And just like that it’s been two months since Jack turned one! Where on earth did that time go? I’m amazed at how much Jack has changed in the past two months, it’s like he’s just grown up all of a sudden and become quite the little boy.
As I mentioned in my 13 month post, Jack is still in a routine and he just seems to love it. He’s down to just the one nap around 11am, which can vary in length from 1.5 hours to 2 hours. It seems to be enough for him during the day and he’s like the little Energizer Bunny once he’s up and fed, he just doesn’t stop! He still sleeps from 7pm-7am and I don’t remember the last time I had to get up to him in the night, so I’m really feeling like we’ve hit the sleep jackpot. I’m interested to see how Daylight Savings goes at the end of September.
Jack is due his immunisations at 15 months and I think we might try and get them done a couple of weeks early. I haven’t really been taking him to a lot of things with other kids as I really wanted to wait until he had gotten his measles immunisation since there is a such a spread of it at the moment. I would be absolutely heartbroken if he caught it, so better safe than sorry. He’s also still putting everything into his mouth, so it would be really easy for him to get sick.
Jack is really into his books at the moment and we read probably about 8-10 a day. We also make a point of looking at animal touchy-feely books (these ones are awesome) and Jack is starting to be able to point at which animal is which. We also have a first words book, and Jack has learned a number of words in this book and while he can’t say them just yet, he can point to a number of words and is associating the word with the picture.
He also knows about 50+ things around the house such as a number of his toys, the dishwasher, clock, washing machine etc. If I ask him where something is, he’ll either point to it or he will go over to it. This makes it so much easier when it comes to doing things like changing his nappy etc. I’ll say “let’s change your nappy” and he goes over to the mat. He also goes over to his highchair when it’s food time, or will point to his drink bottle on the bench when he’s thirsty. It’s making it so much easier to understand what he wants and needs, rather than it being a guessing game!
He’s also starting to realise what different body parts are and can point to his hair, nose, mouth, tummy, feet and head. We play a little game where I ask him where each part is and then pretend to gobble it up. He thinks that’s pretty hilarious. He also knows that his hat goes on his head and his socks and shoes go on his feet.
Jack’s vocabulary is also getting bigger. His first word was “car” and he loves walking down the street and pointing at all the cars yelling “CARRRRRRR”…. it’s so cute! He also says “blue”, “apple” (“ab-bull), “balloon” (bah-oon”), “cuddle” (which is more like “cah-all”), and “moon” (which is more like “moooooo”). He tries so hard though and it’s so cute!
Jack met animals for the first time this month too. He met my brothers kitten which he spent an hour pointing at it and squealing with a big grin on his face. He was actually really good with it (apart from trying to eat the cat food) and he had an absolutely blast (not sure I can say the same for the cat though….). He also met a dog which got the same excited squealing treatment, and today he saw a lamb up close which he ended up crying at because it bleated at him…. so mixed success so far!
We are currently working on using a cup and a spoon, which usually ends up in a bit of a mess! Jack has been using his sip cup with the valve in while he’s lying down. I’ve now taken the valve out and we are working on tipping the cup up to drink from while he’s in his highchair. We are getting there, but there has been a lot of spilled milk 😅 Jack’s a really good eater and feeds himself with his fingers and takes food off a spoon, but I’m currently trying to teach him how to use the spoon to feed himself. I think he’d prefer mummy just shovels it in though. 😂
I guess the thing that is a bit tough at the moment is the tantrums. Jack gets pretty frustrated and grumpy if something doesn’t go his way or he doesn’t get something he wants. He hates being told off, and will end up bursting in to tears (which absolutely breaks my heart and makes it so hard to do!). He’s also an absolute wriggler and it makes clothes changes and nappy changes a bit of a nightmare. It literally takes me half an hour to get his pants on some days as he turns it into a game and likes to hide where mummy can’t get him. It’s very cute but also rather frustrating when you need to get out of the house! Luckily, I’ve found the trick is to distract him with the TV, then he lies there perfectly still and I can get him sorted!
I think this age is so much fun and I’m loving taking Jack for walks. We usually go for a couple a day and he just walks up and down the street outside our house, or we walk down to the park for a bit of a play. I’m always amazed at how long he is keen to walk for, and I think these walks are a big part of why he sleeps so well at night – he’s just so exhausted! I try and also give him a little bit of quiet time in the afternoons after his afternoon snack. He usually sits in his playpen with his blanket and his soft toys and watches Bob the Train or Blippi for about 20-30 minutes. This quiet time is good for him, plus he’s getting to watch something educational and I can get a couple of things done too! Win win!