Jack McKenna Durkee

JACK IS WALKING! :) Steve, Jack and I were in Baltimore, MD as I had an aneurysm removed via brain surgery on Sept 29th and the Saturday before surgery, I changed Jack's diaper and his push cart was sitting close by and he just stood up and walked about 12 steps - it was great! Steve, Ashley (our nanny) and I cheered and Jack cried with the overwhelming reaction. We have returned home to Beaufort and are doing great! I am on medical leave from work and am slowly recovering but loving my morning routine back with Jack. He is babbling constantly and says mama, dada, woof woof, oooo - oooo (for a monkey), and roar (for a lion). He can climb up and down stairs and is very proud of such accomplishment! He also loves to point especially on walks to dogs and birds. We cant believe he is going to be one in a month as this year has flown by but we are loving every minute!! This was a big month for us and we realize more than ever that life is precious and we love and appreciate our family and friends more than anything!

It's truly mind blowing to think we have a 9 month old baby (ok 10 as I am running a bit late this month) :). Jack has taken a few first steps but hasnt committed to walking quite yet, he loves to play the guitar with Steve (he has his own) and the drums are still a top choice in his toy basket - not to be outdone by Elmo which is a big hit in this house. Thanks to Auntie Kristin we can toss the old Elmo which was turning brown as we have a new fancy Elmo that Jack loves. His 9th month was spent outside for the most part as he LOVES to be outdoors. We visited the beach a few times, went for a lot of walks, a few boat rides, and this month bought Jack a bike seat. We also saw Mimz and Pop twice! Jack likes to wave bye-bye, blow kisses, loves kitty cats and puppy dogs and riding on his dada's back in his backpack. Jack also had lunch next to Mr. Bob and Senator Elizabeth Dole in Morehead City, NC this month (no joke!). He also snorts like a rhinoceros (Steve's fav).

Jack is cruising! He started crawling forward on the 19th of June and quickly started cruising thereafter. He loves playing on his music table and seems to be a big fan of Elmo. He is into EVERYTHING. He has 8 teeth and is up for trying any new food - fish and cinnamon buns included. At the end of May we went to Mexico with the Renders. Jack loved meeting Cole (almost as much as me) and had a great time playing with Cole and all his cool toys. jack pulled up for the first time in Mexico in his crib. We also went to Va Beach to see Mimz, Pop, Uncle Drew, and Uncle Jim. Jack's favorite part was all the cool toys Mimz had in his toy basket. We also went to Lake Sinclair for the 4th and Jack met his cousin, Ace which was tons of fun. He went for his first boat ride and met Kacy, Uncle Matt, Sally, Uncle Patrick, Moffett and Ashley! After the lake we headed to Kiawah to see Gigi and Elvis for a couple weeks. Jack had a blast playing with his cousins, Drew and Wyatt and his aunt and uncle, Kristin and James. He loved the beach and loved Gigi's cat, Cosette. While in Kiawah Jack started waving and clapping and standing up on his own. He also learned to climb the stairs (chasing Cosette of course).

WOW - Jack's 6th month has been the biggest leap developmentally yet. He has cut 6 teeth which he uses to eat lots of different adult food including Cheerios, avocado, potatoes, kiwi, mango, bread, etc. He is pulling up, crawling (backwards only so far), and saying dada. He learned dada early this month and repeated it for about a week straight - it was a riot. He loves to play peekaboo, play with his blocks and listen to music (esp Steve playing the guitar). He has defintely become a beach baby - loves the sand and loves to play in the waves at the beach. This month Jack took a trip to DC with Ashley and me for work and he went to RDU for Steve's graduation with Mimz and Pop. This week is his first Big Rock tournament!