Jack is 23 months and we can't believe how fast time has gone! This month we actually did very little traveling which was nice....it gave us a lot of time to just spend time together at home and sit by the fire, get the baby's room ready, and just play!
We can't believe that our second baby is due in less than a month. We are so excited, but also a little nervous with how Jack will adjust to it. He's just starting to come into his 2's!
On the way to daycare, we still drive around for a few minutes to look at garbage trucks and Christmas lights! When I tell him, "Jack look at those pretty Christmas lights!", sometimes he will say, "No!" He's just like me in the morning...needs a couple hours to adjust to the day. He loves getting to daycare. He says, "Hi!" right when we get there and take his coat off. He gives me a hug and a kiss and runs away. I love it! When I pick him up, he runs to me so fast laughing the whole way. He then hugs me and runs back to play and show off all of his friends and toys at daycare. Once I get him to put his coat on ("by myself"....we lay it on the ground on its back and backwards, he then puts his arms through and flips it over his head....he thinks he is a stud when he does this!), he will say, "Bye bye Bobby, Bye Bye Vickie about 10 times on repeat!" He loves his friends Bennie and TJ and Gabe, and the puppy Gordy. This morning he walked into daycare wearing his Batman shirt and he went right to the dog Gordy to point out and say, "Gordy, Batman!!" I also sing the Batman theme song to him sometimes so he can fill in the end with, 'Batman' or 'Jackman'. Today when I sang it, he said, "Superman!"
Favorite things to do: Thomas, books, animal DVD's: Baby Einstein, Barney at the Zoo, etc. (he will giggle and laugh so much while watching this, and say "Funny Funny". He also will say each animals name as he sees it: hippo, horsie, pig, kitty, doggie, puppy, birdie, feesh, duck (he will argue with you that most things with wings are ducks...not geese or flamingoes, ducks!), playing outside, playing downstairs, pong pong (ping pong), playing "Get chu" (chase). Jack loves to go downstairs and play. Since I have little energy, Justin has been so great playing with Jack. Jack is very bossy and insists that Justin stands during play time. He will yell, "Play, Play, Play"! and "Stand!" We are trying to work on his bossiness...His favorite thing to do with Daddy in the basement is to play chase. He will scream "Get chu, Get chu" and run away from him. He also loves playing "Pong Pong." He will use a tennis racket, or ping pong paddle to smack the ping pong ball to the ceiling. He loves this and it entertains him for a long time! This is where he requires Justin to stand...apparently he doesn't like how he pitches it from a sitting position.
He loves playing Get Chu. When I ask him what he's going to say to Daddy when Daddy gets home from work, he says, "Get Chu!"
"What doin'?" Jack loves asking this question. The other day, Laura was in riding in the front seat, and Jack kept saying, "What doin' Woa?" "Woa, what doin'?" She would tell him that she was sitting in the car. He would keep asking. Or if I'm driving him home from daycare he does the same thing. He also will do this right after he asks for water or something else. He'll say, "Watt-oh, watt-oh..." So I will get his sippy and start filling it up. "What doin' Momma?" I will tell him, "Jack, I'm filling up your water!" "Oh. What doin'?" So funny.
"Thank you." Jack loves to say thank you for anything. Vickie at daycare told me that he even says thank you after she changes his diaper. He gets lots of compliments from us when he's polite, so maybe that's helping! Even though he kicks and screams for us sometimes before a diaper change. After daycare, we get the mail. I usually find something in there for him to hold. He will say, "Thank you!"
"Down the hill." We aren't sure where he got this one, but as we drive down the hill of our hilly street, he will keep saying this. When we start to go up, he says, "Up the hill!"
"Oh." or "K." He ends everything with this.
Daddy's mimic. Jack mimics whatever Justin does. If he crosses his legs while standing, Jack will. If Daddy takes a drink of his water, Jack takes a drink. Now Jack even goes, "Ah" after he swallows because Justin does. One day Justin was leaning up against the fridge, with one arm, and Jack went over and did the same thing against the cupboard...feet crossed, one arm leaning him up against the cabinets. This boy LOVES his daddy!!
Singing: Lately Jack has loved to sing with us. He started by singing Silent Night with Daddy at night when they are reading the book. He also sang Happy Birthday for us last night in the sweetest voice. He sang Happy Birthday dear Jesus! They must sing this at daycare. Before we eat, we try to pray and he will say, "Father, Son, Ho-wee Speet, Amen!" while doing the Sign of the Cross before we start Bless us Oh Lord (he will chime in throughout this part as well.) At the end of the prayer now instead of throwing his hands in the air and screaming Amen and saying, "Yay!", he now just says, "Amen" with his hands folded.
In the morning, Justin gets Jack ready for the day and right when he turns off the fan, Jack wakes up so happy and keeps begging for Superman. He has one Superman shirt, and is obsessed with it. Justin usually promises he can wear it on Friday!
"Bonk ya head": this is one of Jack's favorite terms. He says this when anyone gets hurt, is crying, or when he bonks something!
"Lub you Mommy. Lub you Daddy." He will repeat anything we say, so now instead of screaming, "No!" after I say that I love him, he will say this back.
This kid likes to be on the move. He can't hold his attention for much more than 15 minutes on any one thing. He likes to go bye bye at least once a day. He loves going to the store and even for a ride. He likes to Skype with his grandparents and aunt and uncle too. He gets SO excited to see their faces on the screen. We are going to have one spoiled little boy at Christmas and his 2nd birthday this year since they are so close! He is a lucky kid!
Funny story: Jack likes the tree but leaves it alone pretty well. He has only tried to convince us to let him open a gift twice. But listens when we tell him no. He always waits for the countdown, "3,2,1,".........then he will stop or walk away. The other day Jack was flipping around one of Justin's favorite ornaments from when he was little. It's a reindeer with wobbly legs. It was hanging so it faced sideways and Jack kept flipping it over and over saying, "Looook at me, Loooook at me!!" He was so mad that it was not looking at him facing forward! Justin also uses this term when he's trying to talk to him about being patient or nice too....so maybe that's where he got it?!
Jack is convinced he's having a baby seestah.......everytime we ask him, even if we switch the order of sister or brother, he always says seestah. He sleeps downstairs now and loves it. Doesn't miss his old room that will be the baby's at all. When I ask him who he is, he replies, "Baby Jack" as he points to himself. I think he's starting to get nervous about the baby thing so we'll keep playing up the big boy part, but he'll always be our Baby Jack!
What a great month it has been! We love you Baby Jack!
Watt-o shooce!
Boots!!
This is a look that I'm sure I'll continue to get from this kid! While he does think I'm funny, he also thinks I'm kind of weird!
Indianola's Holiday Celebration...we saw reindeer, and Christmas lights, and saw a train and horses pulling a carriage!
Loves helping Daddy get wood for a fire!
Uncle!!!
He loves his Godparents: Aunt Woa and Uncle or Mike or Uncle Mike
4 generations of Staebells
So amazing to see my 92 year old Grandpa play catch with my son! He was born May 19, 1919 and Jack was born in 2010! Almost a century!
My family: Laura, Mike, Jack, Dad, Mike, Me, Justin, and Grandpa Mike! Lots of Mikes!
Opening presents at Thanksmas! There are now 18 great grandchildren, and 4 more on the way!
4 G4's (generation 4's) on the way! One just born!
"Justin, Justin, go Simmin!!!!" We went to a hotel for our friends' wedding and this is what he woke up screaming to Justin! He loved swimming with Grandma too!
