Week in Review - 3/31/12

Jack kept practicing walking this week and he's gotten quite good. A little too good because now he's trying to walk too fast and he's falling a lot just because he's picking up too much speed. A few days ago he fell and hit his forehead on the toilet, of all things. Later that day a big bump with a bruise appeared but, luckily, his bangs covered it up. Then the next day we were at the park and he was running around and he fell and hit his cheek on the edge of the play equipment. Immediately his cheek turned red and swelled up and he got a bruise on his cheekbone. Geez. So now he just looks like a prize fighter. It doesn't photograph very well but here's one where you can sort of make out his injury.

I am horrified of course but John thinks our little bruiser is adorable. I imagine he'll have many more injuries in his future.

This past week Jack showed his March Madness basketball spirit by sporting an awesome Syracuse shirt.

Sadly, John's alma mater lost, but the boys were glued to the game the entire time.

The other big news this week is that we turned his car seat around. Now he faces forward and he loves it! I just had to do it because I was tired of not being able to see him when I'm driving. I had no idea if he was asleep, if he was eating something, or what he was doing. Now I can see him and it makes me feel much better. And he's happier.

Okay, gotta run because we're out of town again this weekend. But here are more pics from the week!

playing drums with his new friend

playing with blocks

first trolley ride at the mall

black beans!

"who ya gonna call?!"

exploring the shower

There's something about a boy in a cape.

So girls get cute outfits and princess dresses with crowns, but boys get capes. And, I have to say, capes are pretty awesome. Last week we went with our friends to check out yet another indoor playground nearby. It actually wasn't the greatest place for a kid Jack's age but they did have CAPES. I just had to put one on him and I wasn't disappointed. I mean, this is a cute image.

They also had a ball pit which Jack was eager to jump in. He loves a good ball pit.

But this ball pit was for older kids so it was pretty deep. He keep sinking down under all the balls. He looks happy here but when he ducked all the way under he was not happy. I kept having to dig him out.

The other thing they had at this place with a light-up dance floor that played music. The big kids mainly ruled that thing and didn't want Jack anywhere near them. But at one point they cleared out and he and his friend could take over and do a little dancing.

One of the craziest things about this place were the moms. I'm sure I'll get to this point at some future date, but all the moms were completely oblivious to their kids. Most were reading magazines and books outside and had no idea where there kids were or what they were doing. I'm sure that's fine since most of the kids were like 3, 4, and 5, but still. Shouldn't you be at least a little aware? I don't know.

And here are a few more pictures from our visit...

"Mama"

So, I know that every other mom with a 13 month-old had this moment about five months ago, but, nonetheless, I'm excited. As you know, Jack is a late talker. He doesn't say much. But a few days ago he said "mama" for the first time. Of course he did it in sort of distress so I don't know if it'll happen again for like 4 months, but I'll take it. He was in the bath and overtired at the end of the day. He had tried to get up and slipped in the bath and was just over it and crying and whining. So he reached out his arms and said "mama!" It was awesome. At first I couldn't believe he had said it because he hadn't even said the "ma" consonant before. But there it was. Of course, he hasn't said it again since then so it's a good thing I can remember it so clearly. :)

Beige foods

Remember when I used to say that Jack was such a good eater? That he'd eat anything? Well, he's going through a phase where he won't eat ANYTHING. Well, nothing that is good for him. The only things he'll currently eat are bread products, cheerios, yogurt, cheese, stupid packaged baby snack puffs/crackers, and, sadly, baby food. I added the baby food back in his diet because he seems to love it and it was the only way I could get him some fruits and veggies. Gone are the days he'd take down a whole banana or carton of blueberries. No more strawberries and grapes. I tried roasted sweet potato and asparagus and they ended up on the ground. Same with eggs. Chicken and turkey? No way. Yup, he pretty much hates everything. And I've tried to do a battle of wills with him. Like eat this because that's all there is and you're not getting anything else for breakfast. Guess who won that battle? Yeah, not me.

Anyways, I'm hoping this is only a phase because he needs to eventually eat some real food.

Backyard photo shoot

We took a few photos the other day in the backyard because, why not? Sadly I didn't bother cleaning him up or wiping the dirt off his face, but he's still pretty damn adorable.

Week in Review - 3/23/12

Jack had a good week this week. It's amazing that last Saturday he was barely walking and now he's starting to use it as his main form of transportation. He still falls a lot...when the ground is uneven or when he tries to walk way too fast...but he's doing pretty good. He's also mastered standing up without holding on to anything so he's really coming along. Here's a little video of him walking. Nothing too exciting but you get the idea. (At the beginning he's enjoying the sound his shoes make on the concrete...he loves that.)

His comprehension is really so good that it's astounding to me. He understands when I hand him a piece of trash and tell him to throw it away. He walks over to the trashcan and puts it in. Or when I tell him to put the tupperware back in the drawer, he does it. Or take the clothes out of the dryer and put them in the laundry basket. Magic! This is great! I mean, I assume he'll always listen to me this well and he'll clean up after every mess he makes. How wonderful. The only hiccup we had yesterday is when he couldn't understand why I didn't want him to leave the empty milk carton in the bathroom. He seemed so confused. And hurt that I didn't appreciate that he dragged it all the way there.

He likes standing so much that he now likes to stand up while I read him books. It's pretty cute.

I recently picked up a big truck at a garage sale that he totally loves. He pushes it around outside and he also loves to put things in the bed of the truck. He'll pile everything in there...toys, ziploc bags, blocks, baby food containers, etc.

And now, here are some more pics from the week! (including lots of mommy and son!)

Playing in the dirt...as usual.

"Mom, come on! Keep up!"

Stylin' in his Star Wars shirt

And in case you need a fill of baby laughter, here are two videos from this week.

Five for Friday: Movies coming soon

Because I'm going to see the eagerly anticipated "Hunger Games" tomorrow, here are the five movies I'm most looking forward to this year. (well, this year until Oscar season in November. Let's not even deal with those yet - i.e. The Hobbit, Great Gatsby, Django Unchained, etc.)

My top 5 Most Anticipated Movies this year:

5. Rock of Ages - (possibly atrocious but at least it should be good fun)

4. The Hunger Games

3. The Amazing Spider-Man

2. The Dark Knight Rises

1. Snow White and the Huntsman

Boys Weekend and Girls Weekend

This past weekend I headed to Palm Springs for a lovely girls weekend in honor of my friend Leigh who is getting married. I was out of town for three days and two nights...the longest I've ever been gone from Jack. My awesome husband stepped up to the plate and was happy to watch the little guy all weekend. The one caveat was that he had to send me pictures and videos while I was gone so I could manage missing him so much.

So while I was heading to the pool,

John and Jack were playing outside with the broom and the plants.

In fact, it seems like they played so hard that Jackie crashed pretty hard.

Of course, while the boys were in rainy LA, we were in some crazy hotel lobby waiting for a late night dinner seating.

The next day the boys were up early and sent me a pic of their rainy morning wakeup.

I think the rain put a slight damper on Jack's mood. As usual, he was dying to go outside. Daddy distracted him with the jumperoo though.

Once the rain finally let up, his daddy let him go outside and play in the mud. At least he had the good sense to dress him warmly.

The boys even went on a walk. Our little boy is pretty darn cute.

Also cute? My girls! It was so fun to catch up with my friends and have a break from mommyhood.

I wish I could say I got a solid 9 hours of sleep a night but that didn't happen. My eyes popped open at 6:30 each morning. Man, I have to say that Sunday morning I was very ready to see my boys. I drove through driving rain and hail to make it home. The smile Jack gave me when he saw me walk into the room was pretty amazing. :)