Happy Birthday Dad!

Sunday was my dad's birthday and we all got together to celebrate.  Thanks for being such a great encourager, for being so generous with your time, and for being such a fun grandpa!  Jack loves his pa-pa and we are thankful for you!

Grandpa with his pineapple upside-down cake

And thanks for the Weinermobile!  Every kid needs one, right?

Jack is 10 months!

Jack is 10 months old?  How did that happen?  Wow.

He still isn't crawling and has no teeth.... but there is progress on all fronts!

If drool and a runny nose are any indication of cutting a tooth then Jack is on the right path!  Even with no teeth Jack has moved away from baby food and eats anything that he can pick up.  This month he tried a few new favorites:  lamb, beef, pineapple, strawberries, dumplings, lima beans, and tomato sauce.  He loves spaghetti!  I've also noticed that one of his favorite things to eat is bread.  Jacob picked up a loaf of Blue Oven Bakery's Bad Boy and he loved it.  He's been eating the leftovers with all of his meals this week.

Jack spins in circles to get to all of his toys.  Here is a video of his Sit n' Spin:

He's getting pretty quick at getting around but he can't quite go in both directions.  So if he missed something along the way he has to go all the way back around!  He's enjoying the new mobility but isn't showing any interest in scooting along or crawling.  He'll get there - and I'm in no hurry!  I'm happy to have him stay put for as long as he's content doing so!

Lately you can find us sitting on the front porch enjoying the cooler weather.  Jack loves being outside and enjoys people watching from the steps.  Many afternoons we bring a blanket outside and wait for Jacob to come home.

Daddy's Home!

About five weeks ago we decided that Jack was getting hooked on his pacifier.  Before then he wasn't too interested either way, so we saw this as our time to break a habit before it started.  One Sunday night Jacob declared that all binkies were banned.  Ouch.  I knew that it was a good idea but I was scared of how Jack would react.

The whole ordeal was so much less traumatic than I had built up in my head.  He quickly got used to not having them around and was content both in the car and in bed.   Now he has no problem without a binkie.... because he found his thumb!  

He can even pose for the camera while sucking his thumb

Here is his 10 month picture in the big red chair:

Whiny Birds

Jack's t-shirt says, "Whiny Birds" and is poking fun of the St. Louis Cardinals.  It would have been a really fun shirt to wear during the 2010 season when the Reds/Cardinals rivalry was in full swing.  While the Reds won the overall series against the Cardinals in 2011, we are now mathematically eliminated and they remain in the race for the wild card... but we aren't whining about it.

Happy 30th Birthday Jacob!

Jacob just celebrated his 30th birthday.  We spent most of the weekend working at the Rhythm Race but set aside Sunday to relax and enjoy his day. 

Jack was excited to get in on the action and made Jacob a birthday card:

First he colored

Then he added a sticker

He got a bit annoyed when he couldn't take the sticker off

So he decided to eat it.  Daddy's card was made with love!

Jacob's mom came over and cooked his birthday dinner:  Chicken and Dumplings.  It was an amazingly busy day of cooking for her and Jacob was happy to watch and learn.  Jack even got to help a bit:

Making dumplings with Daddy and Nana

Jacob, I hope you had a great birthday and that you felt loved and celebrated.  I won't gush about how you are a wonderful husband and about how much I love you.  I will say that Jack loves you and thinks that you are the perfect dad.  He gets so excited to see you pull up every night and smiles when he hears your voice.  I know that he likes his play time with you and he's so thankful that you teach him fun new things.  

I can't wait to watch the two of you together as he grows.  We love you. 

Rhythm Race

Our family recently took part in the 8th Annual Rhythm Race and after party right here in College Hill. Jacob is on the board of CHCURC - College Hill Community Urban Redevelopment Cooperation - so we were busy most of the weekend helping to get ready for the race.

Jack helped hang No Parking signs on Friday  night

This year the after party moved to the parking lot behind the restaurants and shops in the business district of College Hill.  Many of the neighborhood restaurants participated and we were able to showcase the local fare.

Aunt Christy and Nana

Jack with Carl

Nana and Carl were kind enough to watch Jack after the race so that we were able to stick around and be a part of the after party.  

He's standing (completely assisted and wobbly)! But still standing!

Look at what Jack decided to do today:

One handed!

Fun Surprises....

Does anyone want to guess who was at our house babysitting this week?

Jack's favorite

Jack loves all of his fun new pictures hidden throughout the house.  Thank you Dad!  

Jack with his Grandpa Troescher

Jack's first sporting event

Before yesterday, if you had asked me what I thought Jack's first sporting event would be, I certainly wouldn't have guessed a high-school girls soccer game!  

Jacob called me in the afternoon and proposed the idea of attending McAuley's soccer game since a co-worker's daughter was playing.  We can hear the games from our house and the school is in our own backyard.  It sounded like a fun break from our typical evening walks, so we headed over. (Don't tell anyone that we didn't pay to get in!)

Deb Sandhas

 

Leah Robbins - 9 months

The wonderful Leah Robbins captured our latest family pictures at Findlay Market last month.  Jacob chose the location and we were thrilled with the colors and unique backgrounds.  Here is the link to her blog and the rest of her pictures.  

Crazy Hair

I have a lot of blogging to do, but wanted to share this quickly:

This is what Jack's hair looks like when he wakes up!  I shouldn't laugh.  I wouldn't want a picture of my bedhead on the blog to remember forever, but come on.  This is too funny.