Marching to his own beat

Not much to report over here, just had to post something new so people would stop giving me grief over how we tortured Jack. Here is Jack wearing his toy drum as a hat. (Thanks Aunt Alicia!) He thought he was so funny. The boy puts everything on his head, everything but hats of course. He hates hats.

Confession of a Bad Mom

The other day, we pulled out some DVDs that we thought Jack might enjoy. We were watching Jack Jack Attack from the Incredibles. Jack was loving it and kept saying "baby" as he watched. He started to get a little concerned as the baby started doing strange things, then when the baby burst into flames, Jack went hysterical. He was so upset. I don't know why we didn't anticipate this. Lately, he is very upset if he sees any fighting, yelling, or fires on TV. In a panic, we returned to a scene that showed the cute baby again so that we could reassure Jack that the baby was ok. That is not what made me a bad mom, however. The bad part is, we did it again so we could film his reaction. Seeing his anxiety when he knew what was coming made me regret the decision.

I know, bad mom. I feel horrible already, no need to say anything.

Naked Baby

This is how I found Jack after I put him down for his nap a couple of days ago.I swear he was wearing a diaper when I put him in the crib. What can I say? The boy loves to be naked.

21 Months Old

On the 22nd, Jack turned 21 months old. Although Jack will now smile for pictures, he doesn't have the patience to sit still long enough for me to take more than a couple of shots, so I only have a few to mark this milestone. Here are some of my favorite things about Baby Jack:

• He is the most talkative in the morning. He carries on long conversations that we don't understand. He gets up close to your faces, makes sure you are looking him right in the eye, and then he chatters away. Then, he pauses for our response, and no matter what we say in return, he says "no" and runs away. Every time!
• My favorite time of the day is just before his nap. After lunch, I carry him to his room for his nap (about 11:15-11:30am every day--I know it's early, but he is ready by then.) This is when he is the absolute cutest. He snuggles into me and giggles. He also is suddenly very ticklish when I try to change his diaper. He lights up when I lay him down with his blanket and happily plays in his crib for a few minutes before falling asleep. I almost hate to put him down.


• He loves letters, although he doesn't know what they are yet. We watch Super Why together almost everyday and he repeats the letters as they spell out words. He LOVES the show. We went to a craft store last week and when I walked past an aisle of wooden letters, he got very excited. He wanted to hold them all and he kept calling out letters (although they didn't match up to the ones he was holding.)
• He will say most words, provided he is prompted first, but still offers little on his own that we understand. One of my favorites is "jew" (juice.) This applies to all drinks.
• We are working on please and thank you. He only says please when prompted, but he will say thank you on his own, usually before he gets what he wants, so I don't think he understands the difference between the two. If I ask him, "what do you say?" when he wants something, his response is "say." Oh well, we will keep working on this one.


• He loves his dad so much. When his dad leaves for work in the morning, he says good-bye and isn't upset at all. (What can I say? The boy loves routine.) However, if Stuart comes home during the day, leaves in the evening, or if we stop by his office to visit, Jack becomes hysterical at the idea of leaving his dad. He will cry like his heart is breaking, with big sobs as he gulps for air. Last week we went to Pei Wei for dinner and Jack went nuts when Stuart went to the bathroom. It was so bad, I had to take Jack to the men's room and stand outside the door and wait so that he would calm down.

He is so sweet and fun. I really can't believe how fast the time has flown.

Apple Issues

Jack still loves apples. In fact, it is the first thing I pick up at the grocery store, because playing with them makes him happy while I finish the rest of the shopping. However, he still refuses to swallow them. This is angry Jack at dinner last night. He was mad because he was covered in apple pieces he had spit out, and I didn't get them off of him fast enough.

This should give you an idea of what kind of mess is made when Jack eats apples. These are a few pieces I cleaned up off of him when he was done. (There was considerably more in his high chair.) He absolutely doesn't swallow a single bite.

Jack's New Bear

Yesterday, I bought Jack a new toy. He normally prefers only small, hand-held stuffed animals, but the second he saw this panda at Target, he went nuts...so I had to get it. He loves it. He has been playing with it constantly.


This morning, he woke up and found the box it came in and was desperate to find the missing panda.

Jack Wears Everything

Isn't he a cutie? But, look closely at what is wrapped around his shoulders. That is one of my bras. It must have taken some effort for Jack to get it on so tight.

Crazy kid.

He then proceeded to snap the strap repeatedly.

I don't really know what to say about this one...at least he is pretty evenly split between wearing my clothes and wearing Stuart's clothes.

Jammies

I am a pretty low-maintenance mom. I'm also very frugal. I hate spending a lot of money on clothes when I am content with Baby Jack being in his diaper. (If it were socially acceptable, I would take him out in public in his diaper.) I do not spend a lot of money on clothes. There is one item, however, I love to buy Jack...pajamas. I love little jammies. They are so cute and cuddly. And, new jammies just make you feel good. (This must be why I spend so much money at Victoria's Secret....but that is a whole different subject I won't get into here.) Anyway, here is Jack is his newest jammies that I bought. They were only $5 at Wal-Mart, so I didn't get too carried away.

Memories

This week, I have been going through all of Jack's old clothes. I thought I would pull out a couple of outfits that had sentimental value and then send the rest up to Jack's new cousin, Hunter. First, I am amazed at how much we had: 2 boxes, plus 4 large garbage bags full of clothes. Some had never been worn.

I was surprised at how difficult the process was. Everything made me emotional over how much Jack has grown and reminded me of so many sweet memories of when he was little.

Jack, however, was much less sentimental about this task; he thought this was a very fun game.

I finally finished the job while he was asleep. It was hard, but I only kept a few items, like the 4 little onesies he wore continually for the first 6 weeks because he was so little that nothing else fit him, his first pair of little sneakers, his first Halloween costume, and a bunch of other stuff I grabbed at the last minute, because I couldn't part with them. I know, I am an emotional person, I can't help it.

By, the way, Jack loves this video of himself. He makes me play it over and over again, while he laughs, hysterically. I tried to get video of that, but it was a bit more difficult, so you'll have to take my word for it.

Onion Breath

Yes, this is Jack holding an onion. (As you can see, he now smiles for pics...it is so cute because he always closes one eye when he does it.)

As I was attempting to make dinner yesterday, Jack got very excited when I pulled the bag of onions from the pantry. He kept saying apple as he tried to steal one. I tried explaining that they were not apples, but he wouldn't leave me alone. Finally, I gave him half of an onion I was cutting to taste...only to show him it wasn't an apple. I foolishly thought that would end his obsession. Boy was I wrong. He held onto that onion half for the next hour, licking it, smelling it, and peeling off the skin. (The only thing he didn't like was the outer skin, which he kept peeling off and putting in the sink.) I couldn't believe it. I have it on video in case you are skeptical too.

Animal Sounds

I have been trying to capture this on video for over a month now. Finally, I have Jack showing us his knowledge of animals. He knows what sounds are made by a kitty, a dog, a sheep, a cow, and a monkey. (He also knows froggie, but I forgot to ask him that one on tape.)

Yes, we know that his cow impression sounds more like mad cow...we have no idea why. And if you are wondering about the bunny, I have an explanation. In Jack's Easter basket, he got a stuffed bunny that bawked like a chicken when you squeezed his paw. It has now become one of his favorite sounds.

My Mother's Day Gift

I am so grateful for the gift of Jack. To have the honor of raising this fun little boy is such a blessing. Let's just hope I don't screw it up!

Happy Boy

We just love this happy, crazy, energetic kid.

Making Cookies

I had this image in my head of how nice it would be as a stay at home mom, doing all kinds of fun activities with Jack. But, reality came along and ruined it. But, I keep trying. This week, Jack helped me make chocolate chip cookies. He loves to help in the kitchen. He also loves to cause trouble. Here are some quotes of what I said to Jack during the fun:

• Jack, no. We don't put our hands in there, we use the spoon to stir.
• Jack, leave the flour alone.
• No Jack, put the bag of chocolate chips down.
• No, do NOT put your hand in there.
• Get your hands out of the flour!
• Don't throw that.
• Stir it, don't touch it.
• You can put the salt in for me. NO, not the pepper. Stop, put that down.
• OK, that is enough salt. STOP! I said STOP. Put it down.
• I said, get your fingers out of there!
• Listen to your mom.
• No, don't wipe your hands on your clothes.
• Stop. Bring those chocolate chips back.
• Here, you can lick the spoon.
• No, don't put the spoon in the bowl. Let me help you. Stop!

And Stuart wonders why I don't bake more often.

Oops

I have been trying to capture video of Jack speaking for a couple of months now, but he refuses to do it on camera. It has been frustrating, so I came up with an idea. I thought if I wasn't holding a camera in his face, he might be more cooperative. I set the camera on the shelf and started filming. Jack, however, is too smart for me. Not only did he notice the camera, but he waited until I was occupied cleaning up his mess to make his move.

The last video on the camera clearly implicated Jack in the crime. The funny thing is, years ago, when our last camera broke, we looked at the pictures stored on it and found Karen prominently featured in it's dying moments, despite her protests that she hadn't used it. Our kids are not so good at getting away with stuff.

Unfortunately, our camera no longer works. We are hoping it can be fixed. In the meantime, my blogging will be limited to what I already have stored on the computer.

Fun at the Zoo

Sunday morning we went to the zoo. We figured we should enjoy it before it gets too hot. We didn't bother with attempting to see everything and instead focused on Jack's favorites: monkeys and water. He tried his best to climb over me to get into the orangutan exhibit. He loved the squirrel monkeys and when they got close to him, he kept repeating "hi" as if he was waiting for a response.

I realize that I have few pics of me with Jack since I am usually holding the camera. Wow, do I look pale.


I love this pic because it looks like even Jack was embarrassed to be seen with his dad in that silly hat.


The best part was the water. Jack was, of course, the loudest kid there. He stomped his feet and danced around with joy. Stuart caught just a second of the happy dance at the end. Jack played until his lips were blue. He just loves the water.

I, however, made some poor clothing decisions for our excursion. Once, when running after Jack into the tunnel, one of the fountains shot straight up my dress. That's one way to cool off on a hot day! After awhile, Jack got tired of his parents following him into the tunnel to watch him. After we went through the last time, he grabbed me by the hand and dragged me over to the grass and then went back in to play without me. I was officially snubbed by my son!

SPICY

Jack likes it hot.