JACK!!! You are mama's boy through and through and I'm pretty much ok with it.
You asked for months for a "Gordon birthday" (which was really your half birthday) and I did my best! You were thrilled with your Gordon train "cake topper" and he immediately took the cuddle place of honor in your crib.
I love it how you run to greet and snuggle me when you see me. I could have been gone all day or 5 minutes and you are always happy to see me. Sometimes you are silly when you hug me and you twist your head back and forth as you press it into my leg, like you're giving me a noogie with your head. I'm not sure where you picked it up but I'm pretty sure it's one of the ways you express your affection. I'm trying to teach you to give kisses but you are still sticking with a cheeky lean with absolutely zero smack.
Your speech is developing in leaps and bounds! You used to be a pretty quiet fellow (I think your sisters did all the talking for you!) but now you are having full on conversations and I can tell you understand even more than you are able to express. You have obviously been watching us and learning how we respond to and interact with those around us. We were at a restaurant recently and the waitress came to ask how we were doing. You were quick to respond with "We're good. We're great!" It made me grin. The next night, we had just finished roasting s'mores around a shared fire pit. There was another family there and as we were gathering our stuff to go, you turned and wished them an unsolicited "Enjoy your night!" You little sweetheart, you.
The other night at dinner, you turned to me and asked "Mom, you sign me up for a baseball game?" I was floored that a) you said that in a complete sentence and b) that you knew baseball games required signing up. I proceeded to buy you your first plastic bat and ball. How could I saw no?
Though you are pretty fond of trains, our recent trip to the Kropf farm introduced you to some new fun vehicles: TRACTORS!! You temporarily replaced Gordon with a singing tractor as your snuggle buddy at bed and nap times. We will see if it lasts. It's hard to identify which parts of the farm were your very favorite but you sure seemed to enjoy riding on the tractors (both real and toy) AND watching the frequent trains pass by was definitely a bonus also. On the way home, we were driving on the freeway and you spotted a semi truck pulling two trailers. You exclaimed "It's a road train!" I questioned him "A road train?" and he responded "A little road train, that's right." (Side note: I love it how he says "That's right!" when you are trying to figure out what he's talking about and finally get it correct).
You are pretty sensitive to food temperatures and often insist that "Mommy do it" when your food needs to be blown on to cool it. But on rare occasion, you take on the task yourself and you get all up in there with your plate and food and blow with all your might. Watching you practically get on the table and blow your pizza from all possible angles at the pizza parlor was one of Daddy's highlights of our trip!
I was fearful for awhile there that you were giving up naps. Now that you are in your "big boy bed" (a crib with no side) and you have access to your toys, sleep is a lot less appealing! You go in waves though and never seem to be able to make it longer than a 4 day stretch without sneaking in a nap. You typically save those naps for days when Grandma and Grandpa are here, not when mommy really needs a break. ;)
You are almost always singing, singing, singing. You've mastered (mostly) the Thomas and Friends theme song and the whole family knows it now because of you. Other favorites include Wheels on the Bus, the Firetruck Song and now Old McDonald Had a Farm. I hope you grow up to be a musician like Daddy.
We got you a scooter for your half birthday and you've been scooting around like crazy, both inside and out. We also finally bought a bike seat for you and it is SO MUCH FUN taking you out for a spin on the front of my bike! You LOVE it and it brings my mama heart so much joy. I hope you stay small for a long time so we can eek some more rides out of that seat this coming year while the big girls are at school. We are going to have a lot of free time to play together!
You continue to be fairly easy-going. You are pretty content to play with your toys and I can mostly trust you to play safely with minimal supervision. I'm waiting for the day when that changes. You have figured out how to unlock and open all the doors so that has made showering a bit more tricky for me. The other day I got out of the shower and noticed all the neighbor kids were smiling and waving toward our house as they passed on their way to school. I called your name and realized I didn't know where you were. I ran outside. Sure enough, there you were in the garden, waving a big stick and greeting all those going by.
You have become quite the little fish! We accompany Isla to swim lessons every week and you are growing more and more accustomed to playing in the pool, kicking and getting splashed. The piece I am most excited about, however, is that you've mastered the art of showering! And without a washcloth to wipe your eyes with even.
A few weeks back Grandpa brought you some nifty Thomas underwear. You were pretty thrilled and thus began an exciting 24 hour adventure: you sneaking off upstairs to remove your diaper, replace it with underwear, and get redressed, all unbeknownst to us. Too bad you didn't understand the other important piece of wearing under is actually using the potty. Let's just say I did a lot of laundry that day. And cleaning of my sister's carpets. After 3 outfit changes, you were ready to return to your diaper and mommy exhaled a giant sigh of relief that I still have a short while before I take on the potty training project.
Other tidbits about you...your favorite color is blue, you tell us that you are going to marry Hadley, you are kinda digging Lightning McQueen now too, you don't like berries (???!!!), you want to wear jeans every single day.
You are in that almost-impossible-to-photograph phase because you are either a) never looking or b) always on the move. But boy do we love you so!!
