jack turns 1

i can't believe how fast time really does go. i know it sounds lame, but it really feels like yesterday we brought him home. it didn't feel real bringing him home, but now it seems he has always been here. i can't even describe the joy we feel. i still say a prayer of thanks for him, his wonderful personality and spirit he adds to our home. i feel so lucky and privileged to be his mom.
we had a little icecream party for him. we had a small gathering (dad & mom, lindsey, tyler & lucy, ransom, katie, conrad & phoebe (and baby in stomach), kelsie, abby and grandpa & grandma birrell). he got a few presents (yes noisy ones, but they really don't bother me) and he played while i got the icecream ready. we sat him in his chair and before i knew it, he grabbed his bowl to get to the candle (he is so strong!). we sang a quick "happy birthday", blew out the candle and he dove right in. icecream was everywhere...it was perfect.
-he says "hot" while he stands about 3 feet away from the wood burning stove
-he is walking everywhere. the best is when he holds his hand out for you, as you think he wants to come to you, but no...he wants to take you somewhere
-he loves to unload his toys out of the bucket and isn't satisfied until each of them are on the floor
-loves to bite and thinks it's a game when we tell him no
-his favorite place to sit is right by paul (adorable)
-could play in the sink for hours
-learning to drink and feed himself, which is very, very, very messy
-laughs like crazy
-sleeps through the night
-loves chocolate milk, carrots, potatoes, pasta, pizza, oreos, tomatoes, peaches, apples
-talks to me while we drive around
-has to touch everything like his dad
-is a good fit thrower (which we try to ignore, but find ourselves laughing at his actions)
-ash

first haircut

his hair needed something...a cut...but i didn't know what to do. jack isn't one to sit still, or to have his limbs contained. plus, a haircut meant that he would look more like a little boy than my baby. i wasn't sure if i was ready, but i will never be ready.
i got some advice from friends and family. some said to cut while he slept, use the buzzers, give him a sucker, take him to a salon where they specialize in kids cuts, etc. i opted for the sucker and hopefully i would be fast.
the sucker was a brilliant idea. well, at least for the 1st half-ish. then he got bored and wanted a comb, and then saw his hair on the counter. he thankfully didn't care about the scissors. the only bad thing about the sucker was the hair...we had to take the sucker away a couple of times to rinse off the hair before he put it in his mouth. i was so glad to have paul and mom there to help. phoebe watched and would say "look, jackie's hair!" "oh jackie" "lala, you're cutting jackie's hair?".
i think it turned out pretty good...considering his constant moving and a mom doesn't really know how to cut hair. now just look at him...
-ash

walking!

over the past week, jack has taken a little step here, and a little step there. then he realizes he isn't holding onto something any more, and he stops. he can stand for a while on his own, but then he crouches down to crawl to where he wants to go. tonight though...he walked, really walked!
-ash

reader or destroyer?

i took this photo a couple months ago, and each time i look at it, i smile. these photos are really worth 1000 words. he loves what we are doing, he loves touching what we are touching. being next to "it" isn't good enough. anything he touches becomes a crumpled mess, but the best part is his look of triumph when he sees what he has accomplished. we aren't sure if he loves to read with so much enthusiasm, or if it is just the love of crumpling/riping/eating...
-ash

coldness...

this winter was really cold and it seemed to last a lot longer. maybe not. it seems so because we were in it. isn't that the way? we stayed really warm and snugly inside as we watched the blizzard outside. in the morning, we sometimes wake up to a bit of ice inside. jack loves to play with the cold ice. when his hands get cold, he comes to me to warm them. once warm, he is back to touching the ice. this goes on and on.
-ash

sink baths

while i am doing the dishes, or washing something clean, i hear the fastest little pitter patters and i start laughing. i look down, and there is jack, wanting to get into the sink. he pulls at my pant legs, and reaches with all his might. i give in. watching him play in the sink is the greatest.
santa brought him some bubble bath and some bath toys. he can't get enough of the bubbles, but gets tired of the toys...prefers the whisk or the measuring spoons and a cup. i keep the faucet at a trickle so he can touch his forehead to it and is shocked each time the water runs down his nose. he loves blowing into the water and then pretty soon, that isn't enough...he has to splash every ounce of water towards me. it is a good thing i am a firm believer in having a home to really play in. we laugh and talk together. by the time he gets out of the sink (sometimes a lot sooner than he would like), his little feet are raisins. i will make sure to keep a good stock of bubble bath and lotion handy.
-ash

jack meets santa

i was so excited for jack to meet santa...i love santa. i love what he stands for, i love the history, i love the traditions. to say the least, this was a big deal for me and yes, i still believe in santa.

we took him down to the riverwoods, of course getting there this late in the season, there was a line. i didn't mind it. it was so good to be there with other parents and their kids, who were so anxiously waiting to meet him. while we were waiting, a dad behind us was talking to his kids...he looked at a couple of his girls and said...

dad: "good luck"

girls: "why?"

dad: "because, the second you sit on his lap, he'll know you both are on the naughty list."

girls: (shocked) "we aren't on that list!"
dad: (laughing)
mom: "cut it out"
dad: "it was fun"
girls: (holding tighter to mom) "dad's not funny"

i love this time of year. i love watching families, and i love the traditions we get to continue and start. we are constantly looking at jack in awe that he is here, and we get a chance to instill the things we love in him...merry christmas!
-ash