Jack Walks!

It's official. Jack walks. And it turns out he's not so late after all. For some reason I had it in my mind that Anna walked at exactly 12 months, but looking back at old blog posts, she didn't walk until (exactly) July 14, 2008. She would have been 13 months, 16 days. So here we are nagging Jack to just get up and walk already, worrying that there was something seriously wrong with his hips (thanks again to all the lawyers who scare the crap out of my pediatrician), and just generally feeling like it wasn't right that his big sister had beat him to the chase. He is a BOY after all! But it looks like we were totally ahead of ourselves, and, unlike Anna, Jack isn't messin' around with a few steps here or there. Last night (March 14, 2011 @ 14 months, 10 days) Jack just let go of the couch, walked clear across the room, and basically hasn't stopped trying out his new skill since. Bravo my sweet boy!

My Little Tooth Brusher

In the month that's gone by since my last blog, Jack has acquired a multitude of new skills. He still doesn't walk or manage any sort of truly meaningful communication (he prefers to rely on the old grunt and point, reserving the threat of nuclear screaming if mommy doesn't get it right away), but he is fully capable of climbing up on Anna's bathroom stool and brushing his teeth. Go figure.

Jack At One Year

I'm admittedly somewhat behind in posting a blog about Jack turning a year old (Jan 4). So it goes with the second child... especially a handful of a second child like Jack. At one year old, Jack still does not sleep through the night. He's not up for long or every night, but most nights he does pop up to say hi at least once or twice. To be honest, before I had Jack, I was on my BabyWise mommy high and looked down on just about everyone who couldn't get their baby to sleep through the night by eight weeks. Now, I no longer judge. I've learned that Anna was (and is) a (wonderful) sleeping freak of nature who could literally dose right through a fireworks display in her own room. Her sleeping through the night at six weeks had nothing to do with me or my fancy little mommy book. And likewise, I'm gonna go ahead and say that Jack's refusal to sleep also has little or nothing to do with me and my mothering skills. It's just luck of the draw. The other thing that's been keeping us busy is concern about Jack's refusal to walk. I'm sure it will all amount to nothing, but the pediatrician recommended some X-rays and and ultrasound on his hips. Poor Jack man goes for the US tomorrow morning. Trying to get the pediatrician, the pediatric radiologist (we've found there aren't many of these!), and the health insurance company coordinated has been time consuming and down right frustrating. Why are these things so complicated!? And so, for these reasons, plus the fact that Jack's birthday comes a lousy 11 day after Christmas and totally got lost in the mix, I am just now blogging about my sweet boy. About a week after Jack's actual birthday, we invited our immediate family over for a little Sunday afternoon party. Unfortunately, Jack had a fever of 103 for his big do, so it wasn't all that much fun for him -- you'll see he's burrowing into my chest, showing absolutely no interest in the cleverly decorated monkey cupcakes Anna & I made for him in photo #3. In typical Jack style, the fever turned out to be not a single, but a double ear infection and ultimately ended with him breaking out in a full body allergic rash from the antibiotic. Go Jack! Disaster-prone-ness aside, Jack is a big healthy guy, weighing 24 lbs at his one year appointment. He just learned how to climb up onto chairs, which is just another clutch move in Jack's "give mommy a heart attack" arsenal. A couple weeks ago he learned how to climb up into our turntable cabinet and spin himself around to the back(photo 5). At first he thought it was cool and then quickly decided it was not cool at all. (Is it wrong that I let him flail around in there for an extra 11 seconds while I grabbed my camera?). But while he's all rough and tumble boyishness, he's also ultra mommy attached which is endearing. I love how he cuddles all up into my shoulder and makes his little "awwwwww" noise which is Jack for "I love you and I want to snuggle". My boy.