Jack at 10 and 11 Months

I have been a little Slacker-McSlackerson.  If I don't get to any other blog posts I always try to do Jack's monthly ones...but as you can see ten and eleven months will have to be combined.

Top Three Cutest Things He Does
1.  He has started to copy Chris and I.  The other day in the car Chris was purposefully eating his muffin with really loud smacking noises.  And from the back came slightly quieter versions of the smacking noise.  Jack was copying his daddy.
2.  Jack laughs A.LOT.  When walking through stores we just fake laugh back and forth to each other.  I don't even think about it anymore.  I'm sure everybody else is wondering what the heck is going on.  Jack's little fake laugh is just his go to sound.  He does it when he's bored, happy, wants attention, wants to practice his vocal range etc.
3.  When Jack is scared of new people he will try to climb up Chris and I and then he will rest his head on our shoulders.

Top Three Least Cute Things He Does
1.  He eats like a cow...he chews his food then spits it out into his hand, and then chews it again and swallows.  This makes for a very messy ordeal.
2.  He loves to pull my hair...like always.  But a fun new added element is when he grabs my hair when his hands are full of food.  Then I get muffin-hair.
3.  He plays with things he knows he shouldn't and then when I go to pick him up, he runs away.  It's actually super adorable, seeing his chubby legs, flee as fast as they can...but serious face...it's still naughty.

Top Three Five Favorite Things
1.  When Chris comes home.  He just starts flapping his hands and breathing really fast.
2.  He enjoys a nice big Costco muffin...but really, who doesn't?
3.  Being tickled or rolled around the floor with Chris's feet.
4.  Oh and our little Halloween mummy that sings and dances.
5.  And...pulling on the sealing fan string.

Top Three Least Favorite Things
1.  Wearing hats...he can swoop those things off lickity split.  He hasn't figured out how to get off hoods yet.  He tries to pull them forward and then just ends up being even more covered up.
2.  Going to bed without his bottle.  Sippy cups are not an acceptable alternative either.  It needs to be a bottle with formula.  It is like his sleep serum.
3.  Getting his finger nails clipped.  If you ever get cut by his razor sharp fingernails, I apologize, but he is like a squirmy little noodle and one needs to prepare oneself mentally and physically before they can even attempt to clip his fingernails.

Top Three Accomplishments:
1. He takes a few steps here and there, but I wouldn't say he is quite "walking" yet.  He could if he wanted, he just isn't used to it yet.
2. He has 8 and a half teeth.
3. He repeats noises we make, but isn't talking yet.

Top Three Funniest Things He Does
1.  I don't know if it makes me proud or ashamed...but now he will pick up the remote and point it at the TV and wait for something to happen.
2.  He makes little wheezing sounds.  It sounds like he is dying, but I'm pretty sure he's fine.  I hope.  I mean it doesn't seem to slow him down, it's just like a little wheezy concert.
3. He falls a lot.  And usually in very dramatic and hilarious ways.

These pictures were taken around 10 Months:

And these were taken around 11 Months:

Jack's next update will be when my little in One Years OLD!  AAH! I want him to stay small and compact.  He's relatively easy to carry around and he still has his adorable baby chub.  I just want my baby to stay a baby a little while longer...maybe like five years....that's all.

My InstaLife

I got a cool new phone, it is what kids these days are calling a "smart phone".  I joined the other moms of the 21st century and got an Instagram account.  Here's what I've been gramming lately (did I just make up a new word?!..."gramming"?):

First insta photo...jack at cafe rio. Oh wait...should I have taken an artsy pic of my salad instead?

Jousting with table legs in the Home Depot. I just got impaled. Take note of Chris's victory stance.

Who needs a baby gate when you have a pile of clothes and a wedding dress to contain your child? Sometimes they get stuck though.

Swing time.

Jack with his wee BYU football. He refused to look at me. Little stinker.

Rainbow over the "Y".

Watching Mickey Mouse with a runny nosed little Jack.

Jack pooped at church.  (I meant pooped out at church.  Although he probably did really poop too.  Lately he's been a "Pooper Trooper".  Sing that to the tune of Abba's Super Trooper.)

Jack in the box. He crawled in there himself.

Doing a back bend in his bumbo so he could still see me while I was visiting the little ladies room. And yes I had my phone with me. One can only read the back of shampoo bottles so many times.

Trying out my new earrings. Now Ashley and I can match.

Jack waving hello to Sarah Brightman while we were watching her sing "La Luna" on YouTube. It's the most calm he's been all day.

Jack's pj pants from last christmas are now European manpris (man capris).

I realized halfway through my walk, that Jack and I are walking BYU advertisements.

10 plus years later and my Seven Brides for Seven Brothers dress still fits. Although some places have for sure filled a out a wee tad more.

I am currently at the mercy of the Boise state football team. I am told we are not leaving Jcw's until the end of the quarter.

Chris then wrote this: Which happened to come in the middle of this post. Then I (Chris) was at mercy of this post.

Walking with daddy. Look at those wee little legs!

We made homemade ice cream using dry ice. Apparently if you put in too much dry ice it will foam and overflow. As this was happening I ran for my phone/camera and Chris yelled, "Take a picture! For the sake of Instagram!" It was like a hipster war cry.

Yesterday at Costco, Jack decided to fling his sippy cup out of the cart. Instead it landed perfectly in its new little home.

The color of the sky last night was amaze-balls!

Thus concludes my adventures in Instagram to date. 

Jack at 9 Months

Jack's Top Three's for Nine Months

Top 3 Cutest Things He Does:
1.  The other day I was waving at Jack and he flailed his little arm.  I was so excited, I said, "Chris Jack just waved!" Chris was a doubting Thomas, "No he didn't." But sure enough, we tried waving to him again and he flailed his little arm.  I love it so much!  The other day I was getting ready and he was standing up in his pack-n-play looking at me.  Just his little eyes were peeking over.  Then I waved at him and his wee little hand came up and waved at me!  Who knew a tiny little movement of the appendages could fill my heart with so much joy?
2.  When he is tired he giggles like a mad person.  That doesn't sound very cute, but trust me, it is.
3.  When he is scared or uncomfortable he crawls over to my lap or feet so that I can cuddle him.  I just love that he is starting to know who I am.

Top 3 Least Cute Things He Does:
1. He has taken to biting.  One can't leave their toes unattended or they will get chomped.  I don't think he does it maliciously, he just puts everything in his mouth.
2.  He has learned what he is not allowed to play with, and he will look over at me before he goes and plays with it.  Then when I try to say, "No" or put him in time-out, he just giggles at me.  I don't know how to let him know not to do something without him thinking it's a game.  Any advice?
3.  He has had screaming fits the past couple of days.  I think his teeth are coming in, so these fits are more sad then anything else.  I just want to help him, but sometimes I don't know how.

Top 3 Favorite Things:
1.  When Chris tickles him.  Especially if he's already a little tired.  He just can't stop laughing.
2.  Being held.
3.  Playing with the drawers and cupboards.

Top 3 Least Favorite Things:
1.  When Chris or I leave the room.  I think he is feeling a little unsettled because of all of the traveling we have been doing this summer.  So, it get's him pretty upset if he thinks one of us is leaving him.
2.  Teething.
3.  Being restricted in any way, whether it be his Bumbo or car seat...he just likes to move.

Top 3 Funniest Things He Does:
1.  He has learned how to get himself out of his Bumbo.  He just sort of flips over the side.  But, when the tray is on, he can't get out.  The other day though he discovered that he can flip the whole thing over, tray and all, and scoot around like a turtle.

2.  Apparently, while Chris was showering with Jack, Jack kept crawling over to the faucet.  Then he would turn the knob down so the water came out freezing cold.  He would gasp and start to shiver and Chris would turn the water up.  Then Jack would just go back and turn the water down again.  I guess this went on the whole shower.  Clearly Jack still hasn't grasped the concept of cause and effect.  Or maybe he just likes being cold.
3.  He crawls into furniture a lot.  He knows it's there but he just plows on ahead anyways.

Top 3 Accomplishments:
1.  Jack wasn't learning to crawl.  He would just scoot everywhere.  This was distressing to us.  To Chris because all he's ever wanted is smart children.  And me, because all I ever wanted is cute children.  And, Jack would always pick up dirt and hair on his stomach from scooting.  A guy in our ward was watching Jack scoot one Sunday and being a physical therapist, told us some exercises to do with Jack.  We did them a few times and sure enough he started to crawl...finally.  Chris and I both felt great relief at this.  Chris isn't as worried that Jack is behind and I don't have to worry about getting all of the stains out of his clothes or picking all of the unidentified hairs off of his stomach.
2.  Waving!
3.  Two more of his top teeth are almost in.

Look at that dainty pinky.

Look at that big mouth.  Jack was looking at Chris.  I'm not quite sure what Chris was doing to get such a response out of the Jack-O.

I think Jack's teeth nowadays make him look like a little baby hippo.  The top ones are so big and so far apart.

I just love that Jack-celot more than all of the things (besides Chirs).

Las Vegas. My Frenemy.

I love Las Vegas.  I hate Las Vegas.  Some parts are ritzy and magical, and other parts are scuzzy and lonely.

The same was true for my trip to Vegas.  Not the scuzzy part.  Some moments were fantastic and others were...well let's just say everyone was crying.  Jack was crying because Blaik yelled in his face.  I was crying because Jack was crying.  Mandi was crying because we were hopelessly lost.  Blaik was crying because his "Mater" fell.  And Blair was crying because...well probably something food related.  It was a tear fest.  Mandi and I might have argued in there too.  I'm kind-of glad though, that after all these years Mandi and I can still fight.  We are still those little girls with bowl cuts in our 101 Dalmatian outfits, duking it out.  I'm glad that just because we've grown up, doesn't mean we've grown so far apart we can't hash it out like two runny nosed little girls.  Which in that moment, and with all the crying, we really were.

I guess I should have started by saying that earlier this summer I flew out with Jack to Las Vegas.  Mandi was there with her family so Ben could go to a Seminary Conference.  So we decided we would take this opportunity to spend the week together.

It started out rough. Jack took a swan dive out of his car seat and into a chair at the airport.  Then he crawled off the bed later that day.  So I was on concussion look out.  Then Mandi and I spent hours (no exaggeration) looking for a place for Jack and I to stay.  We just dragged 3 kids and 2 massive suitcases all over Vegas.  But everything worked out.  Jack wasn't concussed.  We found a room that didn't "smell of cigarettes and sin".  And we got down to enjoying ourselves.

Top 5 Things of Note from the trip.

1. Never place your baby unstrapped in his car seat, on top of your luggage on the luggage trolley.  This may sound obvious but when you've got a crap load of luggage and nowhere to put your baby...you get desperate.

2.  I just loved the ritzy parts of Vegas.  I liked pretending I was filthy rich when I went into all of the designer stores.

3.  Rooms on the strip are butt cheap for a reason.  And that reason is probably because they smell like a butt. 

4.  Despite what it may sound like, Mandi and I had a great time.  I always filter what I say with people.  I have to remind myself to leave out obscure Seven Brides For Seven Brothers references.  I have to remember that not everyone spent their childhood obsessing over things like, The Mighty Ducks, Star Trek: Voyager, and Newsies.  But when I get with Mandi, I can just let it all hang out.  She'll know what I'm talking about when I say, "For any real ice cream lover there is only one flavor.  Va-nil-la."  Or if I randomly break out in hill clicks, she won't judge, she'll just try to jump higher.  I just love having someone around who has almost the exact same childhood I do.  When I'm with Mandi I feel like I'm with all of myself again. 

5.  To this day Blaik will proudly remark, "I scare Jack", when referring to the times he would scream in Jack's face and the little thing would start to bawl.  Don't worry though, I'm sure Jack is going to get Blaik back by being that annoying little cousin who won't leave him alone.

  

Mandi with her spirit clown.

Jack and I by the fountain in Caesar's Palace.

Mini-Ben and Mandi.

Caesar's Palace.

Jack dressed like a cowboy at the Children's Museum. 

I LOVED seeing Jack in this little king/jester outfit.

Hence the reason for...

...three pictures.

The little Man and I.

Mandi as a knight.  She really does have supreme control of her nostrils.

I couldn't get over seeing Jack in these curved mirrors at the museum.  Guys, this is what Jack would look like if he had gotten Chris's ears and a normal shaped head.

Jack as a piece of luggage at the museum.

Biggest box of Nerds I had ever seen.

And these GORGEOUS dresses in the window of some mask shop in the Venetian, 

All I ever wanted is to wear this dress.

And this one, for when the weather is overcast.

Ben and I spent quite a bit of time trying to get a gallery worthy picture of these coins in a fountain.  Key word being tried.

Blaik with his "Mater".  He lost his first one down the elevator shaft at his hotel.  This is one the front desk people went out and bought him as a replacement.  BEST hotel service EVER.

Jack in his makeshift crib.

And lastly, a picture of Mandi.  For those of you who didn't know, she's part Hipster these days.