Happy Birthday, Part 1

Many apologies, as usual, for taking sooo long to get these birthday pics online.
The usual excuses apply!

Anyway -- on April 19th Jack celebrated his very first birthday! And of course, we had a party at Disneyland!
It was Jack's first experience of cake and especially frosting. He didn't know what to do with this goopy stuff on his fingers. Initially he just wiped it on hs shirt.But soon, he got into the spirit of things!
After the photo op (see above), which resulted in three or four pics because Minnie and Mickey wouldn't stop playing with Jack, Mickey and Minnie came over to our table and spent a lot more time playing with Jack. Myabe it is just because Jack is so cute but the characters at Disneyland spend way more time playing with him than with the other kids! I swear I am not exaggerating. The little kid on the right in these pics seems chagrined -- they didn't hang with him!

Anyway, Mickey and Minnie came to our table and were enchanted with Jack. . .
Mickey leaned down to play with Jack and Jack smeared frosting on Mickey's nose. "Oh, I'm sorry, Mickey!" cried Genevieve.
But with a "don't be silly" kind of gesture, Minnie took Jack's hand and smeared MORE frosting on Mickey's nose.They had a good laugh and went off to Toontown, presumably to wash up.
After that it was dinner time for ol' blue-eyes. Hey, it's your birthday, you can have dessert first!Then as we walked by the King Arthur Carousel Jack went berserk, staring at it and kicking and laughing. So on we went -- Disneyland was in the throes of spring break season so there were long lines for everything but this anyway -- and Jack LOVED it. He was so happy and having a great birthday for a one-year -old!Jack even gave his reflection kisses!
So there you have it, better late than never -- a thoroughly awesome birthday!

Happy Birthday, Part 2

So Jack's official birthday at home celebration was on the following Friday. Mommy got a cake and everything and the fiesta began with balloons, a big hit.
Jack tried to fit one in his mouth, of course.
Mommy and Daddy picked out some cool Fisher Price pop-on blocks for Jack and he wasted not a moment beginning construction.
Beach toys and other fine implements were in the offing, too . . .
And a fine day it was for hats, as well.
Nanny and Pop sent a fine seersucker ensemble...While Grammy and Grampy's big present was this awesome animal quilt made by Jack's Grammy.

Big day tomorrow

Jack's first birthday is tomorrow. We're having a party with Mickey Mouse at Disneyland. Plenty of pictures guaranteed.

Meanwhile, it's well worth revisiting the play-by-play of one year ago. Hard to believe!

Lots o' new updates

Hi all, specifically subscribers, I just made a huge update to Jack's blog and discovered the subscription service was on the fritz. Should be fixed now, so be sure to stop by and see the new posts!

Cheese Cake

Hello everyone. Sorry it has been such a wait for an update. After New Orleans it was right back into the editing room without a break for several weeks, then an unexpected trip to New York. So there is a lot of ground to cover and like last time, I will spare you most of the usual commentary. I do want to let you in on the latest Jack news:

ITEM: Jack has six teeth now!

ITEM: Jack can crawl like a bandit and even walk a little if he is holding on to something.

ITEM: Jack also has a couple of words in his vocabulary now. One of these is "Da Da." Now, this seems to apply not just to me but to the dog, the bed, mommy, basically anything. But it is cute all the same. The other word is "Uh-oh!" which he just picked up the other day. We were lying in bed with him when Daddy suddenly cut the cheese. "Uh-oh!" said Jack, which we thought was just a coincidence. But then the whole rest of the day he would drop something and say "uh-oh" We started playing a game where he would say "uh-oh" and I would act like it was a big emergency. It is sooooo funny.

Well that is basically it for now. I have a very very brief respite of a couple of days -- thus my opportunity to update you all. I'll try not to be so lax -- or horrifyingly busy all day and night!

Jack-Jack at Home

I returned from New Orleans with this Mardi Gras jester hat for jack. He looks great in it, of course!

Jack loves swinging around upside-down.
In case you were wondering, this is what a one-year-old looks like when he is coated with a fine sheen of egg and maple syrup.
I sometimes take advantage of Jack's sleepytime to get in a little Xbox time.
Jack's cousin Nora sent a Flat Stanley to Jack. As always he was very excited to get some mail!
Jack thought Flat Stanley was DELICIOUS! He will have a whole bunch of adventures with Flat Stanley and will send some pictures to nora soon.
Yep, this kid can fall asleep anywhere.
Daddy's not the only one with a fixation on the TV and Xbox games.
Avocado -- another chart topper on the "smear this all over my face" hit parade.

Auntie Megan

This one above is an inside joke . . . anyway, Aunt Megan came to visit over her spring break and spent a lot of time visiting with her nephew, reading him stories, going to the beach, and visiting Disneyland. . .