8 Months

Holy fast forward, Batman!

Jack went to the doctor last week for a nasty eye infection and got weighed while he was there.  Here are his stats as of late:

weight: 19 pounds, 6 ounces (50th percentile)
lenght:  26.75 inches (25th percentile)

It looks like Jack's height and weight are becoming more balanced.

This month, Jack:

• wears size 3 diapers
• wears mostly 6-9 month or 9 month clothes
• walks with assistance (holding fingers, using his walker)
• eats solids 3 times a day and nurses 5-6 times a day
• says "mama" a lot, but not necessarily about me
• is ticklish and giggles a lot
• has 2 teeth and 2 more on the way (any minute now)
• points to objects, but not consistently
• searches for hidden objects (has grasped object permanence)
• uses his pincer grasp to pick up objects
• can pull himself to standing when holding our fingers
• can stand while holding onto something, but often becomes distracted and falls
• LOVES to watch Jeopardy (but doesn't answer many questions correctly)
• likes to hide under blankets
• is opening cabinets in the kitchen (time to child-proof)
• still not crawling-we think he may go straight to walking
• enjoys chasing the dogs when in his walker

Jack is certainly a fun kid and we are enjoying all the facets of his personality that are continuing to develop! We have no doubt that he will keep us on our toes!!!

Jack Would Walk 500 Miles

Oh yeah, that's right, I got that song stuck in your heads now!   

But I would walk 500 miles
And I would walk 500 more
Just to be the man who walked a thousand miles
To fall down at your door

Anyway, back to the topic at hand.  Jack has really gotten a hang of walking in his walker.  He now chases the dogs, runs over our feet, crashes into everything and pulls on my curtains.  I had to use the bathroom the other day and as soon as I got in there and shut the door, Jack was crashing into the door repeatedly.  This is just a taste of what's to come.

So happy to have his hands on the curtains

I got some more video of Jack walking.  I know not everyone wants to see videos of Jack that last forever, so I sped this one up about halfway through.  If nothing else, it's hilarious to see Jack in fast forward!



This morning, I had him in his walker while I was doing some chores.  When I went to find him, he was in the kitchen and had moved the dogs food and water dish clear across the room.  Later today, he decided that he wanted the kitchen towels, so he removed them from their usual home on the oven handle.  I better start child-proofing this house...NOW!

Jack after moving the dog dish across the kitchen.  He looks really sorry, doesn't he?

Jack Takes a Walk

This morning, we decided to try Jack out in his walker....again.  You see, our boy Jack wasn't blessed with a super models legs (or appetite or ability to throw up on command actually) so his little feet didn't touch the floor when he was put in his walker.  When your feet don't hit the floor, it's often difficult to walk.

Here is the video we made this morning:

Cheeeeeeeeeeeese!

This morning, Dave went out for his loooooooong run and Jack and I headed to Durham for a photo shoot with our favorite photographers Annie Leibovitz Harrison and Rebecca Faulk.  After our drive through Scary Town, we arrived at the location of shoot-an old refurbished textile factory.  The space was great with lots of hardwoods and exposed brick.  I changed Jack into his super cute outfit and Annie and Rebecca got to shooting.  I took my camera because Jack always smiles when he sees it (kind of like Pavolv's Dog).  While I was aiming my camera at Jack, I accidentally took this picture:

photo edited due to a disgruntled photog

Apparently, Rebecca moonlights as a contortionist.  The girls took Jack all over the space and used lots of different backgrounds and he was very cooperative.  Once they were done taking his pictures, it was time to snuggle.  Jack got lots of snuggle time with Annie and Rebecca and then passed out as soon as we got in the car.

I cannot wait to see his pictures.  They showed me a few on their cameras and they were so cute.

In the meantime, here are a couple pictures I took at home of Jack in his cute outfit.

I'll be sure to let you know when we get our disc with the pictures on it.  If it takes too long, I'll have you help me harass the photographers :)

"Walking"

Lately, Jack is only happy if he is standing up.  He can't stand up on his own, so he needs one of us to hold his hands so he can stand.  He has also begun to get "a little big for his britches" in that he quickly tries to let go of our hands and then falls down.

Our friend Blanca told us that when her kids were little, she would use a towel to hold them up to they could walk around and the adult wouldn't have to bend over so far and get a sore back.

Jack is loving his new mobility!

I was able to get a little video of Jack in action.  As you are watching, you'll notice that someone tries to steal the show (ahem, Scout!).  I also really encourage you to watch until the very end (it's only 25 seconds long, people) because it's pretty stinkin' cute right at the end!

Twins?

No!  I'm not having twins but I did get a glimpse into the life of having twins today.  My friend, Kristen, dropped her little girl, Eva, off while she went to work for a few hours.  Kristen is going to be working at the hospital that is about 1 mile from my house and I offered to watch her little girl while she worked.  It worked outs really well since Kristen is only going to be working part time and I live so close to where she works.  I don't really want to watch kids every day of the week so this will give me a little extra spending money but still leave the majority of my week open.  Kristen said it really well when she said, "I don't want to do anything everyday besides be a mom".  At 5 months old, Eva is only a couple months younger than Jack so we had quite the afternoon.

Jack reading a book to Eva

Eva enjoying Jack's "Circle of Neglect"

taking a little break for some hand holding

I do believe these two will be trouble when they get older

Jack giving Eva a little pat on her head

They both did really well.  Jack was happy to share his mommy and Eva was happy to play with a friend and some new toys.  The only hard part was when they both got tired at the same time and needed to be put down for a nap, but we managed just fine. 

I may not be bringing home the bacon, but now I'm able to bring home a few bacon bits!

I think someone knew what they were talking about when they made sure a woman couldn't have babies 2.5 months apart!

Here Fishy, Fishy!

Jack has discovered the fish tank in the playroom office and he loves to stand in front of it and admire the fishies.  By admire, I mean bang on the tank and scream loudly with joy.