naps...

that is what jack has decided to give up for lent! seriously...he will not nap this week. granted he went from having some bathroom issues last week--thus resulting in horrible diaper rash--to a low grade fever for the last 4 days, but slow him down? i think not!

he continues to test me constantly and i find myself having to seriously bite my tongue in an effort to not lose it!! thank you yoga, for i have found my "inner calm"...haha!

he has also recently become quite picky with food. making him something different for breakfast, lunch and dinner is just an effort in futility. although nine times out of ten, making him something he likes is also an effort in futility if he decides he doesn't happen to like it that day!? i can't win, so crackers and yogurt it is!

here are a couple pics from the last week...

fashioning his new rain boots...this is how all the cool kids are wearing them;)

completely ignoring my plea for a smile...i actually think he is staring at a blank wall!

my little bookworm...i must put the books back on the shelf 50 times a day, and my type "A" self can't bear to see them lying around!

me, me, me...dad, dad, daddy...

those seem to be the many sounds coming out of jack's mouth these days. his first official word was dad, but recently he has started saying eat, which is not atypical considering that might be his father's favorite thing to do;) it goes a little like this...jack runs to the kitchen, turns to look at you and waves his hand for you come, and then continues on yelling eat, eat, eat! always 3 times--too funny.

he's also finally learned some more signs. talk about slow on the uptake, but he now does 3 signs consistently. we're working on using please correctly all the time, but he also has no patience and when he wants something, please goes right out the window. ahem, again wonder where he gets that from;)

speaking of that lack of patience, he has become quite cantankerous...his new found temper has gotten old quick. not to mention the fact that he thinks time-outs are fun--he gets about 2 warnings and then i threaten time-out, but the only problem is that he walks over willingly to time-out!? hmm...i guess i'll have to work on that one.

valentine's outtakes...

as promised, uncle greg, funny outtakes from the valentine's shoot (unretouched)...

is it a broom?

how about a brush?

ahh forget it, i'm outta here!

you want me to eat this?

what is this thing?!

according to mike, this is his "puttin out the vibe" shot

cheese!

oh you mean smile nicely:)

there were lots more, but these were pretty funny:)

happy valentine's day...

from a little guy who stole my heart the moment i met him:)

molars...again!

he's getting his left molars in and they have made for quite an unbearable little guy. man does he have a short fuse these days!! and god forbid i tell him no...he gets so mad. we're doing time outs and i thought this would never work, but it seems to be actually. at least he seems to "get" it when i ask him to stop or there will be a time out!

on another note, i am amazed at how much new knows and gets on a daily basis. just today he brought 2 different toys to me because they were in need of batteries (they all need batteries!). so i told him they needed batteries and i had to get the screwdriver, but before i could even finish he was on his way over to mike's tool box to help me get it! i was so surprised he knew i needed the screwdriver before i could "fix" them!

he is also into mimicking...his most recent, which i find pretty funny and maybe a tad sad that he even knows it is to pretend to wipe up the floor!? i guess he's seen me do it enough!

here are some cute pics from this morning--we took advantage of the beautiful weather and went for a run outside 2 days in a row!! beware these are seriously cute:)

love the tongue on this one...he's been sticking his tongue out a lot these days!?

i know i'm biased but he is just the cutest!!

Guest Blog: Favorite Things and Fatherly Obervations

Jack seems to be developing quite a personality as of late, coupled with a (bitchy) little temper and a toothy smile (see below). His days are filled with quality mom-time, endless books, sporatic nap sessions, and now a sweet fleet of Hot Wheels. We had a really good weekend, which included a Target run, laundry, walks, and a trip to the Museum of Natural History in Manhattan earlier this afternoon. It was kind of a last-minute thing, but we took advantage of the 54 degree weather in the city and headed south. Jack was highly energetic, and was excited to become acquainted first-hand with several of the animal characters from his favorite books (i.e. "Goodnight Gorilla," "Put Me in the Zoo," and "Polar Bear, Polar Bear").

Here's his latest staple pose -- kind of like "Blue Steel" with just a touch of drool. It is equal parts cute and scary (in my humble opinion). Actually, on second thought it's mostly scary; he looks like a rabid chipmunk.


Here's a picture in front of the Moose exhibit at the museum...way more impressive in person.


More diorama action; I think he was half expecting them to start dancing and singing...


And he's off! He was able to make a few little friends, and ran amok at the museum. All-in-all, I think he had a great time...


Billy the goat...


Finally, our new TV obsession -- Yo Gabba Gabba on Noggin. DJ Lance Rock (guy with the boom box and orange fuzzy hat) seemed to catch all of our attention. If you haven't seen it yet, you should set your DVR ASAP... If they go on tour, or perform and "ice capades-esque" show at the Garden, we're totally there...



(EDITORS NOTE: Jack really doesn't even like the show all that much; we all watched it yesterday and he was only mildly interested. Kristin and I, though, were rocking out. I mean, c'mon, guest stars included: Tony Hawk, Biz Markie, Kenneth from "30 Rock," etc. Sweeet.)

happy 16 months!

hard to believe we're at 16 months, but we are! i think this stage is the most fun, but also very trying. he has such a little personality, which at times can be daunting because he definitely knows what he wants, shows both his frustration and elation, and is constantly testing me. he obviously knows what "no" means, and more often than not chooses not to listen! for instance, just this morning i asked him to give me back his toothbrush (he would gnaw on it all day if i let him!) and he purposely kept turning away from me and pretended he didn't hear me--you should have seen the precocious grin on his face! i'm sure this is just a glimmer of what is to come, so i have to remind myself that he is just learning and figuring things out:)

happy 16 months little guy...you continue to make each day fun and i couldn't imagine my life without you in it!

here are some pics from earlier this week...jack and i decided to brave the snow. he had so much fun and we were literally the only ones out there--these downstaters are quite skittish around snow!

fun with uncle greg:)

my brother came to visit this weekend, and play "manny" ;) he and jack have a blast together, and i think it is because greg is just a big kid at heart! we had a lot of fun going to lunch, the mall and into the city for the afternoon. jack generally goes with the flow, as long as there are snacks and he doesn't have to be confined to his stroller for long periods of time!

our mall trip was in part due to jack's recent growth spurt. he literally grew out of 2 pairs of shoes in matter of a week! he got this balloon at nordstrom where we got his shoes. as you can see from pics below--he loved the balloon! he's never really had a balloon before, but i have a feeling there will be many balloons in the future:)

i just love greg's reaction in the background in this one!

my cute little guy...even with his serious face

this is his current smile as seen in the two pics below...so cute isn't it!?

on the never-ending food saga with him...i would call fish sticks a big, fat FAIL! he didn't like them at all. i thought it would be a good first foray into fish, but apparently not. he's also hating veggies right now. up until this week i was able to get purees in him, but now we're not eating veggies at all, unless i sneak them in;) we'll keep at it, and i assume like many phases, veggies will be "in" again!