Jacob 21 & 22 months

 
Oh Jacob, my love, life at 21 months, now almost 22, has been non-stop fun, challenging, and hilariously entertaining. You learn so much every day - you are a SPONGE!

The biggest change in your life occurred a little less than a week before you turned 21 months...your baby sister was born! 

This is how you felt about it at first:

But now that she's grown on you (kind of), I think you're happy about us keeping her around. I think. 

Life with baby sister has been an adjustment for you who are still a baby yourself in many ways, and you're handling it pretty well. You LOVE to give baby kisses and tell us very emphatically when you want to give her some. You also can't just kiss one side of her face - no, no, must give both sides equal love!

"kisses!"

You love to let us know when she's crying, and you're quite helpful at finding her paci and "gently" shoving it in her mouth. That is, now that you have your own old paci back so you're not trying to take hers. You LOVE having "Jacob's pacit" as you call it. And you're well trained now that Jacob's is blue and baby sister's is purple or pink. 

When Norah sneezes you very kindly say, "Bess you No-wah", and that pretty much melts my heart. 

And you crack me up in the car sometimes when Norah is crying hysterically because she's ready to eat and we're not home yet, you start to mimic her cries and laugh heartily at how funny you are! You're already teasing her!

You love to take her socks off. "Take-a off", you say as you pull them off. The poor thing will always have cold feet I think. And you're such a big helper to mommy when it's time for a diaper change. You love picking out Norah's next diaper and "re-arranging" (i.e. throwing them all on the floor) all the diapers in the diaper bin. 

On our first day at home alone without Dad or Buela, you took just a few swipes at her, which I expected. We got through it with only minor tears on both your parts. The next day, when I picked you up from school, one of your friends took a few swipes at her in the car seat (no contact made/no harm done), and you abruptly reinforced the teachers' reprimand "No Pierson, back away!! No sir!!" Was cute to see you defend your sister. If you had said what was really on your mind I think it would've been more like "No Pierson, back away! Only I get to do that!"

You have a lot of funny lines these days. Some of my favorites are:

"Yay daddy jood job I so poud a you!" I think you must get a lot of positive reinforcement from us because you sure do say this one to us a whole lot. 

"No yellow, s'op!" Took me a few weeks to figure out that yellow = sun and that you say this to the sun when it's shining in your face because the sun shades on the car windows aren't long enough. 

"Mommy hold you" - I love that you say this to us all the time when you want to be held or picked up. I want to teach you the proper use of pronouns but this little phrase of yours is too adorable, so I choose not to teach you that just yet. 

"Mommy s'ay here - I be back" and "Mommy come on, wite now!" Guess you hear these a lot from me, too. :)

"No mommy I sink so" as you shake your head no at me. You are such a little rule enforcer! Notice I didn't say rule follower. You really love to reinforce when your teachers say no to anyone and when someone else does something you think they shouldn't. See story about Pierson above.

And my very favorite...."Jimmm!!!" "Pammmm!!!" - that's right. You have picked up on our names and have started calling out to us using them! What?!? How about Mommy and Daddy, please! Glad you still use those, but you should see the sly look on your face when you call us by our first names - it's like you know you're being hilarious. 

Your favorite games right now are "wing a wosie" as you call it (ring around the rosie) and duck duck goose. We line up all your stuffed animals in a circle in the middle of your room and play until your heart's content. Your favorite toy is your "hecicoper" (helicopter) and a small orange bouncy ball. You take them up and down the stairs daily and nightly.

"hecicoper"

"wing a wosie"

You LOVE music and dancing. You can sing twinkle twinkle little star, row row row your boat, itsy bitsy spider, wheels on the bus, and your ABCs, among other songs. You know the hand motions to most songs which is SO cute! You also have this little guitar that uses to belong to cousins Caitlyn and Elizabeth and it plays "Hit me with your Best Shot". You crack me up when you sing this! You know only about every third word and but you sing those words with great emphasis and gusto!  

Favorite books right now include Fox in Socks, Animals (an Eric Carle book where you push the buttons to hear the animal sounds), "Pishures" (pictures) - a phonics book with flip up tabs, "Dowah" (Dorah's Egg Hunt). 

Bed time is still around 7:30 and you have a new cute habit of tucking in the guys (mono, hippo, George, Elmo, and monkey) before we tuck you in. You look so sweet in your crib with all your favorite friends. 

the "guys" all tucked in

You are extremely opinionated on your clothes! Particularly the socks you wear (which almost NEVER match your clothes - it's hard for me to let that be but I try for the sake of your learning to make decisions). But your favorite accessory is  "Geem Hat" (green hat). It is your new pride and joy. You ask for it first thing in the morning and even asked to sleep in it before. Your affection for geem hat is paralleled only by your love of your cow watch. A cheap little watch that you got in your chik fil a kids meal - you won't let it go!

You LOVE mommy's iPhone and pretty much think it's yours. When you come downstairs in the mornings you very often immediately ask for your favorite apps - Counting Bear, Elmo calls, George, Dinosaur Train, Elmo. Sometimes you list them all off in ones great big breath without stopping!

It's been a joy and a blessing to spend some extra time with you these weeks as I've been on maternity leave from my paying job. The non-paying job of being your mommy is exhausting but exhilarating. You make every day joyful if nothing else. Whether it's signing silly songs together, playing your favorite games, or rough-housing around to expel some of that endless energy, you light up our world kiddo. I can't believe you're only two months away from being two years old. Mommy and Daddy love you, bud.

Mommy's helper

in Daddy's shoes

first time to paint with water colors!