Chuck E. Cheese-ball

Jack's first (and possibly last) trip to Chuck E. Cheese for a friend's birthday party. Man, that place is scary. It's like Vegas for kids- bright lights, loud music, scantily clad women (the moms), people shoving coins into machines...

But Jack loved every minute of it. He got his own cup full of coins and walked around shaking it, seemingly oblivious to the games and rides. We convinced him to try the carousel and train, but really he just wanted to hold those beautiful golden coins in his little plastic cup.

We thought he would be afraid of Chuck (one of the older kids screamed hysterically and had to be taken outside when he showed up), but Jack ran right up to him and bit him on the paw. That's my boy.

Squishy

Butler for hire?

Remember when Jack looked like Alfred Hitchcock? (If not, click here.) We used to have this running joke in our house that Jack was our English butler and we called him "sir" and harassed him about wanting tea and crumpets and giggled at his ginormous jowls and his disapproving scowl. (Go and ahead and pretend you don't do just as ridiculous things in your own family. Go right ahead.)

Well, I'd forgotten about that until recently since Jack is such a whirlwind of mess-making dirtiness these days. Also, he has kind of started to maybe grow into his cheeks. Maybe.

So now I'm looking into how we can manage to get ourselves a real English butler to pick up after Jack. He wouldn't even need to be English (although I confess, I would love for Jack to grow up referring to cookies as "biscuits" and erasers as "rubbers"...) We prefer someone who has experience cleaning poop out of the bathtub. Anybody know where we can find one?

Poop in the Bathtub Update

Why oh why does the pooping in the bathtub only happen on my watch? It's been like four times now for me and Brent has yet to experience tub pooping for himself. This is so NOT fair.

One Sunday Morning

Jack Goes North

We went up to Portland a few weekends ago to visit Tracie and Frank (and for a long-awaited Ikea run). We had selected a new kitchen table and chairs to pick up and also wanted to scope out their flooring department. Get ready for some major floor remodeling this summer, and feel free to volunteer your participation in this endeavor.

Since Jack needs his daily exercise like a drunk needs a drink, we took a walk with Jack's Uncle Frank to a park near their house. Jack went down the slide ALL BY HIMSELF. Woohoo, you say, big deal. Well let me tell you, as someone who has been accompanying a small child down the slide for the last several months, it was a BIG deal.


Later we walked down near the lake and saw a guy with a dog who was jumping park benches like hurdles (you had to be there). Jack watched the dog in horror/fascination. Notice how we both stand with our feet they exact same way?



Give this kid an empty cup and he'll entertain himself for an hour. (Buy this kid a battery operated mini ATV and he won't have anything to do with it...)



Jack with his "cousin" Pippen. Pip is... shall we say, hyperactive? ADD? Whatever the case, the dog is loud and fast and basically looks like a low flying cotton ball, so Jack doesn't seem to know what to make of him. He finally got brave enough to touch him, but as you can see, he's not quite sure about him.

Thanks, Tracie and Frank, for hosting us on our Ikea Run '08! Oh, and I'll let you all know when we plan to do the floors, so you can clear your calendars...

Going... Going... Gone

In the car on the way to visit Aunt Tracie and Uncle Frank, Jack started to get sleepy.


We wanted to make sure that he had a full belly before he slept, so I gave him a cracker.

He just couldn't quite make it to the end before those droopy lids closed. You should have seen how surprised he was to wake up with a cracker already in his mouth.

Good News and... Funny News?

Jack's ears are A-okay! For those of you who don't already know, Jack has been battling a horrendous ear infection that lasted several months and refused to be quelled by any oral antibiotic. We went in last week for three doses of injectable antibiotic (oh the horror!) and that seems to have done the trick. Today he got a clean bill of health from the doctor and Brent and I are very relieved that we don't have to go to the specialist and start talking tubes.

Jack has been talking up a storm lately. His words are:

• caca (coffee)
• bird
• Cheeko
• kitty
• more
• bye bye
• mama
• dada
• bubbles
• cookie (poor deprived kid thinks whole wheat fig newtons are cookies- ha!)
• ass

Yep, you read that last one right. I'm assuming he doesn't know what he's saying, since that's not a word that we have ever (consciously) used around him. The problem is that the first time I heard him say it I started laughing. Now he thinks it's sooo funny to say over and over again. Kids. They really do say the darndest things..