Week 82

Sept 29-Oct 5

It is finally October! I LOVE LOVE LOVE this month! To me it represents the height of the changing of the seasons...

leaves change (if you live anywhere but FL)

everything pumpkin (coffee, cakes, pies, muffins, yum!!)

halloween

Oh yes! How we love October! Ed just couldn't help himself so he started decorating the inside of the house one day while I was at work. We have pumpkins galore! We kind of go a little overboard, but I don't care because it makes us so happy to look at all of the pumpkins, ghosts, bats, etc. Ed even goes as far as changing the lights in our living room plants to orange lights. :) I love it!

One night when I had off work he and I tackled the outside while enjoying a seasonal beer! This picture doesn't do it justice because there are orange/black/purple lights in the bushes that you can't see. We have spiderwebs, a graveyard, pumpkins, and a big black spider that lights up! We were pretty proud of our hard work!

Jack had his 18 month well baby check up! Here is the cutest picture of him waiting to see the doctor. He brought along his doctor kit and here he is with his stethoscope. I got him this doctor kit awhile back and I am proud to say he knows how to use all the tools appropriately. He puts the tympanic thermometer in your ear and goes "beeeep". :) He will put the stethoscope up to his chest and go "boom, boom, boom" like a heartbeat...then he will take deep breaths. So cute! He loves giving people shots because we will scream "Owwww!" loudly and he thinks it is hilarious.

So updates...Jack weighed in at 29.5 lbs and was 35 inches tall! 75th percentile for weight and 95th percentile for height! I think we have a tall boy on our hands! He checks in perfectly for his growth and development. It was funny because Dr Mateos was examining him and he was being quiet at first because he is "shy" with everyone for about the first 2 minutes. She asked me, "so is Jack saying any words?" Hahahaha! I was like...."um, yeah, he probably can say about 50 words."

At first she seemed skeptical, but at that point Jack had warmed up. She looked at me and said she needed to examine his tummy so Jack ran up to her, pulled up his shirt and showed her his tummy. He loves identifying body parts so he proceeded with his usual act and began pointing and talking, "eye, ears, mouth, nose, hair, teeth..." She just looked at me in amazement. He now knows elbows, knees, and shoulders...I wish I had thought about teaching him those before the appointment, she would have been blown out of the water. Oh well. We finished up the appointment and Jack was his usual charming self. She said that he is exceptionally intelligent and way ahead of most kids his age. Of course I was very proud!

So to wrap up the 18 month milestones...Jack now talks appropriate words and has started to put words together. The other morning he woke up and when I was changing his diaper he looked around and asked, "Where's Hope?" I was flabbergasted! When you say, "I love you" he used to say..."hahoo," which was VERY cute...but now he answers with, "Love you too!" He is taking one afternoon nap anywhere from 1.5-2.5 hours. He eats EVERYTHING but his favorite food is waffles. Many mornings he will go in the cabinet and pull out the toaster...then follow me around carrying the toaster going, "waffle, waffle, waffle."

He loves to help with everything including unloading the dishwasher, turning off lights, picking up toys, etc. Every day he helps me water the flowers and get the mail. He is still very happy all the time. He wakes up from sleep usually laughing and talking in his crib. When you go to get him he always gives you and excited, "hiiii!!" as soon as you open his door. Sometimes he says, "hey baby!" Cracks me up!

He definitely enjoys playing with other kids. His best friends include the twins down the street, Charlotte and Vincent, and also Kaitlyn next door. He still loves the jogging stroller. He will chill in that thing for hours if you are running or walking. He likes the park. He likes playing outside and exploring.

Jack recently got two new babysitters...Kate and Stephanie! They are both awesome! He loves when they come over to watch him!

Most of the pictures from this posting were taken by Ed while I was away at work. He and Jack love to build forts! :)