Jack the Monkey

Jack was really cute -- and also the picture of discomfort -- in his Halloween costume at day care this morning. He participated in a "harvest parade" with his classmates, which was, essentially, a quick stroll around the halls of the FDIC.

To his credit, Jack was very patient about wearing his costume, even though he was extra tired after an interrupted morning nap (hence the sleepy eyes). He managed to postpone his meltdown until after the parade -- at that point, he'd had enough:-).

Jack's class is below. There were some hilarious costumes on display... and some really angry babies!!

When Dads Dress Their Kids...

It is a time-tested truth: Dads do not have the most discerning eye when it comes to kids' fashions. While I can spend a good five minutes fretting about whether Jack's socks match his shirt, Peter cares only that Jack has clothes on his body... as evidenced by the "stylish" ensemble above.

Jack wore this gorgeous outfit when Peter took him for a run the other weekend. To me, his face says: "What the hell am I wearing, Mom?!?!"

Jack Crawled!

On a visit to Wake Forest, NC, Jack crawled for the first time. After four and a half hours cooped up in our car, it only took an empty Gatorade bottle to inspire some legitimate baby locomotion. At six months and a week old, that's not too shabby!

6 Months!

Last Wednesday, Jack turned six months old. Whoa.

He visited the doctor on Monday, and here's what's new with him --

He is getting bottom teeth! You can just see the little, white ridges. Until now, he was sleeping through the night -- however, his new teeth have woken him up on occasion this week. We are wiped out!

He weighs 17.5 lbs. That puts him at about the 50th percentile for weight. He is still tall -- in the 90th percentile for height. And his head is on the bigger side -- he is in the 75th percentile in that category:-).

He is very talkative -- lots of squeals and a few babbles. He also enjoys gasping really loudly, which totally freaked us out the first time we heard it. Also... he is starting to whine when he doesn't get what he wants. Uh oh.

On the Move!

After mastering the art of sitting up, it wasn't long before Jack decided that staying in one place was kind of boring. There are so many things he needs to investigate -- plugs in unprotected electric sockets, dust clumps in corners we haven't swept in weeks... oh, and the cats. Jack LOVES the cats. Unfortunately, they don't seem to feel the same way about him.

For the most part, Jack does the "army crawl." He scoots across the floor on his belly, pulled by his hands and pushed by his feet. And he is fast! But he is THISCLOSE to crawling the proper way -- as seen in the video below. Looks like its time to baby-proof...

P.S. Sorry about the Blair Witch-like quality of this video. I was trying to avoid stumbling over CC (who, as you can hear, was extra hungry).

Ethan and Jack

This weekend my aunt Pat, cousin Jeff, his son, Ethan, and his special lady-friend, Heather, came to visit. Ethan did a great job pushing Jack's stroller while we explored a few monuments -- even though he was starved for ice cream and barely had the energy to walk. A trip to Ray's Hell Burger II, complete with delicious hamburgers and a thick chocolate milkshake, got everyone back on track.

Duck Sponge

Yes, we know we're supposed to have a cover over the faucet in the bathtub. It's on our "to buy" list, but, in the interim, Jack loves the duck washcloth we hang on the faucet.

Jack Hates Puffs!

"Puffs," a strange puffed grain food designed for transitioning babies to solid foods, are not Jack's favorite food. Earlier in the day, Jack gagged on a puff and vomited all over both of us.

Jack Loves Bananas!

Jack attacks the spoon with great vigor (when he likes the food we're feeding him).

He's Gonna Be a Barber!

I can think of few things Jack enjoys more than grabbing an handful of someone's hair. If he's really grouchy and I want to turn that frown upside down, I'll present the top of my head to him, and he'll do three things: (1) immediately smile, (2) grab as much hair as possible, and (3) drool all over my head.

Pay no attention to the typical weekend greasiness of my hair, please.