The Absentminded Professor, or, Jack, if you prefer

Yesterday I shared an update on our little guy.  Today I'm going to update you child number two.

Jack is our funny man.  He does and says things for the sole purpose of entertaining you.  Last week Ella said, "I'm really attached to these CD's we're listening to."  Jack instantly responded, "I'm really attached to my sticky hands."

Watch me blow kisses, mama!

He's a laid back three-year-old.  I forget how mellow he is until I see him with other kids his age. 

Sometimes I like to ponder this great world of ours.

He's always pretending to be something else.  He is often Super Dog or Buzz Lightyear, but he's going to grow up to be a sea monster, which, he explained to me, means that his arms won't grow any longer because sea monsters have short arms.  Get ready, world.

 Still pondering.

He is a thinker living on a cloud.   He taught himself both the upper and lowercase alphabets and their sounds.  He knows how to count into the twenties.  He can count by fives.  I didn't teach him any of those things, and his sister is still struggling with some of them, so she didn't teach him either. 

En guard!

He is a total space cadet living in his own alternate universe.  How he has learned so much is beyond me, when he can't remember where his toys go, can't figure out how to pump on the swing, and can't button or zip his clothes.  He will live with us until he's thirty because he won't have figured out how to drive or tie his own shoes, but he will discover the cure for cancer.

Sheesh, it isn't real, mom.

He just mastered putting on socks, which, along with his new Velcro shoes, makes me very happy.  He feels no urgency to learn these life skills.  He is content to let us do everything for him, and yet he knows things, friends. 

 It could be a baton if I wanted it to be.  See?  And a one, and a two, and a one, two, three!

He is all boy, loving balls and dinosaurs and monsters and weapons of all kinds.  He can make anything into a sword.  I'm convinced it's a gift.

 Look at my awesome muscles.  Oh, yeah.

{He really was flexing in this picture.  I said to smile, and he said that he needed to show his muscles.}

He is my earliest riser, usually coming upstairs while I'm still reading my bible.  He snuggles in, sitting with me until I finish, and then prays with me. 

I'm pretending I'm holding a sword in my right hand, which makes me smile.

He has a very tender heart, and desires to be in fellowship at all times.  If he does something that hurts his brother or sister, he often tells on himself so that we can just get it over with.

Oh, yes.  I am posing.  I am so incredibly cute that you can't stand it, can you?

We do things differently with him than with Ella.  We want her to be a woman of God, but we want Jack to be a man.  A godly man.  A gentleman who loves and leads his own family someday.  If you ask Jack what his job is in relation to Ella, he will tell you that he is to protect her.  That's what brothers do.

 No, you can't.  Why would you even try?

"I love you" is always on his lips.  He still tells me what every time I put him to bed.  He's my boy.  

Will you be my friend?

I can't get enough of him.

The photo shoot - an update on Nate

Recently I did a photo shoot of sorts with each kid to create a fun gift for my dad for his birthday, but we now get to enjoy all of the wonderful pictures, too.  Wonderful because of the autumn leaves and the adorable subjects, not because of my mad photography skills. 

You're gonna try and make me get all pose-like, aren't you?  We'll see about that.

I am extremely grateful for the children the Lord has given us.  They are a blessing and a joy.  They are also a challenge and a refining instrument, testing our patience and reliance on Him.  I thought I would share some pictures while sharing a bit about my little blessings.

You want me to smile?  You crazy.

Nate is doing really well.  He's eating wonderfully, and is willing to try anything.  He's very happy, laughing a lot and taking his siblings in stride {for now}.  He started crawling in September, at fourteen months old, and has gotten really good at it.  This week he started reaching up for things while on his knees.  We recently had his therapy evaluation {we are down to one therapy a week and she comes to us - hallelujah!}, and decided to keep him enrolled for another six months.  It's one-on-one attention that he LOVES and he improves with each session. 

I am too forlorn to smile.  See how I clasp my hands in forlorn-ness?

His first word was "Ella," and it is still his most common word.  While he definitely says, "Mama" and "Dadda," he has several other words that are consistent and mean something to him, but we haven't yet cracked the code.  He loves to imitate words and sounds, so I think his vocabulary will take off pretty soon.

Well, maybe this smiling thing wouldn't be such a bad idea.  Maybe she'll leave me alone if I give in.

Because of his delayed crawling, he picks up on commands quickly.  He definitely understands "all done,", "no drop {food usually}," and "no touch" but for some reason with that last one, while he pulls his hand away {from, say, an outlet}, he gets really upset and starts a tantrum almost. every. time.  I realized yesterday that I haven't trained him to come to me on cue yet, so I have a new goal with him.

Clasp your hands like this and say pretty please, Mom.

Why is it that training babies and puppies is so similar?

Did you do it? 

It's fun to see how much enjoyment he gets out of himself.  He plays peek-a-boo all the time, and loves to hide behind a wall and peek out until you see him and then disappear again.  He also loves hearing about his little piggies, and often when I finish one foot, he puts out his other one.

You got me!  Aren't you a smarty pants?

He is my cuddliest child, preferring to sit on or beside me rather than exploring the couch like the other two did.  He will sit with a board book and turn the pages while I read to the other two.  He knows where his nose is, and will try to pull yours off to show it to you {we're working on the concept of gentle}.

Okay.  I'm focused.  You won't get me again.

I love this boy.  I do not have words to describe how very much I love this boy except to say that I love this boy.

Don't look at her.  Just keep looking at that tree.  Don't. give. in.

You know something weird?  Last year at this time we were in process of moving into this house with no clue that Nate was beginning to get sick.  We had no idea that in two months he would need a feeding tube and that he would continue to need it for eight long months.  I was afraid he would start crawling before Christmas 2012, not 2013!

Oh, I give up.  CHEESE!  What?  You didn't actually expect teeth, did you?

I wonder what next year will hold that will shock and amaze us?