He speaks

Last weekend we went to Uncle Mikey's for a swim and Jason wouldn't get out of his raft much less out of the pool. He did have it quite nice with all his toys and
buckets and we practiced saying "turtle". Now to be honest it sounded a little more like "urtle" but he just kept repeating it and it was so cool. He hasn't said duck (duh) in a while so this was a breakthrough. He does babble more and more and it looks like he is about to get a new tooth as well if the drool measurements mean anything. I am getting very impatient with only two teeth...he seems not to mind so much.

In school news, Jason moved up on 6/10 to his new classroom and is sleeping on a mat instead of in a crib. The transition seemed to go well but drop offs are a little rough right now. I know he will bond again but it does pull on my heart. He is basically down to one nap a day at school and a brief snooze on the way in. My little boy is growing up. He is also riding forward facing and gets to hold Ethan's hand in the car. It was a rude awakening to me that he wasn't an infant anymore. I know Ms Alex misses him dearly but I love that he has Ethan's first teachers now. They told Jeff that when he wakes from his 3 hour nap and they are setting up snack, he crawls over to the table and gets in his chair and is ready to eat. Why doesn't that shock me? And why don't I get 3 hour naps when he is home on the weekend?

He is doing great with a few signs (more, all done and bye) and is also trying to say "down" when he is ready to get out of his highchair. He does have a very straightforward manner of communication. When he doesn't get something he wants, he points and if that doesn't work, he throws himself back and arches his back. I am constantly watching out for things behind him when he has a fit. Did I mention that he screams? When he does it at the daycare center, you can hear him in the other wing and everyone knows who it is. Yep, I got two of them.

Disney with the Duo

Be sure you check out Ethan's blog where we posted the pictures from our Disney trip with the boys. I have only one thing to add here. Everyone warned us on the difficulties of traveling there with an infant. They so missed the mark. Where are the posted disclaimers for parents having to travel with a 3 year old?

If you are interested in viewing more pics, we uploaded a huge amount from May and June to a Kodak album. See our gallery.

Jason's First Birthday

My baby turned 1 today. The year went too fast. Jeff reminds me of the sleepless nights and the crazy first few months but you never remember that. You remember the cute clothes, the little fingers, the nursing late nights when it is just the two of you. I miss that and he seems to have gone from a small 3 month baby to a woddler!




That being said, we did have a really nice day today. Jeff cooked out for everyone and the friends and family abounded. Our neighbors and their baby came, Mario, Shannon and Emerson, Tracey and Nina, and all the family on both sides. He was so spoiled with new clothes, pool toys, and a wagon for all his travels on the farm. We gave horse rides to the kids, played in the sand table, the turtle pool, and made monster drawings. Jason loved his first bit of cake (ok, ok, I know...what DOESN't he eat?) and looked adorable in his birthday hat. We had invitations and plates with jungle animals and I decorated the cakes. Anyone who knows me can confirm I am the most unartistic person around but I took great pleasure in making it an original anyway.

Here is a link to the pictures Mario took in addition to the ones I am posting here.