and the walkin' man walks ...

jack's walking is really coming along. we can barely get him off his push toys. he wants to push those cars around even when he's so tired he can barely keep his head up!

and he is taking more steps in his "freestyle" walking. today he made it from the corner of the kitchen to the couch in the family room -- that's almost 20 steps (for jack's little legs, anyway).

mommy was able to capture a quick snippet of the walking, but in this instance jack did not get very far before falling. it's hard because every time he sees the camera, he starts crawling so he can get over to it and try to grab it as quick as he can. he is still a lot faster on four legs than on two!

and if you can't see the embedded video, you can click this link to go to youtube and watch it there.

growing up so fast

with only a week until jack's first birthday, mommy is feeling a little verklempt and nostalgic that her little baby is not a baby anymore.

i mean, we're not quite to "little jackie paper" status yet, but jack does seem to be most interested in casting off his baby ways and baby things in favor of more "grown-up" pursuits. he watches the big boys at the pool like a hawk. and, pretty soon he will be getting rid of his bottles.

but for now the morning bottle is one of our most cuddly times, when jack is willing to be a baby for just a few moments longer.

the difference between boys and girls

well ... there are several.

but one big difference occurred to me yesterday.

mommy and jack were playing in his room. he was interested in a little beanie bear that my cousin's husband had gotten for him. we were taking mr. bear on and off the shelf, walking him around, etc. then, mommy started playing a game where the bear was giving kisses to jack. he liked that.

when mommy handed the bear over to jack so he could make it give kisses to mommy, he instead put it on the ground and started whacking it with a drum stick from his band set. we went from a sweet, gentle game to a wild one in the blink of an eye.

and it was then i reaffirmed, ah yes, this is what it's like to be the mother of a boy.

hot pursuit, part 6

welcome to the season (and probably series) finale of the critically acclaimed* dramedy hot pursuit, starring john j. mershon, featuring dr. sgt. floyd boyd pepper jennings mershon, and introducing mrs. janis the panis jennings mershon.

in this episode, our hero, "jack skywalker" chases the villian, "darth floyd." somehow the dastardly obsidian feline escapes.

will our hero ever catch the villain? we may leave you hanging ... but if hot pursuit ever runs again, tune in to find out -- same jack-channel.

if you have trouble watching hot pursuit as it's embedded in this blog, you can click on this link instead to watch it on youtube.

*critics are jack's grandmothers and have not been paid for their endorsement of hot pursuit. they may, however, be compensated with jack snuggles.

waiting for hot pursuit

unlike godot ... it will eventually show up.

please stand by ...

but mommy is busy with rose garden press conferences and emergency funding bill votes, so until that's done, the season finale of hot pursuit will not be ready. i am my own aaron sorkin.

thank you for your understanding and your continued viewing of hot pursuit.

super jack

of course mommy and daddy think jack is super ... but here's proof:

more cute swim pix

jack and his daddy testing the waters:

mommy dries off her little land shark:

class photo (the little girl in green, bottom left, was jack's swim girlfriend):

jack had such a big day saturday that he fell asleep in the car and slept in the driveway for almost 1/2 an hour!

but he sure woke up happy!

what a way to end the day

mommy just had the nicest experience ... she had to share

jack's usually asleep when his parents come home from work. we've asked "mamaxana" -- his babysitter -- to keep him up, but to no avail. between all his activity and his crappy nappy, he just tuckers himself out by around 6:30 or so, max.

but, for some reason, today he took two decent naps (60 mins and 40 mins, respectively) and was still awake when daddy got home. that's all it takes -- a change of energy and our little energizer bunny is recharged.

so when mommy called home after the news aired, daddy told her to scoot on home. and luckily we're so close to mommy's office that, despite her desk being still piled high, she took off and was home in a jiffy to see her two boys waiting on the front stoop for her -- one of whom was wearing new (and very cute) lion pjs. and no, that was not michael ...

another change of energy and jack was very happy again. he gave big hugs and smiles and was generally a very nice baby. when we went upstairs to read and rock and have the final bottle ... then he was more than happy.

and as he was starting to get dreamy-eyed, a huge grin came across his face, and he started talking to me in a most beautiful language. not shrieking, like he sometimes does ... just very matter of fact and calm and earnest ... pausing only to give more 100 watt smiles.

as i told jack's daddy ... it's always nice to see him in the evenings, even if he's fussy and clingy and then conks right out with a bottle.

but tonight? tonight was something special. and i'm so glad i got home.

swimming report card

saturday was jack's final swimming lesson for the session at the montgomery aquatic center. jack was supposed to get his certificate and report card, but his regular teacher wasn't there (it was her prom) and the substitute teacher couldn't find where she had left them. so they're going to be mailed to us.

grades aren't important to us, so whatever the report card says, we'll be proud of jack. but, just in case you were wondering how he fared ... here's the grade outlook:

being in the water and getting head wet: A

swimming on his belly: A

touching the wall of cascading water: A

diving into the pool from the side: A

holding on to the floating barbell and kicking: C+

but if the skill were "clean and jerk of floating barbell": A

keeping mouth closed in the pool: F

having a good time and loving swimming: A++

the pool we joined opened this weekend too, so we went to check it out on sunday afternoon. it was lots of fun, and jack did great in the water there too. they have swimming lessons too, so we may be moving to outdoor lessons for the summer. maybe then the cheap, waterproof disposable camera will take some decent looking pictures!

don't change that dial!

jack loves the remote.

blog readers all know this -- there are myriad pictures of jack with the remote. he even had double remotes in the latest episode of hot pursuit. and blog readers also probably know that jack has his own remote to play with, but that he realizes it does not actually control anything and so relegates it to second class status, in favor of the real remotes.

he has been known to change channels (indian zee-tv is a favorite), raise and lower volume, and make the screen go blue. but, utilizing the remote requires that he find it. for a while now, mommy and daddy have been hiding the remotes behind a couch pillow to keep them safe.

well ... the jig is up.

jack now understands that the remotes are behind the pillow and will go hunting for them. as he has in the past (as his nana can attest), this morning jack threw the pillow aside to reveal two remotes. but, they were slightly out of his reach. after trying valiantly to stretch his arms all the way to the back of the couch, he realized he needed to get up on the couch.

so he took the pillow he had thrown on the floor, stood on it, pulled on mommy's leg, and managed to climb on to the sofa. once ascended, he grabbed the remotes and happily changed from "Gregory In the Morning" on MSNBC to CNBC. I guess he wanted to check on his portfolio and the overnight activity in the Asian markets.

hot pursuit, part 5

welcome to this week's episode of the critically acclaimed* dramedy hot pursuit, starring john j. mershon, and featuring dr. sgt. floyd boyd pepper jennings mershon.

in this episode, our hero, "jack" chases the villian, "pretty boy floyd." somehow the dastardly obsidian feline escapes.

will our hero ever catch the villain? tune in next thursday to find out -- same jack-time, same jack-channel.

if you have trouble watching hot pursuit as it's embedded in this blog, you can click on this link instead to watch it on youtube.

*critics are jack's grandmothers and have not been paid for their endorsement of hot pursuit. they may, however, be compensated with jack snuggles.

technical difficulties

due to unforseen issues (i.e., mommy's tooth breaking), hot pursuit will not be seen at its regularly scheduled time.

but not to worry, you'll still have something to talk about at the watercooler tomorrow if you tune in later today, because hot pursuit will be showing later today.

thanks for your patience and your viewership.

the rush-hour

things can get pretty hectic in our household in the morning. mommy and daddy trying to get ready for work, play with jack, get ourselves and him fed, shoot footage for hot pursuit, etc. lots of activity.

well, today the rush hour got so extreme that jack found himself in bumper-to-bumper traffic ... right in the living room.



and it got so bad that jack had to go see what the problem was ... and solve it ... by taking both cars and walking with them both. mommy didn't capture much more than this, because she was trailing behind -- so worried jack was gonna really konk his head!

beep beep, beep beep, yeah!

blog-worthy

even though jack's blog requires constant maintenance and content, there are still so many pictures and so little time.

the trick is being organized. and mostly i am. but sometimes, like today, i'm not. luckily, there are always some photos in reserve. and even if they're not the newest, they're still blog-worthy.

in fact, the photographer of the snaps below (a.k.a. jack's nana) made a special plea that these pictures be posted.

so, ladies and gents, here you have it, the incredible sliding baby!

squash boy!

jack had a very good weekend ... he's finally feeling better, the weather was nice, and mommy and daddy were both around to entertain him. laissez les bons temps rouler!!

saturday saw a return to the swimming pool, and jack the fish swam as though he had not missed the last two weeks. he was fearless and joyful as ever. next week is the final week of lessons and jack will get his report card. we are also allowed to (finally!) take pictures next week, so stay tuned for that.

sunday ... mother's day! we celebrated with a brunch that jack's nana and granddad brought over. jack even wrote on mommy's card. he also ended up with pen on his arm ... not surprising, knowing jack. mommy got the stroller pedometer she had been wanting (quel surprise...daddy was only told about one hundred times!) and then we put it to the test with a 7.38 mile (approximately!) walk on the capital crescent trail.

and, of course, millions of pictures were taken of jack. but, since mommy had a busy morning and didn't upload them, we'll have to fall back on pictures from friday when nana was in charge of dinner, and accordingly, of squash boy!

like i said ... laissez les bons temps rouler!

bye bye mommy!

jack is very sweet, lately wanting to be with mommy all the time.

the problem?

jack wants to be with mommy all the time, including when she's needing to leave for the work.

this morning daddy and jack walked mommy to the car so that jack wouldn't cry and mommy wouldn't be wracked with guilt.

hot pursuit, part 4

welcome to this week's episode of the critically acclaimed* dramedy hot pursuit, starring john j. mershon, and introducing janice "the panice" jennings mershon as the villianess "lady jan grey".

in this episode, our hero, "jack" is lured in by the fetching villianess, who is an accomplice of "pretty boy floyd." somehow she eludes capture and goes on the lam with the dastardly obsidian feline.

will our hero ever catch the villain? tune in next thursday to find out -- same jack-time, same jack-channel.

if you have trouble watching hot pursuit as it's embedded in this blog, you can click on this link instead to watch it on youtube.

*critics are jack's grandmothers and have not been paid for their endorsement of hot pursuit. they may, however, be compensated with jack snuggles.

before and after

well ... you read it here in the pages of the blog ... jack wanted the holly tree to go, and go it did. along with the appliation of a new coat of paint, the holly tree was felled yesterday by one "scott" of scott's trees.

so here's the before:



(holly tree would be in the left foreground)

and here's the after:



you can actually take pictures of the house from a head-on perspective. the mound of dirt in the foreground is all that's left of the holly tree.

jack thinks the house has lots of curb appeal now. however, he refused to pose for pictures today.

maybe tomorrow.

Eek

Dr. Kornfeld has examined Jack closely, and this is NOT his problem:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070506/ap_on_fe_st/odd_spider_boy;_ylt=As_xRwpWamIL_KO0VBBqbXXMWM0F

Out of the mouths of babes

Jack is definitely getting a bit more talkative. We're pretty sure that he says "cat" when Floyd makes an appearance, and his "da-da-da's" seem more directed at yours truly. He also likes to say "vroom" when he pushes his toy car across the floor. Webster's doesn't list "vroom" as a word, but what do they know? Hacks.

In addition, Jack is developing sentence structure in his language. Just this morning he said, "Daddy, please tell mommy that holly berries are somewhat poisonous to young children and that the trees themselves are unsightly; we should remove them from the premises forthwith." Kids say the darnedest things ...

yard sale weekend

saw big doings in the neighborhood -- the first annual "attic in the street" sale where a number of houses all had yard sales.

we sold some stuff (about $80 worth) and some stuff went to charity or the dumpster. we tried to sell jack, but no one would buy him -- even when he was priced to sell.

just kidding, of course. jack was a huge help attracting customers. and we had all kinds, including a minivan full of brazilian women and a couple of cuban diplomats. truth is stranger than fiction.

daddy and jack missed the beginning of the yard sale because they had to go to the doctor for a check on jack's infected ears. the good news is that the right ear is doing a little better. the bad news is that the left ear is doing worse. that means jack had to start amoxicillin. it's the gentlest of the antibiotics on the tummy, so hopefully it won't wreck the improvement that's been made to his gi tract. and we're continuing probiotics, so that should help too. jack is tugging more on that ear and hitting that side of his head when he drinks his bottles, but other than that, you'd never really know the kid is sick. what a tough guy!

mommy is at work sunday, and so the boys are doing their "boy things." but mommy's hoping they can come up to nbc for lunch if she's not too busy and they're not too busy!

amber waves of jack

well ... not amber ... but new.

jack has *finally* figured out how to wave!

he had been doing a small finger roll that sometimes looked like a wave and sometimes looked like the sign for "bottle" or "milk." frankly, knowing jack, it was probably the latter.

but two days ago i thought i saw a real full-armed wave. we were out in front of the house imagining a new paint scheme when a little girl and her mother walked by on their way to the elementary school at the end of our block. they waved and mommy waved, while encouraging jack to join in. he did flap his little arm and i wondered -- was that it? was that a wave?

well, today all doubts have been quelled. jack was waving like crazy at daddy this morning (sorry no pix!). he even waved to mommy when she came downstairs after her shower, but only briefly. he's been very clingy with mommy so after the wave came the reach -- "hold me mommy!"

now that's an offer you can't refuse!

hot pursuit, part 3

welcome to this week's episode of the critically acclaimed* dramedy hot pursuit, starring john j. mershon, and featuring dr. sgt. floyd boyd pepper jennings mershon.

in this episode, our hero, "jack" chases the villian, "pretty boy floyd" all the way to hawaii. somehow the dastardly obsidian feline escapes.

will our hero ever catch the villain? tune in next thursday to find out -- same jack-time, same jack-channel.

if you have trouble watching hot pursuit as it's embedded in this blog, you can click on this link instead to watch it on youtube.

*critics are jack's grandmothers and have not been paid for their endorsement of hot pursuit. they may, however, be compensated with jack snuggles.

diy feeding, part three

jack continues to try to master the art of the spoon. here's the latest attempt:

and here's the aftermath:

a perfect 10 from mommy! but the russian judge took points off ... boo!

another first ...

we've had a lot of firsts lately ... first steps ... first pseudo-words ... and now ...

first ear infection

a sick visit to the doctor today (another first) confirms what we suspected: jack's middle ear is infected on both sides. poor baby. that's what's been causing his prolonged low-grade fever.

jack had his ears cleaned out and looked in by doctor dana while mommy held his head still. he did not like that at all.



but, contrary to common practice, jack will not be starting antibiotics. because of his "toddlers' diarrhea," which is just starting to come under control, his ped is worried about undoing all the progress that's been made with his tummy and making him miserable with a new round of diaper rash. since the infection seems to not be bothering jack terribly, we're going to try letting his body fight it and see if it gets better on its own.

in the meantime, we're swapping our saturday swimming lesson for a follow-up appointment at the pediatric care center. jack is not amused.