First Steps

As I mentioned earlier this week Jack has become much more daring. While he is standing next to the couch he has started to let go and some times will balance for quite a while on his own before grabbing back on. Because of this he has also started to fall a lot more, but I guess this is the only way that he will learn to walk. So on Wednesday night I put him to the test and stood him about a foot away from the couch. It was funny at first becuase he would just balance there for a while and then start to fall. Then I tried it again and faced him towards the couch so he had something to go to and he actually took about 2 to 3 stpes. It was pretty funny to see because he still seems so small. Then last night when Steve was home we stood him in the middle of the living room with nothing to hang on to and with Steve out in front of him he walked a few steps towards him. I realize that I am only hurting myself by encouraging him to move, but it is still fun at the same time.

Basketball/10 Months Old

This past Sunday Steve and I had tickets to the Gophers game at 1:00 and the Timberwolves game at 5:30. We dropped Jack off around 8am and headed for the cities to try and get some quick shopping in before the first game. We weren't sure how good our seats would be at either game because Steve got them both for free being that he is a high school basketball coach in the state. At the Gophers game we were in row B (2nd row on the floor) and almost right at center court. We were so close to the players and coaches that we could have talked to them if we wanted. After the game we were lucky enough to get to go down into the players and coaches lounge and had a chance to meet and talk with the head coach Tubby Smith.

From there we went over to the Target Center and found that we had pretty good seats there as well. We were in one of the corners, but only about 20 rows up if you count the chairs on the floor. It was pretty fun to watch all the stuff that they do on the time outs and the game was actually pretty close considering the Timberwolves are doing so great this year.

I also can't forget to metion that on Sunday Jack was 10 months old. Although there is not a whole lot of new information to report, he is moving faster and faster every day. We have noticed lately that he is getting daring enough to let go of the couch which is also leading to a number of bumps and bruises.

Wedding Celebration

This Saturday was my sister's wedding in which I was the matron of honor, Steve was an usher, and Jack was the ring bearer. It was a busy weekend for us as Friday night started out with the rehearsal at the church and dinner out at Big Lake Golf Course. Steve couldn't attend because he had a basketball game, but at least Jack got to practice being pulled down the aisle.

On Saturday, we got our hair done in the late afternoon and then we all met at the church for pictures. Jack seemed to be getting a little stressed out after 1 1/2 hours of pictures, but he did a great job during the wedding. My dad pulled him down the aisle in his little tux and new red wagon. In order to get him to sit still, we filled the cup holders with his new favorite treat. Cheerios! During the ceremony Jack was cramming his mouth full and at one point I even heard him start choking on one. After sitting up there for a short while, he decided it would be cute to start babbling and kicking his feet on the bottom of the wagon, so Grandma Battaglia had to take him out.


After the ceremony there was a reception in Cloquet with a dinner and a dance. Although it was a fun night and good to see all of our relatives, I must admit I was tired by about 9pm. But I had to push through as Steve was enjoying a few cocktails so we didn't get home until after midnight.

Finally mastered...

Well Jack has finally mastered two skills that he has been practicing hard to accomplish. The first one he has been working on for several weeks now and seemed to have only figured out the army crawl. Ever since then I was convinced that because he knew how to get where he wanted, he would never truly crawl on his knees. Well I was wrong. Recently I have noticed he will try to move a few feet up on his knees but then will always go down to his stomach and back to the army crawl. But today, he finally went all the way across the living room on his knees. Hopefully he has discovered that his method makes for much better progress.

The second thing that we've been working on his feeding himself cheerios and other small puff cereals. We really haven't been working on this one too long and as of last Sunday night, he couldn't even get them in his mouth. Now he has figured out how to get them in so can enjoy the treats on his own.

Checkup

Yesterday was Jack's 9 month checkup. Steve had the day off so he brought him down and picked me up from work. All was going well until the nurse tried to measure the circumference of Jack's head. The little tape measure must have scared him because he started crying and couldn't stop. He was practically hyperventilating, he was crying so hard. Once we calmed him down and the doctor came in - he started over with the crying. Since Jack never seems to be afraid of strangers we really didn't know what the deal was. The doctor said that maybe he could remember the last time being at the doctor and getting his shots. He was lucky because this time there were no shots, but he did have to have blood drawn. Again, he was not very happy when the lady poked his figure. Needless to say I had to hold him down while they tried to get enough blood to do the test. Then last night we came home to a message saying that Jack's iron levels are a bit low and we need to increase the amount of iron he eats.

Also, his growth stats are:

• Height: 28 inches (37%)
• Weight: 21# 11 oz. (67%)
• Head Circumference: 18 3/8 inches (85%)