Jack 28 Months

I peer into his crib, my nightly ritual, watching for the rise and fall of breath. Every night since his entry into the world, this has been my practice. I wonder how long it will last. Years for sure, maybe even a decade. His sisters are 6 and 4 and I do the same for them. No there is no sign of stopping soon. When he sleeps, I am smitten. When he wakes, it is no different.

There are nights I come to check on him and, though his crib is small, I am unable find him there in bed. My heart skips a beat until I finally spy his tiny stocking toes, the only sign of him emerging from under his heavy blankets. Next to him lies buses, an entire entourage. City bus and 3 school buses, one with headlights aglow. There's moose and sometimes puppy too and the sounds of pouring rain coming from his sound machine. Before he sleeps, he asks for songs. "Wheels on the Bus" or the "Thomas Song" or "Inside Out one" are his favorites. Lately he asks for Emma, preferring she be the one to sing his night or naptime ballad. She opts for "Goodnight, sleep tight, dream dreams as sweet as you" a la Daniel Tiger and he never puts up a fuss when she's the one to put him to bed.

He is saying so many new lines these days that make me both smile and one or two that make me cringe.
"I love you, Mom."
"Miss you."
"What 'bout me, Mom?"
"What now, Mom?"
"I'm a big boy!"

"One! Two! Eyes on me!"
"No, you do it!"
"Silly billy!"
"Look at me, Mom!"
"I'm a Tiger."
"When's Gordon Birthday?"
"In April?"
"Snuggle you."

Our boy may have joined the club of all other boys and is now solidly obsessed with Thomas and Friends. Thankfully any old blue train passes as Thomas in his mind and Gordon will satisfy in a pinch since he is also blue. In our train obsession, we accidently ended up with a book from the library called The Potty Train and suddenly we found ourselves with a (slight and passing) interest in going potty in "the big boy potty." We jumped at the chance and are now the proud owner of a Thomas potty chair that choo choos when a deed is successfully done. Which has never happened. Alas, we have absolutely no interest in potty training anymore.

Jack is so excited to go to school one day. He is going to be heartbroken when he realizes we live too close to school to ride the school bus. In the meantime, he wears his owl backpack like a pro every time we drop Emma off at pre-K. I have to keep a close eye on him otherwise he'll throw his pack and coat in the bin and leave it there like the rest of 'em.

He has a new affinity for throwing balls back and forth and I'm trying to teach him it works to kick it too. Other favorite pastimes includes looking at books, going to Barnes and Noble, playing trains and riding our Plasma car around the house. We are so glad he's a part of our clan!