favorite is bolani. What is bolani? Well, from Wikipedia, it's a vegan flat-bread from Afghanistan baked with a vegetable filling. We get it at the farmer's market every Sunday from the nice Afghan lady. His favorite is the spinach filling but he also likes the pumpkin filling. He eats it by the handful! And I really mean a handful because his pincher grasp is pretty poor. :)

Photo Challenge Week 19 - Photo Animation

Standing

Next week...Faceless.

Today Jack is...48 weeks old.

More cuteness this week and the little guy gets more and more mischievous. He is into everything. Nothing is safe. Every day he pulls out all the towels and cookie pans and tupperware and every night I put it all away. Sort of a defeating exercise.

More than anything, he loves to be outside at the park. I try to take him at least every other day. He loves being in the sand, he loves going down the slide, he loves the swings, and he loves crawling like lightning to the nearest big kid. Luckily we've happened upon some really lovely 3, 4, and 5 year olds. One boy this past week played peek-a-book with him and then played dead so Jack could crawl all over him.

The kid is curious. Many moms remarked in our play group that Jack certainly is an active adventurer. Their kids were content sitting in one place in the grass or the sand and my son was sprinting from one end of the park to the other. He also loves getting dirty. LOVES it. I don't even try to resist because I know he'll win every time.

His room is covered in sand from when I take off his shoes and forget that they're filled with the stuff. He loves climbing all over the playground equipment and I think he thinks he's pretty hot stuff because he can hang with the older kids.

My husband thinks this looks like a JC Penney ad...
when is this kid going to start bringing in money?!

He's eating so many foods and I'm really happy about that. I'm trying to give him more dairy so he's eating cottage cheese and cheddar cheese. He doesn't like yogurt so we'll work on that. More than anything he likes meat. Chicken, turkey, sausage...he wants it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Luckily he also loves fruit so I try to balance it out. John gave him a cucumber the other day and it started out well...and then deteriorated.

I'm extremely happy that he loves the bath so much because it's such a nice way to unwind and calm him down after a long day. He loves playing with his bath toys and can't wait to dive into the water.

This past weekend Jack took his girl friend (girlfriend?!) Violet to his favorite indoor play area. I'm not sure what's going on between these two but I think he's a little too young for her.

And now, more pics from the week!

Sitting in one of his favorite spots, his fireplace throne.




Jack's first carousel ride...Sorry the picture isn't very good, I had to hold on to him for dear life. Who doesn't put safety harnesses on a carousel?!






Excited to see the gorillas at the zoo


Pulling out daddy's Replacements album








Obligatory swing shot.