Jack has decided, probably with a LOT of help from Mommy and Daddy, that the world revolves around him. Though he will play by himself happily on occasion, he REALLY prefers it when someone is watching him. He likes it even more when you are amazed at what he is doing. Even if you have seen him do it 100 times. In fact, sometimes, he will whine until someone watches him. Finally, when you turn to recognize him, he flashes this big grin and makes you laugh, thus encouraging his behavior.
He also has decided that he doesn't really want to be out of the line of sight of Mommy or Daddy. The other day, after having played with him and spent a great deal of quality time with him, I tried to put him in his Exersaucer so I could have the two free arms needed to get something in the kitchen. Now, the kitchen is open to the family room, where the Exersaucer is. That still didn't stop him from screaming and pivoting around in his seat trying to find me. He then whined until I came back. It's hard to find the line between, "am I spoiling him" and "does he need me" (and it's also pretty fun to be so needed and loved so much). Plus, he's just so darn cute! He's really irresistible. Kryptonite to my "I am going to stand firm and teach him to do what I want him to do" strategy.
He is also looking more for hugs, turning to us to hug us while taking a break from playing with his toys. He also looks for reassurances. While reading his nightly story (which by the way, he has no attention span for. I read two stories a night. The first rarely gets finished as he squirms trying to get out of my arms. The second is ALWAYS "Cornelius P. Mud, Are You Ready for Bed? which makes him grin like a Jack-O-Lantern EVERY time!), he looks from the pages to my face as if to say, "do you SEE this, Mommy?" It's like he wants to make sure we share experiences with him.
He is also trying to communicate more. Mostly, he just screams because he likes to test his voice and it gets a reaction from whoever is around him whenever. So he finds it amusing. He also yells while smacking his mouth to make a funny sound. He loves to blow bubbles and occasionally says, "ba ba ba". I keep trying to get him to say "Mama". He laughs and smiles when I say it and really listens. He will have a mini conversation with you, trying to repeat what you say. However, he has yet to master the sounds!
In other Jack behavior news, he has increased his activity 100 fold! He is the wiggly-est child I have ever seen. He wants to stand, walk by holding onto your hands, turn around and walk back, try to crawl, etc. He is constantly in motion. When I change him, he keeps trying to flip over to his tummy, making for very long and difficult diaper changes. He also tries to flip over to his tummy in the bathtub, which makes it even tougher because I don't want him to waterboard himself and also because he is really slippery! He is not yet crawling, though he is scooting backwards and can turn in a circle. He can't push himself up to sitting yet either but I think that his arms aren't strong enough yet. His legs definitely are but I think that he can't fully push his upper body up. He's just too stocky! My mom's co-worker's son is one week younger than Jack and can do all of this. At first I was bummed, but then I saw how skinny and little this kid was in comparison to my Bruiser! It will all come in good time and it sure is fun to watch!
Going back to school is going to be really difficult. I love being able to spend so much time with him and see all of his progress. Every day there is something new and I worry that I will miss out on things. I am also sad that I will go from being with him all day to only seeing him for about 4 hours when he is awake, as he goes to bed at 8 and I will be out the door before he is awake in the mornings. I am really going to miss it but I guess I have to be thankful that I have a job that allows me to be home early and gives me summers and lots of other vacation time off. Hopefully the pictures of my smiling boy on my desk will at least get me through the school day until I get to grab him and cover him with kisses when I get home!
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