My Personal Trainer

The other day, while we were driving home from church, Jack was in the back saying “Up! Down! Up! Down!”  I caught him once even lifting his leg up and down as he was saying it.  We thought that was cute, and encouraged him to continue doing it by repeating him every time he said it.  We had no clue why he was saying “Up! Down!”

Then, last night, while I was doing my Walk Away the Pounds video, Jack started saying “Up! Down!” while Leslie Sanson was saying it on the video.  She only says it for one segment that I recall, and it’s while we’re lifting our weights doing bicep curls.  I was walking in front of my computer, doing bicep curls, and Jack was playing with his toy truck saying “Up! Down!”  It was the funniest thing!!

Now I have proof that I’ve been working out. Most days we go to the park, but we’ve been having a very rainy couple of days here, so I’ve been stuck inside doing my videos instead.  Evidently, Jack has been watching me.

I love how Jack is a little window into what I do and how I act.  I’m sure it will come back to bite me in the butt, but for now, it’s cute to see what he’s picking up on.  I remember a time when he picked up my broom and dustpan (he loves to play with the dustpan) and started sweeping the kitchen like I do.  I had to share that photo with my family to prove that I actually DO clean my house!

Did you know I have a blog?

You did?

It seems that I must have forgotten.  This is the "I haven't posted in so long" post.  But I promise I will TRY to keep it short.  (naps don't last all that long around her)

A few HUGE Growth Chart Moments:

• Jack's WALKING!!! He started taking a few steps before Christmas, but it was last week that he decided that walking is just as good (almost) as crawling now.  He used to walk to us, but crawled to anywhere he wanted to get to quickly.  Now, he's choosing to walk to most places if he's already on his feet.  He still crawls a bunch, so I'd say he's 50-50 at this point.

• He's also trying to climb on everything.  I'm sure there will be some bumps and bruises in our near future.  Did you ever notice that with each major milestone, a new set of bruises appear? 

• He plays Peek-a-Boo with us now.  Usually during a diaper change or a meal, he'll cover his eyes and then reveal himself to us with a big grin. So cute!
• He's identifying body parts now.  He can point to his belly, piggies, head, and I think hair when you ask him.  The funny part is that when you ask him where his nose is, he points to the nose of the person closest to him.  We are working on ears and mouth now.  He went to the dentist with me last week, so we worked on teeth with him.  I think he had if for that day. 

• He mimics a lot of what we do now.  When we go into the bathroom, I often take his hairbrush and brush his hair.  Now he brushes his own hair when you give him the brush.  He picked up the broom the other day and swept the floor.  He takes the toy that's in his hand-be it a Little People, cup, car or anything else - and makes it fly like a plane or go like a car.  Remember when I was worried about my son not learning Boy Noises?  There are no worries there anymore.  Everything sounds like a car or plane now (they sound the same of course)
  
• He makes animal noises now.  He can bark like a dog, tweet like a bird, and grunt like a monkey. Sometimes it's on command but other times it's just when he sees or hears that animal.  All of those sounds are the same when they come out, but I bet they all sound like the real thing in his head. When I ask him if he's a birdie or a doggie, he points to the birdies in our backyard to clarify. 
  
• He is just plain smarter. He catches things much more than I realize.  This morning I said I have to go blow my nose, and he immediately got up with me, grabbed my legs as we walked to the bathroom, and pointed to the tissues for me.  He may not be able to communicate with words, but he sure does say a lot in his own way!