Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Almost One, But Not Quite



We really can not believe that our baby has become such a little boy lately! He is so big and become so much fun! I've become so nostalgic lately that I find myself looking at his baby pictures and wondering where our baby went. So excuse me while I wax on about it, but I can't help but reflect a bit.
I really remember this time last year. I was as big as a house and his nursery was PERFECT and full of every type of baby accessory that we may ever need. It was organized and waiting for him and I would rock in the glider as I anxiously daydreamed about what he might look like. I can't believe how crazy and absolutely amazing this year has been. His nursery is not nearly as organized as it was then and there are often blocks and toys strewn about with a full laundry basket of his big boy clothes waiting for mommy to fold. Such is life, I suppose! :) We are so proud of surviving this year and love watching our Jack grow.
Jack is 11 months old now (and really, since I'm behind in posting he's just a hair under 1 year old). He's so full of energy and loving cruising and crawling. He stands on his own and takes every opportunity to practice. He's doing well and can hold it for up to a few minutes. Jack loves walking around while holding onto someone and lately has become so daring as to hold on with just one hand. Mobility is certainly his goal and he has taken a few steps but only one at a time and usually followed by a fall! :)
He has become very vocal and loves babbling like a mini orator (arms out stretched and chin up high as he pontificates the finer points of life). We've had a lot of fun going to playgroups at the library where Jack has made friends with a few other boys and enjoys smiling and 'chatting' with the teacher. He waves (although not on command by any means), reaches up to be picked up, and says "na na" for food or milk. He babbles non stop and I'm sure that there are some real words coming, although the kindergarten teacher in me hasn't really counted any of them as a first word. I'm waiting for the real, "da da" or "ma ma" or "dog" or something for one thing consistently. But I can tell that he's learning what language is all about and taking it all in whether he's talking or not.
It's been a great month at the Hov Home and I'm sure a few more nostalgic posts are on their way. Who is this big boy and where did my baby go???
Daddy dressed Jack for this round of pics. He decided that he had to show off his baby AC DC shirt for those about to rock. (Thanks Boo!)
Thank goodness this year of monthly pictures is almost over! This has become SOOO hard to get him to sit semi-still, not eat the paper, look somewhere near mommy, AND smile. Ugh! :)
A little WWF action with Brian Bear. (Oh yes, it's Brian, as in Urlacher. What, he is Pete's son after all!)


Jack's facial expressions have really blossomed and he is always coming up with new (and usually funny) faces for us!
Just chillaxin in the tub. :)
Oh, and check out those teeth! Poor thing is cutting two more on either side of his top two. That will bring us to 6 teeth! Good thing we are just about done with nursing...it's been great, but I'm SO done!
Doesn't he look huge in the chair??? Oh, and yes we're working on the spoon thing, but mostly he just likes to bite on it and then drop it on the floor.
A Jack wave (which he has only recently started to move like a wave) is really more of a salute. :)

Here's a video of what our days are like around the Hov Home. :)

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Jack's 1st Easter


Our Easter weekend was pretty low-key and relaxing for us. Saturday we joined our neighbors, the Monroes, at an Easter carnival. It was fun and Jack seemed to enjoy hunting for eggs much more than meeting the Easter bunny. There were some fun carnival games and a petting zoo.(although we did not pet, we just took a look...the goat in there seemed a little shifty if you ask me!) The weather was beautiful and we really enjoyed ourselves!


Our friends and neighbors, the Monroes!

"Hunting" for eggs (although he just wanted to eat the styrofoam and tanbark)!

Poor guy was NOT interested in meeting the Easter bunny. :(

Have to admit...it was a pretty scary bunny! :(




Jack seemed pretty interested in grabbing the chickens, so we sort of stuck closer to the bunnies.

Sunday we had brunch with the some family and had a nice time catching up with everyone. We returned home to find that the Easter bunny had been to our house and left a basket/bucket full of baby friendly goodies and new sandbox toys. Jack seemed to have fun taking all of the contents out (over and over again) and was thoroughly interested with the plastic grass.




Jack's 1st Easter Basket!

The plastic grass got mixed reviews, but the tissue paper was certainly a hit!

Silly times with daddy!

St. Patrick's Day Rewind



Just to finish the catch-up, I wanted to share some of our fun times from St. Patrick's day. Jack and I had a playdate/lunch with Mary and Asher Steeley. Mary and I enjoyed the excuse to dress the boys in their green, have a pint, and strolling around downtown Walnut Creek. As if that wasn't enough of a celebration, Jack and I met Pete for dinner before his baseball draft. It was a really fun (and long) day!
After a long day of celebration the little guy was tuckered!

Sunday, April 5, 2009

10 Month Old Hunk


Yes, our little guy turned 10 months old in March and we were so busy having fun that I forgot to post the pictures! We Hovs have been busy this month. We've enjoyed the warm up in the weather that we've had after all that rain. So I think spring fever has motivated us to spend more time outdoors. We've enjoyed a few hikes, picnic dinners, and some get-togethers with friends.



Mobility has made Jack a happy boy and he enjoys taking every opportunity to get into something new. He's gotten really good at crawling and cruising and has been spending time standing on his own for a couple of seconds and falling straight down (over and over again). We started a new playgroup with a couple of other boys who were walking and I think it's given him a new sense of determination to get upright! He's also a babbling machine and we are constantly entertained by his inflection and cornucopia of new sound combinations. :)







Jack has become quite adept at navigating his way around the pack-n-play.
Some of his ninja moves! ;)

Snuggles with mom in the carrier after a walk.



We had a fun time celebrating with the Hatzimichael family at Zoe's 2nd birthday party






We also had some fun times at JD and Lauren's engagement party! It was fun to see some friends and watch the babies play on the floor.







Double trouble red heads!
What a busy month!? And that doesn't even include our St. Patrick's day fun!