botanical gardens photo shoot

i took jack to the botanical gardens today. we were going to go to the zoo for a reading on grandma's back porch at 10:00 but i think every elementary school in birmingham was there...no kidding. i saw like 20 buses and the parking lot was full so we turned around and went to the gardens instead. it was such a beautiful day and jack had fun. i took him to the japanese gardens and let him explore. he loved it because it had rocks all over the place. he is my child!! i used to collect rocks from everywhere i went.

i guess he thought this was like the balance beam at kids gym. the funny thing is that at kids gym he will NOT get on the balance beam.

saying bye bye to the birds that flew away

i think he thought this was a toy car. he was trying to push it and making the car noise that he makes!! i love his imagination :)

hey fish!

i thought that this would be a cute picture with the purple flowers behind him. i didn't realize that the sun was so bright on his face. oh well!

he wanted to sit on everything after i made him take the last picture.

posing on another rock.

snack time on the swing

i always see people take pictures right here but jack wouldn't sit still for a nice picture

thought it was fun to sit up by the flowers until...

he saw a bug and thought it was a little creepy!

a little washed out...i'm obviously not a professional

belly button! i love when he finds his belly button. never gets old!

jello

jack is getting really good at eating with utensils. we let him feed himself jello and pudding. he has a hard time getting a small bite, but other than that he does great. he can bring it to his mouth with out spilling (most of the time)

i love this boy!!

videos

jack showing his body parts



this one is for papa...
papa, look how good jack can hammer. he will be helping you before you know it!




this is jack saying somethings (what the monkey says, what the cow says, baby...)

rainy day

it stormed all day yesterday so we couldn't go outside. so we did a toy rotation. we got out his tent that he got for christmas and he pretty much stayed in it all day, but for some reason he wanted us to go in with him. it was cute but it gets really stuffy in there. i also got out his hammer and "workbench" with shape nails in it. he hammered and played in his tent all day!!

pete kept us entertained chasing after his toy fox



today it is nice and sunny! thank goodness! we are going to go to an art show and hopefully going to meet up with robby, andrea, and clara after johnny gets off work (he is on call this week) and after jack's nap. it should be fun!

the jack bridge

hugging curious george...so sweet!

zoo with andrea and clara

we go to the zoo A LOT! but jack seems to really like it and so do i. i never get tired of seeing the animals. i try to let him see different things when we go.
in this picture we were looking at the kangaroos. they have a cave like thing that the kids can go through with their hard hats on. they also have a chalk board wall and digging for gems or gold (or something like that). jack liked playing with the hard hats....such a boy!

jack tried to feed a flamingo!! i was really surprised that he let one come up to his hand. he didn't know to lay his hand out flat for it to eat the food so it didn't really get to eat from his hand but it tried and he let it!! i was proud!

we went to the "contact yard" to pet the sheep and goats. he didn't like them as much this time. clara liked looking at them and pretending to pet them....she never actually touched one!

jack brushing a goat

i showed jack this baby chick and the big news is that he said baby!! it is so cute!

when we were leaving their was a firetruck outside and the firemen let jack get inside and climb on the chairs. i was kind of surprised that he did it.

18 month doctor's appointment

we had jack's doctor's appointment this morning and here are his stats:
* weight: 24 pounds 4.5 ounces (40%)
* height: 33.5 inches (80%)
* head: 19 inches (90%)


he is long and lean which is good! i asked about him not talking and the doctor said that he doesn't think i have anything to worry about. he said that right when he walked in the room that he could tell that he is a very social baby and that he seems great! he asked if he responds to me and to what i say. and he does. i told him that he does say "bye bye" and that he will say the beginning sounds of words, but not the whole word. he said that he seems fine and that his sons didn't talk until they were 2. so in 6 months we will evaluate his speech at his next appointment and see if he has improved.


he was very clingy to me at the doctor's office. he didn't want to lay on the table for the nurse! he hated the shots!! but he was great for the doctor (which is the important thing i guess).

he fell asleep on the way home and stayed asleep while i took off his shoes, and put him in his sleep sack. he was worn out!! poor baby!

zoo:
jack and i had fun at the zoo yesterday afternoon. as a special treat i let him ride on the train and the carousel. he loved the train and pointed to the trees. but he did not like the carousel this time. he wouldn't let me put him down on the seat so i had to hold him the whole ride. oh well! i am glad that he feels comforted by being in my arms :)

riding the train with momma!

the ugliest animal i have ever seen...the anteater! out of all the times we have been to the zoo this is the first time that we have been able to see it.

when i said "say hey to the gorilla" this is what jack did...

not a good picture, but he put his head to the side. that is what he does when he is being shy :)

but he could have looked at it all day i think...

and when it was time to say "bye bye" he couldn't have waved faster!

18 months

looking at his favorite book...popcorn (that was his daddy's favorite too)

i was trying to make jack laugh by blowing air at him....instead he tried to do the same!

then i tried to make him laugh by pretend sneezing....instead he did the same!

i can't believe that jack is already 18 months old! this is by far my favorite age so far. i love to watch him play by himself. he's starting to pretend and i see his imagination spinning! he's starting to pull my finger over to where he wants me to be. he likes for me to sit in his jack chair and read to him. one of my favorite things that he does with me is when he stirs in a bowl or a pitcher with a spoon and feeds it to me. it is so cute. and when i ask for more he thinks it is so funny!

jack this year (above)
jack one year ago (below)

he has grown so much in one year.

we went to the library this morning for the mother goose reading and then we are going to go to the zoo after jack's nap. we also got him a few presents for his 18 month bday! we got him a bubble lawn mower and magna doodle. we are going to order a pizza tonight for dinner (one of jack's favorites)!
we go to his 18 month appointment tomorrow. i hate that he has to get shots but i am excited about seeing how much he weighs and what the doctor says.

about jack at 18 months:
* food he likes: chicken nuggets, hot dogs, pizza, grapes, strawberries, cookies, fruit loops, yogurt, jello, anything chocolate, applesauce, goldfish, chicken noodle soup, spaghetti o's, grilled cheese, cheese quesadilla.
* he will eat our chicken now too!!
* he drinks milk with out chocolate now :)
* he drinks his veggies in V8 fruit fusion (since we can't get him to eat it)
* wears a size 6.5 or 7 in shoes
* loves to play outside
* sleeps through the night from 8:30-8:00 or 8:30
* takes an hour - 2 hour nap everyday at 12:30
* loves his sunglasses and pacie
* will sometimes tell me when he has "stinky" by saying "sti sti" and pointing to his diaper
* says "bye bye" and waves. (bye bye is pretty much the only word that he says right now)
* he says other words but johnny and i are the only ones that understand :)
* still loves "di" (dip). he likes ketchup, honey mustard dressing, and ranch (but he likes to smear it all over his tray)
* has 9 teeth and is getting his tenth

we are so lucky to have such a sweet, amazing baby boy! he makes us laugh with all the funny faces he makes. he makes us so proud when he tries new things and gives us kisses. i wouldn't trade him for anything in the world!

day out with thomas the train

we went to see thomas the train saturday afternoon with johnny's mom. it was so much fun! we will hopefully get to go next year too!

riding thomas the train with grandmol

meeting the train conductor (i guess that is what he is called!)

getting his first tattoo! (of course it is temporary)

he thought it was a sticker for a while and would try to take it off :)

playing with the big boys

seeing a baby pig

baby cow...he was a little scared of it for some reason

bye bye thomas!