Jack's Wheels

That Boy's Got Skillz

The other morning I captured a video of Jack doing all of his latest tricks: crawling, talking, and clapping. Click here to watch.

Crawling=Access to Power Cords

Jack & His Buds

Hair

Success!

It's official. Tonight Jack crawled all over the (clean) kitchen floor on all fours. No inch-worming about it. I don't have a picture to accompany this news, I just felt that I had to report it.

The Case of the Missing Sock

9 Months: On the Move

Happy nine months, Little Man. A lot of changes have happened this month; namely, your desire to MOVE. You haven't quite figured out the full-on crawl yet, but just today you did something I will refer to as the Inchworm. Quite impressive, at least to your dad and I. It's amazing how getting from point A to point B is such a big deal. I've been doing it for years. But the other day when we were playing in the bedroom and it looked like you were about to crawl, I yelled, "Get the camera!" like some kind of crazy lady.

It's also funny when, as a parent, you find yourself doing things in public you used to make fun of other people for doing. For instance, on our walk tonight, your dad and I both started talking (using our outside voices, no less) in funny voices just to hear you laugh as many times as possible. It didn't matter if anyone heard us or not, you were (and are) our primary focus. And I have yet to hear a sweeter sound than your laugh.

Another thing you did tonight was pull yourself to standing while in the bathtub. A bit slippery and scary, but nice work.

You also seem to have formed quite an opinion lately. You know what you want, and you want it sooner rather than later. I suppose you get that from me.

You're eating like a champ and are down to three bottles. Bottles are for eight-month-olds anyway. I gave you your first graham cracker this weekend in the grocery store and you loved it. Now I see why Parker's mom used to steal graham crackers from Jason's Deli. Certain misdemeanors can be overlooked in some cases, I guess, if a satisifed and occupied baby is the result.

Every day I look forward to your next genius discovery. Keep it up.

I love you.
Mama

Hop on Pop

Sweet Sleeper

Surrounded by Stuff

The Sun's Back In Austin

The photo we're sending to the Gerber modeling agency

That poor water bottle didn't have a chance

Family Photo: Casual Dress

Kay and Ava come to Austin over MLK weekend to help Jack celebrate his African American heritage

Jack with Grampy and Gimpy

Nekked Boy

Media Card Corrupted

Above you'll see the pictures I took this weekend when Kay, Ava, and G&G Becker were in town. Oh wait. Actually you'll see the message left on my camera after they left. Imagine cute pictures of Jack with everyone. And one video of my dad scraping--and then licking--every last bit of chocolate frosting off the cake plate. With a knife.

Eight Months Old

Well, Little Man, you started your eighth month out with a bang. Literally. This morning, after a Code Brown, you were on the changing table, in a fresh diaper--BUCKLED IN--and I went to wash my hands. When I came back you were on the floor. And the strap was STILL BUCKLED. You were crying, but as soon as I picked you up you calmed right down. Then a few minutes later you were your flailing, happy self. I took you to the doctor and she said you were just fine; babies are resilient. The irony of this is amazing, considering yesterday's post. Regardless, DON'T DO IT AGAIN, PLEASE. And please don't tell anyone about this incident, as I don't want to be disqualified from the Mom of the Year Competition. I suppose I could run for Most Improved later on, but that's not as highly sought after. In any case, I'm so sorry I wasn't in there to catch your fall.

You had quite a month. You officially have 2 teeth, which makes for a very cute smile. You went on your first long road trip--fourteen hours to Omaha for Christmas. You were a champ, only crying for about 25 minutes total each way. You had quite a time in Nebraska, and met about 450 relatives (slight exaggeration). At one point on the way home, we were stopped in a parking lot enjoying a McRib sandwich, and you sat on your dad's lap and played with the steering wheel. You seemed to enjoy that quite a bit. Or maybe you were just sick of being strapped into your car seat for hours at a time. Either way, you were happy.

Soon after we returned from Omaha, you got a nasty case of croup. Three nights in our bed and two days of steroids later, you cleared it out of your system. Just so you know what kind of parents we are, we sold our New Years Eve tickets to a Rockin Rollerskating Party with an Awesome 80s Cover Band. But you're worth it. I will, however, not hesitate to bring this monumental sacrifice up later in life if and when I need to.

Skillwise, you didn't do much this month. No offense. You're not really close to crawling, although I wouldn't want to crawl around here either with all the dog hair on the floor. Perhaps you'll just go straight to walking. Doesn't matter to me. You've attempted a sippy cup, and although the picture above seems to show otherwise, click here to see a video of your actual sippy cup skills.

You are "talking" a lot more and smiling more than ever, as usual. Keep it up, kid.

I look forward to seeing what next month will bring. I've enjoyed being home with you these past couple weeks. I love you eight times more than I did when you were born. If that's possible.

xoxo Mama