Week in Review - 11/17/12

(This post was supposed to go up on Saturday but....  Here it is anyways.)

Here's my boy.  You may think he's drunk from that goofy expression, empty paper cup, and beers in the background.  The only thing he's drunk on is goldfish and apple juice.  Nonetheless, he's as happy as a clam.  

His love of climbing continues.  Jack will climb on anything and everything that is available.  There he is climbing to the top of the step stool and saying "be careful!"  He loves making fun of daddy.

John has been working like crazy so Jack loves to spend every minute with him that he's home.  Including some quality time on his back while he does a push-up.  :)

Jack got to spend some quality time with his friend Violet this past week.  Aren't they the cutest?

His favorite activity currently is LITERALLY resetting the alarm clock.  Jack can do it for hours during the day.  He will stand next to the little side table and count with joy as he makes the minutes go higher and higher.  He can do 1 through 59 with gusto.  

And now, more pics from the week!

happy because he loves his "Back to the Future" shirt

covering himself with sand at the park

running like a madman at the park

wagon ride with his friend Nicholas

asleep...but can't let go of his balloon

"FULL OF BLACK BEANS MOMMY"

lifting daddy's weights

helping me clean the floor

me and jack!

Haircut number...4? 5?

 

 I've lost track of how many haircuts Jack has gotten but he got another one yesterday. Look at that smile. You would think that the whole experience was smooth sailing but YOU'D BE WRONG. This was the worst haircut experience and, I'd wager, the worst experience, period, that we've ever had. I had to sit him on my lap and hold down his arms like a straightjacket while he screamed and cried and turned red and sweated. Tears running down his cheeks, screaming "no" and "mommy". I think the entire salon was totally freaked out. Poor kid. But, at the same time, come on! Jack, why do you have to be so difficult?! The hair stylist thought that we should forget the final touches and the razor on his neck and just end the haircut slightly prematurely.

 He was still upset when I let him down off the chair but his complimentary balloon made him stop crying. Didn't make him smile, but... at least he wasn't crying?

 

I figured the only thing that might cheer him up was a trip to the park. Guess what? It worked!

 

Music Class

 

 Here is Jack in the middle of music class doing the "scarf dance". I find our music class to be a fascinating study in Jack's personality. First of all, every time we are in the car he begs for the "CD" of the kids' music from class. He always wants to listen to the CD and must enjoy the songs even though he doesn't necessarily smile or sing along with it. Then there's the class.

 When we arrive he gets completely quiet and somewhat clingy. He sits in my lap while we sing and shake the maracas. And he stares. And I mean STARES at the teacher and the shakers. While the other kids are shaking their maracas and looking around and smiling, Jack is studying the teacher with a blank gaze and barely participating. His friend is copying the teacher and lifting them up and banging them on the ground and following directions. Jack is still staring at the teacher and occasionally offering a shy smile when she does something funny. Next we usually do a dance where I can get him to stand and watch us dance but he generally doesn't move around. Again, stands and observes. Then all the drums and percussion comes out and he'll run to the middle to retrieve some drums and starts banging on them. Finally he warms up. Then when we are almost done with our hour, he usually decides it's okay to participate and talk and exude some kind of emotion.

Yesterday we did a (superhero) scarf dance at the end of class and Jack was FINALLY into it. Success!

 

When it was all over he looked at me and very quietly asked "dance?" Sadly I had to tell him that class was over but that maybe we could dance next week.

Week in Review - 11/10/12

 

Another week filled with fun, joy, tears, amazement, tantrums, ups and downs. :) I guess that's life with a toddler. On the plus side, his alphabet and reading skills are growing by leaps and bounds and it's so cool to see. He is constantly singing the ABC song and spends a lot of time playing quietly with his letters each day.

  

I swear I didn't help him with this...or even ask him to spell his name.

Grandma was up visiting and he made sure that she knew how to write all her letters too.

  

I think the thing that amazes me most is his new trick with books. Not really a trick but, somehow, in the last 20 months after reading book after book literally hundreds of times, he seems to have memorized most of them. I mean, duh, I guess. But still. Now I catch him sitting by himself with a book "reading" out loud. Hitting the key words and doing all the inflections. And when we're reading together, he'll help me out with the first word or two of every page. It's adorable. And so awesome! Guess he's really been listening for the past 1000 times I've read "Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb".

  

My little nerd...

On the flip side, we're still working on his social skills. Man, this kid is not outgoing. He would so rather be home or play by himself. The exception is probably with his close two or three friends. He says their names and seems to look forward to seeing them. His friend Nick is super friendly and tries to give Jack hugs with varying success.

   

He also hangs with his tomboy girlfriend Mackenzie who's cool and ridiculously outgoing.

  

Before we get to the rest of the cute pictures, just a side note and thanks to my mom and leslie who let me get out for a few nights of fun. First was my friend Ali's premiere for the movie she produced. Check us out on the red carpet.

  

Felt pretty lucky to tag along with the producer to the after party and enjoy my free cocktails and reserved seating.

  

And the next night I was lucky enough to tag along with my sister to a screening of "Argo" which I really enjoyed. And it was fun to see a Q&A after with Affleck and some of the cast. Good times.

  

Okay, enough about me. Here are more pics from the week!

 

Finally we get to break out the pants and sweatshirts!

Deep in thought

His new favorite activity...RUNNING!

One key at a time, just like daddy taught him

playing the drum in his music class

catnap in the car at 8am because he won't sleep past 5

and spending quality time with the only friend he's truly excited about 

and affectionate towards...pepe the dog.

Non-professional photo shoot

 

This post is about two months old but I've been meaning to share these pictures. My friends from London were in town and Jack and I headed down to Santa Monica where they were staying to hang out. We decided to take a walk on the beach and my friend's husband brought his camera. Photography is kind of his hobby (when he's not being a professional opera singer) and he seemed to think that Jack was an amazing subject. I agreed. Especially once I saw all the photos. I think they are so great. My favorite is probably the one above, but check them all out!