Happy Birthday to Jack!

Jack's first birthday was a huge success! On the actual day we got his 1 Year Picture taken (the photo to the left) and had lunch out then took it easy for the rest of the day. Jack had been working on his 8th tooth and what a lucky boy, it finally (and I do mean FINALLY) broke through on his b-day!! The photo shoot didn't go as well as planned, but we are (after some reflection and deep breaths) happy with the result. Jack of course was a superstar, but we had some issues with the photographer... Anyway - on to the good stuff!! Jack's party Sat. was a blast! He was so good in the morning while we were getting everything ready and was just in awe over the 100 (yes, 100) helium balloons that were floating all over his house! All his little friends came and he had the best time floating around from group to group mingling - such a little networker we have!! John and I laughed after the party because we realized neither one of us saw Jack at all - he was far too busy talking with his guests! The cake was a non-issue... he was NOT interested in it at all. He took one bite (off my finger) and then just kind of poked the cake a little and had Nan lick the frosting off his finger. No need for a bib, no great covered in cake shots... He was however quite willing (and tried) to eat the candle. We were debating on smearing him with cake just for traditional "first b-day covered in cake picture" but we decided to let the pictures tell the true story of his b-day. Check the photo site for pictures if you don't believe me...

12 Month Check Up.

Jack had his 12month check up on Friday. He got a stay of execution on the shots until the 23rd - since he wasn't technically a year old we had to wait! John lucked out on missing that part of the visit! The boy got a clean bill of health once again! He is now 30 and 3/4 inches tall (up from 30 and 1/4 at nine months) and weighs in at 23lbs 6.6oz (up from 21lbs 14oz at nine months). The new stats put him in the 75th for height and 50th in weight (down from the 95th and 75th respectively) so there has been a slight decrease in the growth rate, but our dr. assures us there's nothing to be concerned about there! So, maybe all the predictions of Jack being taller than me by Kindergarten will be wrong after all!!
We got the okay to turn his car seat around so Jack is now riding forward facing and loving it! He thinks it's great to be able to see out the windows, but more importantly to be able to see us! He got the go ahead to drink real milk and so far it hasn't been a huge hit. He will, however, drink it from a straw so we're having a little success with that.
Not to much to report on our end... Uncle Ben came over on Sunday for lunch and Jack had the best time reading the paper with him (he was trying so hard to be just like Ben - so cute!!) and Sunday night we had dinner at Carole and Doug's where Jack learned how to go DOWN the stairs!! That was a big accomplishment - of course it's brought the fascination back into the stairs so we've been doing a lot of up and down over the last two days...
As for the week ahead, Jack's b-day celebration of course!! John's taking off work on the Big Day (Friday) and we're going to go get Jack's pictures taken and then of course Sat. is the big party... We'll have all the details next week! Check the photosite for some updated pictures!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Lots of interesting things to report from the Boyd Household over the holiday break... Jack has been very busy! First off - Jack has started sleeping through the night, which is such a treat for us all! We dreaded and worried about starting the new "routine" for so long before we actually just DID it and let me tell you, all the worry was for nothing! He's been a superstar and made the transition of putting himself back to sleep when he wakes in the night with no problem! Anyway, back to the holiday celebrations: We started out the long vacation by getting to visit with Christy and Jake for a little bit while they were in town for the holiday! It was such a special treat to get to see them, Jack was so excited! That was on Friday so our long holiday weekend began a bit early! The next day Jack's uncles came over to play for a bit and to celebrate Christmas Eve Eve - a long standing tradition with our family. A big first happened that day too - Jack got his very first haircut! It may appear from the photos (check the photo site) that I did the cutting, but actually it was John who ended up getting it done. His hair is so fine - almost impossible to trim, but John was able to get it done and I have to say it looks great! He looks like such a big boy with his hair all nice and trimmed. Sunday was Christmas Eve and we celebrated at Nan and Poppy's with most of the Goldsby Clan. Unfortunately Tom was sick and couldn't make it... Jack had such a great time watching Emma and Aiden open their presents. He wasn't quite sure what all the excitement was about, but he had a great time! Christmas morning Grandma, Ben, Josh, Mary and Tim came to our house to watch Jack open his presents from Santa and to have breakfast. Again - Jack showed no interest in actually opening a present, but he loved watching everyone else open theirs! The hit of the gifts came when he opened up his gift from Santa and discovered a small orange "spill-proof" cheerios cup filled with the delightful Os. He's had the best time walking around the house with his little cup munching away on his snacks! Christmas night was celebrated at Mary and Tim's with the extended family. Jack had so much fun sharing his Os and of course being the center of attention! I would say that Christmas was a hit for Jack - no meltdowns, no fussing... just another day with the added bonus of wrapping paper to play with! The rest of the week we didn't do a whole lot. John has been off work so we've all enjoyed the extra time together. I don't know which of us is going to take it the hardest when he has to go back to the office tomorrow, but I know it will be hard on all of us. New Years Eve was spent at home - Jack was in bed at his normal time and John and I struggled as usual to make it up until midnight... First on the agenda for 2007: Planning Jack's 1st Birthday... it's hard to believe that it's only 18 days away!!! Check the photo site for some updated pictures from our little "vacation." Happy New Year!