Jack and Daddy at swim class

First tooth!

If you look close enough, you can see his first tooth! Jack actually has two of them now, both on the bottom, and he's working on the top two - you can feel them through his gums.

All three of us

Here we are on Thanksgiving - I was going to use this picture for our Christmas cards, but ended up going with a different photo. Actually, three different photos, since Kodakgallery lets you do collage-style Christmas cards! Which was great fun, except that this created so many choices that it took hours for me to decide on a christmas card. And the one I decided on finally was the first one I'd created! Of course.

Swim class

Jack and his buddies (Trent, David, and Ella) started swim class this week. He loved being in the water, and especially enjoyed playing with the blue ball and chasing it through the water. Maybe he has some of his Daddy's water polo skills?

Trick or Treating!

We took Jack around to a few houses for Halloween- mainly family and friends that live close to us. He fell asleep in the car on the way to the first house and then didnt' seem to understand why we woke him up and forced him to put back on his monkey suit! I think he enjoyed seeing everyone though, but by the time we got home he was definitely ready for bed!

Here he is at his first trick or treat house - Ella's house.

World Champion Cardinals!

Halloween party

Pumpkins

Rice cereal . . .YUM!

I'm so big!

Hi folks! This is Jack. I'm so big now that I can type on the computer. Mom even let me send Dad an email the other day! This stuff is great. Here are some pictures of me with some of my new toys.

Jack's girlfriend, Ella

We had to chaperone Jack and Ella the other night, as they are a little too close for unmarried 5 month-olds! We were impressed with Jack's bravery though - he was doing all this with Ella's dad in the room!

The power outage

When we lost power for 5 days a few weeks ago, Jack got to come to work with me one day (the daycare lost power also) and spent the rest of the time hanging out in his diaper.

More pictures!

Yeah! The picture posted!

Here's Jack with his best friend. Notice the tight grab he has on Lola's hair. Jack will be very sneaky will Lola, and get her to lick his hands, feet, and face as often as he can.

are you really supposed to update this on a regular basis?

I am having trouble updating the blog with pictures; for some reason, the pictures aren't coming through. So this has frustrated me beyond end and I haven't blogged in a while. I promise I will get something new up soon - especially because I have all kinds of cute pictures of Jack!

the Bumbo Seat

I searched all over town for a Bumbo Seat, since Jack has started to get bored after only a few minutes with his aquarium bouncer, mobile, and swing, and I need something he can hang out in while I make dinner. I finally found one (and only one) on the shelf at Target today - It was back behind some toilet training seats! Jack look so cute in it, but he's not too sure what to make of it - he'll sit in it for a few minutes, but then seems to get scared of it. So all my effort to find one may have been a waste and I will end up having to return it!

Sorry Dad and Jesse . . . Jack's a Cardinals fan.

Blah!

Getting old

I babysat all these kids when they were babies - it was a little surreal to see them holding my baby!

First Father's Day

In honor of Father's Day, Jack wore his collared shirt and dress pants, just like Daddy. All he was missing was the bowtie.

Jack in Texas

We had a great time in Texas and really enjoyed seeing everyone! And I got enough Mexican food to tide me over for a few more months. Here's Jack at Mario's Chiquita, my all-time favorite restaurant. I only got to eat there twice during this visit, but I also hit a few other good Mexican restaurants while home, so it all worked out okay.

Captain Jack

Jack recently flew a Southwest plane for his first visit to the great state of Texas.


Here he is with his co-captain.

Lola's new haircut

Jack and I came back from Texas to find Lola with a new haircut - she looks like a completely different dog! Corey felt like she was getting too hot outside with all her hair, so he took her in for this dramatic change. She's no longer as popular with the male dogs at doggie day care now that she's bald.

Our Fence

Our neighbor's tree crashed through our fence and demolished a few sections of it. Lola was very confused about why she couldn't go out in the yard, especially since she was so excited about the hundreds of sticks now lying in her yard. Fortunately, the fence was fixed pretty quicly and Lola was able to go back outside.

Lola and Jack

Lola is Jack's biggest fan, and she loves to lick his hands, feet, and face when she thinks we aren't looking. She's also started bringing him her toys, including her disgusting bones. He has yet to really notice her (the ceiling fan and singing star on his mobile are much more exciting), but I don't think Lola will allow herself to go unnoticed much longer - she seems very excited about her potential playmate.

Cardinals Fan

After 6 weeks of watching baseball on TV with Corey, Jack made it to his first Cardinals game. We lasted a full 9 innings! Unfortunately, the game went into extra innings and lasted until midnight - so we still left early.

New Orleans

We took Jack on a 10-hour car trip to the French Quarter in New Orleans for the wedding of JD and Aisling. The wedding was beautiful - it was held at the St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square. Jack hung out in the hotel room all weekend with his grandparents Reach and played on his activity mat, went for walks, and slept. Corey and I had a great time with our friends at all the wedding festivities.

Beer makes you look less sleep deprived.

Jack in the car on the way home from New Orleans.

Playdates

Jack had his first few playdates this week - the first one was with Madeline, who is 2 weeks younger than him. He wore his "ladies man" outfit to impress her.

and yes, the phrase "playdate" should be used loosely. See below picture for insight into the action.

The next day, Jack had another playdate with David, Trent, and Ella. Jack pretty much slept through the whole thing.

My favorite guys

I know I'm biased, but these two are the most handsome guys I've ever known.

Bathtime!

Given the amount of spitup produced by Jack (most of which ends up either all over his face and neck or on my clothes) and the fact that the dog likes to lick Jack's feet and hands, baths are becoming very important. Corey is in charge of this task - I just take the pictures.

Where's the snooze button on this kid?

I have always set my alarm clock anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour before the time I actually want to get out of bed. I do this for a very practical reason - I tend to hit the snooze button at least 5 or 6 times before getting up. I know that the little bit of sleep I catch in between hitting the snooze really doesn't do much, and I would be better of just getting an entire hour of uninterrupted sleep, then getting right out of bed. But, I have always liked burrowing back under the covers for a few more minutes before getting up. Since Jack's arrival, I have had little need for my old alarm clock. However, I still have a need for the snooze button. And I have discovered that the pacifier works as a pretty decent substitute. He starts crying, I stick the pacifier in, and I get at least 6 or 7 more minutes of sleep before it falls out and the alarm goes off again. I can do this for about 30 minutes before I absoultely have to get up. It's almost just like the pre-kid days.

Here's our alarm clock with his snooze button.

Here's a recent picture of Jack. He's being a good sport about all the gender neutral clothing he has to wear (i.e., lots of yellow). We now have a few blue items in newborn sizes, but didn't get much given that he may not be able to fit into it for long. Once he hits 3-6 months size, however, he's got quite a collection of great boy clothes! Although I'm sure he could care less.

Jack Franklin

So Jack finally arrived - a few days late. Defintely my child. So far he's doing well - although I'm hesistant to say that because as soon as I do, he'll stop sleeping four-hour stretches and will start taking 30 minute naps instead and demand to be fed every hour and cry all the rest of the time. So hopefully I didn't jinx myself by saying he's been a pretty good baby thus far.