Tonight for dinner Jace ate a salmon cake (very yummy from Whole Foods) with steamed carrots chunks and red pepper pieces. Yes, you read correctly. Jace voluntarily ate 2 different vegetables!

We have also switched his night time bottle to a sippy cup. I was really nervous that he would throw a fit but when we switched it over the other day, he didn’t complain at all. We read 3 stories (yes, there is a set limit. Jace would have about 20 stories if he had his way) while drinking the milk, have a cuddle and go to bed. His biggest fuss is about the number of books, not the milk supply mechanism. Of course he doesn’t drink as much milk now that he has sippy cups in the morning and at night but he eats plenty of cheese and yogurt so I think he is getting enough calcium and dairy. And it isn’t like this kid is going to waste away any time soon…

Categories: Jace
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In my opinion there is nothing cuter than kids dressed up for halloween. So Jace decided that he would host his first halloween party this year. We had quite a menagerie of creatures show up along with a few friends - 2 cows, a lamb, a penguin, 2 pumpkins, a storm trooper, Pocahontas, a witch and superman.

On the night of Halloween we decided that Jace should check out trick or treating (and score some loot for his parents). Actually we thought a couple of neighbors with kids would appreciate seeing him dressed up so we took him across the street to see Henry (a 4 year old) and around the corner to see Charlotte. Unfortunately Charlotte was napping but we did get to see Henry’s swamp monster costume!

After that we headed over to Nick and Julia’s to let the boys hang out and their families see a monkey and elephant in action.

Jace was a little nervous at first with all these people he hadn’t met before but his bear made it bearable

I’m sorry, I know I am biased but that is just plain adorable.

Categories: Animals, Jace
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What is in a word? Well a lot when your 15 1/2 month old doesn’t have any. Technically, he did have uh-oh, no, mommommom and dada but the last two seem to be interchangeable and no can be used any time. Now he has a real word. “Bal” for ball. Used in the correct time and place, and only for balls. Very exciting.

Oh and a dog is a wooh (woof?) but only sometimes.

Categories: Jace
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Since just after he turned one, Jace has been taking a nap on a mat at daycare. It used to be that he and Tyler took a nap in the morning in the bedroom then got some quality time with April after lunch when the big kids went down for a nap. Then she put them both down for an afternoon nap when the big kids woke up. Well at some point Jace decided there was much to much going on for him to sacrifice his afternoons taking a nap. He also decided that it was fun to poke the big kids as they lay on the floor napping.

Thus Jace transitioned to one nap a day with the big kids. He has his own mat on the floor in the corner and sleeps with everyone else.

The kids go down for nap right after lunch. April changes Jace’s diaper and puts him down on his mat. Most days he lays there and falls asleep. One afternoon, right after she put him down, April was changing Tyler’s diaper and looked up to see Jace scampering away from his mat. She gave him “the look” and he quickly ran back to his mat, laid down, and pretended to be asleep. I wish that worked for me!

The other day they were doing art in one room and Jace wandered away from the table. No big deal, a one year old doesn’t have a great attention span. But a couple of minutes later, April realized she couldn’t hear Jace playing in the living room. She went over to look for him and didn’t see him anywhere. She checked the gate to the hallway and it was latched. Then she looked back into the living room and saw a little foot peeking out from beside the couch. At 11am, Jace had decided he was tired so he went over to his mat, laid down and fell asleep. This is the same kid who more often than not screams when I put him down for a nap on the weekend.

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The other day I picked up Jace at daycare and was lucky he was still there. Seems he had been plotting his great escape.

April has a gate between the living room and the front entry hall to keep the little kids from trying to wander off.  Jake’s mom had come to pick him up so Jake was on the far side of the gate while Jace was stuck inside. He was having none of it. He shook the gate and noticed it was loose. He backup up out of sight for a minute then ran at the gate at full speed. As he collided with the gate it moved a little. He back up, then ran into the gate again. And then again. And finally the gate popped out of the doorway and Jace was free….

For a few moments until April stopped laughing and scooped him up.

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Last weekend the weather in Massachusetts was absolutely gorgeous so we decided to take advantage of it and go for a short hike in the Fells. We loaded Jace into the backpack carrier and took off. He wasn’t too pleased.

As the walk went on and Steve got us lost as usual, Jace decided that he might as well just chill out in there as opposed to fighting it.

After we finally made it back to the car, we decided that Jace deserved a nice time running around at a playground so we stopped on the way home at a great one in Medford on Playstead Road. Lots of things to climb up, through and around.

We are currently in Colorado visiting Steve’s family. Maybe because he is a little sick, maybe because it was the Ergo instead of the backpack, or maybe just the scenery was better, but Jace seemed much happier on our walk yesterday.

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Jace has definitely discovered a love of books of late. He will sometimes sit in a chair or on the floor and flip through them by himself.

However, most of the time he wants somebody to read to him and he has figured out the way to make that happen. He waits until you are sitting on the floor, grabs the closest book, backs up to your lap, sits down and hands you the book. Who could say no to a cuddly kid in your lap handing you a book?

We are however, getting a little tired of our small library. Jace still loves his Sandra Boynton books, Jamberry, and a couple of the simpler Dr. Suess books (Mr. Brown Can Moo, The Foot Book).  Occasionally he will sit through The Very Hungry Catapillar and Brown Bear Brown Bear but generally he still prefers books which have a rhyme to them. Any suggestions of other books we should get? For our sanity of course. I don’t Jace would mind if we read The Foot Book 20 times in a row!

Categories: Jace
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Last month friends of ours got married in Vermont. We decided to take this opportunity to have a weekend sans piglet and let him spend the weekend with Gran and Granddad. Well, turns out he got extra bonding in because he got to spend the weekend with not just grandparents but also his aunt, uncle and two cousins. Plenty to keep him entertained chasing after his 2 year old cousin Lexie and extra hands and eyes to keep him out of trouble.

We drove up Thursday night and all slept there that night. Then Friday morning we spent hanging out with my parents, trying to acclimatize Jace. After an early lunch, Steve and I drove off to Vermont, hoping Jace would be okay. Well, the report back was that he couldn’t care less that we left! He was having so much fun he didn’t even notice.

When Jace was first born, my dad was a little wary of holding him but it sounds like they got plenty of time together this weekend. There was lots of hugs, visits to the next door neighbor’s chickens and rabbit and a game or two of matador where Jace got to be bull while my dad waved a towel at him.

When we got back there Sunday afternoon, I think my parents were happier to see us than Jace. Not to say I didn’t get a fabulous hug from him, but both my mum and dad were exhausted. Their comment was that they had lots of fun, that he was welcome to stay again for another weekend but no longer than that since he completely tires you out!

Meanwhile, Steve and I thoroughly enjoyed having a weekend in a cute inn spending quality grownup time and sleeping in.

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Somebody forgot to tell Jace that he isn’t two yet. Jace has discovered that he has opinions and while he can’t verbalize them yet, he sure can get his point across with other actions.

He is not a big fan of having his diaper changed, probably more so lately since we have been battling diaper rash for the last couple of months. Both Sunday and Monday night, when being carried into his room for a diaper change, he decided that since his squirming wasn’t getting him out of it, that he would try taking a chunk out of the shoulder of the person carrying him. Yes, Jace now bites and it isn’t because he is teething. People recommend that when your kid bites you to sternly tell them “no biting”, put them down and walk away so they realize that biting won’t get them the attention they want. Of course in this case what Jace wanted was to be put down so that would rather defeat the purpose!

Another trick up his sleeve is bursting into tears and screaming when he doesn’t get what he wants. Last night he screamed when I got him undressed for his bath, tried to take him out of the bath, started to put pj’s on and then again when I went to brush his teeth.

And dinnertime is the biggest battle of all. Jace has decided that if he doesn’t like a food, the only place for it is on the floor. When I say doesn’t like, that doesn’t necessarily mean he has even tasted it, just that he thinks he won’t like it. Last night I made him corn pancakes with tuna fish in them. A few months ago he used to love the corn pancakes but last night he poked at them, put it on his tongue, spat it out, then threw it on the floor. And expected me to find him something else to eat.  My question is what to do? Do I become a short order cook and keep making things until I find one he will eat or do I just make things I know he will eat (fruit, pasta, mac and cheese, omelets, trader joe’s vegi pancakes, meatballs and sausage)  or  keep trying new things and getting frustrated when he refuses to even really try it?

I hope this gets easier as he gets some words to vocalize what he is feeling and gets older because otherwise I am going to go crazy.

Categories: Jace
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What do you get when you take 15 families, 20 kids, 1 dog and a big house in Vermont? If you answered insanity, you aren’t too far from the truth but a better answer would be a great time. For July 4th we rented out entire Bed and Breakfast outside of Stowe Vermont. The house was beautiful with a pool and huge common space for eating and playing. This vacation is an annual event that started the year Steve and I got engaged. Back then it was a slightly smaller place with no kids, lots of beer and Jello Shots. My how things have changed. The trip is very casual with group dinners and whatever else you want to do. Feel like taking a walk and want company, just announce your intentions and somebody will be bound to join you. Want to go off and do you own thing? Nobody will feel left out or ignored.

This year we invited Julia and Nicholas with William and Koos, Stef and Xander. It was nice to increase the social circle and William and Jace got to share toys, meals and lots of fun. Apparently Nick and Julia want to rent Jace for dinner occasionally because William ate so much more with Jace as a role model.

To see what the trip was all about, check out our photo section.

Categories: Jace, The parents
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