my baby rocks!

I'm absolutely crazy about this photo because it kinda says a lot about my kiddo.

It was taken at a 1st bday party and Jack had just turned a yr old a week earlier...
He'd pretty much mastered the art of walking normally (no wobbling!) and his confidence definitely showed that day... 

This kid was everywhere once we let him down....He has the type of personality that I wish I had.  He's so easy going and happy all the time.  And it doesn't seem to matter whether he knows you already or if he's just met you today.  He's friendly and smiles at everyone.  At times you have to give him a few secs to take it all in (this is where his serious "observation" look comes in), but after this short phase he's as congenial as can be.  

When we go to restaurants now Jack does the once-around the whole place...Usually stopping off at individual tables/booths to check out what people are eating, going trying to go into kitchens, and behind bars, and generally making new friends along the way. 

I am very mindful of and thankful for all of these experiences and I don't take any of these moments for granted.  Even a day where we don't do much of anything is something I truly appreciate...because I know what life without Jack was like and I so much prefer this one.

Cheers, everyone!

 

hooray for korea!

Did you hear???

PyeongChang has been named the host city for 2018 Winter Olympics!

Guess I know where we'll be going on vacation that year!  Wow...It does seem quite far away though...

So happy for all the proud Koreans who've worked really hard to make this happen!!!

ipads & kiddos

For those with ipads....Here's a great piece about why it's a sanity saver for those with kiddos!  I haven't really let Jack play with my iPad2 yet, but I'm sure that day is coming...very soon.

 

parenting 101

I just read a great opinion piece on disciplining children...or lack thereof.....Go read Permissive Parents:  Curb your Brats over at CNN.com

a very good read for adoptive families...

Take a look at this post from the NYTimes Motherlode section...It's a great piece about two adoptive teens who found their biological parents through Facebook and essays written by them.  Don't forget to read the comments section because it's fascinating...

the baby who ran around the whole mall

Jack is now famous at the Tyson's Galleria Mall.  We went out for an early dinner and then what was supposed to be a very quick stroll around the mall to walk off our meals.  Little did we know it would turn  into a marathon for baby Jack!  Now that Jack has perfected his walking skills, he's quite eager to show off whenever he can, which basically is all day long. So we let him run around while Daddy followed closely behind....He started going into the stores too---Chanel, Thomas Pink, Montblanc, J.Crew...You name it, he went into all the good ones!  At least he has good taste already.  Of course as soon as he walked ran into the stores he was a hit from the get-go.  They all started complimenting him and he was just hamming it up the whole time--giggling and showing off his dimple...At one point in the beginning there was a literally a circle of young girls oohing! and ahhing!... I can't tell you how proud I was of this baby!  He is just so happy all the time...and there isn't a dull moment in my life now. Can you tell I am beaming??!!!

Here he is right before heading out tonight....I went back to American Apparel and bought a few more pairs of the track shorts and some tanks...He really rocks those shorts, doesn't he?  Everyone thought he looked so cute in the whole ensemble...
Who knew life with a child could be this fun?  :) 
Hope everyone has a great holiday weekend!!!

what a week! Jack takes a tumble, plays with his water table and gets new hotpants!

splish splash!



water table fun...



even fruits become toys!

excited about some new hotpants!

Thank goodness this week is almost over!...cause it's been a tough one--I went back to work on Tuesday and boy is it hard to manage time when you work and care for a baby.  I felt bad because Jack's usual schedule was disrupted and it seemed there weren't enough hours to spend quality time together when we all came home.  I know there is an end in sight!..and thank goodness I only have to do this for another few weeks.  I am probably going to do some part time, but it will be very flexible and I basically only have to go to the library a few times a week...

We started the week off a bit rocky because Jack took his first real tumble while walking and landed on his face.  There was a small tear on his upper gums and I had my first OMG! moment.  I thought he'd chipped his tooth or something even worse....but luckily it wasn't as bad as I had imagined.  I saw blood and jumped to conclusions....The doctor's office eased my mind the next day and thing returned to normal.  BTW...Jack was perfectly cool with all of this.  He cried when it happened and then just moved on....He's such a good kiddo....never crying unless he's really hurt and goes back to being his happy-go-lucky-self again.  So I ended up going to work on Tuesday instead.

The rest of the week was spent trying to savor the beginnings of summer nights and that basically meant spending time on our deck and enjoying Jack's water table, chowing down on gelatto, and just taking in the nice warm breeze (well, except for the days when it's crazy humid!)...but you get the point.  The few short hours we had as a family each night was relished and well spent!

I'm came home early today because I was scheduled to spend a few hours doing work at home and that basically meant we were free to spend the afternoon shopping around.  Jack is going to a 1st birthday party for  a special cutie and we wanted to get her some nice clothes.  I have to say it was kinda fun looking for girls clothing.  Of course that also meant I needed to indulge Jack with a few new things too... I bought the cutest swim trunks from Zara, which I'll show you very soon and the cool new track shorts you see above!  I love American Apparel for some of their kiddie stuff...

We have a full weekend ahead--the kiddie b-day party on Sat afternoon and then Jack is having his 3rd & last "1st birthday" hoorah party on Sunday.  All in all I'm sure we'll be sugared out by the time Sunday night rolls around!