Jack, 8 Months

I know I say this every single month, but I can't believe Jack is EIGHT months old! I've seen such a change in him this past month. He is doing so many new things...

He LOVES ,LOVES, LOVES to run (of course we have to hold his hands). He goes just as fast as his little legs will take him and he squeals with delight and has his wide open-mouthed grin on the entire time.

Speaking of squealing, Jack loves too. That's basically how he'll carry on a conversation with you. It sounds a bit like a cross between a squeal and clearing your throat. It honestly sounds like he's being strangled when he does it, but he thinks he's so funny.

He LOVES to make that squeal-choking noise, at the top of his lungs, in public. People in grocery stores literally whip their heads around to see who is dying. "Hi concerned shopper, it's just us. We're okay. I promise I'm not killing my kid.".... awkward. When they see that Jack is really just having the time of his life they usually just shake their heads and smile, occasionally a brave one will venture over to meet my wild one.

Jack is not a sit-still kind of guy. Even when he's being held, he'll try to stand on your tummy and bounce up and down. He is now, officially a scooter. Little-boy can cover some distance. It's so fun to watch him inch-worm himself around (he's not an army crawler, by the way). He likes to crawl under things, and I often find him in this position...

Jack is enjoying his foray into the world of solid foods. His favorite foods are still rice cereal and peas. He absolutely loves drinking water (still hates juice). Every time we introduce him to a new food, even if it's sweet, he puckers his face up like we fed him a lemon. So funny. Here he is enjoying an Oreo for the first time.

Jack recently discovered his pointer finger. He is constantly sticking that little chubba-nub up in the air. It looks like he's always saying "I'm number ONE!" or "Hey! I've got a good idea!". Because he is constantly in pointer-mode he ends up in some interesting situations (i.e. he discovered that his pointer finger fits perfectly in his nostrils, then that little finger naturally slides into his mouth. Gross, but funny).

Jack has started to say some things. Of course he has not attached any meaning to the words, but he says "momom", "dadad", and a noise that sounds like an attempt at the letter "B". So fun to hear his little voice make word-like sounds.

Jack LOVES baseball caps. His grandpa bought two baseball caps for him and Jack adores them. He wears them every day, and I have yet to see him remove it from his head himself.

We can now lay Jack down and he will put himself to sleep. IF he cries it usually lasts less than 7 minutes. Yes, I know down to the minute. When you have to listen to your baby cry, every minute feels like an eternity. BUT this is a huge accomplishment for him and I am so proud of him for learning this new skill. Gramma hates it.

Jack still doesn't have any teeth. Remember when I thought he was teething like four months ago because the pediatrician said he was...? WRONG-O. He wasn't. Wishful thinking + an exam from a pediatrician = a recipe for anit-teething. Oh well, he'll get teeth one day.

Jack really is thriving. Today marks two months since his surgery. The only evidence that remains are his teensy scars on his chest. They actually look more like a cat scratch than a surgical scar. His incision is healing so nicely. Red areas are even starting to fade to a light pink in some areas on his incision. Before his surgery, I used to think that every time I looked at his scars it would make me so sad. Sad, for all he had to endure, sad that he was born with a seriously heart defect. Once again, I couldn't have been more wrong. I am filled with such happiness and love for him, for my family, and for my God when I see Jack's scars. It is a reminder to me that we are so, so very blessed in this simple life we share together. It reminds me that I can face challenges with a smile on my face, just as Jack did and still does. He is my joy, my little miracle baby, my hero. We are so incredibly lucky to have him in our family.

p.s. It was incredibly hard to take pictures of Jack this today. He is SUCH a squirmer now AND he was now having the happiest of days. PLUS I accidentally took his pictures with his giraffe instead of his Jack-a-lope like all the other months. Oh well, no one is perfect I guess. haha

Cole Arrives

My best friend Jill had her baby last week. I was so excited that I was actually in Florida when she delivered him so that I could visit with both of them. Pooooor Jilly. She was in labor for like a meeeeellion hours and her epidural got turned off. So after all that PLUS two hours of pushing little Cole finally felt it was his time to join the party. Oh, did I mention he wasn't so little after all...? He was a whopping 8 lbs 14 oz! It was incredible that she fit that big boy in her tiny tummy. I don't know how she did it. Props to her. It was funny how proud of her I felt. Almost like I was her mom instead of her friend... weird. I was just so excited for her I guess. Anywho... the wait and the work was well worth it because he is B-E-A-UTIFUL! Seriously, a head full of fluffy shiny blonde hair. Jill's dream come true. Now she can twirl to her heart's content and I have a feeling little man won't protest.

So, we left Jack with mom and dad for the day because the drive takes FOR EV-ER (all the way to Daytona)! It was a reeeeeally long time in the car. But, man, it was so fun to see Jill and Jeremy AND little Cole. They make a darling little family.

See? What a sweet family!

After our visit we decided to stop by the beach for a little while because we just weren't quite ready for the long drive back and because we were only 10 minutes away. You just have to go when you are that close ya know?

This little beauty was accomplished while Gordy was trying to force the camera out of my hand. Pretty good right?! He was ready to enjoy the moment without cameras... I'll just choose to forget that little detail because I like the picture.

Represent IU.

cheesy name in the sand- a must.

... and the Living's Easy

We've been having so much fun this week in Florida! It's been busy, busy, busy!

Sunday I got an assignment to be a temporary leader for the achievement day girls. I was really excited. For our first activity we had a lesson on modesty and went to the mall to window shop for some modest outfits. I had such a good time with these gals. When I left Lake Butler these chickies were only about three years old, so I know who they are, but haven't had the chance to really get to know them. They are so darling. I'm so thrilled that I get to hang out with them this summer. I think they had a fun time with Gordy and his sense of humor... and it rained us on the way home, so we had quite the adventure.

On Friday, Gordy and I went to Jacksonville to see Cirque Du Soleil, Alegria. Needless to say, the show was amazing! We also found this delish little restaurant called BB's. It was cozy and quaint, but with really fancy, yummy food. Gordy ordered the food for us, and he did a perfect job. It was so fun to go out with Gordy! It was the first time Gordy and I have been out on a date totally alone since Jack was born. Jack stayed with my mom and dad and they had a great time at the house too. I think they were a little glad to get rid of us for the night.

Today we went to the flea market in Waldo. It was fun to walk around and look at all the junk the vendors were selling. I was shocked at how many people are still selling VHS tapes and how many sword vendors there were. I mean really? Is there really a huge market for swords? The best part; boiled peanuts, a southern treat. It's been YEARS since I've had them. Yum.

New Tricks and Water Hose Pics

These days, it seems like Jack is doing something new ALL the time. Just this week he said "momomomomom" for the first time. It made me want to cry it was so sweet. Of course he has no idea yet what mom or mama means, but it was still oh so very cute!

That very same day he decided that he wanted to do his weird version of crawling. It usually goes a little something like this: start out flat on his tummy, reaching and stretching as far as he can, then he'll push off the carpet just with his toes until he is in a bear crawl on his tippy toes. Then he's up on his hands and knees scooting forward and then PLOP right back down on his tummy. It's quite the experience to watch. SOOOO funny. He hasn't really figured out how to move his arms AND move his legs at the same time, so he usually just ends up inch worming to get where he wants to go.

This week, Jack also said "dadadadadad." Also adorable.

We also discovered that he LOVES to wear his grandpa's baseball caps. He is so proud of himself when he gets one on. He will be really still and balance the hat on his head with this huge smile on his face. This is a HUGE change from when he was a new baby and really disliked wearing anything on his head.

Another new trick Jack learned this week is assisted walking. He loves when we hold his hands and walk behind him. Jack likes to go faster than his little legs will take him and he laughs and talks the entire time we walk with him.

Jack is such a funny little guy and he's growing so quickly. It's so fun to watch him change.