WALKING!

Jack took his first steps on his own tonight! I was cleaning up the kitchen and Gabe was playing with Jack when this all happened. Gabe kept putting Jack a few steps away from him and Jack would just walk right over. I watched it a couple of times and then got in on the action. Jack walked back and forth between Gabe and I several times. He would even stop in the middle, stand and balance, and continue walking! It was so cool. After about 4 times back and forth I said, "why aren't we video taping this?", ran to grab the camera, and of course he didn't want to walk anymore. Figures!! Oh well, it was so fun living in the moment and I have plenty of opportunities to get videos of him. :)

New Pictures

I have been slacking in the picture taking department...With the start of volleyball season I get home late and just want to get all the good play time in I can without thinking about pictures. Last night we were home getting ready to watch the ASU game so I thought it would be a good time to get some pictures of the things Jack has been up to lately. Pictures are worth a thousand words right???

This picture was taken a couple of weeks ago when it was nice enough to go outside at night.

Jack was obsessed with pulling the grass up!

Jack has started to get his own toys out that he wants to play with.

He likes to stand up in this area but the top of his head hits the top. (Of course he wouldn't stand when I got my camera out)

Time to get down

Success!

All Jack wants to do is walk. He either pushes everything around or he finds someone to help him.

This guy is speedy when he walks using the couch

The start of the journey...

He knows where he wants to go...

Almost there...

Found the tupperware cabinet!

Now he gets comfy...

Let the disaster begin...

Jack just started to move his high chair around yesterday. 

Gabe thinks he is going to be a lineman...

I love this picture

Picky eater

For whatever reason, Jack has turned into a really picky eater. He has never had issues with food before but now he gags on everything I try to feed him for lunch. I don't understand what the problem is...He still loves his avocados and pears for his morning snack (he is almost eating a whole avocado a day!) but this week he decided he was going to gag when he eats his yogurt and bananas for lunch. I tried to mix in different fruit, that didn't work...I tried different flavors of yogurt, that didn't work. So now I have to think outside the box in terms of feeding him. I have tried macaroni and cheese, cottage cheese, and string cheese, and he hates them all. I have been resorting to giving him a few pieces of fruit and then just giving him a bottle. He still eats his dinner like a champ too. It's just in the middle of the day he doesn't want to eat. I don't get it. On a positive note, I have discovered he loves raisins just like me. :)
Jack has started to become a more confident walker. He now likes to just hold onto things with 1 hand and walk. He has also taken a few steps on his own. Gabe and Nana Ceci saw him take 4 steps and tonight I saw him take 3 steps. Of course when I was watching him he took his 3 steps towards the couch where the remote was. Some things never change! The big guy is getting really close to walking on his own...

Standing

For the past couple of days Jack has become more adventurous. Besides moving every piece of furniture around the house that he can his newest thing is to stand on his own. He normally only does it for a couple of seconds but last night he was standing using his walker and I gave him his sippy cup so he could drink some water. He took the cup with both hands and proceeded to take a drink while standing in the middle of the kitchen. I hovered for a couple of seconds waiting for him to lose his balance and when he didn't, in my most urgent voice, I called for Gabe to look. We were both shocked!! Jack just stared at us like we were crazy when we were both so happy. This kid is so busy he doesn't want to stand unless he is also doing something else! From now on he only gets his sippy cup when he is standing. :)

10 months old!

10 months old...I can't believe it!! Jack amazes me everyday...he literally does something new or has a new sound each day. His newest sound is the "mmm" sound. I think all of my repetition of saying "mom" is starting to pay off. :)  He is still crawling everywhere but he wants to walk. He has discovered how to push the kitchen chairs all over the house as he walks. He will crawl over to you and then want to stand and have you hold his hands so he can walk. Gabe and I try to get him to take a few steps on his own but he gets so excited he just falls.
Jack's newest favorite toys are any type of ball. We have a football and baseball that he likes to play with and chase around the house. We bought a light bat and ball today and Jack hasn't put them down. This kid is all boy! He is rough and tumble...gets his bumps and bruises, but keeps on going.
Jack is starting to eat different types of solid foods and we are experimenting with different tastes. We have found that he really likes pancakes for breakfast....he HATES macaroni and cheese...and he is still a bottle baby. That seems to be the only way to get him to sleep. That might be the hardest habit to break.
Speaking of sleep, he has really become a consistent sleeper. He normally goes to bed around 7:30 pm and will sleep in until 6:15-6:30 am. I am completely fine with his sleep schedule because I am a morning person as well. :)  He still takes 2 naps--his first nap is around 10am and his second nap is around 3:30pm. I am ready for him to condense these into 1 really long nap, but I will take the down time during the day any way that I can!
Jack is such a happy guy. He loves to imitate Gabe and his face lights up when Gabe and I come into the room. He is so much fun to be around and I look forward to coming home from work everyday just to hang out with him.

These pictures were difficult to get--this kid doesn't like to sit still!

Love this picture because he is so excited!

He loves this bat!

ASU 2011

The first ASU game has been a sacred time in our house. Normally Gabe gets to torture Leroy with is jersey but this year we left Leroy alone and dressed Jack up. Jack didn't last much longer than kickoff (the game started at 7pm) but he was in his ASU gear and the Devils got the win. That's all that matters!

1st Family Vacation

Gabe finally had some time off so we could take our first trip together as a family. What better place to go than San Diego?? We stayed with Scott, Joy and Aiden and had a blast. Saturday we spent shopping at the outlet mall and Sunday we headed to the beach. It was so nice to walk outside and not get blasted with heat. I wanted to spend every waking minute outside!
Gabe and I have been talking about taking Jack to the beach since before he was born. It was great to finally get to take him and watch his excitement. Gabe and I are beach bums (Gabe likes to be in the water and I like to sleep on the sand) and Jack fell right in line with us! Gabe had him in the water so he could feel the waves rush over his feet and then we played on our beach towels while I got some sun. :)  Jack was so great at the beach I was upset we only decided to go one day. :(  Jack played so much he took a 2 hour afternoon nap when we got home!
We had such a great time we were planning our beach trip for next summer on the drive home today.

Aiden showing off his balancing skills

Gotta have the bath photo for blackmail in 18 years

Walking out to the water for the first time

Waiting for the water to come in again!

Jack's first experience with sand

Aiden loving the beach too!

The beach crew

Love this picture