Jack is all about exploring his world right now. This ranges from spending time examining an object in his hands, to running around checking things out. He is very talkative & likes to try out his words on anyone who will listen, or practice them on his own while playing, falling asleep, or waking up. His default word is still "Dada". In fact Dada can be asked as a question, used as a cheerful greeting, or stated in a serious manner.
Jack is also very active. He pretty much runs everywhere he goes which has caused a new round of bruises all over his little body. He's a resilient little guy though, & seems to shake off injuries pretty quickly. Speaking of running, Jack loves being chased right now. If we won't chase him, he knows he can steal Lucy's ball to make her chase him. When that happens you can hear him giggling like a madman as he runs around the living room with his big red dog in pursuit.
When Jack does stop moving, he likes to sit by the front window and look around at the neighborhood, or read a book. He often brings us his big picture book of animals & insists we go through each picture several times. He will point at each picture and ask, "Dada?" unless it is a word he knows, in which case he will tell us the word.
At bedtime he loves reading his little Bible & has started pointing to Jesus on each page. After we read his books, Bible, & prayer book we always end by folding our hands & praying, "Jesus loves Jack" to which Jack responds: "MAAAAAAE MEN!" I love it. :)
At his last doctor's appointment we learned once again we have a tall, skinny boy (97th percentile in height & 30th in weight). We've gotten several comments lately from other parents about how tall he is & it's true. The boy can now reach table tops & door knobs. (Eek!)
Teeth 7&8 (third one in the front/bottom right, & his first molar - top left) have made an appearance, & we are sure 9&10 are just around the corner. His mouth has been bothering him a lot with these last ones, but he is still a happy guy overall. Speaking of teeth, he LOVES helping me brush his teeth before bed. Sometimes the hardest part of the bedtime routine is getting the toothbrush away from him!
Some other things I love about Jack right now:
-He says "Thank you" all the time.
-He loves giving kisses.
-He loves singing to his "Baby music" & we've realized he's learned several words from those songs (down, train sounds, ribbit, and probably others we haven't realized). For more on his latest words, check out the post below: Jacktionary 2.0.
-He will stop his playing to come sit with me, or give me hugs.
-His precious little laugh.
Being home these last two weeks has been a huge blessing. Jack is so much fun & the weather was perfect for outdoor activities. We went to the Arboretum, Zoo, Zoo again, and the park (several times), and he loved it all. I love how he is so much more observant & aware when we go places now. He was mesmerized by the zoo animals (especially the flamingos this last time), and he loves climbing the stairs & going down the big slides at the park.
I could probably keep adding to this post forever. Jack is growing & changing so quickly right now, & it is so much fun to watch him & be a part of his life. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to the new year with my little guy (& his daddy too!)