Here I am enjoying one of my birthday presents and squealing while I beep the horn.  Only fifteen years left until I can legally drive!

Beep, beep!

Well, we made it to a year!  As of my first birthday I weigh 24.6 pounds and am 30 inches long, and my head circumference is still 19.25 inches.  That means that I’ve gained a total of 16 pounds and 8.75 inches since my birth a year ago.

My vocabulary has recently expended to include four words that I say consistently, and with intention: kitty (“gkeeh gceh”), car (“cgah”), ball (“bahh”), and bubbles (“buh-buh”).  In addition to that, I’m a terrific mimic, and can parrot pretty much anything that is said to me, including phrases.  On my birthday I repeated “Hi Papa” to my Papa Steve, much to his pleasure.  I know how to work that guy!

I’m not walking yet, but am pulling myself up like a pro, and lowering myself back to a sitting position with more control than I used to have.  The next step will be exactly that – taking steps!  So far I haven’t shown much interest in cruising the furniture, but I’ll get there on my own Jack time!

I’ve added some new gestures to my repertoire, as well.  In addition to waving and doing a high-five, I can also respond to the question “how big is Jack?” by putting my arms up.  And if you ask me to clap, I do my own unique interpretation.  I begin by clapping the front of one hand on the back of the other, and then slowly migrate up my arm until I am clapping my own elbow (think of the “I Dream of Jeannie” pose, and you get the idea).  I also FINALLY decided I was willing to hold my own bottles, and regularly started doing so on May 20, 2014.

Speaking of eating, I officially began drinking cow’s milk on my first birthday.  That’s the day I had my first taste of cake, too!  Mommy made mini-cupcakes to send in to daycare, and although I was initially skeptical, I am now a cake convert – yum!  About a week after my birthday, on May 31, 2014, we held my first birthday party.  Everybody came over to my house to celebrate and to watch me very delicately smash a cake – it was great!  Auntie De documented the festivities so we’ll remember them for years to come!

Current likes: the dryer ball, the kitty, watching traffic go by, flipping light switches on and off, and blowing bubbles

Current dislikes: my swollen back gums (hurry up, one year molars!)

The eleventh month of my life has seemingly flown by, since I’ve figured out how to move around!  On March 28, 2014 I discovered how to get from my tummy to a sitting position, and then shortly thereafter moved on to crawling.  In no time at all I’ve gone from my first tentative forward motions to full steam ahead, giggling and sticking my tongue out of the side of my mouth as I race across the floor!  Daycare also reported that I pulled myself to a standing position on April 15, 2014, but it was a little while longer before Mommy and Daddy saw me consistently do this at home.

I celebrated my first Passover and Easter this past month, although I wasn’t terribly impressed with either the gefilte fish or the ricotta cheese pie.  I’m still taking four bottles each day, in addition to eating 16-20 ounces of purees and assorted yogurt melts and puffs.  I love puffs and yogurt melts, but I’m not very adventurous with other table foods, and usually inspect them with a look of disgust before depositing them on the floor, where they belong.  There’s no official eleven-month weigh-in, but at a recent visit to the doctor I weighed 24.6 pounds, so I’m big and healthy!

My favorite part about Easter was probably my trip to the playground!  On April 19, 2014 I got to ride on a swing for the very first time and it was, well, delightful.  I squealed and laughed and pumped my little arms up and down with pleasure.  I think Mommy and Daddy are going to have to get me a swing set sometime soon!

The trip home from Easter involved a very long car ride, which I handled like a champ.  I entertained myself by giving my mom “high-fives,” which I discovered how to do a day or two before my eleven month birthday.  I can wave “bye-bye” also, and I usually give my Daddy a wave every morning when he leaves for work.  He’s my favorite wave target … I’ll always wave at him, but it’s more like a 50% chance that I’ll wave at anyone else.

Current likes:  Moving!!  (on a swing, on the ground, anywhere!)

Current dislikes:  Anything that prevents me from moving.  Especially a diaper change!

I can crawl!  On April 5, 2014 I took six forward lurches in a row, which makes me an official crawler at 10 months and two weeks old.  It took me a while to get the hang of it (it’s harder than it looks to get 24 lbs of baby all moving in the same direction) but now that I’ve figured it out, there’s no stopping me!

It’s getting harder and harder for Mommy to get pictures of me next to my chalk board each month, as I’m increasingly mobile!  The day of my ten month birthday (March 22) I pushed myself up onto my hands and knees and began rocking back and forth for the first time, so it’s only a matter of time before I become a real crawler.

There is no official ten month weigh in, but Mommy’s unofficially saying I weigh somewhere in the neighborhood of 23 pounds.  I’ve got a whole lot of teeth, too!  Eight (four on the top, four on the bottom), if you count the two bicuspids poking through up top.  I love to use my new teeth, especially to feed myself yogurt puffs and other little finger foods.  I’ve become a more adventurous eater, trying some of Mommy’s foods when we go out to eat.  One night I had some of the tofu from her miso soup, and although I liked it, I got hives all over my right shoulder and arm, so I may be allergic to soy!

I’m increasingly figuring out how to play, both with toys and other people.  I love nothing more than putting things into a bucket and then pulling them back out again, and trying to stack my plastic rings.  If I’m playing with a toy and you ask me for it (“can Daddy have?” or “for Daddy?”) then I’ll gladly put it into your hand and share it.  Sometimes I’ll even try to feed it to you.  I’ve also developed the habit of tilting my head waaaaay to the side to try to get people’s attention when I’m looking at them.  And speaking of getting some attention, on March 15 I finally figured out how to say “Mama.”  I don’t exactly say it with intention yet, but somebody sure was glad to hear those sounds.

Current likes: sharing/stacking my toys, tilting my head, and rocking back and forth on my hands and knees

Current dislikes: hives

Last month (February) meant the end of football for the season, which is a major bummer.  Mommy and Daddy don’t let me watch much TV, but the exception to that rule has been Sundays, when I’m allowed to sit on the couch with my Dad to cheer on the G-Men.  It wasn’t a great year for them, but in my opinion, anytime a bunch of guys don primary colors and run back and forth for my amusement, everybody wins.  Now that football is officially over for the year, it’s time for me to switch from rooting for Big Blue to rooting for the Orange!

Although I was originally named Dr. Binkman in honor of my pacifier, I quickly gave that up (what am I, some kind of baby?)  I do, however, like nothing more than poking things with my index finger, so Mommy and Daddy have come to call that “binking” things.

I bink things quite a lot, as you can see.  Pretty much everything I come across gets probed (people, toys, food, you name it).  I especially like to press down on my rice puffs as if they’re tiddly winks, and send them shooting across the table.  My manual dexterity is improving, however, and just after my nine month birthday (February 24) I managed to get a rice puff into my own mouth for the first time!

On February 22 I turned nine months old … in Florida!  Since I was out of state for my actual birthday, I had my checkup a week early.  I weighed 22 lbs 8 ounces, I was 29.5 inches long, and my head circumference measured 19.3 inches.  That puts me in the 80th percentile for weight, the 90th percentile for height, and officially off the chart for noggin size.

I’m a super sweet and sensitive nine-month-old.  If you hold out your pointer and ask me for a “finger kissy” I’ll press my finger against yours to give you a kiss.  I’ll try to give you a real kiss too, but mostly I just try to smoosh my face against yours with a wide open mouth.  I’ve begun to develop a bit of separation/stranger anxiety and have been a little extra clingy the past month.  I’m a little timid around people I don’t know (especially men) but I’m a regular chatty cathy once I get to know people, and I’ll happily hold up both ends of a conversation all by myself.  I give the biggest smiles, too, displaying all five of my teeth (two on the top, three on the bottom).

On February 15, 2014 I took my very first plane ride to visit my Grandma Linda and Papa Steve in Florida!  I was a real gentleman on the plane, in spite of the fact that we were delayed on the tarmac.  Florida was pretty great.  I got to go to the flea market, tried my first matzoh ball soup (yuck), and swam to my heart’s content!

I’m still not mobile – except in the pool – but the day before my nine month birthday (February 21) I scooted myself backwards for the first time!

Current likes: Kisses of all sorts and swimming

Current Dislikes: Airplane take-off, matzoh ball soup, and strangers

As you’ll see from this picture, I’m exactly like my Daddy in that I can almost always be found inexplicably missing a sock.  This drives Mommy crazy on laundry day!

Oh, what’s that you ask?  Why am I sitting in a large tote bag?  Well, the answer to that is simple.  Since there’s no official eight month pediatrician visit, Mommy and Daddy were curious as to how much I weigh now.  Instead of waiting for my nine month check-up, they turned to Opa, who suggested (you guessed it) a luggage scale.  After zeroing the scale with the tote bag attached, they plunked me in it and promptly ascertained that I now weigh a hair over 22 pounds.

Another fun fact for you – just after this picture was taken (January 26, 2014) , I uttered my first truly spectacular string of babbling.  Up until now I’ve been mostly a squealer/coo-er, and Mommy had begun to fret about it.  But don’t worry, Mommy!  I’ve been making up for lost time and since I started talking I haven’t stopped.

Does this count as a carry-on sized piece of luggage?

The weekend of January 25-26 Mommy and Daddy brought me back up to Syracuse in the midst of a snowstorm, and I got to take my first ride on a sled!  I wasn’t sure about it at first, but the faster they pulled me, the more I began to smile …

What’s with the white stuff, Mom?