We’re in the double digits, folks!  Jack celebrated his 10-month birthday with his first train ride, his first time in Chicago, and his first time marathon spectating. 

He is such a funny little person.  I seriously have a blast playing with him and watching him play.  In the last month he has started loving big pictures books.  When I ask him if he wants a book, he whips his head around to where his books are and gets excited.  He has favorites and has his preferred reading style.  The first look (of the day) through a book is a quick pass-through, the second time involves touching and the third time gets more attention with lots of touching and pointing and the occasional licking. 

Jack’s stepping/walking is coming along, and he takes a max of about 14 steps on his own, but loves to cruise along the furniture.  My favorite part of this month?  He kisses!  Big, wet, open mouth kisses to mommy, daddy and his favorite stuffed animal, Monster.  He also wrestles with his stuffed animals and plays “basketball”…such a little bundle of energy.  He is still a great little eater, although he has slowed down some in the last couple of weeks. What a little turkey! Bath time is hilarious!  He understand “all done” and if he stands up in the tub we ask him if he’s all done and he sits down as quickly as he can.  He loves the bath!

Matt’s parents are coming to visit this weekend.  I’m looking forward to them seeing his dancing and clapping to music.  Even if your weekend is not full of dancing, I hope its filled with fun.  Have a great one!

9 months!  Almost as long on the outside as on the inside.  I know I sound like a broken record but each new phase just keeps getting better.  Jack is so action-packed.  He has to be on the go all the time, except for first thing in the morning.  He really likes to cuddle and wake up slowly.  And don’t try to rush him!  He’ll let you know he isn’t ready to get moving yet.  

He toddles around the house really well.  He still has his half human half monkey crawl but it is fast. He also scales the walls and cruises along the furniture.  He can hold his standing on his own for about half a minute and gets so excited that he claps.

He still loves baths and laughing.  He recently is really into books, especially the touch and feel kind.  He looks around for them at bedtime and loves to settle into one of our laps to follow along and help turn the pages.  He loves light switches and smiles at the Dr. Suess cover in his bedroom (thanks Aunt Tina!) as he turns it off and on…and off and on…Speaking of smiling he smiles and talks to the baby on the water jug, his Pixar bath toys from Uncle Mark, and some of his stuffed animals.  It just cracks me up.

The house is mostly baby-proofed.  Anything that isn’t really a toy like dirty shoes and door stops are especially appealing.

He must be in the middle of a growth spurt.  He fell asleep at dinner this week, which is not like our champion eater.  He is quite the eater and hasn’t met a vegetable he doesn’t like.  Fruit is still just so-so for him.  And cheese is the first food he reaches for on his tray.
And just for fun- quick look at 1 month compared to his current 9 months:We went for a hike/walk near the Celery Bogs on Cattail Trail with Jack yesterday, and a couple asked us how old Jack is before telling us their “baby” is 28.  Time is going fast, he is growing up, but this little guys will always be our baby.

Wow! What a crazy month. Since the 7 Month Update, we sold and moved out of our house in Kansas City (more on that later), I finished work, and we moved to West Lafayette, Indiana. Lots of changes for this little guy in terms of his routine, but lots of good things too. He has already gotten lots of grandparents time with both sets of grandparents. He is such a lucky little boy to be loved so much.

Since the last Jack update he has been pulling up on everything. He loves to practice his standing and is a little daredevil. He tries standing with one hand and then no hands. So far, I have counted about 10 seconds of solid standing on his own time. Unfortunately this has meant lots of tumbles, and his first black eye at day care. He walks a little on his own while holding on to things.

Crawling is fine. He has some strange methods…almost like a monkey with one knee down and the other leg in a half walk…I’m not describing it well but it is funny. He can get to anything he really wants quickly with crawling (dirty shoes, bolts, jewelry) but is mostly interested in standing.

Food is going really well. Jack is a TANK! He is doing mostly purees with some self feeding. He loves orange food (sweet potatoes, squash and carrots), avocados, peas, broccoli, oatmeal and cheerios. Still not a big fruit guy.

He still loves songs and singing, seeing people laughing and making silly faces, playing peek-a-boo, and bath time. He is not a fan of having his diaper changed, clothes changed, or the end of a meal before he is ready. He is funny and sweet, and a little crazy at times. How did I ever get so lucky??