Random Jack Stories and Pictures

Jack is becoming more of a little boy and less of a baby each day. I wanted to share some recent stories and pictures to show you what I mean. Liz and Craig borrowed some of our baby stuff for Maddie and they just returned the bouncer last week. Of course, Jack didn't remember it, but it didn't take him long to figure it out. This is how we found him quite often last week until we finally put it in storage. Sorry the picture is so blurry, but my batteries were going dead. I can't believe he was ever small enough to fit into it.

Travis was working on hanging some airplanes in Jack's new big boy room. We're not moving him into it for awhile, but Mom and Dad got him new big boy furniture, so we have it set up and we're slowly working on the room. Jack is moving into the guest room, or MiMi's room as he calls it, because it's bigger than his nursery. Anyways, Travis was hammering away and Jack took off into the other room. He came back with his toy hammer, climbed onto the bed, and started hammering away on the wall. The next day, I was putting the battery back into his tractor using a screwdriver. He took the screwdriver away and started working on his smaller tractor. See the picture below.

He's learning to use his manners to his advantage. For example, in the mornings he's been throwing his blanket out of his bed, but then he quickly demands it back. When I tell him he shouldn't have thrown it if he wanted it, he gets this real sweet voice and says "Pease" and of course, I quickly hand it back.

Today I took him to the mall to play in the play area. We hadn't left the house since Saturday, so it was much needed for both of us. I saw a little girl approach him and pat his cheeks in a playful way. He came back running to me and said "Mama, cheek, cheek, cheek!" pulling on his own cheeks. He also introduced me to everyone in the place. If anyone made eye contact with him, he quickly ran back to me, grabbed my leg, looked back at them, patted on me and said "Mama".

He steals my heart daily. He has started patting my back when he hugs me and lays his little head on my shoulder. That and the pleases get me right where he wants me. Now it's not all good around our house these days. I think we've started the terrible two's and Travis and I truly don't know how to handle them. Jack is so much like Travis in that he's laid back and everything is a joke to him. We've spanked and we've tried time-out, but he just laughs it all off. Fortunately, he's only bad for us. Ms. Alesia, his teacher who is now keeping him some outside of school, was amazed to see him throw a fit for me.

Now I say he's like Travis, but here lately so much of me has come out in him. We wash his hands before every meal and roll his sleeves up to do so. If we forget to pull them back down, he quickly reminds us by throwing an absolute fit, saying "Seeves! Seeves!" and tugging at them. When it was warm last week and he was wearing short sleeves, it took forever to explain to him that his sleeves were down and finally I just rolled mine up and that seemed to satisfy him. He wants everything just so just like his mama. Ms. Alesia told me they've even noticed how he wants everything in its place at school. One day last week we were walking into the house and he spotted some dirt on the floor. He said "Uh oh!" and quickly bent down to wipe it away. Another day he tracked in grass and yelled "Mama, uh oh!" wiping at it. He was relieved when I swept it up. Today at Hallmark in the mall, a lady pulled one of those dancing characters off the shelf to show him. When we finished watching it and were about to walk out, he picked it up and put it back on the shelf. He's also starting to help us pick up around the house, which is nice, but Travis complains that it takes twice as long with Jack helping.

We pray each night before reading our books before bed. One night last week, he clasped his hands together and said "pray". Now anytime we read a book, he does the same thing. Again, I melt.