Climbing to the Summit of North Piedmont

Jack has been curious about the stairs for months, but, this week, he finally decided to climb them. And, since then, he has been interested in little else.

Check out his backward glance every couple stairs; he is extremely proud of himself, and he wants to be sure he has a captive audience, of course!

Also, notice that he stops occasionally for a snack (I guess I haven't swept the stairs in a while). It is, after all, a difficult journey to the peak, and, without dust bunnies to sustain him, Jack may not have made it.

Simple Pleasures

Jack is a simple man who enjoys simple pleasures. A cold bottle of formula. A recently sterilized pacifier. Educational programming on the Disney Channel. And a roll of paper towels.

Honestly, what is more fun than unraveling the roll and ripping the paper to shreds?

This is NOT a Toy

Why are infants always instantly attracted to the most hazardous items in a room? Jack's love affair with the fan in our bedroom began months ago, when he first learned to crawl. As soon as he rounds the corner into the room, he makes a beeline for the fan. Every time. Try as we might to change his focus -- "Jack, look at this cool shoe! Or this discarded undershirt!" -- we are never successful.

Perhaps if he gets a closer look at the fan, he'll realize its not that interesting after all.

Yeah, we don't think so either...

Special Delivery!

Jack loves boxes. He loves everything about them.

He loves banging on them, standing against them, playing peek-a-boo from behind them, chewing at the tape along their seams... and, as we discovered this weekend, he loves sitting inside boxes, too. Especially while breaking in a new pacifier.

...But he DOES want to eat the phone...

The other night, I set Jack up with a wooden spoon and a pot (a universal kid favorite), and I was prepared to take some footage of his excellent drumming skills. But, as you can see, as soon as Jack spotted the phone, it was all over.

Who wants to play the drums when there is a delicious iPhone nearby?

Lumber Jack

Check out Jack's awesome flannel shirt. He looks like a young Brawny man.

My favorite thing about this photo: The fact that his shirt is open at the neck, revealing his buff chest. Really, there's no hope for the little ladies of Infant II.

Changes

We haven't updated the blog in a couple weeks; sorry about that! Big changes have been taking place at the Babb household. Jack is now standing on his own (for a few seconds), climbing the stairs and clapping. And we got our first -- and, hopefully, our last -- significant snow of 2011. Unfortunately, Jack couldn't enjoy it because of a nasty ear infection.

But perhaps the biggest change is that I (Patty) have switched jobs. I finally snagged a government position, which I hope will give me better work-life balance. I now work for Safe Harbor, the U.S. Navy's wounded warrior program. It definitely will be a challenge (Acronyms! Military time! Naval ranks! Standard operating procedures!), but I am pretty excited.

Grandma and Grandpa

Jack had another fun weekend with Grandma and Grandpa. He spent about half the weekend getting hugs from Grandma... and the other half of the weekend in mid-air, after Grandpa tossed him up high (and I do mean HIGH -- Jack loved it).

Daycare is going to seem very boring tomorrow.

Stage-Five Clinger

My mother used to call me her "third thigh" because I clung to her leg so tightly as a child. Naturally, now that I am a mom, I have a third thigh of my very own.

These days, Jack spends lots of time hanging off my legs. I can step away from where he is playing and about 30 seconds later -- almost like clockwork -- Jack is tugging on my pants, pulling himself up. He then hugs both my legs and shouts until I pick him up or start playing with him. It's cute -- unless, of course, I am trying to get something done.

I suspect we'll have to break this habit sometime soon. But for now, I suppose I should be thankful for the fact that its much more difficult to sneak into the kitchen for a snack when Jack is around.

Jack and Ozzie

Jack and Ozzie have a very complicated relationship.

Love, hate, curiosity, jealousy... its like a Shakespeare play.

Neither can speak, of course, but they definitely communicate with one another. Allow me to translate the scene above.

Ozzie: If you come any closer, I will scratch your eyes out. And this time I mean it.

Jack: I like your soft fur.

9 Months Old

Jack's nine-month birthday passed last week and, to commemorate the occasion, we visited the doctor for a check-up today. Jack is still pretty tall. His height is off the charts (his weight is around the 45th percentile). No wonder so many of his clothes are too short!

I remember when Jack used to be so calm and patient at the doctor. Now he is much too busy to tolerate any inspection of his ears, teeth or tummy. Today's visit definitely was an adventure.

Snuggle Time

I was doing some work on my laptop, took a quick break and ambled downstairs to this scene. This wasn't staged, it was just a little snuggle time with three very sleepy mammals.

Unsanitary Roughness

Changing Jack's diaper has never been more difficult, and it isn't because his fecal matter has become more odoriferous (which it has). He absolutely will not sit still, and one of the few toys that will occupy him for more than three seconds when he's on his back is his nasal aspirator. Yes, the tool we use to pull snot from Jack's nose is also something we occasionally allow him to play with and chew on.

Jack and Auden Chew the Fat

Today, Auden came over to hang out with Jack for a couple hours, though both babies slept for most of the visit. During the short period of time when they were awake, there was a lot of pacifier and toy sharing (read 'stealing').

First Margarita

Don't worry -- Jack didn't consume any tequila this weekend... but he did get his first taste of a lime. We're not sure if he enjoyed it, though. As you can see, the sour taste surprised him... but he kept coming back for more!

Jack is interested in absolutely everything Peter and I eat -- if he can't make a grab for our food, he just stares at our mouths longingly. So, lately, we have been indulging him a bit... often with hilarious results.

This is not the first time Jack has demonstrated interesting tastes in food. The other day, Peter let him try a half-sour pickle, and he loved it!

Toys!

Our family and friends certainly hooked up Jack this Christmas. He has some awesome new toys. Among them is a brightly colored tube, and Jack loves to crawl through and/or hide in it. Thanks, Tukeys!

He's not the only one who loves it, though -- the kitties often fight over who can sit inside. Here's Ozzie, standing guard after a particularly nasty encounter with CC.

Concentration

We're not sure why, but Jack has developed a habit of grunting and groaning whenever he studies something intently. You can, quite literally, hear the wheels in his head turning.

Particularly fascinating objects include a yellow golf ball, large dust bunnies, bottle nipples, socks, nesting cups and blocks (as featured in the video below).

Welcome 2011!

The past year was a big one for our family, and we are excited to see what 2011 has in store. Happy, happy New Year!