Today Jack is...43 weeks old.

This past week was busy with lots of activities. Two of the days we went to different indoor playgrounds with some new friends. This was the first time I'd been to such a place and it was awesome! An enclosed space that is completely baby proof with rubber floors and tons and tons of toys and things to play with? YES. There were musical instruments, cars and bikes, a ball pit, a little house with doors and windows, and much more. Jack LOVED it. He played for two hours. When he first got there he just crawled as fast as possible to the middle of the room and started beaming. He couldn't believe all the toys and kids. It was so cute.

After two hours he was beyond exhausted. But I really wanted him to try this little mechanical car that was on a track. So I strapped him in and away he went. I think he was too tired to do anything but zone out and stare at the kids.

We also made our weekly trek to the Americana Mall for the Kids Club. They had a great kids band there and Jack got to play the drums.

I think he also appreciated the art installation down on the lawn.

In development news, he's getting stronger and more confident with his movement. He'll pull up on anything and has figured out how to get back down (other than falling). He can also push his walker all around the house all by himself. Amazing! This video is short and pretty bad but you get the idea.

His sleep is slowing improving...but only because we've gone back to sleep training. It's amazing what a night or two of sleep training can do. It makes all the difference in the world. So we're going to keep going and hope that the holidays doesn't mess it up too much.

And now, more pics from the week!

Overalls make the man

So yesterday Jack was sporting a cute pair of corduroy overalls and it was a beautiful sunny day so I was inspired to actually pick up my real camera. The photos, if I do say so myself, are ADORABLE. Makes me think how ridiculous it is that I don't use my big SLR camera more often. So here are the pics, presented without comment. :)

Turn the Page

So I realize that this picture is similar to Sunday's picture. Sorry. I am somewhat sleep deprived these days and trying to get some Christmas stuff done in the two hours between when I put Jack down and when I go to bed. So hopefully I'll be able to keep up with the blogging. Because I know that all 4 of my readers will be disappointed if I don't post things. :-)

Anyways, the big news lately is that our little guy has learned how to turn the page when we're reading a book. And not just crazily turn backward and forward and close the whole book. No, he really can listen to me read the page, wait for the pause, and then turn the page. It's pretty amazing. I say "turn the page" and BAM, it happens. I couldn't have imagined how crazy this whole "communication" thing would be. It really seems like a miracle when you start from scratch. 'Scratch' being a blob that can sit or stand or understand words. But he knows so many words now. Can't wait to see what he learns next.

Photo Challenge Week 13 - What I Love

(I had a less cheesy photo all picked out but didn't want to disappoint my husband.)

Next week...Tasty.

Today Jack is...42 weeks old.

Who is that kid?! Certainly not my baby. That's a real life little kid with front and bottom teeth, a full head of hair, and he's standing up on his own! Just crazy. He looks so old all of a sudden. I see him standing and cruising all around our living room and our bedroom and I just can't believe it's the same tiny blob we brought home 9 months ago.

Anyways, as I said earlier this week, he's into everything. Yesterday he figured out cabinet doors so we need to get those child locks on asap.

He is still enamored with doors and will open and close them again and again. I didn't take a video but I do have a little sampling of what it looks like...

He's been pretty good with the Christmas tree. I'm not sure we need this fence around it but it makes me feel better when I leave him alone in the family room for a quick second.

The Christmas moose on the other hand, needs no protection. They are good friends.

Unfortunately this week was tainted by what I can only describe as hellish sleep. He's regressed back to his 5 month sleep habits which I haven't missed. We're up with him around 11 for an hour or so and then again at 2:30 or 3 for another hour. And then he's up at 5 or 6. It's a damn shame because he's so cute and lovable during the day...not sure why he has to turn into a devil child during the night. I'm sort of at a loss what to do...wait it out, take drastic measures...I don't know. Just want it to stop!

Speaking of hellish weeks, Jack took time out of his busy schedule to write his Aunt Julie a message.

And now, more pics from the week!

Enjoying his play table which he literally stands at for hours a day

Look at those eyes!

One of the funniest faces I've ever captured. As John says, very punk rock.

Getting into everything

The little guy is into everything. That seems to be his only purpose in life right now - moving around from place to place. He can stand up on anything and loves to cruise around the coffee table, to the ottoman, to the fireplace, to the glider. He can open and close doors and drawers. He is so proud of himself. And he really is exploring the whole house. We don't have gates so he follows me everywhere. It's actually pretty cute.

$3 Glasses

Jack has gotten in this awful habit of grabbing our glasses off of our faces. Well, maybe not "awful" habit since it's kind of cute. But he has a tendency to grab them and then bend them all the wrong ways. This is more a problem for John since he wears glasses all the time. Anyways, while we don't want Jack destroying our glasses, he is so happy playing with them and it distracts him while I change his diaper, put on socks, etc.

So I came up with the only solution I could think of. I headed to the local Goodwill store and found the one pair of glasses that somewhat resembled John's glasses. I plunked down $3 and brought them home and, guess what? Jack loves them. For once, I've outsmarted him. For now.