Jack here, everybody.  Happy Halloween to all our friends!  The students at Mommy’s work hosted a family-friendly trick-or-treat at their dorms, so we all got dressed up to attend.  I was a police officer obsessed with traffic safety, writing daddy lots of tickets for “going too fast” and yelling orders into my “talkie walkie.”  Leenie was an unamused panda bear.  I was a little hesitant at first about walking up to strangers to ask them for candy, but once I saw my options included Kit Kats and lollipops, I got into the swing of it and hit about six doors.

Beeeeep!

“Hi!”  That’s my new favorite word, and I love to launch it at unsuspecting passers by.  If they don’t respond to my satisfaction I’ll usually just keep trying at increasing volume (“hi, hi, hi … HI!”)  I’ve also added seven new words this month, including: bye-bye, ball (“bow”), Mama, Dada, Papa, YiaYia, and an attempt at Jack (“ach!”).

In other non-verbal communication developments, I’ve become an avid pointer over the past month, and I’ve also decided that my favorite thing in the world is to shake my head “no” very vigorously when asked to do something I don’t want to do.

Although I’m still not walking, I don’t let that slow me down.  I’ve developed a ridiculous looking “crabby-crawl” that helps me get places quickly while still carrying something in my hands.  It consists of squatting, thrusting one leg forward, and then dragging the rest of me towards the lead leg.  Daddy thinks this makes me look like Quasimodo or Igor, but I don’t mind if I look silly … it gets me where I’m going!  I’m also really loving cruising around the room with my push toys.

Current likes: Stacking toys, especially the matryoshka dolls

Current dislikes: Diaper changes … I’ve developed both a bad diaper rash and a flair for the dramatic, so there’s lots of screaming when it’s time for a change

Happy October, everybody!  As you can see, I’m enjoying reading a lot these days (Mimi ordered me some kids magazines, which I love), and I’ve picked up a lot of new vocabulary words as a result.  For example, we’ve been talking a lot about the changing weather at school, and I can tell you that the trees that don’t drop their leaves are called “evergreen.”  I can also tell you that “a couple means two,” that “fog is a cloud that’s close to the ground,” and that “fragile is something that can break.”  I take a lot of pride in knowing what words mean, and I love to share my newfound definitions with people whenever I recognize a word.

I’ve been a little more adventuresome in my eating, too, and I’ve broadened my steady diet of carbohydrates and dairy products to include a few other Jack-approved foods.  Mommy is particularly excited about the fact that I like green beans (dipped in ketchup, of course).  I’ve also developed a love of chicken soup, especially the broth, which I call “chicken breath.”

Current likes: Thomas the train

Current dislikes: Hearing my name and realizing I’m being talked about

Our whole family headed out to Locust Grove Fruit Farms in Milton, NY to do some apple and pumpkin picking.  It was a great day!  Not only did we get some delicious apples, but the owners let us help them press some fresh cider and we got to drink it straight from the spigot – delicious!