Playdate Palooza

Jack and I ended our week with a bang...two play dates, two days in a row! On Thursday afternoon, Jack hosted his very first play date in his toy filled playroom. We had quite a crowd and plenty of toys to go around. Wesley Kate and Karen were here. Wesley Kate is still a wee baby so she spent most of her playtime in the swing. Patterson and Donna were here too. Patterson showed off some of his new sitting skills for us...he sure is trying! Sophia and Cristina joined us also. Sophia is Jack's favorite buddy from music class. She is only one week older than him and he loves to learn new tricks from her. Pamela and Allyson came too. Pamela is a new walker, so she was cruising around the playroom showing the other babies what they had to look forward to. The Mommy's had a great time chatting over lunch and the babies were fully entertained with a plethora of toys and each other. The "mommarazzi" was in full effect with flashing cameras and videos everywhere. Who could resist snapping shots of all those cuties? Jack was so worn out from his hosting duties that he took a 2 hour nap...he hasn't done that since his pre-crawling days!
All of the fun doesn't end there though. On Friday, Jack was invited to Meg and Heather's house for a birthday play date. Heather turned the big "30" and what better way to celebrate than with a group of happy tots? The Mommy's ate birthday cake and the babies played hard. Jack was glad to see that Miller was there, as he was the only other guest not walking. So, Jack and Miller spent most of their time crawling and laying on one another. They even tried to share toys a few times, but they still haven't mastered that concept yet. Meg was such a gracious host...she delivered toys and books all around and made certain that everyone was fully entertained. What a wonderful end to a fabulous week. Finally the weekend is here...time to relax...(if only Jack would allow it)!

Jack Has New Shoes

Jack got a new pair of shoes today. It was a big deal because it was the first time he got a pair of shoes because he needed them, not just because they were cute. He needed them for several reasons. The first being that, socks just aren't enough to keep his feet warm in the cold weather. The second is that he pulls off EVERY pair of shoes that are elastic, so we had to get some with velcro. And most importantly, he needed some traction for all of this crawling he is doing around here. He has been slipping and sliding all over the hardwoods and the tile...no longer a problem! The best part of the shoe shopping was choosing a size. I always knew that Jack's feet looked a tad bit small compared to his body. But, I have really noticed when I've tried to put shoes on him in the past. He always had about half an inch in the toe too much, even when the shoe size was clearly his age. So, I knew that I needed to find some shoes that ran small and had velcro and good traction. I expressed my needs to the clerk at the store and then, of course, she asked, "how old is he?" I responded, "he will be 9 months on Sunday, but trust me that doesn't matter". She gave me a pair of velcro shoes with traction, sized 9 months-12 months. Again, I stressed the fact that his age REALLY didn't matter in this case. Reluctantly, she found me another pair of velcro shoes with traction, sized 6 months- 9 months. She tried to convince me that they would be too small, but I assured her that would not be an issue. When I got home, Jack immediately tried on his new shoes. He touched them, tried to reach them to his mouth, and then pushed off into a crawl with them. Perfect!...except I looked down and sure enough, there was that half an inch too much in the toe. We even went a size down and still TOO BIG! Jack didn't even give it a second thought....he loved them! We went downstairs to model his new shoes for Daddy. Jack crawled up and down Daddy's office like he had never crawled before...he was so proud. I whispered the"too big" situation to Daddy, in hopes of Jack not hearing. Before long, Daddy was searching "small baby feet" on the Internet. Luckily, there seems to be no research that causes concern for us. However, we have really come to the realization that he doesn't have much hope to stay in the 90th percentile for the rest of his life. Regardless, we love him just the same, new shoes and all!

Swinging Stunt Baby

The great thing about living in the suburbs is that no matter which way I turn out of the neighborhood there is a kid friendly park nearby. That's exactly what Jack and I did today. We turned out of the neighborhood and went to the park. We couldn't resist the unusual spring like weather and figured we better enjoy it while it lasts...cold weather and rain are on the way. As soon as we arrived, Jack knew where he was. He started telling me all about the trees, the joggers and their dogs, and of course the many kids playing. He was completely satisfied with observing all of the sights until he spotted the swing set. One look and that is where he longed to be. I put Jack in the baby swing and away he went. With each push he belted out a boisterous giggle. So much so, that he accumulated a full audience of Mommys and kids....which he loved! If the swing slowed down too much his face turned into a somber grimace. If he could talk, I know he would have been saying, "higher, higher". I kept pushing higher until I thought the swing would come off of the hinges and that is just what he wanted. Giggle after giggle told me he was enjoying every minute of it. It makes me wonder if I have a future stunt baby on my hands...no fear here. After Mommy's arms got tired and too much spit up was flying, we headed over to the play scape. Again, no fear, Jack climbed and wiggled and talked to all of the big kids who surrounded him. I had to join him up there to make sure there were nearby hands to catch my little dare devil in case of any emergencies. We topped off our visit with a 2 mile walk on the park's trails. Not nearly as exciting for the stunt baby but, he enjoyed it none the less. Upon returning home, Jack settled in for an afternoon nap. The only problem was he fell asleep sitting up...I think he was dreaming about that swing!

Christmas Again

Jack celebrated his 2nd First Christmas this weekend. Grammy, Grandpa, and Uncle Mike came to visit from Florida to celebrate with us. It has been 2 weeks of holiday celebrations around here for us and oh, what fun it has been. We have had a full house since the day before Christmas! Jack was showered with more toys, lots of love, and constant entertainment. So much so, he didn't even want to sleep. He surprised Grammy with a 6:30 am wake up to play on Saturday. That is a whole hour earlier than usual..don't get to use to that Jack! He had so much fun showing off his new crawling skills to all of the admiring faces. Jack even gave them a little run for their money during diaper changing sessions. He squealed, laughed, and ate the whole weekend through. Of his new collection of toys, his Sesame Street riding car was his favorite. As soon as he opened it, he was crawling on top and pushing buttons. It didn't take him too long to figure out that it moved too! We put him on the seat, he grabbed the steering wheel and he was gone...with a little pushing from Daddy. It's hard to believe in no time his feet will reach the ground and he will be doing it on his own. All of this moving is more than a boy could ask for! Jack also got some new trucks, books, a See n' Say, a bowling ball set, and more. Daddy's favorite gift for Jack was his new FSU hat and shirt. He already grew out of his last suit...can't have that! Jack proudly wore his hat around as if he knew he was going to be a future Nole. Jack, Clay and I sure did love having all of that company. The house is so quiet now...well I wouldn't go that far. We still have Jack and Cosby to keep the volume up, but it is much quieter. I guess now life resumes to normal for a while. Jack and I are going to enjoy all of his new toys. We can actually call his playroom an official "PLAYroom", not just a room anymore.