19 Months

Every month I talk about how Jack's personality continues to shine through. He's such a sweet, funny kid. I loved him as a little baby, but I absolutely adore the little person he's becoming now. It seems as though he truly enjoys seeing other smile--- and will try his hardest to ignite laughter in those around him. For the most part-- like 99.9% of the time-- he is a pure joy. The other 0.01% is just him becoming more of a traditional toddler

Yes, we're on the verge of those stereotypical "terrible twos," and we are experiencing some minor tantrums when things don't go his way. But seriously, even those are funny. We don't give into them-- I actually find it hard not to laugh at them. My favorite is when he flails to the ground with his head laying on the floor as if he world is temporary imploding, only to perk back up and laugh 15 seconds later when he's forgotten what was so upsetting in the first place. Its a riot!

As for milestones-- he's continuing to learn words and becoming very chatty with his own little language. We encourage him to use his voice in whatever way he wants-- and its working. He understands a bunch of different instructions---I'm quite impressed with his comprehension of what we say. He understands (and usually reacts accordingly) to a lot of directions: "Lets put away your toys." "Are you all done with dinner?" (he'll nod to let you know). "Can you hand me your _______ (blanket, shirt, sippy cup)?" Everyday he seems to learn a little more. Loving this 19-month-old!!!

Nite-Nite

So, this evening, Jack took his bath after dinner then went into his PJs. Usually, we play around for a bit after he gets changed (as we don't want him to think that putting on his PJs automatically mean "Time to throw a tantrum its bedtime"). What happened after this, surprised us completely.

Instead of walking out to our family room to play with his toys. He stood and looked at us....as if he was waiting for us to tell him it was time to go to bed. He rubbed his eyes and I said "Jack, do you want to go Nite-Nite?" He instantly started waving to me, Mike, and Boomer. I asked him again "Are you really sure you want to go Nite-Nite?" I kid you not-- he smiled and turned around towards our foyer. Then, he climped up the steps and went up to his room. We couldn't help but laugh. He headed over towards the fan, which only an adult is allowed to turn on. Once I turned it on, he moved over towards his crib and waited. I picked him up, gave him a big hug, told him I loved him, and put him in his crib. He grabbed his blanket and plopped his head on his furry frog pillow.

He literally put himself to bed. We were pleasantly perplexed-- so much that we kinda stood outside his room in amazement afterwards. I hope it stays this easy (but am well aware that we're going to experience the exact opposite of this sometime later in toddlerhood).

Out of the Mouth of an 18-month-old

We keep learning new words. In many ways, its as if he has his own personal language. Some of his "talk" is quite easy to understand. Then, there are some sounds that we can't exactly interpret. Since his surgery, he's been learning new words at a steady pace, which is so good to see. There are some definite words that he now says quite well.

Here they are:

"Ma Ma" (that was his first word-- and one that I truly treasure)
"Bye Bye" (accompanied by a very cute wave)
"Out" (which is said all the time when he wants to go outside as well)
"Up" (If "Out" doesn't work, he'll try "Up")
"Qack Qack" (notice the lack of the "qu" combination, but thats how he says it-- his word for duck)
"Down" (Only Jack says this as a two-syllable word)
"Dat?" (which is his way of saying "What's that?" as he points. He's quite inquisitive)
"Why?" (and I often replyp--without even a pause: "Because Mommy said so." Where'd that come from???)
"Nah" (not "no" thank goodness)
"Boomah" (which is supposed to be "Boomer")

Riunione famiglia dall'Italia

This month, Nonna's brother, Massimo, came to visit with his wife, Pina and one of their daughters, Francesca. This was their first time travelling to the US. What an amazing experience!

These are very special relatives-- and having them in our home and watching them bond with Jack was such an incredible experience. They came to Cleveland on the way from New York to Dayton. While here, we went to an Indians game (their first MLB game), had a cookout and watched the World Cup. What a trip watching soccer with such ethusiasts was! We even taught them one of our favorite outside passtimes...Cornhole. By the end of the trip, Massimo was quite the player (I think we've uncovered where Mike gets his athletic ability...and hope that Jack gets the same genes)!

The following weekend, we headed down to Nonna's house for some more hangout time. We even got to watch Italy play in the World Cup together (I wish they did more than tie, but hey, that's better than a loss, right?). Its quite interesting to see how little kids and pets easily navigate any language gap. In fact, in many ways they help bridge the gap for adults. Boomer and Jack were a hit with our relatives!

We had such a fantastic time. Seeing Jack get to know his Italian relatives was just great. They were quite sweet together. I couldn't help but think how lucky we are to have our family...both here and abroad...during our visits with Pina, Massimo and Francesca. Oh, and yes, Jack does have a savings account dedicated to his first trip to Italy. That'll be a trip (literally!). Can't wait!

Laugh In

Its one thing to say that Jack likes to be funny. That's for sure a fact-- even his teachers notice that. But there's more. Jack REALLY loves to laugh---and laugh a lot. I love his tiny little belly laugh. Its especially fun now that we've become quite good at prompting him to giggle even louder. Remember how his cooing was my favorite sound when he was an infant (well, next to his "I'm completely relaxed sigh." Now, my most favorite sound is that of Jack's laugh. Its apparent that we might be raising a little comedian, but he also laughs at his own jokes and pranks.

Jack seems to LOVE the spotlight-- and more importantly, he seems to absolutely love making others laugh while in it. His last teacher, Ms Tabitha, was the first person outside of family, to point this out to us. I've noticed it for awhile, but thought that maybe I'm just a doting parent who thinks that her child is so gifted when it comes to being funny and clever (which by the way, I do believe). I guess what I'm saying is that when Ms Tabitha brought up what a little comedian Jack is, it made my hunches legitimate. Its not like all kids at this age get such kicks out of making people laugh---its not a stage-- but rather a personality trait of Jack's....and I ADORE it!

Exactly what am I talking about? I'll explain:

-When Jack does something that he thinks is funny-- he'll look at his "audience" and pause his actions as he waits for a burst of laughter. Its unreal!

-When he finds that something he does makes you laugh-- he'll do it over and over again (and you best better keep laughing. Case in point, the "riding toy" Jack made at Nonnas...out of a non-riding toy with no wheels what-so-ever. When we laughed, he thought he was hilarious (and truthfully he was)

-The funnier Jack thinks he's being, the louder he laughs--- and this is especially true when you put anything on top of anyone's head. That's instant comedy

The sillier the better:


p.s. The only time I don't enjoy this giggling is when he does it as he repeatedly does something we've told him not to do. Ahem. We're working on that. Seems as though the sterner we get with our "No ______ (insert any number of verbs here: throwing, banging, touching a dangerous object etc.)!," the more he laughs. Sometimes its hard to keep a straight face! :)

New Photos

Sometimes pictures say it all. We had his 18 month old photos taken and it feels like he's magically transformed from a baby to a little boy. Its as if he just flipped a switch and became a full fledged toddler. Perhaps this had something to do with us being away from him for 10 days while travelling to visit Amy & Jason overseas...but I just can't get over how...suddenly...he seems to have grown so much.

See for yourself! Here are some of his 18-month professional photos. Although he wasn't having as much fun as he usually does when getting his pictures taken, the results turned out pretty good:

Ear Update

We went to see Jack's ENT at lunch today for his follow up appointment. Its been about a month since Little Guy had his adenoid removed and tubes placed in his ears. The results are quite impressive: First off, he can hear. That's the obvious major improvement. He hasn't had an ear infection since his procedure (and we were averaging 2x a month leading up to the surgery). His nose is still pretty stuffy, but all in all, he's so much improved.

I just love his ENT and the Nurse Practioner at his practice. They're so personal and thorough. It was funny. Annie walked in and said "Well, Hi Jack Foley! You must be the most popular 18-month old around! I kid you not, there have been at least 4 parents/patients who mentioned they knew you!" I laughed and told her that we were quite pleased with how personable they are and with the positive improvement we've seen in Jack. She then said that everyone who mentioned him said he was quite a fun, happy kid. Turns out the director's son at Jack's school, another child in his class, a friend from Gymboree, and a co-worker's daughter had all brought up Jack. Its a small world :)

She took a look in Jack's ears and said they were perfectly clear. YAY! As for his stuffy nose-- its better than it was with the adenoid removed, but still running. So, we're going to try some drops (3 in each nostril each day) to see if they help. Some children have what they call "chronic congestion," which is often related to pre-allergies. The trouble with little kids is that the allergy medicine available for them really doesn't help a lot. Since he isn't showing signs of severe allergies (red eyes, sneezing, wheezing, asthma etc), they don't feel that he should be on allergy shots. So, we're gonna try the drops (I'm sure he'll just love them-- but hey, if they help, then its worth it).

After the exam, Annie went through all of Jack's records with me from his initial visit and from the procedure. Turns out that he had a lot more fluid caught in his inner ear than we originally thought. The computerized hearing test that assesses how sounds vibrate off of his ear drums was literally a flat line, meaning that there was so much fluid in his middle and inner ear canal that the sound vibrations couldn't even make it to the eardrum to be heard. Needless to say, we're so glad that we decided to do this surgery.

The hearing test we did today was quite short-- and there's a good reason for that. The tests begin with the quietest audible signals and if the child doesn't respond, they increase the sound until they do. This time (on both ears), Jack responded immediately to the first sound. Nice! They're really encouraged by this and believe Jack's speech will also catch up by the time he's two, if not sooner. It typically takes 5-6 months after the surgery for a child's speech to catch up with similiar baseline hearing tests.

So, lots of good news!

Fun Times at Grandma's & Pop's House!

Jack spent a little over a week at Mom & Dad's house while Mike & I went overseas to visit our friends, The Kelley's, in The Netherlands. I'm not sure who had more fun: Us, Jack, or my parents. I think its safe to say it was a three way tie. That's how much fun we all had.

We had such a wonderful vacation with Amy & Jason. We couldn't have asked for better hosts! We went biking, sight seeing, climbed 2 clock towers, ate at some fantastic restaurants. But, most importantly, we had some terrific quality time with our friends and got to recharge.

While we were on our trip, Jack did quite a lot. In fact, he did a ton! Thanks to his grandparents for such a fun filled week. Here's what my mom wrote about his visit with them:

Thursday 5/20
Jack arrived at Pop and Grandma's at 11:20PM. He had no trouble going
back to sleep.

Friday 5/21
Woke up at 7:20, ate pancakes and strawberries for breakfast and left
at 10:05 to take his Mom and Dad to the airport. Fell asleep on the
way and woke up when he returned to Grandma's house. He played out
front with his Pooh mobile, found other toys and played on the deck,
up and down the deck steps and in the back yard. Ate grilled cheese,
blueberries and juice for lunch. Discovered that Grandma's stairs
were easy to go up and down. At 2:20 went for a nap and fell asleep
with his wind-up musical dog. He was still sleeping at 4:20 and 5:20.
He finally woke up at 5:35 and had some yogurt and cheerios. Pop
came home at 6:20 and boy was Jack excited to see him. Aunt Betty and
GGrandma came by to pick up Grandma and meet Aunt Nancy at the movies.
So Friday night belonged to Jack and Pop. They played outside, had
chicken and green beans and applesauce and blueberries for dinner, and
Pop put Jack in bed @ 8.

Saturday 5-22
Woke upat 8:20...Pop brought him downstairs. He got dressed, waved
goodbye to Pop and went exploring throughout the house. Ate another
good pancake and fruit breakfast and then discovered his favorite room
in Grandma's house...the kitchen PANTRY. He spent hours in the pantry
taking things off the shelves and putting them back on. Ate lunch
(yogurt and cereal bar) and the sun came out. So we strollered to the
school play yard. Got home around 12:30, decided he was not hungry
and climbed the stairs and went to his crib...he was ready for a nap.
At 4:45 he was still sleeping. He finally woke up at 5:10 and boy was
he hungry! Ate a bowl of ravioli and applesauce and some cheese. Pop
came home at 5:30 and they played until bath time at 7:30. His bath
took place in the kitchen sink and boy did he have fun. Grandma gave
him a cereal bar as a bedtime snack and he was asleep by 8:00.

Sunday 5/23
Woke up at 8:00, just after Grandma had left for church. Pop said
that he drank his soy milk, but Jack did not have much of an appetite.
But they played for hours. Grandma returned home at 12:45. Jack ate
yogurt and blueberries and climbed the stairs at 1:30 for a nap and
didn't wake up until 5:10. Ate entire PBJ sandwich and applesauce.
Then we all got in the car and went shopping at Walmart. Jack got a
new pair of sneaks and we picked up some other items as Jack high-5'd
everyone. He was sooooooo cute. It was raining when we left the
store. He seemed to be getting tired and, sure enough, he climbed up
the stairs and wanted to go to bed. He was so cuddly and cute and was
asleep by 8:05.

Monday 5/24
Today was Jack's1st gym session and we had to be at Romp 'n Roll at
9AM. He was awakened at 7:30, was in a very happy mood, and left for
gym at 8:15. He sat nicely in his car seat and yakked all the way .
He was a little shy when we first went in, but he warmed up to his
teachers real fast. There were only 5 others in his class. Jack
seemed to enjoy himself as they went through the routine and was very
well behaved. Left gym at 10:20, stopped at Safeway to pick up a few
things and was home by 11:15. He loves the grocery store and smiled,
high 5'd or waved hi to everyone. So Happy! Ate brunch consisting of
a jar of oatmeal cereal with raspberries, some banana and 3 slices of
velveta. Played and went for nap at 12:30. Woke up at 3:50, ate
raviolis, mixed fruit cup and cereal bar. Went for stroller ride to
play yard at 4:30 and didn't get home until 6:25. Had a blast! Pop
came home at 6:30, they played, Jack had Ramen noodles,applesauce and
yogurt for dinner, played in the bath, and was in bed at 8:00.

Tuesday 5-25
Woke up at 6:45 with poop pants. Helped Pop get dogs ready for their
walk, played, helped Pop get dressed for work, ate breakfast, and
waved bye bye to Pop as he left for work. Was ready for a nap at 9:00
and did not wake up until 12:05. Played and ate big lunch and at 1:15
left for store and to get a haircut. He was very good for his haircut
and sat very still. We also went to CVS and dropped off Pop's stuff
at the cleaners and got gas. We were home by 3:45 and Jack had a
cereal bar and pudding. We left for the gym at 4:30. Had another fun
session with Ms. Brandy. My favorite time is bubbles and free gym
time. Pop met us there. We left the gym at 6:30, met Pop back at the
house and drove Pop to the Honda dealer to pick up the van that had
been serviced. Grandma fed Jack noodles, applesauce and cheerios on
the way. Back home at 8:15 and Jack was very tired. Drank milk and
went to bed. So cute and cuddly.

Wednesday 5/26
Woke up at 7:20. Played around and had a breakfast of pancakes and
blueberries. This was going to be a busy day. Left for gym at 9:30.
By now, Jack is part owner. Had a blast with Ms Brandy. Left gym at
11:20 and headed for Great Grandma's as we were taking her to her 2nd
hearing aid fitting. Jack fell asleep before we left the parking lot.
We reached G Grandma's @ 12:25 and Jack woke up. Dropped G GMa off
at the audiologist's. Jack ate lunch in his stroller and then he and
Grandma toured the mall while GGrandma visited the audiologist. Jack
was absolutely charming. We were back to G Grandma's by 2:20 and
played there a bit. Headed home at 3:10. Had snack of jello, cheese
and goldfish and went down for a nap at 4:05. Woke up at 6:15 and
Grandma took me to her nail salon where we met Pop and exchanged cars.
So Pop drove me back home and Grandma had her nails done. Pop and I
played, ate dinner and then Pop put me to bed at 8:10

Thursday, 5/27
Woke up at 7:10. Helped with laundry, ate breakfast and headed for
the big playground at 9:30. Jack had a great time running around and
discovered that he could manipulate going over curbing while standing.
Very cute. He especially liked the swing and the "water mister" as
it was very hot out. And boy did he get dirty! We returned home
around 11:40, ate a ravioli and cereal bar lunch and drank lots of
juice. He was asleep by 11:46. Grandma had to wake Jack up at 3:10
so we could be at his 4:00 gym class. We also stayed for open gym
from 5:15 to 6:15 and had lots of fun. We returned home, Jack ate a
ravioli, cereal bar, applesauce and watermelon dinner, and was sitting
in his bath in the kitchen sink at 7:35 when Pop came home. Jack was
in bed at 8:10.

Friday 5/28
Jack woke up at 7:05, ate breakfast at 8:30 and left for the gym at
9;15. He had another fun session with Ms Brandy and was back home,
ate lunch and was in for a nap by 12:40. Woke up at 4:50, ate noodles
and cheese and went to open gym to meet Pop. They had a blast! We
were home by 7:50, Jack had a yogurt and ravioli dinner and was in bed
by 8:35.

Saturday, 5/29
Jack did not awaken until 8:40 and we left for his last gym session at
9:25. We returned home at 1:00 after a fun trip to the grocery store
and the cleaners. Ate lunch and when down for a nap at 1:30. At 5:30
Pop awakened Jack. They played, ate, went for stroller ride. played,
took bath and Jack in bed at 8:00

Sunday 5/30
Jack awakened at 7:30. he played inside, he played outside, he played
outside on the deck with a bowl of water. He helped Pop clean the
deck and grill to get ready for a family get together. Jack went in
for a nap at 12:45 and woke just in time to see Mommy and Daddy come
home from their trip. We had a fun afternoon and evening visiting
with G Grandma, Uncle Dave, Aunt Kathi, Uncle Neil, Aunt Susan, Scott,
Alison, DP, and Kelli

Monday 5/31
Jack woke up around 7:00. everyone had breakfast and then we went to
the big park. Played there for a while. Came home and packed up to
leave for Strongsville.
It had been a fun 10 days.

Jack was very good at finding entertainment on his own. His favorite
find was the pantry and he spent many hours playing in there, lifting
things off the shelves and putting them back on a shelf. He also
liked some other cabinets in the kitchen. And he practiced going up
and down the stairs and was pretty near sliding his way down on his
belly by the end of the 10 days. He also worked hard on the words up,
down and out: down and out each had 3 syllables. He was just one
happy kid and a blessing to be with.