At the Playground

This face he is making in the picture above is a face that he has been making more and more over the past couple of weeks. I call it his devilish face, since he looks very mischevious making it. I love the little crinkle at the top of his nose and the crazy wide grin. I have a feeling that I'm in for some trouble with this little guy ;)

Mr. Blueberry Beard

Riding Mommy's Old Toy Horse

Jack Loves His Grandpa

Grandma's Garden

Do a Little Dance

Jack loves to wiggle his little bum to any tune. My dad caught him on tape yesterday wiggling it while playing with his little car.

Month Twelve and Thirteen

Dear Jack,

I accidentally forgot to write a letter for month 12. I guess we were so busy doing things like TURNING ONE, that it slipped my mind. Your first birthday was a great treat. Grandma and Grandpa helped us celebrate, as well as Aunt Gigi. Aunt Gigi feels a little guilty about her present to you since it seemed to scare you more than make you happy, but I’m sure by Christmas time you’ll be ready for your Tickle Me Elmo. You had an Elmo themed birthday, complete with Elmo cupcakes and three Elmo dolls. You were a little apprehensive of the cupcakes at first, but once daddy showed you how you could eat them, you were more comfortable digging in. I can’t believe my little boy is one!

Over the past two months, you have gotten four molars (ack! And ouch!) and have started to take about 10 to 12 steps on your own. You are pretty good at judging just how far you can walk on your own and will only attempt it if mommy or daddy are there to receive you. Otherwise, you’d rather cruise along the furniture and walls to get where you are going or crawl. I’m both excited and nervous for the day that you will be walking on your own. Excited because you look so proud when you take steps on your own, nervous because I know that you will experience falls and bruises in your effort to learn.

You were also baptized this past month. Grandma and Grandpa Karras came down from the Cape to see the ceremony, as well as your Aunt Sammy and Uncle Jim, who became your Godparents. You had a great time playing with your cousins and learned how to give your first hug to your cousin Mia.

Other things that you love to do are to point to things, wave (although not necessarily to say hello or goodbye, but just because you feel like it), and sleep through the night. I think the last one has been the nicest treat for me!

We love you, Little Bear!

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

More Pictures

The Fair

This past week, my parents, Jack and I went to the Prince William County Fair. Jack got the chance to pet some of the animals, including a pot belly pig and a rabbit. And he got soft serve ice cream as a treat to help keep him cool.

Goodness Gracious Great Balls of Fire!

Goodness Gracious Great Balls of Fire!
Originally uploaded by jennifer.karras

Little Jerry Lee Lewis at the piano.

A Post for My Amazing Husband

This past weekend, I got dolled up and went out for a night on the town--with the girls. And you know what my loving and amazing husband did? He stayed with Jack, put him to sleep and then spent an hour cleaning up the house. He even made me iced tea! I'm not sure if there could be a better husband. I probably don't say it enough, but thank you, Terry!

Surprised Jack

Surprised Jack
Originally uploaded by jennifer.karras

This picture cracks me up. I was positioned just around the corner from our kitchen island, so when Jack crawled out, I was able to catch his look of excitement and surprise.

Sweet Jack

Sweet Jack
Originally uploaded by jennifer.karras

I love this picture of Jack. He looks so sweet and adorable. I just want to eat him up, he's so cute.

Mr. P on Tractor

Mr. P on Tractor
Originally uploaded by jennifer.karras

This is Cousin Jack's Mr. P, which little Jack thought would make a great farmer. Mr. P. goes everywhere with Jack, along with another large dog named Dougie and a smaller dog named New Puppy. As you can tell, Cousin Jack loves dogs.

Thank God for Grandparents!

Today, Terry and I received a call from my parents asking us if we wanted them to babysit today. Did we? Oh YES we did! So, for the first time in over a year, Terry and I went to see a movie together. I was absolutely giddy when I got in the car, child-free, knowing that for the next three hours I could just relish in something mindless and fun. It was the first time that Terry and I had left the kid with someone with the intention of doing something fun. Thank you, Mom and Dad!!! We had a great time and saw Batman. I'm not really a Batman fan (Spiderman is my favorite), but this was a really fantastic movie. Heath Ledger's Joker was completely twisted, in a fun, yet disturbing way and I really enjoyed Aaron Eckhart's character of Harvey Dent. Today was such a treat! Yay for Grandparents!