He stands

This am as J was playing in a box, he decided to grab the side of it, lift himself up, and kind of teetered in there for a bit. Life is about to get really interesting in our house...

The box is courtesy of one of Jack's godmothers, Auntie Anne. She sent him a really fun toy for Christmas that is currently under the tree. But, J gets to play with the box until then.

All aboard the S.S. Jackie Bear! And yes, he looks so tired because the little butthole woke up 4-5 times last night, and then woke up early this morning.

And just for Anne: "I'm on a boat motherf@#ker!"

Tales from community college...

We have what we call "helicopter parents". They are parents who refuse to let their children do anything on their own and "hover". They come to my information sessions with their kids, and they come to their advising appointments, and they're really screwing their kids over in the long run by not giving them any independence. Thanks mom & dad for not being one of these parents and letting Amy and I make our own choices (and mistakes).

From today:
:ring ring:
S: hello, this is Sarah
Helicopter parent: yes, this is Mrs. xxxx. I'm trying to register my daughter for a Biology class and need an entry code.
S: I'd be happy to help you with that. Can you please tell me which Biology?
HP: Hold on let me text my daughter and ask her.
S: perhaps you could give me her phone number and I can talk to her directly since she is the student trying to take the class
HP: ok, here is her number. But please wait 30 seconds so that I can text her to tell her that you're calling.

Oy

Any accountants read this blog?

I'm trying to finagle a tax deduction...

I donated 50 oz of frozen breastmilk to the friend of a friend with a tongue-tied baby. I can't use the milk for Jack since it contains dairy, so I was happy to find a home for it.

Currently, breastmilk goes for $4 per oz from a milk bank. So....I'm wondering if I would be playing with fate if I claimed $200 in "charitable donations" on my taxes for 2009? What could possibly be more charitable than liquid from ones breasts?

In a perfect world, it would count.

FINALLY, a product for the masses!

How many times have you thought: "I sure wish my undies smelled like a forest, but keeping a fresh tree in my dresser seems so inpractical"? Well, I found something at my local grocery store that solves your problem.

Merry Christmas!

The talking continues & blog name change

Jack has now said "Poppa" and "Da da" when Troy is mentioned or he sees Troy. It's pretty darn adorable. He also says something that sounds like "Barbara" which is my mom's name so we're going to go ahead and assume he is truly saying Barbara. "Momma" has been heard multiple times since last week.

Additionally, thanks to Aunt Connie, we have seen via video he can sign "more" during mealtime.

In blogging news, it is time to change the name of this blog! I'll keep the address, but am looking for a new name and layout design. Please post your recommendations for a new blog name in the comments sections! I love your creativity ladies (and Dad who reads this but can't figure out how to post a comment...), so help me out!

Just like Kevin Spacey,

Jack is verbal! At 2:31 this morning, Jack clear as day said "Momma"!!

Troy was changing his diaper (Jack's diaper, not Troy's) and as usual, Jack was crying because for some reason he hates diaper changes from 6:00 pm - 6:00 am. Anyhoo, I walked in to his room and sat down on his chair to get ready to feed him when Troy had finished.

Jack looked over at me and said "Mommmmma"; it was clear as day and both Troy and I heard it!

He's also been saying "ba ba" for the last few days, and makes a popping sound which I think might be "Poppa"(?).

Looks like I need to stop swearing...

My little sleeping angel:

Note: Mom & Dad, I'll explain the Kevin Spacey reference at dinner on Sunday.

I love Washington

People always say things like "Seattle is rainy and gray. Why would you live there"? I respond that it is green, has gorgeous scenery, is often sunny (we had something like 163 days in a row this year where it didn't drop below 60 degrees), and people are friendly. But the REAL reason that I love Seattle, is that things like this happen here:

Police: Drunk 'ninja' impaled on First Hill fence post
A drunk man believing himself to be a ninja drew the help of Seattle police and aid crews late Monday after impaling himself on a First Hill fence post, a police spokesperson said.
The man's ninja skills, it seems, were bested by the 4- to 5-foot-tall fence he attempted to vault, according to the police statement. He ended up stuck on a spike atop the fence in the 600 block of Seventh Avenue.
After an officer in the area heard the man's screams and located him at about 11:15 p.m., Seattle Fire Department personnel were able to free the man. They took him to Harborview Medical Center, where officers attempted to ascertain exactly what the would-be silent assassin was up to.
"The male claimed he was not being chased, but rather he thought he was a ninja and would be able to successfully leap over the 4'-5' fence," the police spokesman said in a statement. "Clearly he was overconfident in his abilities, no doubt bolstered by alcohol."

http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattle911/archives/185393.asp