16 Months (and other stuff)

Jack is now 16 months old and it seems like my life is busier than ever.  Just when I thought I could trust him in the next room for a minute, he started climbing up on anything and everything!  Seriously, nothing is off limits.  We've tried to reinforce the whole "sit down" thing, but let's face it, that doesn't always happen.  So, my free time is becoming non-existent.  That doesn't excuse me from not blogging though.  So, here we go...

A few of Jack's recent happenings:
  
   *  he figured out how to turn in circles and walk backwards
   *  he's becoming a pro at climbing the stairs and can even come down them (although he's not trusted)
   *  he is super intrigued by other children / babies and is entertained by them for lengthy periods of time
   *  he has some flash cards of animals that he "asks" to have gone through a few times a day
   *  he loves looking through photo albums of family
   *  he laughs hysterically when playing keep-away with Naya
   *  once or twice a week, he'll sleep in until 8:30 or so
   *  he knows almost all body parts and will touch them when prompted (if he's in the mood)

I read the other day that toddlers take turns working on various skills.  This makes total sense now.  I was getting a little worried that he hadn't added any additional words to his vocabulary, but after reading this fact, I guess he's been working more on gross motor skills lately (climbing, turning circles, walking backwards, etc).

And why is it that parents have a constant need to compare their child with others?  Or is it just me?  On one hand, it's helpful to watch kids that are just a little older so I know what's coming, but then I also find myself thinking "Jack doesn't do that...!!!  Oh no!"  Ex:  I saw a boy in his MDO class kicking a ball the other day and I immediately thought "we need to get to work on kicking!!"  Crazy!!  I know...  I'm really going to work on this.

Here are some random pictures from the past week.

Baby Mohawk!

Reading on the back porch

Watching Daddy mow :)  

"Mom, I promise.  I didn't eat the cookie." 

Ninja headbands with Aunt Amy 

relaxing with Mommy on Mother's Day

playing in the backyard

Oh, how I love this little boy!!