17 months old

A few days late, again, but we were having fun at the beach (more on that later) when Jack turned the big 17 months old! This month was hard in a lot of ways, with Kenny being very busy with his summer class and me being sick, but Jack really handled it all in stride. He didn't sleep well, which didn't really help me get better any faster, but he was pretty sweet all month and a bit calmer than he was in month 16. We had a lot of summer fun which I'm sure helped his mood as it did mine!



I think the biggest leaps this month were in communication. He will often pick up on words or sounds after we say them just a few times. We have a CD in the car with a song called Doodlebugs on it that we listen to a lot. At several points in the song, it makes a "shoop" sound and after just a few listens, Jack came right out with it! He learned the word "more" this month too which was quite helpful. He can say he wants more of something and point to where that something was on his plate. He can say "no" and shake his head "no." He doesn't say "yes" just yet, but you usually know when that's the right answer. He often still doesn't have the right words though and will grunt or fuss a bit but he doesn't screech like he used to. Maybe we're just getting better at guessing what he wants too!



When I go to pick Jack up at school at the end of the day, he is usually on the playground, playing in the sandbox. He usually has several shovels in his hand and is happy as a little lark. However, based on all the sand that Jack has brough home in his shoes, I often wonder how the sandbox has any sand left in it! We had to buy him some new sneaks to get through the summer since his sandals would fill so easily with sand, in hopes that they wouldn't have to raise tuition prices to cover all the sand he was bringing home each day! He looks so cute in them! Maggie had a pair just like them in red and I fell in love...



Speaking of love, Jack leans in for a kiss if you tell him you love him. It's the most precious thing I've ever seen and I can't get enough of it!

He also pretends to be drinking from most anything that resembles a cup. He even makes the swallowing sound!

Outside is definitely where he loves to be. He's happy just walking around and taking it all in.



One morning this month, Kenny had gone to the field for work really early and so Jack and I were on our own to get ready and get to school and work. That's harder than it sounds and if I don't get ready before Jack wakes, it can really be interesting. This particular morning he woke before I was ready and was not in a very good mood either. We finally were ready and were almost out the door, when I had to put Jack down on the sidewalk in order to lock the door. He took that as his cue to take off and I was left trying to lock the door, not spill my coffee and catch him before he got to the street. About that time, a very large old car turned on to our street blasting some smooth jazz with all the windows down. My immediate reaction was to be furious, as he clearly didn't live in our neighborhood and I thought it was so disrespectful of him to be blasting his tunes at that hour. Doesn't he know some people have babies sleeping? But before I could explode, I looked down and saw Jack stop dead in his tracks as he was running down the sidewalk and start dancing to the smooth jazz beat and smiling. I couldn't help but smile too! I hope he'll always see life through those eyes.

I don't know if month 18 can be much more fun, but Emory and Ellie and Auntie Stephanie and Uncle Dan are coming to town tomorrow so that will definitely be a lot of fun. We can't wait to see them. We were so sorry to hear this week that Kelsey died and know that it has been hard on everyone. We can't wait to give them hugs in person on Tuesday!