Jack's Vocabulary & My Favorite Toddler Words

Jack is officially a toddler - we went for his 18 month check up last week (a bit late!) and I can't believe how grown up he acted. The good news is that he is totally healthy and has a spectacular vocabulary. The bad news is that during his check up, he used his spectacular vocabulary to tell his pediatrician exactly what was up. Namely, as she attempted to poke and prod and measure him (all necessary things, and she is really great with kids and did her best to distract him and make it fun!) Jack repeatedly, and quite clearly, said "No more! All done! Go bye bye!" It was so adorable but also quite embarrassing. I like to think he has very healthy personal boundaries, which is a good thing, right? :)

Waiting to get his 18 month vaccinations. 
Poor little man had no idea what was coming. :(

One of Jack's favorite things to do is go outside to go walking ("WOK-en!" as he says). Whether it's in his stroller or his new racecar from Mima, he has a blast, and we love to watch him explore the world around him. He points out everything - cars, trucks, school buses, motorcycles, bicycles, airplanes, helicopters, dogs (especially if they look like Nana's yellow lab Marshall!), cats, birds, and even cows (we randomly have a few in a field near our house, which I love because it reminds me of my childhood in the country!). The weather has been beautiful lately so we go for a walk every day, even if it is just around the neighborhood (I still haven't mastered the art of taking a newborn and a toddler to the park so I try to avoid it unless John can come with me).

Hanging out in the kiddie pool in our backyard - who says this isn't a winter toy? :)

Walking with Uncle James, who is the best (read: fastest) driver ever!

Jack is supposed to have at least six words at this age. We think he has around sixty. They aren't all perfectly understandable but man, that kid can talk! We are so proud of him and get such a kick out of hearing him describe or ask for something.

Here are some of my favorite words -

Home - which he actually uses instead of "garage door" because whenever we would pull up to the house, as I pressed the garage door opener, I would say, "Jack, we're home!" But hey, most homes have garage doors so I guess it makes sense.

Lotion - comes out "LO-tun!" and is so adorable. Whenever he sees me putting lotion on my hands (it's so dry around here!) he begs for lotion on his hands too.

Avocado - comes out "av-o-CAW-do" and along with yogurt ("go-gur") and cookies ("COO-kies") is his most requested food. Actually, I take that back, lately he is loving Welch's fruit snacks, which he calls "nack!" This is problematic because when I say, "Jack, do you want a snack?" what I mean is something healthy, like grapes or cheese, and he hears snack and gets a little bit too excited, thinking he is getting fruit snacks. We're working on that one.

Baby Eat - what he says whenever I am nursing Liam. Too cute! 99% of the time he calls Liam "baby" but every once it awhile we can get him to say Liam ("Meem!").

Mail & Keys - Jack loves to check the mail with his Dad every day, mostly because he gets to carry the keys and it's a short walk outside! Jack always returns to the house with his arms full of mail (he loves to bring it to mommy...he is such a great helper) and as he inevitably drops it all, it melts my heart that he says, "Uh oh Mommy! Mail! Uh oh!"

School - comes out "cool!" and this is what he calls daycare (which he loves...especially because of his friend Samuel). He also knows that my brothers go to school and he often goes with Nana to pick them up, which is super fun, because he gets to see lots of cars, trucks, school buses, motorcycles, etc. while they drive across town.

Peace - what he yells during the sign of peace during mass, as he shakes the hand of any and every person in sight. Jack is so social and loves this part, which is great because it's normally right before he is ready to melt down since he's been sitting still for 40 mins or so.

Here you go - more like "ge gu go" (or something like that) and Jack uses this phrase when he hands you something (logical) but also if he wants you to give him something (illogical). So instead of asking for something sometimes he just yells, "here you go!" (I think this is a result of the fact that when we give him something, WE say "here you go.")

There are so many more but those are just some of my favorites. I can't believe how big our first baby is getting! How blessed we are by these two children.