A Wolf at the table

Uncle Wolphie (my brother Mac) came to visit for Thanksgiving. He spent a week with us, plenty of time for him to become Jack's absolute favorite. Some highlights include going down every slide at the playground, watching The Street (Sesame that is) while snuggling on the couch, Uncle Wolphie even babysat while I ran errands. For the big day, we picked up a turkey from a local farm, Mac taught Jack how to make turkey noises. We all put on our best sweats and had a nice lazy day smelling the bird cook and watching the Macy's parade. Jack loved the sweet potatoes, which Uncle Wolphie hated so it evened out. Everyone loved the turkey and cranberry sauce, Jack couldn't quite get into the Brussels Sprouts but the adults devoured them. After lapsing into a deep food coma we waited for the kitchen elves to appear and clean up but they must have been busy elsewhere so Mac and Dan were put to work cleaning up the dishes while I got to work cleaning the sweet potatoes off Jack. The next day we lazed around until the afternoon when we went to the tree lighting downtown. It was a bit of a struggle to get Jack's mittens on and to keep him happy in the backpack while listening to 45 minutes of Christmas dirge courtesy of the Salvation Army band. Finally the tree was lit and we headed home to the warmth and a big bowl of turkey soup. Mac had to leave on Saturday. Jack and Otis are just now coming out of their Uncle Wolphie withdrawals. Luckily they don't have long to wait until they see him again.

It's Not Easy Being Green

It's always been a kick to feed Jack. When he's in the mood, he can put away immense amounts of food. On one memorable occasion he ate a bratwurst, half a banana, a couple ounces of cheese, some potato salad, and a handful of Teddy Grahams. Of course, there are other times when he won't eat hardly anything except banana. His list of likes and dislikes is constantly shifting, he always loves fruit but other than that nothing is certain. He gave us quite a surprise last night when he happily gobbled up forkfuls of kale. That's right, kale - sauteed in olive oil with garlic and cider vinegar, not flavors typically enjoyed by babies. In typical Jack fashion he may never eat greens again, or he may continue with his surprising ways.

Hair

Jack had his first real haircut on Halloween. It was long past time, he had a real mullet going in back and his ears were almost completely covered. I took him to a special kids salon. They had theme chairs - Jack sat in the jet plane - tvs and videos - we went for an old Elmo - and were exceptionally fast. He was pretty good about the whole thing. He sat still and didn't fuss too much. He had one small cry, nothing a pacifier couldn't handle. The whole thing only took about 15 minutes - it was amazing to watch her cut so quickly. I do miss his sweet baby locks. His new do certainly makes him look like a little boy.

busy busy busy

It's been a whirlwind for Jack these past few weeks. He spent a week in San Diego celebrating his Great Grandmother's 90th birthday, two days after he got home he had a visit with his Placerville Grandparents, during their visit Dan and I snuck away for our first overnight so Jack had his first overnight away from us. Things have quieted down a bit now but as usual there is no usual with Jack. He's trying to adjust his sleep schedule on us, refusing to go down in the morning and sleeping just short time in the afternoons. I've tried instituting quiet time in leu of the naps but it never seems very quiet and eventually we all give up after about 30 minutes. In addition to the fun with naps, Jack has decided that he doesn't want to eat off the tray on his highchair. The only way he willeat is if we put his plate on the tray and let him feed himself. He has also gotten a lot more picky to boot - veggies are out fruit is in, hot dogs are wolfed down while other meat is picked at, bread and cheese are prefered above all else. On the movement front - Jack is now running. He runs around the house, often his feet get moving faster than the rest of him so he tumbles to the ground, but he just picks himself up as fast as he can and runs off. Also, he's climbing with abandon, especially the stairs which thanks to his monkey like behavior have no gate at the bottom and therefor no way to keep him from climbing the stairs. There have been several occasions when things have gotten too quiet in the front room and I have come in to find him happily running around upstairs. He keeps me busy, and he makes me smile which is business as usual.

And the weener is . . .

I had a headache the other day and for the first time in almost 2 years I didn't think twice about taking something for it. I reached for the bottle of Excedrin with a big smile on my face and happily downed 2 pills. It is a little strange and totally liberating to be only eating/drinking/consuming for one these days. I successfully weened Jack. He's moved on from the boob to the sippy cup and doesn't seem to mind one bit. He was a little iffy about the milk at first and spit it out - he had only had water from his cup before - but now he chugs it like a frat boy at a kegger. Come to think of it, he walks a bit like a frat boy at a kegger too! I do miss the closeness that nursing gives, and think that he might too - he has upped his pacifier use - but love the freedom to drink coffee and take aspirin whenever I want. Besides, he still comes over for snuggles during the day.

Doctor, Doctor

Jack woke up with a fever Sunday morning. It didn't seem like much, just a little warmer than usual. The first clue that he wasn't feeling himself was the fact that he slept late, past eight o'clock which is quite a luxury. The second clue was his lack of appetite. For a boy who loves to eat even the smallest refusal seems significant. He also slept a lot during the day, 2 very long naps. I didn't really think anything of it. On Monday he still felt warm to me and was even more sluggish. We went to the playground and he played well for about 20 minutes then crawled into my lap and snuggled - clearly something wasn't right. Dan and I bit the bullet that night and took his temperature. He had a fever of 102. We called the pediatrician who suggested some Tylenol and rest. We hung up and called Grandpa Doctor. The next day the fever broke and Jack was back to normal except now he was covered in small red spots on his chest and back. We waited a day as they didn't seem to be causing him any distress. The next day the spots were worse so we once again called the pediatrician who thought it might be a reaction to his recent MMR vaccination which there is no real treatment for just love. Again, we hung up and called Grandpa Doctor. Now, I like our pediatrician here, they have been really great, and I trust their diagnosis. But, it is so nice to have a Grandpa Doctor. We really don't call the pediatrician often, in fact this was only the second time, so if we do it is because something is wrong. This means that I'm generally in an unfocused frame of mind and tend to forget to ask some questions or miss some of the specifics. Also, no matter how much I like the docs, they really can't reassure me when my baby is sick. Grandpa Doctor, on the other hand, can. Trey agreed with the diagnosis and treatment and helped me feel better too. He took the time to explain to me why Jack was having this reaction, that it wasn't serious, and that snuggles really were the best treatment. What would we do without Grandpa Doctor?

Happy, Happy Birthday Baby

There have been days during the last year when I never thought we would make it this far. I never thought I could survive, let alone take care of a newborn, on a few fitful hours of sleep a night. I never thought he would successfully breastfeed but here we are a year later still at it. I didn't think I would be able to make it through the day alone with Jack. I never thought Jack would survive those first wobbly trips up the stairs. And, I never thought I would love every exhausting, nerve-wracking, boring, hair-raising, and wonderful moment. So on August 28th we sang "Happy Birthday" to Jack and drank a well deserved toast to ourselves. One year down . . .

The Police, Live

It is comforting to know that the response time of the Lancaster PD to our house is well under the five minute mark. I know this because earlier this week Jack, sensing some kind of emergency perhaps related to our quickly dwindling supply of Cheerios, dialed 911. I assume the 911 operator was distressed enough by the repeated cries of "No", the high pitched squealing, and the quick hang-up to register this call as an honest-to-God emergency and sent a car right over. Of course Jack had been dialing the phone all morning, perhaps some of you on the speed dial received similar unexplained calls, but it never occurred to us that he had been successful in his attempts. I was upstairs changing a particularly ripe diaper when I heard Otis barking and growling more menacingly than usual - it actually spooked me a bit. Dan went to check on the cause of the commotion and found a LPD officer standing at the door. "Someone here called 911?" he asked. Dan assured him that nobody here would have done such a thing, then it dawned on him that one of us here just might have. I can only imagine the guilt stricken, horrified, chagrined look on his face as he explained to the officer that our infant son who could be heard happily hooting away upstairs may have managed punch in those numbers while playing with the phone just a few minutes ago. Luckily the officer was very nice and did not issue us a ticket or even give us a warning. However, I fear that our name may now appear on some kind of list down at headquarters, the don't bother rushing on over there list. On the bright side, I do think that it speaks highly of Jack's fine motor skills development that he was able to dial 911 with such ease.

What we did for Summer Vacation

We just got home from our first big family vacation. We were gone for 20 days, went to two states, took four different airplanes, visited friends and family that we hadn't seen in over a year and some that Jack had never met, and returned home exhausted.

The Cabin
Our first stop was the Cabin in Springfield, Oregon. It was Jack's first glimpse of his eponym, the McKenzie River. He was mesmerized watching all that water. Every morning Jack and G'Pa would take a stroll around the cabin, visiting the trees and picking blueberries. We had breakfast at the Vida Cafe, fed the geese and fish, hung out in Eugene where we enjoyed fish n' chips at Neuman's, peach ice cream at Prince Puckler's (a recent stop on the Obama tour - he had mint chip and green tea, go-figure), and strolled through the University of Oregon campus. Mimi got lots of Jack time, volunteering to babysit while Dan and I fished with Dad, took the kayak down the river, picked 16 3/4 pounds of blueberries, and even went out for a fantastic dinner downtown. To top it all off, Uncle Wolphie came up for a quick visit during which we had a Jacktail party to introduce to Jack to the upriver friends.
Before we left for California we stopped in Portland to visit old friends Ben and Heather and their 3 girls. They had never met Jack, and we hadn't met their youngest daughter Piper. Jack was awed by the girls. It was great to watch them run around - it was like he finally realized how to play like the big kids. It was also nice for the adults to get a chance to catch up and see each other as parents.

Placerville
Next stop was Placerville, California and our first glimpse of Dan's parents new house. They did a fabulous job, Jack especially loved the pantry/toy closet. In P'ville Jack met his Great Uncle Steve and Aunt Kathy for the first time. He also got a chance to meet his Uncle Al ans Aunt Jo and his 2 year old cousin Addison. Jack loved Addi, the feeling was not exactly mutual. Addi is a shy little guy and was a bit overwhelmed by the chaos and noise that is Jack. So there wasn't much playing together, but I think in a few years they won't be able to get enough of each other. A few highlights of the P'ville visit include a lovely and long dinner with Alex and Jo while Mamie and Oompah babysat the boys, introducing Jack to the extended Washburn family and Bridge gang, and spending time with Tim, Kate and Ben who we hadn't seen in over a year and getting a chance to catch up with them.

Once again Jack proved what an easy-going, fun little guy he is. He met a lot of new people and was always easy with a smile. And in each new location he was quick to find the toys and make himself at home. He adjusted to the time change shockingly easily, Dan and I may have had a more difficult time than he did. He was also good on the many flights. Of course he fussed - he refused to nap on travel days and for a boy who has to move being cooped up made him pretty stir crazy - but he also flirted with other passengers, read his Maisey books, and enjoyed strolling up the aisles with Dan.
The worst of it actually came once we arrived home. Jack had become used to having his every desire catered to by doting grandparents. He got treats, was picked up if it even looked like he was about to cry, had new toys to play with, and was basically spoiled. Upon arriving home, Dan and I had the audacity to set him down and let him entertain himself. It did not go over well. It has taken us a week to get things back to normal. Jack has remembered that he can play by himself and has stopped begging to be picked up, for the most part.
It feels good to be home, to have survived our first of many family vacations. I'm already looking forward to the next trip.

In Praise of DOG

My parents' wonderful dog Bella died unexpectedly this last weekend. It has made me think of all the dogs that have graced my life and about how lucky I was to have know and loved each of them. I grew up with two dogs, Dot a noble yellow lab, and Trina or Weiner a funny miniature dachshund. Next came Bell, a rolly-polly good natured yellow lab, and Gretel an independent and silly mini dachshund. These were the dogs of my youth. Through college and beyond I pined for a dog but the timing and situation were never right. Finally, the stars aligned and we found Otis. This goofy beast has been with us for almost five years now and has been a sweet and loving companion. Lately he has been put to the ultimate test, the Jack test, and has proven himself time and again. Jack, like his Mom and Dad, adores dogs and is especially crazy about Otis. He climbs all over him, steals his toys, smothers him in hugs, and Otis stoically puts up with it all. Jack smiles and laughs whenever he sees Otis and Otis is never too far from Jack, ready to bestow a barrage of kisses or snatch up spilled Cheerios. They have become buddies in a few short months. It breaks my heart to think of the day when we will lose Otis, not only because we will have lost a special companion, but because Jack will have lost his best friend. So, I will end this posting remembering my first friends Trina and Dot, and the special friends that followed them, Bell, Gretel, and Bella, and will head downstairs to give Otis one of the big Milkbones, a scratch behind the ears, and a little peace before Jack wakes up and wants to play with his best friend.

Twistin' by the Pool

It has taken Jack a while to warm up to the water. He and I are enrolled at the Aqua Shrimp program at the gym. It is basically a Mommy and Me type of swim class where we sing songs about ducks and practice kicking. Most of the time Jack has a death grip on my bathing suit straps - which has lead to a few compromising situations - but he tends to loosen up by the end of class and indulge in some splashing. We got a little plastic pool for the backyard thinking he would enjoy cooling off during the stifling Pennsylvania summer. So far he likes sitting outside of the pool and leaning over the edge to splash in it. Otis, on the other hand, loves the pool and will get in and lay down before we even get it filled with water. Jack of course finds this hilarious just not enough to join in. We have a week of Aqua Shrimps left. I am hoping that he will continue to get more comfortable with the water and maybe even get in the pool.

Invasion of the Flatlanders

It was hot in Vermont this past weekend, dog danglin' hot. We made the seven hour drive to the Green Mountain State to visit our friends Mark and Anne. They are both teaching at the aptly named Green Mountain College in Poultney, just across the river from New York. Poultney is a tiny little town of old Victorian homes, a main street with a few shops and restaurants and not much else. We drove 30 minutes to the nearest big town, Rutland, to get coffee at the closest good coffee shop and visited the farmers' market (where we stocked up on cheese from several Vermont dairies). On our first day we made a pilgrimage to a local sugarhouse so Dan could indulge in one of his passions, maple syrup. Jack had his first taste of maple candy and Dan greedily bought up his favorite Grade B syrup. When the heat hit - 95 degrees with 90% humidity - we packed Jack into the backpack and walked to the river for a pick-nick and to cool off in the water. Jack was a bit hesitant about being in the water but as he seems to have inherited his mother's propensity to overheat, it didn't take too long for him to enjoy the cool water on his toes. Jack did really well during the long car trip. He slept, played on the grimy floor at the service stop, and ate lots of finger food and laughed with whoever was sitting in back with him in the afternoon. He really only fussed during the last 45 minutes or so - the boy's gotta move. This was the first time that Jack has met any of our friends who knew us pre-baby which was probably more exciting for us than him. We are lucky that it was Mark and Anne who were fabulous hosts, not easy with a nine month old who takes over schedules and space in the blink of an eye.

First Things First

There have been a lot of firsts for Jack lately. On Memorial day we took Jack to his first baseball game and saw the local minor league team the Lancaster Barnstormers versus the Long Island Ducks. We made it through 2 1/2 innings during which Jack enjoyed his first soft serve ice cream and funnel cake. At the game he worked on another of his firsts and waved to the fans around us. One of my favorite firsts was the trip to the pool. Dan and I took Jack to the warm pool at the gym. He was a bit hesitant at first but quickly got into it and splashed and squealed while we bounced him around the pool. He has gotten even more proficient at standing - not technically a first but fun none the less. He can and does pull up on anything, some favorites include Otis, the bookshelves, me (he especially loves using my pant legs to pull up on which has lead to some embarrassing moments when I'm in my elastic wasted pj pants). Jack has started to play catch a bit. He has a hard time actually throwing the ball, it is more of a spastic jerk that results in the ball being launched behind him, but it is a type of proto-catch that we have fun playing. The next first that we are looking forward to is Jack's first long roadtrip. We are driving to Vermon to visit our friends Mark and Anne. We're not quite sure what to expect of a 6 hour drive with a 9 month old but we have our fingers crossed.

Standing Man

I hope you enjoy this video of Jack pulling himself up to standing. He still wobbles quite a bit - we've been calling him the drunken sailor. In the past few days he has begun to pull up in the coffee table and sofa and scuttle along them like a crab. He is rather fearless and thinks nothing of letting go and trying to walk away which usually ends in a bumped head or a fall on the bottom. He's keeping us on our toes!

Friend of the FOE

The Fraternal Order of Eagles (FOE) was founded by a group of theatre owners in Seattle, WA in 1898. I had the pleasure of working for a few years at their first lodge, or aerie, which had been refurbished into a spectacular performance space by A Contemporary Theatre. Yesterday I benefited from one of the FOEs many contributions to society, Mother's Day (they were also early supporters of Social Security, and were responsible for the placement of many 10 commandment plaques in public places). The boys made me Dan's patented Moon Waffles - a perfect buttermilk waffle topped with a scoop of Turkey Hill vanilla bean ice cream, homemade bittersweet chocolate sauce, and fresh Market strawberries - and showered me with gifts. Jack took a nice long morning nap giving me time to read the entire Sunday New York Times and take a leisurely shower. After he woke up we spent the afternoon playing, or more accurately I chased him around the house and let him climb all over me. We made a nice dinner, enjoyed a tasty wine, put Jack to bed, and watched an hour of a movie. Overall, I couldn't have asked for a better first Mother's Day!

Safety Dance

Now that Jack can crawl the rush to child-proof the house has begun. It feels like a losing battle in this house. There are exposed wires, sharp heating grates, and stairs all of which are incredibly tantalizing to the boy. We have installed a gate at the top of the stairs - after the first go with a plastic pressure mounted version we finally upgraded to the much more expensive and sturdy hardware mounted version that took much longer to install than the 10 minutes suggested on the box. We have the outlet plugs and the cord covers, we have moved all of the breakable and heavy items off the lower kitchen shelves, and we have the cabinet locks though we haven't installed them yet. The house is nowhere close to child-proof and it takes a sharp eye and fast feet to keep him from harm. He is especially interested in the computer cord and the blue light on the DVR, any electronic equipment in general seems to call his name. To add to the fun, Jack has started to pull himself up to standing which introduces a whole new level of danger to the mix. He likes to climb the dining room furniture and pull himself up on the coffee table but he is still pretty unsteady on his feet, more like a drunken sailor really, and it is only a matter of time until he bumps his head. I thought it was exhausting before - I haven't been able to sit down while he is awake since he started crawling and by the look of things he definitely has walking on his mind!!

I'm Jack Washburn and I Approved This Posting

It has happened at last, the boy is crawling. For awhile we wondered if he would ever actually crawl as he was incredibly adept at moving through the house by a curious combination of rolling and scooching on his stomach. But last week he finally put it all together and crawled. The timing couldn't have been better. My parents arrived for a visit about 2 days after the crawling began so Jack was able to show off his new skills to the most adoring audience a boy could ask for. Of course during the visit he didn't get a chance to practise that much as he was almost always happily perched in a grandparents' arms, being proudly pushed through town in the stroller, or sitting on a lap while swinging in the park. Now that the grandparents have left however, Jack is busy cruising around the house finding all the exposed wires, hard corners, and dangerous heater grates. Looks like we'll be spending the weekend baby-proofing what we can in the death-trap we call home.

The Poop

I never wanted to become one of those moms. You know the ones - you are enjoying a nice outing talking about the latest article in the Times when for no reason the mom at the table brings up her baby's latest accomplishment, poop. The conversation stops, smiles become strained, the whole grain mustard on your sandwich becomes totally unappetizing, the outing is over. While I haven't really become that mom I know that I'm on the verge. Strangly Jack's poops, their frequency, consistancy, color, have become big news in our house. When Dan comes home from work I quickly inform him about the day's poop before we even get into the real events of the day. So far we have managed to keep the poop talk confined to our house but it has come close to slipping out at times. I'll just have to remain vigilant. Of course, I think that this blog posting may have just turned me into one of those moms . . .

The New Noise

Jack has started making a new noise lately. It sounds to me like he is constantly shocked and surprised by what he is seeing. He especially likes to make this noise when he sees Otis. He has also started laughing whenever he sees Dan. I get a smile.

Baby Liberty

Dan's spring break was this last week so we decided to take our first family vacation and went to Philadelphia for two nights. I think both Dan and I were bracing for a somewhat difficult trip, but Jack was a real trooper. When we got home we agreed that we had traveled with Jack rather than in spite of him which felt great.

On our first day we hit the historic sites including the Liberty Bell. For dinner we walked to Chinatown and had an incredible dinner at a tiny hole-in-the-wall place. Everybody had to get up to let us through with the stroller, but we made it to a table in the back and chowed down on the most delicious homemade noodles. Jack happily ate his monkeys and squealed whenever the man in back slapped the noodles on the counter. The next day we walked to South Philly to the Italian Market, a collection of funky old shops along several blocks. I was in food heaven and splurged on homemade pastas, salami, stinky cheeses, spicy Sicilian olive oil, while Dan found coffee beans, candied orange peels, anchovies, and spices. For lunch we each had a cheese steak from a different shop, both were delicious! After a too brief nap we walked around town in the rain looking at the charming architecture of Society Hill and enjoying the shop windows of Antique Row. We found a bar that specialized in Belgian Beer and enjoyed some delicious beer and fantastic moules and frites.

Jack was great to travel with. He hung out in the stroller until he got bored with it and then hung out in the carrier. At the restaurants he played with Cheerios, his sippy cup, or his monkeys and tried to pull everything off the tables. He had a little trouble sleeping, he wouldn't nap at all, but that was the biggest problem. I'm sure that it will get harder to travel with him in the future but at the same time it will be nice to have him engage in what we are seeing. Until then we'll take all the little trips we can get.

The Boy Loves His Books

Jack gets a story or three read to him every night before bed and during the day I will read to him or show pictures in a magazine. He watches us read the paper every morning and especially enjoys tearing up and chewing on the advertising inserts. He loves his books, he's just not quite sure what to do with them yet!

Lets Get Physical

Jack and I have recently joined a mom and baby exercise class. It is actually more of a Moms exercising despite their babies class. The class is split into roughly 15 minute sections in which we either focus on one muscle group or walk/run around the track. The track walking serves two purposes, to pacify the babies who spend the entire one hour class in their strollers, and to keep the mom's heart rates up. The gym that offers this class, Universal, is pretty great. It is very relaxed and low-key, none of that typical meat market atmosphere. They also have great facilities for the kids. Despite all that I can't help but feel slightly silly as our little troupe parades around the track like ducks in a row. Jack puts up with this foolishness for only so long, the meltdown usually starts 10 minutes before the end of class right as we start to work on the area I am most interested in firming up - the abs. It is a good class. I get out of the house and sweat for an hour and Jack gets to see other babies and groove to the sweet sounds of the gym sound system.

Solid Man, Solid

We have started Jack on solid foods. It has been an especially strange transition for me to make. For the past 6 months I have been the only one able to provide him with food and now he can get it from anyone. He is only eating a little rice cereal so far. He sits at the table with us during dinner and we take turns eating our own dinner and feeding him. It is a family meal of sorts. We have tried a few other foods - he likes apple sauce, hates Cheerios. I'm going to make up some sweet potatoes for him to try this week. Of course the real winner is Otis. He has discovered that food falls from the sky if he sits under the high chair and luckily he loves Cheerios!

Musings on Milestones

I have been thinking about the importance of baby milestones lately. As a new mom I am constantly on the lookout for signs that Jack has crossed the next developmental hurdle. I pour over the sections in the books describing what he should be doing this month and what it might mean if he hasn't. Parents smugly celebrate milestones reached early and proclaim genius and lament, but ultimately dismiss milestones missed as not that important, "Einstein didn't walk/talk/laugh/ until he was three so I'm not that worried." I was somewhat devastated when Jack's grandpa Trey (Oompa), a pediatrician, watched Jack rolling over like a champ and proclaimed, "Really, rolling over doesn't mean anything but it is great that he's doing it." So why do I, and I assume other first time parents, fixate on these milestones?

Part of it for me has to do with the constant state of worry that I live in as a new parent. I am always fretting that despite that fact that Jack seems like a normal healthy little boy, there is something lurking under the surface. And because he can't tell me that really he's fine and because I've never done this before so have no idea how he compares to other babies, every milestone becomes a tiny affirmation. He rolled over, we are doing this right, really he's fine.

The other part has to do with the fact that for the most part parenting an infant can be a boring and thankless job. I spend the better part of each day looking at, cleaning up, or being covered in various bodily functions. I dangle the same toys, read the same books, make the same faces, and mostly get the same reactions. When something new pops up it is an exciting addition to the routine. I have never worked as hard or felt so rewarded as I did looking for that first laugh. I made every funny face I could think of, tickled, poked, and babbled myself horse for weeks with plenty of cute smiles as thanks, but I had already seen the smile what I wanted was the laugh. We finally got there, and right on time according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. It still takes a bit of coaxing to get a real good laugh so it isn't too routine yet.

So, even though I know that checking off each milestone at the right time is ultimately not that important nor does it imply anything about Jack's future I still look forward with bated breath to each one. Oompa told us that the next truly important milestone would be the development of the pincer grasp. I spend a lot of the day watching Jack's fingers, waiting for that next big milestone, waiting for the reassurance that he's doing fine and looking for something new to add to our days together.

The Boys

The relationship was rather one sided at first. Otis was fascinated by Jack, couldn't get enough of him in fact, but the feeling was not mutual. Jack didn't know that Otis existed. It continued on that way for a few months. Otis would sniff at Jack and give him the occasional lick but Otis' presence didn't register with Jack except as maybe a large wet tongue. In the past few weeks things have begun to change. Jack began to notice Otis more, watching him walk across the room or listening to the jingle of his collar. When Jack was on the floor and he saw Otis he would smile. Then, as Jack has begun to become more coordinated he decided what he really wanted to do was touch Otis. Now whenever Jack sees Otis he reaches out. He has sucked on Otis' ear, pinched his leg, grabbed handfuls of fur, and tried to snuggle Otis. The relationship is still one sided. Otis doesn't want much to do with Jack at this point, the touching is taking some getting used to.