18 Months

I can't believe that Jack turned 18 months old two days ago! {Side note: Could that face be any cuter? No, it could not.}

My risk taker. My snuggle bug. My belly laugher. Jack, you have brought me more joy than you could ever know!

Food: The question isn't what does Jack eat? The question is what doesn't Jack eat? This is one fantastic eater! If we go out to eat, he usually wants whatever I'm eating--and I can count on him eating at least a third of it.

Sleep: He goes to sleep at 6:45 PM and wakes up at 7:00 AM. You can't beat that, folks!

Clothes: 2T all around, with a size 6 shoe.

Words: I wasn't expecting Jack to be the chatter box that Nathan was, but boy was I wrong! He's been putting two words together for months now, and he uses big words like, "mountain" and "breakfast." He even says, "yes, ma'am," "no, ma'am," and "please." {I knew with #2 to start earlier on those manners!} It's super nice that he's a talker, because just like with Nathan, I don't have to play the what-do-you-want/what-is-wrong guessing game.

Interests: The funniest thing in the universe to me is that Jack is obsessed with the National Geographic Volcano movie. Like, he could watch it over and over and over. He loves to talk about volcanoes, lava, and the explosive noises that volcanoes are capable of making. I'm not kidding. Sometimes, we'll rock on the front porch and talk about volcanoes for ten minutes.

Bears. He loves them. His favorite books are "Blueberries for Sal," "We're Going on a Bear Hunt," and "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" He loves to growl like a bear. He loves the movie "Brave." This boy is all about bears.

Big brother is the coolest individual on planet Earth, in case you didn't know. If Jack wakes up before Nathan, he instantly starts in on, "Bubba? Bubba?" {While he can say, "Nay-an," he likes to call him "Bubba," which is the cutest thing in the universe, if you ask me.} They wrestle all the time--no lie! They laugh. They catch bugs. They play in the sprinkler. They splash each other in the tub {despite the five ga-zillion, "Boys, stop!"}. They are really, truly best friends. I can't even believe how much they love each other. It makes my heart happy in a way that almost nothing else does. The instant I found out I was pregnant with a boy {once I got over the shock, because I was convinced I was having a girl}, I was overjoyed that Nathan would have a brother. No greater gift could I ever give them than each other. Thank You, Jesus, for those brothers!

Can I say that I love having an 18 month old!? I mean, of course I don't love that the tantrums and the I-want-it-my-way attitude have started, but I love that my boys are getting older. We can do more things, I don't have to take a million things with me every time I leave the house, and they're learning to entertain each other!

I never in a million years would have ever thought that I would have fully owned the title, "Boy Mom." But, oh yes, this boy mom loves, loves, loves being a boy mom!! Jack, I love you to the moon and back! I can't believe how you're growing and developing. I love watching every little milestone along the way. Love you, sugar bear!