playground perserverence

jack did not have the greatest weekend. he felt pretty crummy on saturday and had a temperature that got up to almost 104! and sunday, although less feverish, still found jack feeling pretty punk.

but nonetheless jack wanted to go to the playground and enjoyed his time there very much. a few samplings of his activities:

sliding

standing by the dino

standing *on* the dino

the knee-less crawl

and everybody's favorite ... poll clapping!

no pool for you

well ... the swim nazi (aka jack's doctor) says no swimming lessons for jack today. something about having a cold and getting water in the ear leading to an ear infection ... yadda yadda yadda. what a quack!

i don't know who's more disappointed -- daddy or jack. actually, i do know who's more disappointed. definitely daddy.

and that's partly because daddy is in charge of jack for the day while mommy is in her own pool. that is, the tv network transmission pool in miami for a potus visit. he's giving a commencement address at miami-dade college and i'm doing my team duty by producing a weekend trip.

anyway, hopefully the boys will have a fun, filled (and fun-filled) day ... even without swimming ... and will find a nice way to pass the time. meanwhile, mommy will be eating cuban sandwiches and fried plantains and trying to pay attention to yet another speech on immigration!

nb: mommy left before dawn -- too early to get any pix of jack for today's post. hopefully more shots tomorrow or monday.

the whole world's a toy

jack finds simple joy in a lot of things. these are some pictures from about two weeks ago when there was nothing more fun than one of his little plastic bowls. he slid it all around the table and crawled across the floor with it.

he thought mommy sticking the bowl to her face through the magic of suction was high-larious.

and he wanted to get in on the action to, but he forgot the principle that says the open side of the bowl has to be over your mouth to get suction. just licking the bottom doesn't quite do it. but that's not to say that bowl licking is not fun in and of itself, as the next photo clearly demonstrates.

and don't worry ... we washed that bowl after the frivolity!

hot pursuit, part 2

welcome to this week's episode of the critically acclaimed* dramedy hot pursuit, starring john j. mershon, and featuring dr. sgt. floyd boyd pepper jennings mershon.

in this episode, our hero, "jack" chases the villian, "pretty boy floyd." somehow the dastardly obsidian feline escapes.



will our hero ever catch the villain? tune in next thursday to find out -- same jack-time, same jack-channel.

if you have trouble watching hot pursuit as it's embedded in this blog, you can click on this link instead to watch it on youtube.

*critics are jack's grandmothers and have not been paid for their endorsement of hot pursuit. they may, however, be compensated with jack snuggles.

steppin' out with my baby

jack is becoming quite adept at climbing. yesterday he climbed up the slide at the playground on his knees, only to reach the top and slide back down over and over and over!

he also is good at climbing steps. yesterday he used the banister and mommy's pants to climb up the step from the living room onto the landing at the bottom of the stairs while upright on two feet. wow!

but it's getting down that can be tricky. here jack is trying to step down, but usually he sits on the landing and cries for help. we're trying to show him how to turn around and slide off feet first while on his belly, but so far that hasn't stuck.

however, on the bright side, at least he's no longer throwing himself headfirst off the step ... smal victories ...

curious jack, pt 2

a double blog posting today as i try to get my new blackberry (pearl!) set up for mobile blogging.

jack is wearing a monkey bib that laughs like a chimp every time you squeeze it. it never fails to make jack giggle!

sick day

who's sick you wonder? could it be jack? mommy? daddy? floyd (sick of being chased, yes)? actually ... it's roxana. she called this morning to say that she'd been up all night with stomach flu and fever. i am praying that it does not spread to our family. but she didn't get sick last month when we were all down for the count, so maybe she's just finally succumbing and meanwhile we're all immune. i hope so!

in the meantime, mommy is home "sick" from work -- taking care of jack.

here's roxana and jack in happier, healthier times:

the first steps

sorry for the delay in posting ... but big news in jackville this weekend -- he took his first real steps!

jack, mommy and daddy were all at the park when jack, distracted by a piece of mulch he was contemplating eating, just began taking several steps forward. he took about four or five before falling to his knees!

mommy was unsure if that should really count as "first steps" or as "first walking" or whatever. but, as daddy pointed out, we all three were present, and it was the first set of real steps (more than two) he'd taken, so by golly it was going to count!

jack has since repeated this feat later saturday and sunday, so seems like it's for real. unfortunately, he's not repeated it when we've had our camera at the ready, so you'll have to be patient on the photographic evidence of this marvel.

ah, our little boy is getting so big ... we're verklempt ... and proud.

the shape of play

jack is very excited by shapes these days. he loves to play with his wooden box shape sorter, his baby einstein "juego de las formas" book in spanish, and his plastic tool box shape sorter

here jack holds one of the shapes from the book. it's the ventana or window from a house.

it's hip to be square ... and yummy too.

and i do agree that the rectangle and the star bang together so symphonically. well done, jack!

this morning jack lost two of his plastic shapes under the rocking chair in his room. he used quite a bit of ingenuity to get them back -- first crawling under the rocking chair to retrieve them (not that easy, as any cat who's been around a rocking chair can tell you) ... then trying to crawl out and over the foot stool with one in each hand (didn't go so well) ... getting stuck sitting in pike position under the rocking chair ... and finally realizing that if he threw them out into the middle of the room and then crawled out unfettered after them, he'd get exactly what he wanted. and so he did. well played, master mershon. well played, indeed!

i want my *jack*-tv

welcome to the series premiere of the serialized dramedy "hot pursuit", starring john j. mershon and introducing dr. sgt. floyd pepper jennings mershon.

in this episode, our hero, "jack" chases the villian, "pretty boy floyd." somehow the dastardly obsidian feline escapes.



will our hero ever catch the villain? tune in next thursday to find out -- same jack-time, same jack-channel.

if you have trouble watching hot pursuit as it's embedded in this blog, you can click on this link instead to watch it on youtube.

i want my m-tv

jack finds joy in almost everything he does. but little brings him as much joy as gadgets.

the remote is a real favorite. jack has been given his own remote -- an old vcr controller with the batteries taken out.

although he likes *his* remote, he realizes it's not the same one that mommy and daddy use. also, without the batteries, it doesn't make that cool red light! clearly not as good. and when your remote's not working, there's nothing to do but get up off the couch and change things by hand.

gee ... wonder why comcast had to come and replace our dvr this week?? actually, that is not jack's fault. in fact, maybe he was trying to warn us it was on its last legs. this kid has quite an aptitude for technology, apparently!

feel the empathy

jack is beginning to develop empathy. according to the baby neurology book i've been reading, this is a big step in neurological and psychological development and you often first see empathic behavior when a child feeds you. well, mommy got a mouthful of cheerios this morning (which in turn earned jack another handful of chi-chis on his tray ... cheeky monkey!) when jack was "sharing."

he actually fed both mommy and daddy some of his food this weekend -- avocado for mommy and turkey for daddy. he's so empathic, he even knows which foods we prefer!

another thing jack likes to give us is ... fur.

yes, fur.

and i don't mean a mink stole either.

he loves to read a book about baby animals that grandma jane gave him.

the book has a variety of animals and their "fur" for little readers to touch and pet. jack giggles literally every time we read the book (which is often, because the giggling is precious). however, in addition to "petting" the fur, jack also "picks" the fur and tries to pull it out of the book.

once he's got a pretend handful of this fur, he puts it in mommy or daddy's palm.

it is seriously one of the cutest things i've ever seen. and that's my objective journalist side talking ...

fish gotta swim

and so does jack! saturday was jack's first swim lesson at the montgomery aquatic center in north bethesda.

despite falling asleep en route to our 10:20a lesson, jack was excited for the pool. once he got in, it was as if he were born with gills!

both mommy and daddy were in the pool with jack for his lesson. we did a lot of things, including:

• trickling water on our heads (done to: "it's raining, it's pouring" song)
• floating on our backs
• laying on our bellies and kicking
• closing our mouths
• dunking under the water (done to: "ring around the rosie, splashes, splashes, we all fall down!")
• feeling the tiled water wall
• holding on to the side
• sitting on the side and rolling in (done to: "humpty dumpty" rhyme)

jack especially liked it when daddy would come and blow bubbles near him. he did a great job with everything, except closing his mouth. he will get a report card at the end of our 6-week session, and mommy has a feeling that he will get an "n" for needs improvement on that skill! but he was not scared to go under the water and he was screeching and splashing with glee for most of the lesson. the other seven parents and the instructor all commented on how much fun it seemed like jack was having.

i'd love to be able to show pictures of our outing to you, but alas, mommy was chastised for having her camera out. photos are only allowed on the final day, but then you can have at it.

so tune in back here on may 19th! (or thereabouts...)

are you foj?

foj = friend of jack's

kevin is foj ....

along with jordyn...

and so's bea ...

we were playing with these foj's this saturday when our moms' group got together. 9 months on and we're still meeting regularly. no mean feat when you consider how hard it is to do *anything* regularly with a baby!

in addition to seeing the foj's ... jack enjoyed eating kevin's hammer ...

and playing outside at kevin's was awesome ...

especially when kevin showed jack how much fun eating grass could be ...

but the most fun foj of all was winston the dog. though i'm not sure he considers jack a fow.

caps for sale

jack is often put in various chapeaux by his crazy mother (exhibit a: see previous posts with chick hat), but jack ... much like emily post ... believes hats should be doffed whilst indoors. so, anyone wearing a hat who comes to see jack is usually made to take it off ... by his crying.

however, once he gets your hat off, he may just steal it. recently, it was his grandfather's hat that was pilfered.

whadaya think? does it look good on me?

well ... turnabout's fair play, jack ...

on second thought, maybe we should switch back ...

doctor doctor, gimme the news ...

i got a bad case of ...
toddler's diarrhea???

hmm ... don't think that's the original lyric. but that's the diagnosis for jack today. he has started a regimen of probiotics and a protein-rich fat/fiber diet. apparently the old "brat diet" recommendation is outdated. and it seems jack is feeling a little better already. the doctor warned that in some children it can last *up to one year* but i'm hopeful we'll be rid of this thing in a week or two.

but, as is the hallmark of "td" jack continues to grow, thrive and be happy. in fact, evidence of that is provided below ...

curious jack

one of jack's new favorite things is eating a banana like a monkey. these pictures are from about two weeks ago, but he's really mastered it. he can even hold it himself, though you risk him trying to eat the peel, too!

roxana's dora-obsessed little girl said that she is "dora exploradora" and jack can be boots the monkey!

sounds like a plan to me. vámonos!

aint i cute?

sometimes a picture's worth a thousand words. in this case, the word is sweet.

jack continues to be his sweet, happy self -- even though he's battling a terrible case of diaper rash (his first ever). poor baby is all red. every diaper change (and there are many) brings on tears. we head to the doctor for his 10 month check-up on thursday, so hopefully we'll have better news after seeing her.

'til then, jack will keep on smiling and playing ...

A Tradition Unlike Any Other ...

Our friends Auntie Jennifer and Uncle Dudley were kind enough to host us Sunday for Easter ham (which was DELICIOUS) and Masters watching on the Big TV. Jack learned an important new skill -- the golf clap.

livin la video jack

sorry for the poor quality of the video, but it was taken by mommy's mobile phone. this is our attempt at "you tube" -- or "jack tube" as we call it!

so egg-citing

who knew plastic eggs could be so much fun. jack did, that's who!

jack had a grand old time playing with the eggs he collected at the hunt.

he'd let them spin on the table and then go chase them ...

reaching for them was part of the fun ...

and when you finally get them, you can lick them ...

you can pet them ...

or ... you can bang them!!

and when you're done playing you can bring them to daddy

and you can just kick back and relax.

oh yeah, don't forget to take off that silly hat!!

snowy egg hunt

our neighborhood egg hunt turned out to be on a snowy saturday. before starting, the organizers told us that this was the first snow in april in 6 years. that did not serve to convince jack that his parents knew what they were doing when they dressed him in a stupid yellow chick hat and brought him out into the cold morning ...

but pretty soon jack and daddy were hunting eggs and it started to seem like a better idea ...

in fact ... it was downright fun ...

even when we had to reach into the snow to get our eggs ...

just shake that snow right off, jack!

and, jack enjoyed seeing some of his friends hunting, too.

campbell and her mommy atlantic were there ...

and even the easter bunny came ... sorta ...

all in all it was a great hunt. jack thinks it'll be even better when he can walk!