February Updates

Somehow February came and went very quickly! Jarrett has now hit 19 months old and we are going into 33 weeks with baby # 2. Hard to believe that in about 50 more days we will have 2 little ones! Yikes! We have been trying to prepare, but "nesting" and organizing for the 2nd baby isn't quite as easy when it pretty much all has to be done during a 2 hour nap window. And let's be honest, I really just want to nap at that point too. We have managed to pull the nursery together (goodbye craft room...*sniff sniff) but my to do list still has quite a bit on it. Hoping to be productive during Spring Break coming up at the end of March.

Meanwhile, February was full of fun times with Jarrett. We had another couple days off due to snow/ice and enjoyed some quality time with the little guy. I took him out for some more fun in the snow, but he must have been longing for Spring. He let me pull him around in the sled, but wanted nothing to do with walking in the snow. He really just wanted to sit in the Adirondack chair and watch the snow fall.

 He has been learning lots of new things. Some of his favorites are telling Daddy (or anyone really) to "jump," finding his "belly" and yelling, "Let's go!" He has also been reading a lot. He especially enjoys, "Moo, Baa, LaLaLa" and pretty much reads along with you. This is one that gets read multiple times in one sitting. He generally picks books that have farm animals or dogs as his "go to" books. We have also been reading him a few about the "potty" which he will sit and listen to, but not really sure he is making any connection. He sits on his little potty, but mostly thinks it is a seat to brush his teeth. He has yet to actually use it for anything else. Speaking of brushing his teeth, we recently just bought an electric tooth brush for him as he so adamant about brushing his teeth himself, that we aren't convinced he is doing a good job. He lets us use the electric one on him, so that's helped.

He continues to enjoy listening to music and we regularly have a dance party before bed (I secretly use this as a time to run around and pick up toys/dishes while we are dancing). He has taken to playing air guitar whenever he hears guitar or sees someone else playing it on a video. He has been picking up some hand actions to some of his favorite songs like "Wheels on the Bus" and "Head, Shoulders Knees and Toes."

He pretends/tries to count when we are playing with blocks or other similar things. If we say, "One" he usually follows with a "two" and then various other sounds that mimic us counting. I have set him up with a few more "busy" activities this month while trying to get things done. Some of the favorites have been dropping spaghetti strands into a Parmesan cheese type shaker and playing with bubbles in the sink. I managed to bake a whole cake for Valentine's Day while he did this.

Speaking of Valentine's Day, Jarrett gave out some finger puppets to his daycare friends and helped me make some cupcakes for his cousins. He is getting pretty good and putting the muffin cups into the pan. However, he still just wants to eat the batter so he doesn't get to do much actual cooking/mixing once I stick the eggs in.

He is eating crayons less and coloring a bit more (although this often includes his table, chairs and the wall).

He continues to have lots of fun with Daddy on Fridays. They spend a lot of time at the local library, as well as at Storyville. Jarrett apparently loved sweeping Storyville, climbing steps over and over again and enjoying their fake food. After a goldfish accident at home, we left the broom out here and Jarrett continued his sweeping. Guess we need to get a kid size one and then I can put him to work!

Daddy also likes to take Jarrett to Mission BBQ for ribs. I have a feeling this will become a monthly tradition for these two.

We've also managed to squeeze in some family outings. We visited the park one warm day and Jarrett had fun climbing up the play structure and coming down the slide. He also just loved walking back and forth on the edge of the playground. He made sure to visit with every dog he saw and even said, "Thank you!" after their owners let him pat their dogs.

This weekend we headed to the B & O Railroad Museum. We have a zoo membership which allows us free entry in January and February but we hadn't made it there yet. It was a hit. Jarrett did a lot of "oohing" and "ahhing" at the big trains and liked being able to run around in the Round House. They also had a ton of toddler activities from train legos to train tables. There was train conductor dress up clothing and coloring. They had a fun play structure outside as well.

We also made Jarrett his very own train board to play with at home. It's just a board we painted and put on our coffee table that can be removed and stored. We found the train set on clearance at Toys R Us.

Jarrett and Harper continue to be good friends, although Jarrett wants to cuddle with Harper more and more and sometimes I think Harper needs a break. Jarrett always wants to chase him and hug him and give him food (the vet his not going to be happy with Harper's weight!) Jarrett has also learned how to ask Harper for a "paw" but often runs away when Harper offers it up. He also loves this bear, "Gus" more and more everyday. "Ga" as he calls him seems to need to go everywhere these days. We bought a body double for Gus but Jarrett figured it out and wants nothing to do with new Gus. Hopefully we will never lose "Ga." Jarrett even begs for "Ga" to come to the dinner table some nights if he happens to see him sitting somewhere on the floor. Gus is the first thing he runs to when he gets home as well (we try not to let "Ga" leave the house too often).

March is shaping up to be a very busy month. By the looks of our calendar, between doctor's appointments, work and a few weekend social engagements we will be quite busy leading up to the arrival of baby # 2!