Countdown

With 16 days to go before the impending sibling, I feel I ought to spend some time focused on my firstborn-- namely by updating his blog before I have no more time to do so!! :)

Before turning to that task, however, I have an important question for you, dear reader. I am wondering if this blog should morph into being about both Jack and his as-yet-unnamed sister, or if I ought to try and run two separate blogs to give both children their due... What are your thoughts?

So, Jack these days...

Not any real big news to report recently. Life has been remarkably settled for as upended as it soon shall be. The family at large continues to enjoy Spring, with weather that has been, for the most part, stunning and a neighborhood in full flower. We take regular walks to the park, via Starbucks, and really life is pretty grand from my vantage point perched atop a picnic table, watching boy and dog frolic in the green, or clamber around on the slides, backlit by the evening sun. Have I mentioned what a climber the boy has become? He has mastered the equipment at Cumberland park to the point that we sometimes get to talking and realize we don't quite know where he is-- and we don't panic. He loves to climb up the slides as well as preferring the "big boy ladders" to the steps. He also loves to swing. Interestingly he refers to the enclosed toddler swing as his "big boy swing", despite the fact that he can sit on the real swings pretty well. I don't mind that he still prefers the safer swing as he does like to pushed "paster" and higher than ever and I don't have to worry quite as much when he's fully surrounded.

Jack is also quite the talker these days. He continues to amaze us with words he knows and he uses the most delightful grammar in his ever-increasing utterances. He is branching his speech out into new territory these days, in two ways. One-- he is always trying to find better words to describe and explain the tings he sees in his world. For example, yesterday on a walk we took a detour to look at these very odd scooters, contraptions with 3 wheels and an arched roof sheltering the seat. Jack thoughts these were quite fine. He talked with us about the colors of the "minos" (yes, he most certainly still calls motorcycles "minos" and I have to say we do nothing to discourage it because it is so stinking cute..) and then paused for a moment. "Look at the minos..." he said, and then appeared to reconsider before continuing, "look at the, at the.... ROCKET minos!" I found this to be a delightful description.

Two-- he makes up more words these days. He jibber jabbers in what seem to be complex sentence structures, or uses similar "words" to make up his own language for familiar tunes. My favorite of this is the tune of "Frere Jaques" sung with a strange combination of words resembling "Heeni Hanni" that ends up sounding rather like a Hebrew chant. Last night at bedtime I asked him what songs we should sing (because you know he has to say the name of the song BEFORE I sing or it JUST won't work...) and he replied, "Mookie cookie!!" I said to him, "Mommy doesn't know that song, honey-- how about one I know?" and he said with a hint of exasperation, "It a TONG, mommy!" as though he was simply amazed I didn't know that one. He's a funny monkey.

Now, lest you believe (as I tend to) that this boy must be an emerging genius (no bias here!!) I'll have you know that we are seeing considerably less progress in areas such as potty training, sleeping through the night, and using his big boy bed. As in, no progress. I am not sure the boy will ever do those things, actually. It's a good thing he is cute enough to make up for it. :)