Hi Mommy! It is raining cats and dogs here tonight. I hope we don't lose power while I'm sleeping. I had a very fun day today at daycare. I played with my friends and crawled all over the room. When Daddy came to pick me up I was just waking up from a nap. I heard his voice and turned and looked right at him!

When we got home I showed Daddy the art I made for you in school today. Here's a picture! As you can see, I designed a butterfly and car.









Right before you called us on the computer, I was putting the finishing touches on a message to you on the floor! Surprised you say? I mean, how do you know if I can read or not? I can't talk yet! Of course you won't know! What do you think I've been doing all those nights you play Scout's book to me or Daddy tells me stories about heroic madballs named Goober? I've been listening and learning, that's what!











I'm excited for tomorrow since Grandma Joyce is coming up to visit with me. Daddy said we have lots of fun things planned so I can't wait to tell you all about it! I miss you a lot, and I can't wait for Friday.

Love,

The Jackal

Where Shopping is a Pleasure...

Mommy,


Sorry I wasn't more cooperative on Skype tonight. I think I was really tired after all the fun things I did with Daddy today. After lunch I slept from about 1:15 to 2:45. Daddy fed me and then we went out to the store to make sure we have a lot of food this week since Grandma Joyce is coming up. I heard that she became Daddy's first follower on his blog. I can't wait to see her. I think she'll be amazed at how mobile I am.


We shopped in Publix for awhile. Here I am waiting for Daddy to get lunch meat for the week:










The lady at the checkout counter first asked if I was a girl! Then after Daddy said, "No, he's a boy." She asked how old I was and goes, "Two months?" Two months! I'm way bigger than that!

We got home from the store and then went out for a walk. We met a nice neighbor over by the mailboxes who was out with her two year old girl, Chloe. I did not mention to her that is what you named our cat. She commented that I seemed very big for my age. Daddy took a picture of me chilling by the waterfall at the entrance to our neighborhood. I'm so glad that you'll be home Friday. I can't wait to spend all of my time with you! I love you, and I can't wait to see you on Skype tomorrow.

Love,

The Bugglies

Lunch time!

Mommy,

What a day outside! Daddy took me to see Grandma and Grandpa for lunch today, and we sat outside. I ate all of my food and even tried a french fry! I took a big bite of it, and Daddy got scared of me choking on it so I didn't eat much. Grandma and Grandpa loved spending time with me, and they said I look soooo big.

I hope you had fun in New York. Daddy told me you were going to the mall today. He also said that he will be monitoring your checking account to see that we don't spend too much money!

Love you!

Jack

Making Friends!

Mommy,

Daddy tells me you're eating dinner in Little Italy tonight in New York. That sounds awfully good. I had 8 ounces of formula for the 275th time in a row tonight. Yummmmy.

Boy, we had a busy day. After my 30 minute morning nap, we ran out to the store to get some things for lunch and dinner. I met my new friend Harrison! Harry and I played for a bit while Daddy and Kenny watched golf. Kenny was impressed that I could stand up, crawl, and move around. He doesn't know what he's in for in a few months....

After Kenny and Harry left, I took a nap and then we went out to the park. Daddy thought it was funny to put me on the train tracks and take a picture...

We played in the park for about an hour. Daddy showed me how to play it cool when cute girls go by. Hello ladies.....

I'm in bed asleep. Have a great time in New York, and I can't wait to see you tomorrow on the computer.

Love,

Jack

Your Little Climber!

Mommy,

It's only 10 a.m., and I'm already up from my nap! I only slept 30 minutes for Daddy. I just get so excited to play with him all day and show off my super duper high pitched squeal/yell I've been perfecting. I even did it while we were at Target this morning. All the other customers and workers loved it.

I also played a game where I'd drop my pacifier on the ground and see how many aisles we could go before Daddy would realize it. I love that game too. Here I am at Target:

This morning I showed Daddy how fast I was getting at climbing the stairs. It looks like you better put up more baby gates to keep me from climbing up these while you aren't looking and accidentally hurting myself!

If Daddy ever decides to come get me out of my crib, I think we're going to go out after my bottle. He hasn't told me where yet, but I guess you'll have to wait and see what adventures we have in store for us later on today.

Have a great time in New York! I love you.

The Bugglies

Thanks, Mom!

Mommy,

Thanks for the awesome trike you got me! I can't wait to try it out. Daddy said he was going to put it together tonight so I can play with it tomorrow. Daddy said you were going to go to New York with some of your friends tomorrow. Please be careful and have fun!

It's already been almost a week since you've left, and I miss you more and more each day. Tonight while I was getting my last bottle Daddy said that every night before you go to sleep you say a prayer for me. Thank you Mommy.

Oh, I almost forgot! Daddy and I have been working on a trick to show you. Here is the video of it! I'm thiiiiiis close to walking.

We have a busy day tomorrow so I'm going to sleep all night to be sure I'm rested and ready to go! Good night, Mommy, I love you.

The Bugglies

Presents?

Mommy,

Look at what Daddy has done today! He secured the bookshelf in my room to the wall so it won't fall over on me when I try to climb it!

Also, when Daddy was carrying me down the stairs this morning I saw a big box in the basement. I asked him what it was, and he said that you got me a present! I can't wait to find out what it is tonight. I asked Daddy if presents are free, but he said no that they cost money. I got really sad because I don't have any money to buy you presents, Mommy!

Daddy made me feel better when he told me that the best present in the world for her would be lots of hugs and kisses when you get home. Mommy, if that's all I have to do, consider me Santa and your Christmas Day is coming next Saturday!

I love you and miss you tons.

Jack

Almost the Weekend!

Hi, Mommy! Daddy dropped me off at daycare today so I'm excited to play with my friends. I am wearing the shirt Grandma Joyce got me, and it fits me great! Have a good day, and we'll chat with you this evening.

Love,

Jack

What a long day!

Whew, Mommy, I'm tired. I don't know why I didn't nap much today, but when I don't it sure makes for a long day for me and for Daddy. I'm asleep now, but we sure had a lot of fun this afternoon.

Daddy took me to the park to play for a bit, and he told me the story of when you propped me up on this thing to take pictures. I don't remember that because I was so young, but I couldn't even stay on it this afternoon either!

Then Daddy showed me a baseball field and told me he couldn't wait for me to be old enough to play with him on it. I sure hope we can do that when I get older. He even gave me his hat to wear for awhile.

I took a bath again tonight because I got food in my hair at lunch. Daddy found a new way for me to sit in the tub so I could look right at him as I was splashing him! I love bath time.

I'm excited to go to daycare tomorrow so I'm going to try to sleep all night tonight. I love you!

The Bugglies

Out and About

Hi Mommy!

I thought it'd be funny to put a kink in Daddy's schedule by falling asleep in the car while we were out running errands. Now it's 2:10, and I have no intentions of taking a nap!

We ran out to Kinko's so Daddy could make a copy of a letter. He forgot the stroller so here I am trapped in my car seat! The lady that worked there said I was big, but then she went on to talk about that dumb show Toddlers and Tiaras. I think it really annoyed Daddy. At one point the fax machine wasn't working and the lady asked Daddy what number he was using. He responded with "A fax number."

I was glad to get out of there and go home. After I woke up from my mini-nap in the car, Daddy fed me lunch. I couldn't finish it all!

Haha...just kidding Mommy. I don't like mustard so I didn't eat it. I had a chicken dish and some organic food from the toothpaste tube. It was good!

Well, I'm not sure what we're doing this afternoon, but I'll be sure to keep you posted!

Love,

Jack

Fun with the Alphabet!

Hi, Mommy. I hope you're having a good day at work. Daddy and I played most of the morning, and then we had some breakfast. He surprised me by building a fort with the letters and numbers we had in the basement! I loved crawling through the tunnel and eating the letters.

He said that the letters on the ground could spell a word I'm never supposed to say when I get older, but I sure do hear him say it from time to time.

I had some rice cereal and fruit for breakfast. I ate most of it and then lost interest. I thought it'd be funny to scream really really loud in my special high pitched voice. I laughed, but I don't know if Daddy liked it.

I've only been asleep for about 30 minutes and now I'm up! I thought it'd be great if I didn't nap alllllll day and made Daddy play with me the whole time. I think we're going to go out later on this afternoon for a bit. Talk to you soon!

Jack

Splish, Splash, I Was Taking a Bath!

Hi, Mommy! I am not sure how you were in the living room, but I saw you on Daddy's computer and I heard your voice. Boy, I miss you. I kept trying to touch you but all I ended up doing was messing up Daddy's computer. It's ok - I loved hearing your voice. See, here is a picture of me when I was talking to you!

Daddy took this picture when I was ready to get into my bath. He thought he was being funny, but I think I got the last laugh as you'll see in the video. Please, you have to promise to not put this into some sort of slideshow when I'm older!

I have to tell you, I love when Daddy gives me a bath, but you're the best at it. I like to play with my toys when you wash my hair. I'm not sure how much I can drink and it still be good for me, but boy do I love to stick the toys in my mouth when they're full of suds!

Daddy thought he was being funny when he took the naked picture of me, but I sure showed him! Right after this video ended I splashed so much Daddy had to change his shirt again. I think my plan is to make him have to change clothes before he feeds me every time I get a bath.

That's all for now, Mommy! I think you'd be proud at how I'm holding my bottle the whole time now. I'm really sleepy since I played all day today at daycare so I'm going to bed. Daddy said he has a surprise for me tomorrow so I'm going to hurry up and go to sleep so I can find out what it is. I love you!

The Bugglies

What a surprise!

Hi, Mommy! I am not sure if you talked to Daddy today or not, but I sure hope he can get some rest today. I know I was up coughing last night, but maybe it was too dry in my room. I think tonight Daddy said he was going to turn the humidifier back on. Here I am before I got dressed to go to school. Daddy put me in some jeans and a light blue/white short sleeve shirt from Nordstroms.

You know, Mommy, I'll love you and Daddy no matter what brand of clothes you buy for me so don't feel like you have to spend a lot of money on me! I'm happy to just run around in a diaper, and with you being gone Daddy lets me do that whenever I want. It's so freeing and fun.

I got the biggest surprise this morning! Daddy dropped me off around 7 a.m., but then just as I was playing with Leighton and Ben he showed back up to play with me! I overheard him telling Ms. Gladys something about forgetting the 2 ounces of formula I need for my rice cereal, but I think he just wanted to play on the floor with me. See how I was playing?

I think Ms. Gladys and Ms. Marlena think he's going to go crazy by the time you get back home. Ms. Gladys will

probably volunteer to move into the basement to help out by Friday! Ok, that's all for now. It's time for me to enjoy my breakfast.

Love you!

The Bugglies

Early Start....

Mommy,

It's about 5:15, and by the time you read this I'm sure I'll be back sound asleep. I woke up around 3 a.m. coughing a lot. I'm sure I worried Daddy because it sounded like I may have spit up a bit. Daddy will check for sure when I wake up. I think he's been up since 3 a.m. watching the monitor.

Tell him I'm fine though. I'm glad he's so worried about me, but he needs his sleep too. I'm excited to go to daycare today!

Have a great day at work.

Love,

The Bugglies.

And....Good night

Ok, dear. Your husband here. Jack is sleeping and wasn't available for his daily recaps. He was a bit of a grumpalumpagus this afternoon, but everything is fine and dandy. Here he is drinking his bottle all by himself.

And here he is saying, "Goodnight Mommy! I love you!"

And this is what I'm going to enjoy:

Love you! - Nick

Whew...

Mommy,



I love going to Whole Foods to eat with Daddy. He takes me around the whole store and tells me about all the cool fruits and vegetables they have. Sadly, there weren't any samples out for him to try, but he did find a nice beer to try when I go to sleep tonight. I thought he'd just take me around the store and then head home, but no! Daddy surprised me by feeding me in the cafe while he ate his lunch too. I love those squeezable yogurts. The chicken thing Daddy made me eat was just ok - I'd stick with fruits and yogurt all day if I could.

















What an afternoon! I finally fell asleep around 2:50 after I sat in my crib for awhile until I made enough noise that Daddy came and picked me. We spent the next 45 minutes or so playing upstairs. I showed Daddy how I can climb into my rocking chair.













I have another trick to show you later. That's all for now. I'm awake, mad, and hungry.

Love,

LBJ

All done!

Mommy,

As I type this I'm about to go down for my morning nap. Daddy tried to get me to go to sleep earlier, but let's just say I had to make some room for lunch so now I have a clean diaper! I will hopefully sleep for at least an hour so Daddy can rest.

What a morning we've had. As you know, I am now 9 months old. The doctor said that I don't get more immunizations until my birthday. All I got today was a small prick on my finger to run a blood test for anemia. My score was a 40, and the nice nurse told Daddy that any score above 33 was great. No problems there!

Daddy did a great job asking the nurse and Dr. Shu all the questions you had left for him. I've taken the liberty of recapping them below along with my height, weight, and head size. I think you and I both know that my head is going to be big like Daddy's.

I really liked Dr. Shu, and both Dad and I agree we should try to see her on a more consistent basis. She told me I was sooooo handsome and cute, and she was amazed how I was standing when she came in the room! Daddy took a picture of it -

Ok, so now on to the good stuff. I weighed 18 lbs 9 ounces which puts me in the 25-50th percentile. I think it's because I'm moving around so much that I'm burning calories more than other babies. I mean, just look at me at daycare. I'm running circles around Brett and Ben. Those two don't stand a chance at catching me.

My height is 29 inches which is good for the 75th percentile. I know you think I have a long torso and short legs like Daddy, but we'll see. Finally, as you saw above, my head is large and is 18.4 centimeters around. I'm in the 75-90th percentile for my head. I think it's great because my head is big like Daddy's, and we both know how smart he is.

Luckily, I didn't need any shots today, but when the lady at the lab pricked my finger I cried for just a minute. Daddy held me the whole time so I felt ok after a minute. He whispered to me that I am already a big boy because shots and needles don't bother me! He said that you on the other hand....it's ok, Mommy. When you need to get shots I'll be there to make you feel better.

Here we are waiting for the test results to come back. My next doctor's appointment is on my actual birthday at 8:40 a.m!

Now, on to your questions. Dr. Shu says to keep trying to get me to drink out of the sippy cup. Just this morning Daddy got me to hold my bottle the entire time so I think I'll be using a sippy cup sooner rather than later. Don't give up on me!

Dr. Shu said that the only time she gives kids juice is when they are constipated so NO juice for me! I poop just fine thank you very much. Water isn't necessary either because I'm getting so much of it in my formula.

I know sometimes I don't drink all of my bottles, but as long as I get around 20 ounces a day I'm fine. I could use a Vitamin D supplement if you guys want to get that for me.

I'm getting enough food as it is so I don't need dinner just yet. Once I drop my afternoon nap I will probably start wanting dinner. My food is just fine for now. "Soft, smooth, and small" is the motto! No need to start cutting up food to give me other than the bananas, soft pears, etc. that you do such a good job of feeding me already.

I don't use my pacifier much as it is, so Dr. Shu isn't worried about my teeth getting messed up. Some kids (probably that James character at my school) suck on them so hard they can push their teeth out. I don't do that.

Finally, you guys need to start wiping my teeth with a cloth or rag to make sure they don't rot! You don't need to use toothpaste yet.

Ok, time for sleepy deep! Have a great day and call Daddy later!

Love,

The Bugglies

Big Day Today!

Mommy,

I hope you have a great day at training today. Be sure you don't slip & fall on the ice and snow! Daddy took this video of me earlier this morning so I thought you'd like to watch it. I love you.

The Jackal

Night #1

Mommy,

Daddy is cooking dinner so he asked me to update you on how our bath and feeding went tonight. As you will see, I was very good for Daddy. I loved playing with my toys -

It was right after Daddy took this picture that I thought it would be really funny if I started splashing water everywhere! I splashed so much Daddy had to change shirts after I was done.

I was pretty tired so Daddy tried to read me a story, but I was just happy to drink ALL of my 8 ounces of formula and call it a night. I love you, Mommy.

Here I am in bed ready for sleepy deep! Talk to you tomorrow!

Love,

The Bugglies