Jer Update

Alright, now to what I'm guessing most of you want to read: news of Jer. He's "grown" a lot since I last wrote a Jer update (almost a month ago).

Activity and Play:

He's walking well (and occasionally backwards), and sometimes "runs." He attempts to draw with crayons or chalk. Sometimes he wanders into his room, picks out a book, hands it to me, and signs "please." I'm glad he likes books! He also loves his puzzles. Right now he has two wood puzzles out- a dinosaur puzzle, and a farm animal puzzle.

Jeremiah is a great helper! He "helps" me put away laundry. He picks up his toys before bed (with lots of help, of course), and thinks it's the best thing in the world to feed the dog. I tell him (in Spanish) to get the dog food. He walks to the door, points to it if it's not open, goes to the food, signs "please," gets the food in the cup (unless the level is too low; he can't reach the bottom of the bin), carries it nicely to the door, makes a noise for me to open the door, and pours the food into the correct bowl. If any falls on the ground, he makes sure to put them in the bowl. Sometimes we catch Jeremiah trying to feed the dog when it isn't time!

Learning:

Through the farm puzzle and a few animal books, I've been teaching Jer animal names and sounds in Spanish. It's amazing how fast they learn! His favorite sound is the "cluck" that a chicken makes (he actually clicks his tongue on the roof of his mouth). He also likes to "woof" and sometimes will "moo" or "baaa." Usually, though, he'll just click for the animals. And the dinosaurs. And sometimes inanimate objects. He's beginning to talk a little more. His "grunts" are sounding more human (they have inflection, and you can tell when he's asking a quesion). I know this is a stage before talking, and it's fun to have him "interact," even if it's just with grunts. He's starting saying "Hola" more often, has said "Amen" a few times again, and sometimes says "byebye." He also says "Awa" for Agua.

Food:

Lately, he'll randomly like foods we don't expect (things with cumin and hot pepper, for ex.), and then turns down foods that he liked just the day before. It makes it hard to know what to feed him! He's still a good eater, in general, though, so I'm not too worried. And he'll never turn down bread and a banana (or guacamole).

I know all of the above it normal for toddler, but it amazes me how quickly they learn and develop. They are so aware and smart at this age; it is truly a blessing to watch him grow!

He can get in and sit in his chair like a big boy!

Wearing Daddy's helmet!