The Fan Beat Up The Balloon...

I just had to note this as it was so funny! Baby Jack is really beginning to communicate with signs. He ADORES balloons and has loved them since he was 5 months old. We cannot take him anywhere without him noticing every balloon wherever we go. Consequently we often buy him mylar balloons so that he can hold the strings and look at them (which is all it takes to make him happy).
Jack also loves ceiling fans...and points those out with his sign for "fan" wherever we go. Last night in our room he was signing "fan" so I turned the fan on low so he could look at it while it was moving. Well, the current created by the fan sucked up one of the mylar balloons that I had in the room and the balloon got caught up in the fan and then kicked away from the fan making a horrible loud noise. Then the current brought the balloon back into the fan blades again before I could rescue it.
Jack saw all of this take place and began to cry (the fan was "beating up" his balloon friend.) I forgot about the incident until that night when I was nursing him to sleep. Jack kept stopping to turn and look up at the fan and make the sign for fan. He would then look at me and make the sign for fan. (He was afraid of it...you could tell). So I would hug him and wrap my arms around him and tell him that he was safe and that Mommy loves him so much and that everything was okay. He even raised his little arm up to make the sign for fan while he continued to nurse. The poor little thing...that must have really traumatized him.
He was fine this morning...I just wanted to remember the look in his little eyes when he looked at me while making the fan sign...letting me know that he was afraid.
Also, of note, he is cruising like a pro and loves to be chased! He will start to crawl through the tree tunnel at the Polaris play area until another child comes through the tunnel from the other direction. Jack then immediately runs around and crawls back out as fast as he can laughing as if he is being chased by the other child. He just kept doing this again and again the last time I took him to the play area.

Also of note is the fact that his hair is so long that I can no longer leave it in little curls at the top of his head. This weekend, I began smoothing it out by brushing it to one side. It is adorable...he really looks like a little boy now. However, I am amazed (as always) at how beautiful he is. I can't imagine loving anything any more!!!

(NOTE ABOUT ME: I have lost 40lbs over the last 4 months. I am wearing size 8 jeans and size 6 skirts again. Just a bit left to go to get to my goal. I feel so much better!)

Signing!

I just wanted to note this for future reference. Jack has begun to sign like crazy in the last week. He can sign for "fan", "fish" "flower"...and he clicks his mouth when he wants food. He did the sign for "doggie" this morning, and is trying so hard to make the sign for "balloon" and "book" and "cheerrio" but he just isn't coordinated enough yet.


He is so smart. I really believe he is way ahead of himself. On Saturday morning he woke up in our bed and began calling "Dada" "Dada" as that is what we do each morning together (with me calling out "Daddy! Daddy!") to get Daddy to come upstairs. (Paul is sleeping downstairs now as Darby needs to be taken out several times throughout the night...he is not doing well )

This morning in bed, we learned the sign for "doggie" and he did it several times...but then wouldn't do it for Daddy. Also when I was reading his "colors" book to him this morning....before I even pulled open the page to show him the blue fish ....Jack was making the sign for "fish" and when I opened the page for starfish and said "starfish" he made the sign for "fish" again....WOW!!! I can't believe he makes these connections! (It even took Mommy a second to figure out why he was signing "fish" when I had said starfish.)

I am amazed by my baby! I am in awe at how much he understands at 9 1/2 months!

Halloween Night...Communicating...& Attended First Birthday Party!

I just wanted to note what a wonderful time Jack had on his first Halloween night Trick-or-Treating. Mommy, Daddy & Nana were all in attendance as we went up and down are street to each of our neighbor's homes. Jack even stayed up beyond his normal 7:00 pm bedtime...but never even got crabby he was having such a great time. He was dressed as a blue butterfly and was the cutest little thing. (I am going to save his costume for him as he may want it when he is an adult). Even though he is only 9 months old, it didn't take him long to figure out how to reach his hand into the bowls at each house and to grab the candy. Obviously, he just played with the candy as we walked to the next house...but he just loved the whole concept of this holiday!
When we were finished (we only stayed out about an hour) we sat him down and let him play with all of the candy he collected. He LOVED that...holding up the packages in each hand and crinkling them to make noise and feel the texture. We gave him just a few tiny bites of chocolate (as babies aren't supposed to have chocolate before they are a year old) as we didn't think it fair not to let him taste the fruits of his labor.
As far as communication goes...I think our baby is gifted. He waves his hand to indicate that he wants something. And he claps as a symbol of the word "yes." This was confirmed for me on Saturday when, after giving him a bite of a little mini cookie, he waved his hand at the cookie after I had set it down. So, I gave him another bite. A few minutes later he waved at the cookie again, so I gave him another little bite. When he waved again, I offered him the cookie, but he turned his head to the side and waved in that direction again where his sippy cup was sitting. So I asked him, "Do you want a drink?" and he clapped his hands ("yes"). We went on for 10 minutes or so with him asking for cookies and sips of water with gestures. It was amazing. After we were done, I asked him if he wanted to go see Nana and he waved at the door (her room is right down the hall and he knows that is where she always is). Also, he says Mama and Dada and I think he knows that Dada actually means Daddy, as he says Dada and then looks to the door where Daddy comes from when we call for him. He is amazing, for 9 months, I think.

On Sunday Jack attended his first Birthday party for his friend Paige (the daughter of one of my good friends) and he had a ball. He weighed about as much as Paige and was even a bit taller and she is large for 1 year old....our big big boy!

9 Months Old!!!!

My baby boy has now officially been outside of me as long as he was inside me. Prior to today he had belonged to me alone for longer than he belonged to the world. Now he moves forward...with his time with Mommy (as Mommy's own special little bean) becoming less and less a part of his entire existence. I can't help but feel that he is growing away from me bit by bit.


Despite those feelings he still wants Mommy when he is sleepy or wants to cuddle. It is only his Mommy that can make him feel comfy sometimes. Sometimes when Daddy takes him from Mommy's arms, he will cry and reach back out to Mommy and it makes me feel good to know that he loves me even though I am not with him all day long like Daddy is.

He had his 9 month old appointment today. He weighs 24lbs 12oz. He is 30 3/4" tall and his head circumference is 48 cm. He is in the 97% in weight and head size and off the charts in height!

We took him to a Halloween gathering in Delaware this weekend and he saw a bit of his first real movie at a theater: Charlotte's Web. He then went on to win the "Best Bug" category in the costume contest (he won a soccer ball). On Sunday we had his pictures taken in his costume alone and with his cousin Olivia. They turned out so cute!!!

Oh, and the cute little baby...with tons of hair has yet another modeling assignment. Tomorrow he will do a shoot for Value City! Our sweet baby boy. I can't believe he is 9 months old....it seems like just yesterday we were welcoming him to the world!

Going Everywhere....and Not Sleeping!

Well Daddy was right. Jack crawled on Friday. He was crawling when I got home and continued to crawl all over the place all weekend. As soon as he figured out how to coordinate his movements and crawl, he has been nonstop! The problem is....even during the night he is so excited, he wakes up gets on his hands and knees and crawls around in our bed. This has been going on several times each night usually around 2:00 am and it can go on for hours. Saturday night I had to put him into his crib as I was so tired and he just would not settle down! (I felt horrible and kind of sick to my stomach about doing this as I missed him by my side at night...and I felt a little like I was giving up on him...and leaving him alone at night in that dark room.)


We took him to the Circle S Pumpkin Farm on Sunday. Mommy, Daddy Jack & Nana had so much fun! We took a hay ride and picked out three pretty pumpkins (which were stolen later when we left them near the exit to go get the car), Nana & Daddy had cider and doughnuts and shared with Jack & he just LOVED it. We saw ducks, and goats, and took tons of pictures. It was a great day and a fun way to celebrate Jack's first Autumn with us!

I cannot believe that one year ago he wasn't even alive and that now I have the most precious thing I could have ever imagined. How did we ever live without him? I can't believe how lucky we are.

He Crawled!

Today Baby Jack really crawled for the first time. He has been moving himself along on his tummy and getting himself up on his hands and knees for weeks now. But today he crawled. Unfortunately (and it breaks my heart) I was not home to see it. But I got a call from Daddy saying that Jack got up on his hands and knees and crawled over to the dog's water bowl ... this was about 7 crawling movements according to Daddy. I am soooo proud of my little Monkey and can't wait for Mommy to witness the crawling baby this weekend!

"Bye Bye"

Baby Jack is changing daily now. He is really starting to understand us, and knows certain words mean certain things. He definitely understands quite a lot now. He’s been clapping his hands on demand and when he wants to communicate "happiness" to us for quite a while now. He knows that the word Daddy, means the big guy who hugs him and carries him around and feeds him. He knows the words fan, kitty, balloon and looks at the object when you say those words. He knows "num nums" and "sleepy" and raises his arms reaching toward people when he wants to be picked up (when the person makes that guesture to him first).

Amazingly enough, this weekend, we had a littel breakthrough. We have been working on saying bye bye and using our hand in an opening and closing guesture as a sign for the word. Sometimes he would wave back at us when we said bye bye and waved, other times he wouldn't. On Sunday, Mom & I took Jack to the Mall where they have a wonderful carpeted paly area for small children where they can climb on large animal statues and roll and tumble. (Jack is not crawling yet, but it is a great place for him to see other children moving around and to slither and roll around on the floor and to practice getting uyp on his hands and knees). Anyway, he was intently watching a little 15 month old boy (who was no bigger than Jack) crawl and toddle around. Jack smiled and smiled at this little boy and did everything he could to get the little boy's attention. When the other little boy didn't respond, sweet little Jack lifted up his little hand and waived to him!
This was so touching, because we all cheer and clap when Jack makes this gesture...so I suppose that the poor little thing figured that the little boy might like him if he waved at him...since it seemed to make Mommy, and Daddy & Nanna happy.
Since Sunday, he has been waiving all of the time. Whenever we say bye bye, he waves.....what an amazing little boy. I think it is quite early for him to be making these associations and using these signs...but who knows?
Other things that he does is when dressing him, he helps by pushing his little hand through the armholes of his clothing. He laughs so hard whenever we sing the "Itsy Bitsy Spider" for some reason (no other song seems to affect him like that). He is really close to being able to crawl. He squirms around and can sort of push/drag himself about the room, but it is not really purposeful movement to get to a specific location...he can't quite aim himself and get there yet. He does get up on his hands and knees and rock and sometimes he even moves and arm and a leg forward before he goes back down on to his tummy. I have awakened at night to find him up on his hands and knees rocking away.
He has gottent o HATE to have his face washed or anyone touching or wiping his nose, mouth or in the vicinity of the face. If he sees you coming toward him with a washcloth or tissue, he turns his little head away. He also fusses now when we dress him. This is new....dressing and diaper changing used to be no problem...now he gets quite fussy turning dressing and diapering into an olympic event at times.
Some of Jack's current favorite items around the house:

Tube of Desitin Diaper Rash Cream-- It’s guaranteed to stop him crying when we are changing his diaper.

Anything in his diaper changing basket--The vitamin drops, the nose suction thing, the Orajel tube, etc. He just loves to play with those items and will chosse items out of that basket over any toy available.

Remotes--any TV remote will do, he likes chewing, slobbering on and generally pressing buttons.

Cats or Dogs-- (but especially cats) The sight of one of our cats or one of the dogs will immediately bring a smile to his face...and he does anything he can to touch or grab one. Although at times they get a bit annoyed with his roughness, the cats and dogs tolerate, and actually seem to enjoy his attention at times. Often at night, the cats come and sleep above our heads on the pillows and Jack will reach up and accidentally touch one...and he will continue to open and close his hands in their fur...smiling the whole time. He also will sit at his highchair and hand bits of his food to Darby (our Dalmatian) as he knows this will ensure a "doggie" near him for the remainder of his eating experience.

Satin--Jack LOVES anything satin. He rubs it between his fingers...and loves when you rub in gently on his face, around his eyes and above his lips. He squinches up and smiles and coos. He always wants to hold the satin part of the blanket at night when we go to sleep and to feelit near his cheek.

His blow up bathtub--Jack loves this little tub. Every morning before he goes down for his nap, he wants to visit this tub that we have hanging by a suction cup in the bathroom. He likes to bang on the little fish that whistles when it is squeezed and to look at the pretty colors of the tub itself.

And last but not least...FISH--Jack loves the fish in the fish tank. He does know the word "fishy" and loves to look at the fish. We have two fancy goldfish in a 55 gallon tank in our bedroom and he likes to try to touch them through the glass. He would look at them for hours if we could hold him up to the tank that long!



These are just some of the things that our sweet baby angle is doing right now. I don't know what we ever did without him. Thank you God for the most precious gift.