Jack is an amazing little boy.  I’m shocked by how quickly he is maturing in so many ways!  Some of it is frustrating but it can be hilarious at the same time.  A few days ago he started using the words but and um.  Our conversations went something like this:

Jack, would you like some cheese?
But no.
Really?  Aren’t you hungry?  Maybe yogurt or raisins?
But no.
Well, why are you awake in the middle of the night if you’re not hungry?
Um, no.

I think you get the idea…

The boy is obsessed with doing things that adults around him are doing.  If I am wearing a coat, he has to wear one.  Same with shoes.  This can be annoying when he doesn’t want to wear a coat or shoes because then no one else is allowed to wear them, either.  He is clearly trying to figure out rules and order in the world around him.  It’s funny when it’s not aggravating.  It comes in handy when he wants to help with household chores.  I don’t like it so much when he gets bossy,  “Mama, you take your shoes off!”

Recent interests include planes, trains, dinosaurs, The Muppet Movie (mainly rainbows and Fozzie Bear), tools, balls, and Wii (“Look Mama, I’m playing tennis!” as he swings his dino to and fro).  He also loves to wear my shoes and carry my purse.  He is not quite as enthusiastic about monsters or pirates as he was a few months ago but they are still in the top 10.  He loves his stuffed animals and usually carries one everywhere we go (especially Big Mouse and his bunny).  He is fantastic at pretend play, acting out various scenarios with his toys and stuffed animals.

He hates shoes.  He loves his sandals, which are clearly not appropriate for this time of year, and he will consent to wearing his replacement red/brown shoes for limited periods of time before screaming to get them off.  I bought a couple other pairs of shoes and try to let him choose which shoes he wears but he is so not into it.  We have 4 pairs of See Kai Run (including the sandals), some Converse, and a pair I bought at Kohls and he will only wear the sandals and the red/brown shoes!  Is this an age thing???  I’ve been relying a lot on reverse psychology.  “Jack, we can’t go outside unless you have your shoes on.  So you stay here and I’ll see you later.  Bye bye.”  He generally straightens up and demands his shoes at that point.  I usually only pull this when he is going to have to walk.  Mostly I could care less whether he wears shoes or not, but he’s not going to be walking around our apartment complex barefoot.

Jack is neat and quite concerned about order.  He puts away his shoes when he takes them off (even when I am not paying any attention to it), asks for wipes to clean his hands when they have stray bits of food on them, pulls his “sleeping blanket” up to his neck in bed, and gets really upset if daily routines are disturbed.  When we get home from daycare, we take our coats off, then our shoes, then we sit on the couch and have milk.  When coats go on they must be buttoned or zipped, and thumbs have to make it into the designated compartment of the mitten.

After 2.5 years, Jack has finally decided that our cat Wicket is his friend.  This means that he doesn’t climb on top of him quite as often – sometimes he will sling his arm over Wicket’s back and say “He’s my friend.”  Wicket still hasn’t learned to stay away from Jack, though.  It would be a lot easier to protect him if he didn’t go running right back to Jack after we extract him from a wrestling match.

And diapers…Jack is clearly aware of what is going on in there but still refuses to consider the potty.  A couple of weekends he asked me, “Do you want a new diaper?” because he had pooped (he often asks me questions that he wants me to ask him).  When I ask him if he has peed or if he needs a new diaper, though, he replies, “No, I don’t want a new diaper.  It’s all better now.”  So I’m keeping it low pressure but talking up what big boys do and reading books on the subject.  Jack sees what goes in the toilet and likes to tear pieces of tissue off the roll to throw into the bowl.  He stands in front of his own little potty and pretends to pee.  He obviously has the right idea but is not taking the initiative.  I’m not concerned about it, though.

He is still a chatty little guy.  He will sit in his carseat on road trips and have conversations with his toys.  Sometimes he repeats things he has heard: “You don’t push your friends.” and “You sit down right here for time out.”  and “Fucking cats!” which was a mistake on my part when Wicket and Blue tripped me with their fighting underfoot.  Ever since a truck stopped for no reason on the highway, he has been repeating, “Stupid truck blocking traffic!”  Hilarious.

I’m having tons of fun with Jack.  I’m so lucky to know and nurture this kid!  He is growing into the happy, confident, creative little boy that I saw glimpses of when he was a baby.