Jack is 20 Months Old

In four more short months, I will have a 2-year old little boy.  Sometimes, it seems surreal; as I know that that means that my monthly updates on him here will stop.  And then there are other times, that I find myself reeling from the fact that he flat-out just seems so much older than that. 

His communication is growing by leaps and bounds every day.  He surprises me regularly with new words that he repeats now without me asking him to do so.  He'll point to something and just tell me what it is.  For example, Sophia and I put a bunch of Valentine's Day "clings" on the window the other day.  Jack "helped" with that task and must have overheard us refer to the sticky pieces of gel for the windows as "clings."  The next morning, as I was bringing him downstairs, he pointed to the window and said, "clings."  Such a random word, but he used it correctly.

Jack gestures (like a game of charades) if there is something that he wants us to understand.  He's good at the game too.  Rarely do we not know what he wants.

He tells me every single time when he needs his diaper changed.  He'll grab the front of it and say "wet" or "ow," meaning that he doesn't like how it feels.  If I ask him if he needs his diaper changed, he'll tell me yes or no, complete with a head gesture, as well.  He is no where near ready to begin potty-training, but I did bring the potty up from storage in the basement and have it sitting in the bathroom.  We talk about it a lot and he totally knows what it is for.  He's just not ready physically for that big milestone.  (I am planning to begin training this summer).

Jack is really interested in books, puzzles and anything with a motor (or that he can push).  He received this car ramp for Christmas and uses it quite a bit.  He giggles whenever he pushes the button and lets the cars race down the track.  And the robe was a gift from my sister -- another well-used item.  Jack can't get enough of it and often wears the robe over his regular day-time clothes!

Pointing to pictures and telling me what they are:

I recently dug all of the wooden puzzles that we have out of the girls' closet and put them in a big plastic tote.  The girls love helping Jack do the puzzles and then sometimes I see that he is working on them by himself.

Along with Jack's zest for independence these days, he has begun testing his limits and figuring out what his boundaries are.  There are a lot of days (a lot!) where I find myself walking away from a situation and taking a moment to just breathe before jumping in and disciplining him.  This is often the look that I get before he decides to do something that he knows that he shouldn't be doing ...
 

He has a strong aversion to the word, "no."  That is to say, if you use that word when talking to him, he just breaks down and has a full-blown toddler tantrum.  And he's loud, so loud. 

Exhibit A, the drama:

This week alone, there have been multiple incidences with markers (coloring on his pajamas), spilled orange juice, a broken trash can (he sat on the plastic insert, but I think that my duct tape repair may make it salvageable), near-destruction to the drywall in the basement with a golf club and a mess with an entire tub of wax for a car.  Now, every single one of these events could have been avoided if certain individuals did not leave things in the vicinity of a near-two-year-old, but it's hard to live on full-alert at all times.  Like I said, Jack manages to keep me on my toes.

At the end of day, Jack is often quite exhausted.  (And Momma too!).  And that exhaustion can either make him incredibly irritable or it can make him just want to cuddle in and snuggle.  One night, Jack was so tired that all he did was cry.  We gave him a quick bath and then I asked Steve if he would try to just hold him for a bit.  Within minutes, Jack was sound asleep. 

Those curls ...  After his bath, Jack's hair is so curly.  During the day, though, it seems to straighten back out.  Only time will tell if he will have his daddy's straight hair or curly hair like his momma and sisters.

All in all, Jack is such a personable little man.  His sisters adore him to pieces; in fact, they are so patient and calm with him.  Sophia's voice even goes up a couple of octaves when she talks to him.  It is so sweet. 

Nothing holds him back from doing anything -- including giving hugs, kisses and "high fives.  He's not afraid to show love and affection, just as he's not afraid to do anything that borders on being highly dangerous.  Here's to another month of growing ...