Happy holidays, everybody!  I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this season, since I’m finally old enough to grasp the whole present situation.  I’ve learned all of the words to Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, Deck the Halls, and the Dreidel Song, and I enjoyed every night of Hanukkah candle lighting.  And although I was patient zero for a vicious stomach virus that took our whole family out over winter vacation, it seems to have impacted me least of all.  I sat up in bed one night, spontaneously vomited gyro meat and chocolate ice cream a few times, and then watched as my family members succumbed one by one to a more acute version of the same illness.  We’re all on the path to a full recovery, but I don’t think Mommy will be ordering gyros any time soon …

I’ve recently discovered a fascination with phonics, and spent most of the past month asking grown ups what letter various words start with.  I’ve got a pretty good ear for sounding things out myself, although I’d rather quiz the big people in my life.  I’m not crazy about taking a guess and being wrong.  I’m also not crazy about losing in general, and Mommy has discovered that a good way to motivate me to do just about anything is to turn it into a race I can win.  This applies to getting dressed in the morning, eating certain foods, etc.  I’m still working on my sportsmanship, however, and I sometimes get unduly upset at the prospect of being “last.”  Mommy frequently explains to me that there’s nothing wrong with being the final car in line at the Starbucks drive-thru (“we’re not last, we’re just next, right, Mom?”).

I have very limited screen time, but I saw my first animated feature over the holiday season: Toy Story.  I loved it, and am now obsessed with all things Woody and Buzz.  I’ve also developed an affinity for Seinfeld, which is sometimes on TV in the background when I come home from school at night.  I’m singularly fascinated by the antics of George and Kramer, and sometimes I’ll race into the kitchen to update Mommy on the plot or to tattle on characters who are behaving poorly (“Elaine called somebody ugly Mommy, and that’s not nice!”).

Current likes: When George and Kramer get angry

Current dislikes: Having people look at me when I’m upset

Eight nights, eight lights!

Sending wishes for health, peace, and prosperity in 2017 – from our family to yours.

A rare moment of peaceful sibling affection

Here’s my portion of the family photo shoot!  As you can see, I’m still full of smiles and energy at fourteen months, and I love talking to people.  I’ve got about thirteen words total (new ones are “bottle (baba),” “up” and “all done!”) and I try to sing songs like “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” and “Goodnight Ladies.”  I also love to cover my face and play peek-a-boo, and give high fives.  I can point to Mommy’s nose when asked, although I haven’t yet made the connection that I, too, have a nose.

I really like being independent these days, and I feel very passionately about guiding my spoon into my own mouth!  Sometimes I’ll refuse food, but if you hand me the utensil and say, “Does Lena want to do it?” I’ll keep eating at my own pace.  I’m also getting very close to walking, and I’m now able to stand up by myself in the middle of the room.  I love nothing more than slipping away from people and then racing up the stairs as quickly as I can.

Current likes: Doing it by myself!

Current dislikes: Giving up my daytime bottles (still not very happy about diaper changes, either!)

Brrr, it’s getting cold out there!  We took a trip up to Syracuse to visit Mimi and Opa for Thanksgiving, and ran right into a blizzard.  Fortunately the family photo shoot we had organized was indoors.

So here I am a three and a half years old!  As you can tell from my grin, I’m a spirited little guy, and I know my own mind.  I love imagining things and playing pretend, although most of my story lines follow a similar and highly predictable narrative arc.  Every story I tell consists of one character getting into trouble, falling down, and yelling “help me!” before being rescued by a different character.  At school they used to be worried and come running whenever I cried out for help, but they’ve realized that it’s usually just me pretending.

Current likes: Being right (“I told you, Mama!”)

Current dislikes: When cool trucks drive by on Lena’s side of the car rather than mine

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!

Happy Birthday to me!  As an official one-year-old I weigh 21 lbs and 12 ounces (70th percentile), I’m 29.5 inches tall (60th percentile), and my head circumference is just barely clinging to the charts with a 19 inch circumference.  I’m a strong and healthy toddler (although I’m not toddling yet), and one of my defining characteristics is my determination.  For having been such a mellow and easy going baby I certainly have developed an iron will, as evidenced whenever someone tries to take something I’m holding away from me.

I currently have eight teeth (four on the top and four on the bottom) and although I’ve had a lot of swelling in my back gums, no molars appear to be imminent.  I’m eating all table foods: yogurt for breakfast; PB&J, cheese, and fruit for lunch; and various things for dinner.  I’m officially switching over to cow’s milk in my bottles, and I still take two 4 oz bottles to school with me each day, although I’m going to work on switching over to drinking my daytime milk from a cup, now that I’m a big girl.

I’m a pretty good sleeper, falling asleep for the night at around 7:30 p.m. and waking for the day around 6:30 or 7:00 a.m.  I should still probably be taking two naps per day, but I’m increasingly resistant to the morning nap, so many days I only wind up taking one mid-day snooze.

I had a pumpkin-themed party to celebrate my first birthday, and I had a great time.  I was a little hesitant about the “smash cake,” because I’ve never had a dessert before.  Once I overcame my suspicions I decided I liked it a lot!  I got to use one of my favorite words, “more,” a lot that day!  I still only have about 2-3 recognizable words (“more,” uh-oh,” and “hi”), but I’m so social and engaged that I’m certain to add more words in short order.  My receptive language is also quite good, and I can follow instructions (when I feel like it!)

Current likes: shaking my head back and forth and “dancing” to music, playing the piano

Current dislikes: having anything I’m holding taken from me

I love birthdays, and I had a lot of fun planning my sister’s upcoming party this month.  I know that she was born in September like Mimi, whereas I was born in May like YiaYia.  In fact, if you name almost any member of my immediate or extended family I can name their birth month.  The things I love about birthdays include cupcakes (I used to be strictly a chocolate man, but I’m in a bit of a vanilla phase at the moment) and presents.  Presents needn’t be large or expensive to hold my interest – in fact, my absolute favorite presents are chapsticks, which I call “chop sticks.”  I hoard them like a little magpie, and I pat down anyone entering the house to see if they have chop sticks in their pocket I can add to my collection.

I have also been in a bit of a saucy phase, and I’m bringing home some interesting new language from my pre-school class.  I now understand the concept of threat-making, although I come up with some very creative and not entirely intimidating threats.  In a moment of anger  I recently yelled at my Mom, “Mama, I’m going to smoosh you into ice cream!” without realizing how delicious that actually sounded.  I also frequently threaten to put people on the roof or to take all the tires off their cars.

Current likes: parties and Pez

Current dislikes: anger management

Is my haircut handsome, Mom?