Jasper may be hanging out with the wrong crowd. I think they are taggers. I found this picture in his room under some books and when I confronted him about it, he just laughed. He's been laughing a lot lately. He laughs whenever someone else does. I hope he is not smoking marijuana cigarettes.

The Cart Walk

Portland gets record snowfall

Jasper hates snow.

Crawling

The big news is that Jasper has got his crawl on. He's been working on the moves for a month or so, but he has finally put all those movements together and can now propel himself forward. He goes after his toys. He follows us around the kitchen. For two mornings now, he has crawled across the living room, into the hall where he's paused, whimpering, until he gets a better bearing on Samara, at which time he continues on his way to find her and get some breakfast. It's exciting to watch him set his own course and investigate rooms; of course he is intrigued by electrical cords and outlets.

We got an inch of snow today. It is cold and is to remain so for the remainder of the week, so Jasper will have more time to work on making snowballs. He's been spending a lot of time in a bulky red snow suit passed down from the cousins in Spokane.

Last weekend we headed out toward Newburg to attend a holiday party with lots of kids. While we were out there we chose and cut down a Christmas tree. The next day, Samara and I strung lights and hung ornaments. It's the first tree we've ever had together.

Jasper's been babbling a lot but making some new sounds. He brings his voice down to a whisper and growls in a way that reminds me of a voice from the Shining or The Omen. Of course we think everything he does is adorable and we would probably still think so even if he were to attack us in our sleep while making those eery sounds. We support him in becoming whoever he is.

Ferocious

It wasn't easy to get this shot of the elusive office panther in his native habitat, but I practically walked right over him.



This is Jasper monitoring productivity at Samara's office on Halloween.



Jasper has been getting more mobile in the last couple of weeks. He is rolling over with ease, spinning in a circle and dragging himself across the floor on his belly. He's also getting up on his knees more often these days -- he'll be crawling properly any day now. In the meantime, he can belly about to get to his toys or close in on Ruby.

Catch up!

It's been almost a month since I've updated the blog -- it's incredible how the weeks pass by.

Jasper now has two sharp teeth in his lower front jaw. It's hard to get a glimpse of them but you can feel them when he gnaws on an earlobe or nose, two of his favorite parts of my face to chew on. He's been a big eater and is now enjoying rice and oat cereal twice a day as well as peas and beans. We will probably try an avocado this weekend. He is doing really well eating food off the spoon; more of it stays in his mouth, anyway.

Yesterday we went swimming for the second time at a local indoor pool. I am amazed how comfortable he is in the water. He goes in up to his neck and kicks his legs the whole time. I hold him in different positions in the water while we chase down a little yellow duck. We'll be able to start swim lessons as soon as he is six months old next week.

Jasper is talking a lot these days. He is making more hard sounds like 'da' and 'ba' repeatedly. Sometimes I hear little phrases in his mutterings, which I guess could say something about either one of us. The video I've included of him speaking is a month old and doesn't show some of his more recent turns of tongue, but it will give you the general idea.

One of the more impressive things he's been doing for the last week is using a low coffee table we have in the living room to support himself while he stands and plays with a coaster or Ruby's collar. He has gotten a lot better at maintaining his balance this way. He can also sit without being propped up in any way now and only topples over infrequently.



Ruby is still the object of constant study. Jasper lets out a squawk or chuckle when she comes into sight and if he is near enough he'll reach out and stroke her or lean against her and drool on her neck. She seems to be taking it pretty well.

We still go for a lot of walks. He can now fit comfortably in a back-pack carrier and he seems to like that a lot. We went for a little hike in Forest Park across the river last week. I use it in the house, too, as he keeps happy and I can do stuff.

Today Jasper and Samara are going to meet up with a friend for a little while and I'm going to hopfest, an offering of local beers brewed up with fresh hops.

-Jeff

Jasper has been agonizing over a lower front tooth which seems to have poked through his gum, although it is hard to get a good look to confirm this as he keeps it well hidden with his tongue and a generous helping of saliva. It is a sharp little point.

Otherwise, we continue to take long walks every day while he have warm sunny weather. He's been riding in his 'Bob', an all terrain stroller. He's very content taking in all the sights along the way.

He has also been enjoying his high chair, which gives him the opportunity to hang out at the table and eye our food enviously while we eat. He is getting very good at eating rice cereal; he leans over his bowl with his hands firmly planted on either side and opens his mouth wide to take a bite. He is wearing less and swallowing a little more every day. We are excited to start him on vegetables, but that is still a couple of weeks away.

We're all excited to welcome Jasper's new second cousin, Charlie to the world, who was born late on the 15th. It will be fun to have a cousin so close in age nearby! Good going Tara and Eric and Congratulations!