Happy 1st Birthday! (12 months)

Jack had a wonderful 1st birthday with 2 sets of Grandparents, one aunt, and loads of friends! His actual birthday (the 25th) was spent preparing for the big party on the 26th. The caterpillar themed party was a blast at the South Beach Harbor with burritos (from Papalote), a play tunnel, big bouncy balls, cupcakes, and even dry weather for some playground fun! Stay tuned for an album with all the photos later this week.
The birthday boy with GGB.

Fire & Cake all in one day--yikes!

Caterpillar of cupcakes.

I thought I didn't like birthday hats, but this antenna get-up is worse!

Party Time! (11 months)

Jack & his friends from playgroup had a joint 1st birthday party today. Hard to believe they all met when they were only 2 months old! See all the party pics here.
One of the more creative & talented moms made the cake.

Jack envies Eliza's partying skills

Why would anyone wear one of these?

Some enjoyed the cake more than others! Jack's mustache
shows his preference for the chocolate cupcakes over the cake.

Hard at Play (11 months)

Jack & Eliza test driving Kettler trikes

Jack & his 1st Mission street Churro

Good times on the swing

1st solo slide ride!

Walking into 2008 (11 months)

Jack practiced his footwork while we were in MD & I think it is fair to say he is officially walking. He is also running, thanks to some help from Wheely Cow--a gift from Aunt Beth! Check out his new skills in this video that was taken about a week ago.

Christmas in Maryland (11 months)

A few highlights from our trip to visit Gma & Gpa in Maryland for Jack's 1st Christmas!
Jack loves Virgin America & so do we!

Fun times with Dad & Grandpa Jeff in Colonial Williamsburg

Checking out the tree & train

Can we start opening these yet?

Let's start with the stocking.

Pull toy? I thought it was a Lift as high as you can toy!

Still working on those walking skills!

Field trip to the Baltimore Inner Harbor

The Redcoats are Coming (10 Months)

We are having a blast back on the east coast visiting Jack's Grandma and Grandpa. The whole tribe piled into the family truckster and we spent the weekend at Williamsburg, Virginia. The weather was gray, but the town looked beautiful for the holidays.

GGB Update (10 months)

Jack and his bear friend, Great Grandpa Brewster. See Jack & GGB at 6 months and 1 week old here.

Winter in SF (10 months)

Although most of the country laughs when we say it is cold in SF, it sure does feel like winter to us!
All bundled up

Walk in the woods

Neverending runny nose

One Love (10 months)

Jack really likes music. Some of his favorite radio stations include Energy 92.7 and the Mexican Polka on 92.3. The Reggae get-up is thanks to his father. Maybe Bob Marley will make it into his top 10 soon!

Workin' the Fishery (9 Months)

Times can get tight for families around the holidays, so Jack volunteered to pick up some hours at the salmon fishing docks. His foreman told him to pick out the good coho and toss them into a pile. Nice work, Jack! You've got a leg up on your college buddies if you work Alaska during the summer of 2025!

Independent Eater (9 months)

Unfortunately for his clothes, Jack has figured out a unique style of feeding himself!

In case you are curious, he was eating yogurt, hard boiled egg yolk, and applesauce--yum!

If you are happy and you know it... (9 months)

Clap your hands!

Jack's Best Halloween Ever! (9 months)

Well, it was his only Halloween so far, but Monkey Jack and Skeleton Jack celebrated the holiday in style! He hit 2 parties, went trick-or-treating, helped Mommy deal with a flat tire, and had his 9 month doctor's appt. Our little monkey/skeleton weighed in at 20 lbs. and just over 29" tall.

Monkeying around on a giant swing.

"Trick-or-Treat"

Jack seemed to prefer the skeleton costume for its ease of mobility.

9 months today! (9 months)

It is pretty much impossible to get a photo of Jack sitting still with GGB now.
See Jack with GGB at 6 months here.

At the playground today.

Zoo Pro (8 months)

With 2 trips to the zoo last week, Jack is now offering tour guides to the less experienced visitors! See Clara's blog for even more zoo visit highlights.
Check me out on my tractor at the petting farm.

Now, why am I doing all the work while that goat just gets to sit around on a bench?

Now I can see the giraffes at this level!

Clara & I can't wait to ride "Little Puffer" with our dads!

Halloween Countdown (8 months)

With Halloween around the corner, Jack has been checking out pumpkins & trying out costumes!

Jack at the "pumpkin patch" (in the middle of SF).

"Look, I am taller than all these pumpkins!"

"Can we go now? I have my pumpkin."

Skeleton Jack almost won the costume contest at the Noe Valley Harvest Festival!

Autumn in SF playgrounds (8 months)

Jack enjoys exploring & climbing at the SF playgrounds.

Jack & the SFFD (8 months)

Jack enjoyed a tour of our local fire house, but he refused to wear the hat!

Crime Fighters! (8 months)

Jack & his friend Eliza took turns driving a police car today!

Jack's Tough Life (8 months)

We like to make sure Jack earns his keep around the house:
Doing laundry

Cooking meals

Finally, a little play time!

Fountains are fun! (8 months)

Jack has a new love for fountains! Jack's first Yom Kippur consisted of a short time at services at Stanford, shopping, and trying to launch himself into fountains.

Watch out for the walkers (7 months)

Jack and his friend Clara enjoy using our kitchen step stool as a way to walk around the house. I wonder how long it will take them to figure out that they won't get too far pushing on opposite sides at the same time...

Eating & Playing (7 months)

Jack spends most of his time eating & playing-or both at the same time! Maybe we can work a bit more sleep time into his busy schedule!

Park Guell? (7 months)

No, we didn't take Jack to Barcelona! Just a local playground on 24th St. in the Mission. Here is an interesting article about 24th St. in SF.

Jack's First Trip (7 months)

Jack loved his first plane ride and visiting all his family and friends in Columbia, MD last week. Check out this slideshow to see how Jack spent his week!

Celebrating 7 Months Renaissance Style (7 months)

At Doug's request, we celebrated Jack's 7 month birthday on Saturday at the SF Renaissance Festival in Golden Gate Park!

This is fun so far--I love my new ride!

I think I need to be closer to mommy around these people!

The real Captain Jack!

WHAT are we doing here?!

Playgroup update! (almost 7 months)

We recently did two photo shoots to capture all 9 babies in our weekly playgroup. You can also check out the playgroup in action below!

Henry, Jack, Eliza, Ethan, Addison, Lila, Monty

Olivia, Addison, Monty, Lila, Brooke, Jack, Eliza (bandana bibs courtesy of Jack's Grandma Lynda!)

Future Street Performer? (6 months)

Check out Jack showing off his bongo skills! His friend, Clara, is so nice to share her toys with him!

Room and not bored (6 months)

Who says shopping is boring? Jack loved checking out all the furniture that was just his size at Room&Board!

Merry Go Round Take 2 (6 months)

Jack enjoyed his second Merry Go Round adventure even more than his first! Was it because Papa Jerry was there? Or, was it because he did some research on how to get the most out of the ride checking out the miniature carnival in a window on 24th St. in Noe Valley?

Around the Bases (6 Months)

Like any SF baseball fan, Jack is keeipng his eye on the home run chase. I guess if he's going to pass Bonds, he'll need an early start. If you watch his video carefully, you might notice some new developments (ok, you don't have to watch that carefully, Jack is crawling now).

Six Months of Jack (6 months)

Here is an album of Jack's life from 4 to 6 months old--enjoy!

Happy Half Birthday! (6 months)

Jack is half way to one year old today! We celebrated with a trip to the doctor for his 6 month visit & some shots. They also measured him up--he is 18 lbs. and 28". Great Grandpa Brewster (the bear) was thrilled to take part in the photo session on this momentous day! Jack seems to be growing at a much faster rate than GGB; check out an earlier photo from when Jack was just 1 week old.

Swingin' Jack (5 Months)

Jack was a little skeptical of the swing on his first few trips to the park, but he seems to like it now! Check out his progress below (starting with a few days ago & ending with about a month ago):

Hungry Jack (5 Months)

Jack started cereal this week. It's pretty funny to watch, but so far, I think he likes it.

Eyes and Teeth! (5 months)

July has started out very exciting for Jack! Jack's tear duct officially cleared up on the 4th of July! He then woke up a few days later with his first tooth (while Dad was at a wedding in Maui)! Here he is enjoying the 4th of July at Dolores Park. Also, his last official toothless grin on our way to the Noe farmer's market on July 7th!

Jack's Favorite Things (5 months)

Jack is pretty easily entertained, but he definitely has some favorite activities! Check them out below--hiking at Big Basin, hanging out in his high chair, playing in a box, playing with his "Jack-in-the-box", and jumping on a trampoline!

Big Weekend (5 Months Old)

The weather in SF was beautiful, so we were out and about all weekend. On Friday, Jack & Amy came downtown and we rode the historic Merry-Go-Round at Yerba Buena Gardens. Saturday, we walked to and from the Ferry Building Farmer's Market, and on Sunday, we went to Big Basin Redwoods State Park, stay tuned. Plus, Jack made an appearance on Clara's Blog!

 

Happy Father's Day! (4 Months)

Doug had his best father's day yet! After opening some gifts with Jack, we went for a walk & did some shopping in Hayes Valley with Doug's parents, our new SF neighbors! Nana Sally bought Jack a stuffed, striped horse made in Argentina while Papa Jerry kept us all hydrated with root beers & coffees!

Ahoy Palloi (4 Months)

Here's Jack heading off to the Yacht Club.

Jack visits The Farm (4 Months)

Jack visited Stanford for the first time to go to James Timothy Tambling's christening. It was, of course, a beautiful day on The Farm.

Comedy Central (4 Months)

Here is Jack's small screen debut! I was working on some of my stand-up material.

Dancin' Ya'akov (4 Months)

 
An instant classic!
Here's Jack sporting the "Ellis Island" look, and working on his audition for Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof. "If I were a rich man..."

Jack's Friends II (4 Months)

The babies at Thursday playgroup are growing fast! Here's the post from eleven weeks old.

From Left: Addison, Lila, JACK, Henry, Olivia, Monty, and Brooke.

Four Months of Jack (16 Weeks)

Jack will be four months old this week! We put together a photo album of months three and four to celebrate, enjoy!

BG Comes to Town (15 Weeks)

BG (Max and Emmy's mom) came to San Francisco for a great weekend of nonstop action. On Thursday, we went to Lullaby Lane, and then walked around town (La Taqueria for lunch and Swatdee Thai for dinner). Friday, we headed across the bay to hit the Scharffen Berger chocolate factory tour and eat lunch at Chez Panisse. With the carpool we beat the traffic back to the city and Amy finally had a girls night out at Incanto--the first. Saturday, we went back to la Taqueria for lunch and left in a hurry after Jack pooped through everything and decorated Mission street. Later on Saturday was my birthday party where we gorged on six kinds of cheese and at least a dozen chocolates (in a blind taste-test). There were four babies under six months old at the party, but they wouldn't sit still at the same time for a photo. We chilled on Sunday and had Papalote for dinner. We miss you BG!

Happy Jack (14 Weeks)

Jack isn't all smiles. He has definitely his moments... but for the time being, I'll continue to post the ear-to-ear grins. He's starting to talk all the time. Mostly, he just says "aggle flaggle klabble" (that's from Knuffle Bunny). BG is coming to visit tomorrow and we are all very excited.

Mr Big Stuff (3 Months Old)

There are so many great photos of Jack now, it's hard to pick the ones to post! What a cute guy! Amy and I will be arranging another web album soon and we'll keep you posted.

More Wine! (12 Weeks Old)

His Highness, Jack Owen...

So Many Aunts (12 Weeks Old)

Aunt Beth and Aunt Emily came from Maryland and Utah to meet Jack. We all had a great time. Besides playing with Jack, Beth made some new friends in Noe Valley and was generally addicted to shopping and chocolate, while Emily pretended to do homework. We went to the new shopping center downtown--where Jack checked out some shades.

Mobilespotting (11 Weeks Old)

Jack quite likes his mobile, but not from below. So far, he prefers to watch it from the side. He is starting to be much more active with his hands; here he is rubbing them together--and he started holding toys about three days ago.

Jack's New Friends (11 Weeks Old)

Every Thursday Jack and Amy go to playgroup. Check out this funny picture. Jack is big, but Monty is bigger!

From left: Eliza, Monty, Ethan, JACK, Henry, Mary, Brooke, and Olivia.

Giants Fan? (10 Weeks Old)

We dressed Jack in Giants colors for our trip downtown on opening day, but he definitely spent more time crying than cheering! Oh well, at least he looked cute sporting his scooter outfit!

Sitting Around (8 - 10 Weeks Old)

We agonized for weeks about whether to buy the Bumbo or the Bebe Pod. We got the Bumbo. Jack loves it! These are also four of our favorite outfits. Check out the "baby legs" in outfit three.

Jack and Mommy (59 Days Old)

New Album Posted: Two Months of Jack! Click on Hide/Show Captions to see Amy's comments!

It's long overdue for some photos of Jack and Mommy. Jack has his immunizations Friday, and is doing fine. He weighs 13 lbs and is 2 feet tall. That's pretty big for a kid his age. We went out to the park today (see the photos) with Mike, Rachel, Annabel, and Charlie. I made Jack wear his new hat.

More Smiles (48 Days Old)

By popular demand, some more smiles!

All Smiles (42 Days Old)

As you can see, Jack is getting big fast. He weighed in at 12 lbs 4 oz yesterday--and he learned to smile. What a cool little dude!

Jack and Daddy (36 Days Old)

Jack and Daddy love to hang out in their favorite spot, planted on the couch.