19 months

I have no idea where month 19 went but I know its soundtrack was full of chatter. The words just don't stop. Jack tries to say everything we do and surprises me constantly by knowing the words to things that I didn't know he knew. His school's logo has a tree in it and one day, as we were leaving, he pointed to a sign on the door and said "ree!" I think what's most noticeable about his language skills this month however, is that he chooses to use his words without being prompted. We don't have to ask what a cow says, he just moo's if he sees one. He loves sitting down with a book and pointing at all of the pictures and using his words to describe them. He's happy to have words it seems and likes being able to tell us a little bit about what he's thinking.



He's either smiling or fussing. There's not a whole lot of in-between unless he's reading a book or something has caught his attention. If he's outside, he's definitely smiling. I sometimes wish we could pitch him a tent outside because he might be happier (and sleep better!).



Perhaps more than ever this month, Jack's need for sleep became an issue. Like his mother, Jack really is a much happier kid when he's slept well. Unfortunately, at school, he only gets a 1.5 - 2 hour nap, which isn't long enough. So by the time we pick him up from school in the afternoon, he's really pretty cranky. He takes 3-4 hour naps on the weekends to catch up! A few times this month we altered his schedule a bit to accommodate something fun and then spent the next week trying to survive a big case of the grumps. He just needs his sleep and he needs it on a schedule and that's just how he is. He's sleeping over at Grams and Gramp's in this picture using my kindergarten rest mat as a cover. In the town where I grew up, we all brought our own little rest mats and mine was hand-made by my great-grandmother! Some squares have some Sesame Street characters on them and others were undoubtedly some of her old dresses or tablecloths. It's something I've always been proud of - not everyone's was as cool as mine was - and it's really neat to see my baby sleeping beneath it.



He became a bit more shy this month. He often hides between our legs or snuggles up close when there's someone new around. I'll take snuggles any way that I can get them and am glad he's a bit cautious of strangers. It doesn't usually take him long to warm up though...

We started him on whole milk again this month and have our fingers crossed that he *might* have outgrown his allergy. So far, so good...but it's only been a week or so. He loves it and all the yogurt and cheese that comes with it. Hopefully it will help him bulk up a bit too.

I guess they don't change quite as fast in year 2 as they do in year 1. We can't seem to stop being fascinated by his language development but it's hard (oddly) to explain here. It's as though we have this little window into his brain and we can actually see it growing and his knowledge expanding right before our eyes (or ears). It's truly one of the most amazing things I've ever witnessed. This parenthood thing, it gets a little harder every day to know what the right answer is, but it also gets a little more rewarding and a little more amazing.