Saturday, May 17, 2014

Jack is One Year Old!

We will be celebrating Jack's birthday later this afternoon, but I wanted to be sure to do a 12 month post with some of his new developments ...

We go to the doctor for his check-up next week, so I will be sure to update his weight and length after that.  I know that he went through a growth spurt in the last month or so and am anxious to see if he weighs enough to move him up into his "big boy" car seat.




Jack is not crawling yet, although he is very close.  He lunges forward and manages to maneuver very well, but he has not figured out that he can rotate his hips and use his knees for movement.  I am just fine with that.  There is no hurry!  If he is on the wood floor, he scoots with his bottom and can move across the room if you're not keeping a close eye on him.  He has no desire to put any weight on his feet yet (for pulling himself up or walking), and again, there is no rush.  I like having him relatively immobile still.

He does reach as far as his little arms can stretch:



I have helped him slightly, just so that he can feel weight on his feet, but he isn't really sure how to stand up straight yet.



Jack's skin is doing all right.  Occasionally (maybe once a month), he might have a small eczema flare-up.  But for the most part, he seems to over the worst of it.  He loves his baths and we have started a system now where he gets his bath first in the tub, and then the girls follow -- with more water and more bubbles!  It seems to work pretty well.



Hanging out with Daddy:



Jack is starting to use our reading chair more these days.  It was Samantha's when she was little and then Sophia used it ... and it is finally Jack's turn!



Perhaps the most fun thing with Jack this month has been that he has learned how to throw a ball.  And is he ever good at it!!!!  One night when I was at work, Steve got out the video recorder and recorded Jack throwing a ball over and over again and laughing the whole time.  We laid in bed that night watching it and it brought a real smile to my face.

Any ball ... he loves them!



Jack certainly loves being outside too.  After being cooped up all winter long, Jack is anxious to spend time in the outdoors -- even if it means having to wear a sweatshirt and a hat still ...



His smile just melts my heart!

 
 
Jack is no longer nursing.  I dropped his once-a-day feeding (we were weaning) about two weeks ago and he hasn't seemed to mind too much.  He is drinking whole, organic cow's milk exclusively -- about a gallon a week -- and has been eating table foods for a couple of months now.  There are some textures that he doesn't care for and some days are better than others, but we don't miss an opportunity to get him to try to eat whatever we are eating.  He only has five teeth, so some crunchy vegetables are out of the question.  And green beans have NEVER been his favorite!
 
Jack is even more receptive when his sisters jump in to help feed him ...
 


Hmmmm ... oatmeal for breakfast.

 
 
I just love those little cheeks!
 


Jack still goes down for bed around 7:30-7:45 pm.  We are slowly stretching it out to 8 pm (when the girls go to bed) to get him to sleep just a tad longer in the mornings now that school is almost over for the year -- and we don't have to be up as early.  In doing so, Jack will typically sleep until about 7:30 am. 

He seems to enjoy partaking in the bedtime story with Sam and Sophia lately.  It's a wonderful habit to get into ... having a nice story to wind down to before climbing into bed.  It's also a good thing to establish a nightly routine, especially now that it has changed for Jack because he doesn't nurse before bed any more.  Now, he bathes, gets in his pajamas, plays for a little longer, has some milk (if he wants it), has a bedtime story and then goes to bed.

** As with the girls, I will continue doing monthly updates until Jack turns 2.  I like having these to look back on and to compare. 

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