Get your pen

Mark down this day. Well, yesterday, really since I'm blogging at 5AM which is a whole different post. Anyway, JACK SAID MAMA!

Here's what happened. I needed, you know, five whole minutes to finish something before I put him down for a nap. I've found there are times when you can buy a little extra time from toddlers, but pre-nap was a tall order. So I gave him one of his favorite things - my (empty) water cup. Yesterday, that happened to be a Turvis Tumbler from Katie and Brian (hi Katie & Brian!) with a picture of Matt, Sabra, and me. I said, "Who's on that cup?" He said, "Mama!" (If this was a ploy to get me to stop finishing that email , boy did it work!) I got a little teary eyed and say, "Did you say mama?"
Him: Papa
Me: Say maaa-maaa
Him: Papa
Me: Maaaaaaaa-maaaaaaa
Him: Katie (hi Katie C!)

And that's how we roll. It's pretty perfectly Jack. Sweet and a little too smart for his own good. Stinker!

Incidentally, he said it several more times throughout the evening and Matt heard it too.

Doesn't matter

I don't care how long your day was or what kind of work drama happened. If you're doing this within 10 minutes of walking in the door, you had a great day.

Not just any cookies

We had a wonderful Christmas and Jack received so many lovely gifts from friends and family. All three of us were excited to receive a basket of goodies from Rouxbrix. What is Rouxbrix, you ask? Go to www.rouxbrix.com and see if you recognize anyone.

Anyway, today seemed like the perfect day to break into the Rouxbrix Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix. A few wet ingredients and some stirring and - ta da! - happy toddler (and parents)!

Thanks to Mama Kate & The Don for making our house smell so yummy this morning!

Phone!

The following items can be used in place of a phone: remote controls, booklets, car keys, garlic presses, drink lids. A container of dental floss may also be used ONLY when the lis is opened first (although not pictured below).

NOTE: To be effective, you must loudly say, "Phone!" while holding the object up to your ear.

Happy New Year

With 2012 behind us, we look forward to a new year of daily changes and growth for Jack. Jack turned 17 months old on New Year's Eve so we took another little inventory so we won't forget what he's up to these quickly-changing days.

At 17 months, Jack:
*uses a fork and spoon
*brushes his own teeth and hair (usually with the correct brush, too)
*sings along to his music class songs - all the time
*dances
*can turn on the tv by remote or directly on the screen (not our favorite)
*names the animals/characters in his favorite books
*still eats pretty much anything we give him (pickles are the only fully rejected good so far)
*sleeps in past 7AM routinely (!)
*colors with crayons and markers
*stacks blocks
*has meltdowns occasionally which are mercifully short-lived
*asks to watch his favorite movies, go for wagon rides, and play the piano (not at the same time)
*slides down slides
*digs with his hands or a shovel
*pats the dog gently
*takes off his own shoes and says "ahhh"

He says a shocking number of words and the list grows by the day. As of today, he says these words routinely and without prompting:
Eggs
Toast
Cheese
Ham
Potato - "tato"
Pancakes
Apple
Banana - "nana"
Water - still "dada"
Green beans
Chick peas
Cookie
Cheerios
Orange
Grape
Chicken
Broccoli
Pasta
Snacks
Eyes
Ears
Nose
Teeth
Hair
Dog
Kitty
Penguin - "pey pey"
Hippo
Giraffe
Turtle
Fish
Tiger
Birdie
Tree
Bear
Bunny
Bug
Caterpillar - "pitar"
Octopus - "pus"
Elephant
Duckie
Alligator
Truck
Train
Bus
Tractor
Lights
Book
Door
Fork
Spoon
Two
Three
Four
Phone
Bubble
Wagon
Ball
Keys
Papa
Katie
Baby
Please
Diaper
Shoes
Sock
Rollover
Bye bye
See you later
Hi
Move it
Clean up
Yes

He also makes noises that we're not sure count as words. So that list is:
*honk
*beep
*roar
*truck noises (diesel truck noises like his papa taught him)
*choo choo
*oo oo ah ah (monkey noises)
*uh oh
*buzzzzz

2012 was a fantastic year for Jack and we can't wait to see what 2013 brings. Happy New Year to you all!