Whew! This has been a doozy of a month -- so many changes and growth developments with my little man. It seems that he is learning something new every single day and growing like a weed. He is most definitely not a baby anymore; toddlerhood is officially here.
I pulled a walker down for him from the shelf in his closet. It has been passed down from Samantha to Sophia and now to Jack. He has been using it for almost a month now, and just last week, he actually started taking steps with it. It goes too fast for him on the hardwood floors, so he is better with it on the carpeting. It's amazing to see the development from just standing with it to now becoming more and more mobile with it.
Jack began with a seated position:
And worked himself up to a standing position:
About two weeks ago, Jack began pulling himself to a standing position, using anything that he could. His balance was a little wobbly at first, but now, he is an expert. He will pull himself up to anything now.
The kitchen trashcan is just the right height to use as a balancing tool:
Having a "stare-down" with Mia, our big momma cat:
His most favorite thing to do is to pull himself up to windows and look out. If someone is outside, he will shout at them to get their attention. It is incredibly adorable.
Jack's crib mattress has officially been lowered down as far as it can go. Once he learned how to pull himself up to a standing position (instead of a seated position), I immediately declared that it was time to lower the mattress. It is only a matter of time before he tries to climb out ... and I am not going to risk that.
It's funny how Jack seems to be "all boy." It's almost instinctual the way that he wants to play with trucks, cars, balls, etc. He loves to throw and loves to ride on anything that is moving. With two older sisters, I am surprised just how little he cares for pink princesses and tea parties!
Crawling on the couch cushions when Momma was vacuuming the couch:
Sitting on his car (also passed down from one child to the next):
Jack's crawling has improved significantly this month. He is FAST! We have also noticed that he will pull his right leg under himself (almost "gimping it") only when he is on hard surfaces. Once he makes it to a softer surface (i.e. carpeting), he immediately switches to a two-legged crawl. I don't blame him; hard surfaces can be rough on bare knees in the summertime.
His "downward dog" yoga position, something that I see on a daily basis:
Jack has also discovered the stairs. I think that I have a little bit of time before he starts to climb, but we are also talking about our options for those stairs ... just in case my active little boy has ideas of regularly mounting the stairs before I am ready.
For two solid weeks, Jack screamed A LOT. There was incessant crying and fussiness and I couldn't seem to figure out why. I mean, it was rough. By the end of the day, I was exhausted. I kept feeling in the front of his mouth for another tooth (he has had the same 5 teeth in the front for months), but couldn't feel anything poking through. Well ... I finally made the discovery, while wresting with him upside down, that he had cut a MOLAR. Yes, all four points of the molar were through his gums. Whew! What a difference that had made! I just wasn't thinking that it was time for molars to come in yet, but I should have known better.
With this new fussiness, Jack became very picky with his eating habits. Foods that he loved were being pitched onto the floor with rapid speed. He was spitting out his favorite fruits. Mealtime was becoming increasingly hard. Eventually, I decided to give Jack the liberty of feeding himself entirely. His desire for independence was evident. And you know what? Jack loved it.
Yes, we put the big tray back on the high chair, and set his plate on it. He quietly ate his meal that way. Sure, a few things made it to the floor, but the majority of his meal was consumed. And our meals were so much more peaceful.
After that meal, I opted to undress him for all future meals. Feeding one's self at that age can be a messy affair.
Jack continues to drink whole, organic cow's milk exclusively (going through a gallon about every 6 days). He doesn't care for yogurt as much right now, but he does love beans -- such a good way to get extra protein into his diet. He has water once in a while in his sippee cup, if we are going someplace warm and I don't feel like bringing milk. He seems to do well with that. No juice, of course. The introduction of juice at an early age is not good -- partly because of the sugars (even if it is diluted), but also because a child is more likely to prefer that compared to milk.
Jack goes to bed between 7:30 - 8:00 pm and sleeps until about 7:30 am. We did have a few nights of crying (the MOLAR!), but usually once he is settled in with his blanket, he stays asleep for the whole night.
Rocking to sleep with Daddy during a "fussy" night:
Bibs are still a necessity these days. I had hoped by this time that we could begin foregoing the bibs on a daily basis, but Jack is still a big drooler -- maybe because of that molar? Regardless, any prolonged period of time without a bib means major drool on his collar!
Stacking blocks (with a drool-soaked shirt):
Jack has started working on "puzzles." They only have six pieces, but it is so fun to work with him to put the designated piece in the right location. Also, it is never too early to work on his colors.
"Put the green frog where it goes, Jack ... ribbit, ribbit ..."
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