16 Months Update

Jack is super busy these days and turning into such a big boy! Sometime back in the fall or winter, a few of you talked about how active your children were and just trying to change their diaper or get them in their car seat was a big ordeal. I felt so lucky that Jack was so laid back and didn't fight me on these simple tasks. Fast forward a few months and holy moly!! He is so active and it's getting a lot harder to distract him. He started walking on March 25 and on April 17 he learned how to stand back up without help. From that day on, crawling became a pasttime and he's getting much better and faster at walking. It used to be that when I offered him my hand while walking, he wouldn't even hesitate. Now he ignores the offer! If he does accept, it's only for a few seconds before he realizes his mistake. And carrying him? Oh no! He wriggles in my arms and fights to get in the car seat. Once buckled in, though, he is completely fine!

He loves being outside and he loves looking out the front door. Sometimes he bangs on the door, wanting to go out. If he's playing outside when I pick him up from daycare, that's when he fights me on getting in the car. He'd rather stay and play outside, and who wouldn't?! It does make me a little sad though!

As challenging as this stage is, it is also super fun and amazing. Jack is learning so much and so fast. Every single day he does or says something that makes me so proud of him. He still watches his signing DVD's and I know he knows way more signs than he lets on. Last week we were standing in line at the grocery store and he said, "bah" while doing the sign for ball. I looked around and saw that he was looking at a big crate of balls. So not only does he know the sign for ball, but he's trying to say ball as well! Yay!

Here are some other things Jack is saying/doing:
*Brushes his hair and mine :)
*Loves brushing his teeth (see picture)
*Blows kisses!
*Tries to put his socks on (and other articles of clothing) but hasn't quite figured it out yet
*Tries his hardest to buckle the straps in his car seat, stroller, and high chair. He even says "Buh" as soon as he sees it (for buckle).
*Knows the sign for: bird, cat, more, thank you, grandpa, milk, water, ball, dog, car, food, and hot.
*Says "baw" (ball), "buh" (balloon), "duh" (duck), "daw" (dog), and "caw" (car)
*Says "me" for meow when he sees the cats!
*Tries to say bye-bye, baby, mama, belly button, and tons of other things I have yet to understand!
*Makes vroom-vroom noises whenever he sees any kind of vehicle
* Loves trucks, tractors, motorcycles- anything that moves really
*Can now climb the stairs (while I spot him)

Speaking of climbing, he is now being more adventurous and climbing on whatever he can in order to reach all sorts of fun things. I baby proofed but no one ever told me about toddler proofing!

Jack also took his first bath in the big tub on April 21. He absolutely loves it! He moves all over the tub splashing, playing with his toys, and knocking down all the bottles.

He's growing up right before my eyes! Another big step in our lives- I nursed him for the very last time on Saturday April 16. Sunday I put him to bed without breastfeeding him for the first time in 16 months. It wasn't easy, but definitely better that I expected. I'll elaborate in a separate post, but I will say that it felt like the right time and I think the longer I waited, the harder it would have been. I don't have any regrets!

Now that Jack is walking, he loves pushing and carrying things. At a friend's house, he was obsessed with a toy lawn mower and pushed it around the whole day. He has a set of golf clubs that he loves walking around with at home. He also pushes (drags!) his whale around.

Jack really amazes me every single day and even when he's mad or upset, he makes me laugh! It's really hard for me to get frustrated with him because he is so cute! I love watching him figure things out and learn something new. Being a mom is so awesome!!