Smooth Operator

While the adults were enjoying a dignified evening of duck, mushroom and English pea risotto followed by pear and chestnut crumble a la Sam, the kids were getting to know each other a little better - on the floor.

Here's an excerpt of how it went:

Photo 1: Jack - "OK, check this out. You see that beautiful baby over there? I'm gonna do my thing. Just sit back and watch me work."

Photo 2: Jack - "Hey, baby..." [Muttering to himself - "Oh, now THAT'S original."]

Photo 3: Jasmine - "You're an idiot, but you're kinda cute..."

The Hangover

Jack spent two hours in Target today (!!) while his car was across the street in the shop. This is bascially the perfect set-up for Stephanie: a forced march to Target with only the auto mechanics to stop the clock. Jack loved Target, as you can see from photo #1, and he was exhausted by Target, as you can see from photo #2. :)

Peking Gourmet Inn

What kind of china does a Chinese restaurant have? Well, Jack wanted to know, so upon sitting down to his first ever meal in a Chinese restaurant (a very good one), he immmediately began inspecting the plates. Turns out they were made in China!

While his parents and Grandpa Lowell feasted on spare ribs, shrimp dumplings, Peking Duck, scallops in a spicy black bean sauce, and beef with snow peas, Jack had milk and mixed veg with cereal. His fortune said, "Happiness is not pleasure, it's victory." (OK, that was daddy's fortune, Jack's was something lame about a bird in the hand being better than a bird in the air.)

Christmas Shark

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Presents come in all sizes, but Jack comes in only one: eight months old. So there were some hilarious moments when he was literally eclipsed by some of his presents, including this one (his first car). But true to form, he was predatory in the presence of presents. To be viewed with the theme from Jaws.

Sunny Day

Or should we say "Sonya Day"? Sonya is Jack's nanny and this is indicative of the party they have every day all day when mom and dad are at work (riiight). Seriously, we are lucky to have Sonya and Jack is too!

All Presents and Accounted For

Jack demonstrates that the gravitational pull of Christmas presents is indeed genetic, as he went for his SECOND early helping yesterday, this time with his mama - whose genes gave him this proclivity in the first place - sanctioning the move. Actual Christmas Day footage coming up!

Early Christmas!

Jack got his hands on a present yesterday, liberating it from under the tree with both hands and banging on it like a drum. With a little help and a lot of glee, he ripped it open and, voila, Jack's first Christmas present! Hope this tides you over until we can post photos of the real thing. (Apologies, I'm not wearing any pants.) Jack was up at 6:45am this morning and smiling and laughing at just about everything.

Editor's note: Last night on a walk, Jack discovered the moon. It's hard to take a picture of that, but wanted to share it. He was craning up at it the whole way, pointing to it, and babbling at it - a perfect half moon. He was mesmerized, and I was too.

Snow Angel

Happy Holidays, everyone!

Snowy Day

Record snowfall in DC yesterday, measured at 13.5 inches at Dulles, but 16 inches around here. The occasion afforded us our first bona fide opportunity to tortue Jack by layering him up and then taking him out into the deluge for no apparent reason - at least none that was apparent to him. Here we see the three distinct stages of the relationship bewteen an infant and a snowstorm: 1) Unaware, 2) Miserable and hot, but still unaware, 3) Unsure as to what this is all about or why he was assigned these particular guardians. We did manage to get some smiles out of him a bit later - stay tuned for the next post.

You've Got Mail!

And wearing it on his head. Fry guy? Navy man? Nope, mail room kid, all the way. Jack's skills so far include opening the mail, waving it around, then tasting it, then destroying it. "Hey, there's no check in this one!"

Eight Mile?

No, Eight Months! Jack turned eight months old today, and to commemorate the occasion, his mom made him wear these Christmas pajamas. Festive, eh? Here, Jack asks for a moment before the camera starts clicking, fixing his hair before flashing his baby blues. Happy birthday, Juicy Butt!

The Bird House, Part II

Here is Jack, on his own, demonstrating that his birds, despite being stuffed, and despite having disproved his theory by crash landing on the floor, 3,373 times (so far), can indeed fly. This has created confusion among the dogs, who are, after all, bird dogs (and, to be fair, somewhat easily confused). More than once, Parker has been discovered in the corner, literally trembling with excitement, with one of the birds at his feet, under his watchful, fretful eye.

The Bird House, Part I

Jack loves his new bird house toy, complete with four colorful birds. Thanks, Grandma Sue! Jack loves to talk to the birds in his (tropical) bird voice(s) and to put the birds in, and take the birds out, of their bird home. He generally does this only after the birds fail to come out based his staring at them and making heavy breathing sounds.

O' Christmas Tree

While I am always reminded of Rick Moranis saying (on SCTV), "You silly Christian, why do you put a tree in your living room?" it is nonetheless a special time of year when we get our Fraser Fir because it makes Stephanie happy and now it makes Jack happy, too. Plus he loves to touch new things (we are still working on how to be gentle with the nice tree).

What's Wrong with This Picture?

On the left, Jack's leftovers (from bottom right): avocado, leftover turkey, pureed pumpkin, and stewed prunes. With the exception of the avocado, pretty much exactly what the adults are having. And yet, Jack, with turkey on his lips, begs to differ. He wants that other stuff.

Hunka Unca Bruce

Hunky Uncle Bruce dropped by today to commune with Jack and have a beer (Dale's Pale Ale) and some homemade pumpkin pie before hosting his family for traditional Thanksgiving leftovers at his place.* Jack and Bruce made wingman plans and the town has been put on notice - no one's gonna stop these two.

* Pizza

High Five!

Jack has added high fives to his repertoire of clapping, slapping, and the occasional sucker-punch. Gotta watch out for those!

First Thanksgiving

Jack was laid back as usual through a full-length Thanksgiving meal tonite. He had apple puffs and a brussel sprout (and a little butternut squash) while we had:

* roast turkey with prune/apricot/cumin butter and pan gravy
* fruit compote with prunes, apricots, currants, pinenuts and brandy
* brussel sprouts with apples, shallots, and bacon
* sage stuffing with chicken apple sausage
* black wild rice (Japonica) with roasted butternut squash and dried cranberries
* roasted sweet potatoes with sherry, sage, and thyme
* whole cranberry sauce with apples and orange peel
* pineapple upsidedown cake with vanilla bean ice cream (thanks Claire!)
* homemade pumpkin pie (thanks Tartine!)

Jump! Jump! Jumparoo!

Jack has discovered flight. He jigs, he pirouettes, he's basically Peter Pan. Video to come soon.

Jack Digs Jacksoul

Jack lit up today when he heard Jacksoul's new single, "Lonesome Highway" (on the laptop). Congrats to Haydain and the band for getting the record done - we know it'll be a big success.

Haydain, we love you and we will miss you.

For more on Jacksoul's new album, please visit the official website, Jacksoul.com or iTunes.

Sitting Jack

Jack's been working hard on this the last few days and he is pleased to demonstrate for you he can now sit comfortably for nearly any occasion, including couch potato and bath time. Whole new world - until he crawls, of course, then he won't want to sit (still) at all.

Cutest Sox Fan, Eva!

Now that the sting of the Yankees having bought yet another World Series has begun to fade, hope can once again begin to spring eternal in the hearts and minds of the Sox fan, this littlest one included. You know who you are. Go Sox!

I'll Take That To Go, Please!

Here Jack demonstrates that he is either "unclear on the concept" - a phrase that only too aptly describes this phase of life - or VERY clear on the concept. This morning he intercepted mom on the way to the freezer to put away some freshly made milk.

Saturday Best

You couldn't tell from looking at Jack that it had been raining for four days straight when this photo was taken. He was ready to go (washer and dryer shopping) in a blue button down, tear-away cargos, and Roots socks - procured recently at the Vancouver airport. On Saturday, Jack got help from his mama sitting up... On Sunday, he was sitting comfortably on his own.

That's Mr. Burtynsky to You

On Sunday Jack took in Ed Burtynsky's breathtaking "Oil" exhibit at the Corcoran gallery with leg-kicking enthusiasm. The John Singer Sargent - early paintings of seascapes and coastal scenes - he slept thru. In spite of these mixed reviews, Jack was made an honorary member of the Corcoran - as you can see from his sticker, which he placed on his jeans, just like any rock 'n' (st)roller.

Peek-a-boo!

The books call it object permanence. We call it "Where's the thing you could see a moment ago but now you can't because you are six months old and your parents have god-like powers?" Or Peek-a-boo, for short. This morning we played with baby keys and Mommy's face.

Blueberries!

When the French toast hit the table for brunch this morning, topped with toasted almonds and raspberries and blueberries, Jack's breathing quickened and became an audible pant, which he interspersed with small, excited yelps. For blueberries (clearly, b/c raspberries are not allowed yet). So Daddy quickly peeled some and in they went. Instant joy (interspersed with puckering).

Thunder Thighs

Two things. Well, three, actually. The first is Jack's music table, which was given to him by Alana B. He can't get enough of it. We also can't figure out how to remove the legs, even though we put them on. This means Jack "stands" at the table, for as long as he can - generally pretty long. This may explain his sumo thighs (things two and three), which are pretty sturdy for a six month old.

Avocado in the Afternoon

With Mom and Dad wolfing down prepared food at Balducci's this afternoon (emergency stop!), Jack spotted an avocado and, well, he demanded it. He put Sophie down and went to town on a whole half of a fresh avocado. As the French Canadians like to say, "He love it." And Sophie? Yep, "He love 'er."

Halloween PJs

You've all seen the pumpkin costume (if you haven't, see below), but have you seen the Halloween PJs? Well, here they are. Also, note, Jack is just about too long for the swing! Oh no!!

Afternoon Nap - Fail

Imagine our surprise when we turned on the monitor to see if Jack was going down for his afternoon nap - on another floor - to see this. He had made his way up to the other end of his crib and was apealing directly into the camera to be relieved of his napping duties. Which he was because he never did go down. The kid knows where the camera is and he knows we're watching it. Hilarious.

Swine Line

Last Saturday, Jack braved a 700-person line, a little rain, a three-hour wait (including nap), and a sharp needle, but he is now H1N1 vaccinated. Many thanks to the nurses, volunteers, and Wilson High School (Jack's eventual high school?).

Three Course Meal

Ok, not really - but if you count the teething keys, the fruits and veg (sweet potato and prunes) and the sippy cup, it makes for quite an adventure.

More Cowbell

For those of you asking for more horizontal stripes - which is like asking for more cowbell - here's Jack, milliseconds after his morning nap today. All smiles.

The Mind of a Quarterback

A week ago we were thinking he might be O-line material, but now he is clearly showing the football IQ to play the QB position. Here he hikes it and tucks it away with the veteran calm of a Tom Brady. He also threw plenty of incomplete passes (like, say, a Jason Campbell), but those tend to be harder to photograph.

Halloween Party

Yesterday, we repatriated to Windom Place for the 8th annual Halloween Block Party. The block part of it was rained out, of course (seven straight days of rain here), but the party continued indoors at the Stein's, where our little Jack O'Lantern was a big hit. Here he looks for his right foot inside his pumpkin costume (thanks Maija!!).

Mr. Jack's Neighborhood

More morning joy from the little man who never fails to fill up our first couple hours with big smiles and exotic bird calls. Jacks's beautiful blue sweater was handmade with love by Owen's mom, Sarah M.

Thursday Night Supper Club

After greeting Joelle with a quivering bottom lip - which we feared might be the beginning of the dreaded xenophobic phase - Jack quickly warmed up to his guests. He was soon holding court and spinning baby yarns, not only with Joelle, but also Margaret, aka, Marge, aka, Rachel (from Glee). He later told us he wanted Thursday Night Supper Club to be a regular thing and a new tradition.

Scuba Suit

45 degrees in Warshington this morning, so we bundled Jack up in his flannel scuba suit, which has foldover mittens and foot warmers. Ingenious. Btw, has anyone noticed that gorgeous woman carrying him around?

Six Months Tall

DATELINE, Chevy Chase, MD - In a surprising development given his paternal line, Jack Lowell Weber has reportedly shot up the growth charts today, well into the upper percentiles, measuring just a smidge over 27 inches. Here he is standing ramrod straight, with a look on his face that says, "Dad, in another six months, I will be dunking on you."

Looks for Fall, Part 2

Jack thought the sweater was maybe a bit too preppy, so he donned the butternut squash cap. (Thanks Mollie!) Notice how in the first photo, Jack's cheeks mimic the shape of the bottom of a butternut squash.

Looks for Fall

Jack has been keeping warm in his fall gear, including this yummy sweater from Ara and Soren. Thanks boys, thanks Maija! Yesterday we bundled up and walked through the neighborhood looking at cement fiber siding. What passes for excitement these days. OK, it wasn't our neighborhood. It was the neighborhood with all the really great siding. And the onboxiously large houses. But with nice siding. You get the idea.

Six Months, Baby!

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Monday, October 12, 2009. Jack is six months old today. Yeah, we're pretty happy about it, too. Way to go, little guy! We love you so much!!

Ready for the O Line

Jack's floor time is getting more varied by the day. Consecutive rollovers, extended tummy time, thinking about sitting up on his own. The repertoire of facial expressions continues to expand, as well. (Apologies for the argyle and polkadots, btw, but wait until you see tomorrow's post!)

Happy Friday

Gratuitous supercute pitcure post. What else can you say about this guy? Happy Friday everyone!

Here, Parker, Parker

Lately, Jack has started to notice and watch the dogs. The other day he noticed Parker sitting in the room but looking the other way. So he squealed at him. Parker came over to see what was up, to check Jack for food, and maybe to get a little lick in. Jack seems to be saying, "Yeah, I'm talking to you. You come when I call you!"

Day Three

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It's Day Three without mama and the kids are alright. Jack put in another solid eleven hours of uninterrupted sleep last night and woke up with a great big smile - again. Full diaper, too. What more can you ask?

Jack also chose his own socks this morning and I am more than a little concerned. He could've gone for the solid brown but instead reached for the baby blue argyles. He mumbled something about them going better with the tan cord cargos. As if there was any doubt.

When Rhinos Attack...

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Jack, they are quickly subdued. With a hug and a horn nibble. It's Day 2 of Mommy's "business trip" to Stargate Universe and Caprica. (I swear I am not making that up - see Caprica Official Promo 2009.) So far so good, but we can't wait for the lady of the house to return!

I Want My Mommy

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Very (very) early this morning Mommy left for Vancouver (could she go any further away without getting closer again?). Jack gave me some quizzical looks at various points during the morning routine, but he was as jovial as ever, and wolfed down his bottle and vitamins. He also chose this special outfit for the occasion. We miss you, Mommy!