Indeed the nurse papparazzi decided to break out the polaroid to get an updated picture of Jack today for the wall of graduates.  It was a nice visit and it reminded me that these amazing women did so much for us, the least we can do is show them the result of all their hard work and skill.

Then, we all went and had a nice a beer.

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This past weekend we went to Smith Playhouse for the first of two birthday parties for Jack. Since he has so many grandparents, we do our best to accomodate (ahem, take advantage of) their desire to shower the child with gifts.  Jack, needless to say, cleaned up. The big hits include an easel from my Mom, some wooden balls from my dad and a bag that says “trust fund baby” from my mom’s friend Deb, that Jack has taken to carrying around like a purse.

He also had a LOT of sugar:

And went down Smith’s famous wooden slide many, many times:

Last Sunday was a pretty huge day. First, we went to the Central Park Zoo with Sarah’s cousin Rick and girlfriend and her 2 children. We saw seals, monkeys and of course, the polar bears. Fun was had by all

Then, it was off to celebrate Maddys first birthday, so we hopped in a cab and zipped on over to the westside for some serious partying. There was cake and presents and balloons and balloons and balloons and balloons and balloons, oh did I mention that Jack likes balloons?

This year, it’s a different story.

Jack is going to be walking (and yes, the child is walking, right now he’s doing it with an empty Sierra Nevada bottle in his hand, but you know, whatever makes the kid go, right?) and so am I.

I suspect we may have a grandmother or two in tow as well…

Donations of any size are welcome. Know that your donation will help babies like Jack, and families like us and that we are forever grateful for your love and support.

Thank you.

Playing on the Jungle Gym

What your Holiday Card will look like if I get my act together.

The House

The Jenny Lake Ferry

The view from the backyard of the Teton Mountains

Trying out the Kelty Kids Touring Framepack

The view from the ferry

Here’s a whole bunch of pictures from the trip:

Big Bison in Yellowstone National Park

pots

Moose!

Bison crossing the river

We think he’s going to rebel by becoming ultra religious. Or at the very least a Republican. That would be a very Alex P. Keaton thing to do.

Besides shaking the tamborine, he ate some sand (yes really), and talked back to the ocean and certainly was much more interested in the water this time around. We think the 70 degree ocean temp may have had something to do with it.

Ila coming back from the beach:

Jack, “eating” lunch:

As I mentioned earlier, Jack had his first encounter with the ocean. And while I didn’t end up just throwing him in, he did try it out, as you can see below. I was slightly disappointed because Jack did’nt even try to eat a fistfull of sand, although, I am assured by Gran E that I’ll get my chance. In the end, I would say that Jack’s first trip to the ocean had mixed results, but we’ve mooched our way into a weekend at the Jersey shore in two weeks, so he wont have to wait long to try it again.

Bottom line for the weekend: Lobster dinner is delicious and there is nothing funnier than seeing a baby that is simultaneously terrified and fascinated by the water.

Playing with Great Grandma Dorothy.

More playing.

“It’s new, but I can handle it”

“Whats all the fuss about? Drop me in there!”

“I AM NEVER GETTING WET EVER AGAIN!!!”

Edited by Sarah to add
My husband neglected to mention the Blind Albino DJ at my mother’s block party. Said DJ introduced my son (and my poor uncultured husband) to the chicken dance. It was awesome in so many ways.