First, I just have to say YAY for all the molars coming in!  Poor buddy got all 4 of them within a month and was understandably not happy about it.  The last one broke through on August 13.  He was such a trooper though.  There were many, many fussy days but I think he only woke up once at night throughout this whole process.  Hopefully the incisors don't give him as much trouble as the molars did.  His 15 month appointment is scheduled with Elise's preschool physical at the end of the month, so I'll update with official stats at that point.

Stats:  Approximately 22 lbs and 31.5 inches.  He wears 12-18 and 18-24 month clothes (can only get away with the bigger sizes because of short sleeves and shorts, the 12-18 month pants for fall still have to be rolled up).  He wears size 5-5.5M shoe and has 12 teeth.

Sleeping:  Still continues to be a great sleeper.  Goes to bed around 7 and wakes around 7, and is content to play in his crib upon waking.  Naps from 12:30-3ish.  Sometimes he goes down easily and other times he cries for a minute or so... this seemed to coincide with the fussiest teething days as he has been fine since the fourth molar popped through.

Eating:  Jack definitely had more picky moments at the table this month, but I think the cause was either teething or eating a meal too close to sleeping time. For breakfast he usually has a few of the following:  scrambled eggs, yogurt, part of a waffle or bagel, fruit, dry cereal, etc.  For lunch and dinner his favorites are most meat (turkey, grilled chicken or steak, and shredded meat like roast or carnitas), cheese, beans, fruit, sweet potatoes, "adult food" or anything that looks like it comes from our plates.  This kid used to refuse fruit on his tray but he will now eat just about all of it, including kiwi, watermelon, peaches, blueberries, bananas, strawberries, etc.  He usually gives his green vegetables to Boss, though he did eat several stalks of asparagus earlier this week.  He still likes purees from the Sili Squeeze, so that's how he gets spinach, broccoli, peas, etc.  He drinks mostly water and some milk.  I'm trying to be careful with the milk quantity due to Elise's milk sensitivity.  They have maybe a cup of milk 4-5 times a week.  He's still nursing 2-3 times a day but I think we'll be done with that sometime this month.


Learning:  Jack understands SO MUCH.  Of course, he doesn't always obey instructions, but it's amazing how much he picks up on.  He finally resumed talking and signing again around the end of July.  He uses "please" and "more" all the time and also says these words:  Mama, Dada, Nana (banana), ball, bah ball (basketball), dog/doggie, uh oh, tee (a request to brush teeth), keys, eat, chee-o (Cheerio).  He doesn't say "no" but he does shake his head for "no", which is pretty funny because the hair swishes back and forth.  He's picked up a few more words since he turned 15 months last weekend, so I'll save those for another post.  It seems like he starts saying a new word every other day and also has started mimicking some words when we say them.    

Playing:  Jack is still a very busy little boy.  He is ALL over the place.  He isn't quite running yet, but he does have the cutest little power walk.  He loves to climb up the stairs but hasn't figured out how to get down yet.  When we are out, he does great in the stroller but if you try to carry him in your arms, he just squirms and wants to get down and walk everywhere.  He loves to go to the park and anywhere else that he can just explore.  He is very interested in the animals at the zoo and the aquarium.

His favorite toy BY FAR is the Little Tikes basketball hoop and bucket of balls that we bought with birthday gift cards.  If I say something like, "Do you want to play with Daddy?" or "Do you want to play in the playroom?" he immediately says "bah ball?".  It's pretty cute.  We had to stop taking balls as a toy in the car because inevitably I'd end up chasing one down the driveway, parking lot, or street when he decided to throw it.  He loves to play catch and to make baskets.  He isn't very interested in the Fisher Price Learning Home, which was Elise's favorite toy at this age, but Mike pointed out that it isn't the biggest toy in the house any more.  The basketball hoop, play kitchen, play house, and Cozy Coupe are much more interesting to him.  He also likes to play with a bucket of duplos, but that quickly turns into a huge mess.


Interaction with Big Sister:  I will be the first to say that having 2 kids is a WHOLE different ball game than having just one.  There is no comparison, really.  It is hard... harder than I expected and definitely more difficult than the transition from 0-1.  Having Elise by myself for 12 months while Mike was deployed was easy 98% of the time.  Honestly, I never thought that being a mommy was hard until we hit a rough patch around Elise's 2nd birthday.  These days, with a toddler and a preschooler, I am exhausted at the end of every day, even on the really great days!  I really love getting one on one time with each child.  However, I would be so sad if E and J were only children.  They have so much fun together.  Don't get me wrong... there are certainly times when he continually pulls her hair or she "helps" him when he doesn't want it, and there are times when they are both screaming or crying about something while I'm trying to cook or do something else essential, but for the most part, they have a blast just running around and laughing and playing together.  Jack is much more content to play away from Mommy if Elise is there.  When Elise wakes up in the morning, the first person she wants to find is Jack.  I am so happy for them that they have each other.


Random things: One of the funniest things about Jack is that he absolutely loves to brush his teeth.  We probably brush teeth at least 5x a day, with or without toothpaste.  As soon as he crawls up the stairs for something (usually a diaper change), he immediately walks to the bathroom and says "tee" over and over again until we give him his toothbrush.

We've gotten to swim with some friends this month and Jack loves the water.  He thinks it his hilarious to dunk his face in the water and will repeatedly do it and just laugh and laugh and laugh.  He also thinks he can swim and constantly tries to squirm away if we're holding him.  He does love the baby float though.

Another thing I love about Jack at this age is that he is so affectionate!  He loves to give hugs and kisses and loves to lay his little head on my shoulder when I pick him up.  He also loves to walk up and hug my legs.  He'll even let me rock him for a few minutes before I put him in his crib.  He is definitely a little mama's boy and does not like for us to be separated, even by just a baby gate.  We love this little boy and can't wait to watch him grow up, as long as he doesn't do it too fast. :)