Meet Miss Jones

At two years, Charlie…

:: Is so old (to me)! I really can’t believe he is two years old, and that we won’t have another “fox” photo until next year. For simplicity’s sake, I am hoping to do weekly photos of our kids their first year, monthly the second year, and yearly after that. Who knows how it will work out with WeeBabyJonesTwo, but that’s the plan.

:: Has gotten past a major “picky” phase. I don’t doubt there are more to come, but he had a bit of a stomach bug and it really put him off a lot of different kinds of food for a while. He’s still not a big fan of vegetables “on their own” (he’ll eat them in sauces/soups/casseroles), but he still amazes me with his flexible palate.

:: Had a wonderful, wonderful birthday. He still talks about it every day and it’s been almost a month. We did a small morning out with two of his friends (i love the idea of limiting party sizes to the amount of their age when they are young — so next year he will have three friends). We went to a local soft play and did brownie popsicles and “special” juice (really just lots of different fruit flavors). Most importantly to Charlie, though, they have “ball cannons.” They’re air/vacuum-powered and you can shoot little foam balls out of them. Again, it’s been nearly a month, and he still talks about them multiple times a day!

:: Talks, talks, and talks. All the time. I can’t say either of us are surprised, but the sentences and conversations, they are hilarious. We love talking to him and hearing all that he has to say, it’s so much fun. I know every kid develops at different paces and has different strengths and weaknesses, but I wasn’t at all surprised when they told us at his two-year review that he was on a three year old level with speech. The next thing we are working on is for him to learn to wait while I am talking to someone else. I love this idea from An Everyday Story — he is still a bit young for it but we will start going in that direction.

:: Likes to color with markers but really doesn’t want to keep them on the paper. So marker times tend to be fairly short. He’s not a fan of messy things or getting “sticky hands” but ended up enjoying shaving cream + food coloring in the bathtub. I’m hoping to introduce liquid watercolors soon but need to order some paint.

:: Runs, tumbles, does a sortof almost-somersault/tripod headstand, flips, jumps — he has a lot of energy. There’s a local “baby gym” that I’m hoping to take him to soon where the toddlers have free reign of the mats and beams, etc. Of course, he and his dad are constantly working on his “acrobatics” with our bed as the big mat.

:: Loves to read (mainly to be read to). Current favorites are I am a Bunny, The Book of Sleep, Mog the Forgetful Cat, and a really sweet “audio” recorded book that his aunt and uncle got him for Christmas.

:: Is still fascinated by cars, trucks, and construction vehicles. We got him a used Plan Toys garage for his birthday and I ordered a few of their cars, which he has so much fun with.

At 23 months, Charlie…

Is still ridiculously cute when he says, “Turn it around” whenever something isn’t facing the right way and he is trying to fix it.

Has become obsessed with fireworks, ever since we celebrated the 5th of November (Bonfire Night) with some friends and he saw his first “up close” fireworks. He asks for them every night!

Can say “big brother” but doesn’t have a clue what that really means yet. :)

Has started receiving a few fun birthday presents from family. I’ve been giving him a new one every week or so leading up to his birthday rather than a big barrage at once. It’s been lots of fun to see how much he enjoys them.

Discovered the joy that is milk and cereal (Cheerios). He can eat them really well with a spoon and asks for them constantly.

Also tasted mac and cheese for the first time (it’s just not as big over here, and we don’t make pasta very often). He was a fan, but still likes meat better.

Will say, “WOW,” in a very impressed voice when he sees Christmas lights or something similarly impressive.

Likes to mix words together after saying the original word. He’ll start with something like, “Cappuccino” and then go to “mamaccino,” “Charlieccino,” etc. The other day, he somehow ended up with queso-pizza-dilla.

Is doing “motions” along with me when I sing songs that have actions. They usually only remotely mirror the actual motions, which make them that much cuter.

Loves to sing, constantly. Most of the time it’s random combinations of words or phrases, but it’s really fun.

Likes to dance. Mainly jumping up and down but sometimes he throws in special crazy moves.

Yes, that’s right — we will be welcoming a new Jones into our family in 2015! We are thrilled and very much looking forward to becoming a family of four. I’m due in early June, although with Charlie’s two-week-early arrival, who knows exactly when WeeBabyJonesTwo will join us. Thankfully, the first trimester has been mostly free from sickness. I’ve been pretty exhausted but am finally starting to feel a bit more normal. I am hoping to do some updates throughout this pregnancy like I did with Charlie, but now that I have a nearly-two-year-old running around, I won’t make any promises! I’ve already got a bit of a bump, have been craving loads of sweet treats (quite dangerous over here in the UK since they are experts at desserts), and have been even more forgetful than usual (woo hoo).

At 22 months, Charlie…

:: Will repeat pretty much any word I ask him to. He will throw new words in randomly every day — favorites this weekend include “Bouncy castle!” (we were at a birthday party) and “Ques-a-DI-lla?!” He also loves to say “basketball” and “turn it around.”

:: Is also repeating lots of phrases and sentences. It’s really amazing how his speech has exploded over the last month or so and he can now express pretty much anything he wants to.

:: Still loves for me to pick him up when we are in the kitchen for very long, except now he’ll usually say “Carry!” instead of the previous “Me me me!”

:: Loves being chased and playing “Find you!” which is where I will disappear from the room for a moment and say, “Oh wheeeeere is my Charlie?” then pop back in and say, “I found you!!” He then laughs uncontrollably and says, “More find you?”

:: Says “Miss you” and “Love you” in pretty much the cutest possible way.

:: Is obsessed with Simon’s Cat. We still don’t do much screen time but he begs for “Simon’s cat? Washing machine?” at least once a day.

:: Loves to throw things. Especially hard things. We are working on the difference between hard and soft, and now have a basket of soft things that he can throw inside if he has the desire to throw. We’re working on trying to set firm but respectful limits with hitting and throwing, and I’m so grateful for Janet Lansbury and all she’s got to say on the subject. Her most recent book, No Bad Kids, is incredibly helpful (the audio version is great).

:: Has started to understand potty humor. As in, he likes to say random things like, “Poop bathtub?” and then laugh. Thankfully we’ve only had one poop-in-the-bathtub incident.

:: Wants to “bump” all day long. Which is throwing his hands up and then flopping backwards onto his bed, or throwing himself forward onto the pillows on our bed. He also likes to “flop” (which is Caleb holding him up above the bed and then letting him drop backwards).

:: Has started to enjoy Skyping/Facetiming family more and more. He will often ask to talk to various relatives, although we are still trying to figure out who “Uncle Bumpy” is.

:: Is very much looking forward to “Gigi” and “Uncle Josh” (Caleb’s mom and youngest brother) coming to visit in a few weeks. They will be spending Thanksgiving with us and it will be so nice to have them here.

:: Has started trying new physical activities, such as walking around on his knees, sliding forwards and backwards on his stomach like a worm, and spinning around in a circle on the floor.

:: Loves his Scuttlebug scooter and likes to go backwards and forwards on it while saying, “backwards” and “forwards”, which is fun.

:: Walks on his tiptoes every few minutes. And will usually say, “Tip toes! Tip toes!” when he does.

:: Wants me to sing slow versions of “Five Little Monkeys (Jumping on the Bed)” and “Five Little Ducks (Went Out to Play)” before he goes to sleep. Sometimes when he wakes at night and is upset, he’ll say, “Monkeys? Monkeys?” for me to sing it again.

:: Is starting to figure out colors, mainly blue, yellow, and purple.

:: Responds affirmatively with “Yeshhhhh.”

:: LOVES to be read to. He would have us read books to him all day long if we didn’t feel like we were going to lose our voices after an hour!

:: Still thoroughly enjoys all things musical. He can now plug and unplug cables into Caleb’s amp and strum a guitar with a pick. And of course, play a mean solo on the drums.

At 20 and 21 months, Charlie…

Loves to swim. I pulled out his”Lil Swimmers” swim diapers the other day and his eyes got big. “Pooooool?! Fwimming??” He was so excited.

Likes to hand things to me and say, “Thank youuuu!”

Responds to pretty much anything I ask. Usually when I ask if he wants to do something/go somewhere, he will quickly and definitively say, “Yeah,” with a slight nod of his head. Or if I ask whether he saw something (like a cat or a bird) he will reply, “Mmmmm.”

Is saying loads of new words each day. Lots pointing, repeating, and asking what things are called. There are so many fun ones, but my favorites right now are “salsa”, “sunshine,” and “Happy!”

Has discovered the joy of playing the drums. After church each Sunday, while Caleb is adjusting the music/sound equipment, he will sit on the “big” drum set and just go to town. He also discovered two of my extra-large knitting needles and has been using them to drum on every surface available.

Also, when we do something that he really likes, or hug him, etc, sometimes he’ll say, “Happy.” And then a few minutes later, “Drums!”

Is starting to put together sentences. So far, things like, “I coming!” and “Airplane…in the sky,” and “Drive in the car?” He says them so quickly that sometimes it’s hard to figure them out, but they are getting clearer and clearer.

Will say “Heavy” when picking up something that is heavy — but also when he’s having a hard time climbing up on to something or can’t get something to move the way he wants it to.

Has discovered the joy of bouncing and jumping up and down.

When he wants me to pick him up (usually when we are in the kitchen), he’ll throw his arms up in the air and say, “Me! Me! Me!”

Likes to pretend to “fake sleep” when Caleb is holding him. Caleb will say, “Fake sleep?” and they’ll both close their eyes and pretend to be sleeping. Then he’ll say, “Wake up!” and they’ll open their eyes and smile.

Seems to have lost some interest in the toilet. He still goes first thing every morning (and 90% of the time, does his one and only poo of the day in it, which is amazing), but doesn’t care to use it during the day. He still loves books about the potty and talks about pee whenever he hears/sees someone else heading to the bathroom or flushing, but would rather just avoid the bathroom/diaper changes altogether if it were up to him. I’m trying to let him do his thing and not pressure him, but hoping he will come around again soon.

Loves to “dump” — everything from dried beans to pom poms to water. Thankfully he will now usually say, “Dump?” before he does it, so that I can tell him not to if it’s messy. Although, when he’s finished drinking from a cup, his desire to dump usually gets the best of him.

Has entered a more picky stage with food. Or rather, vegetables. Up until about a month ago he was down with pretty much everything, but now vegetables continue to be passed over. Fruit, dairy, meat, grains are all fine but thank goodness for green smoothies (which he loves). It’s really hard not to pressure him or try to talk him into eating them, but I know it will be worth it. I’m really thankful for lots of things I learned from reading It’s Not About the Broccoli.

Upgraded to a twin (single) mattress in his room. He loves it and I really enjoy laying next to him at bedtime reading books together. He is still so little in it, but he is a pretty squirmy sleeper so he takes advantage of having lots of room to move. He also finally decided he doesn’t mind having a blanket over him, so just before he goes to sleep he’ll say, “Cozy?” and I’ll tuck it around him.

Thinks the farm is the best place ever. We got season passes to the community farm just down the road from us, and he talks about it every single day. We go about twice a week, even if it’s just for an hour. His favorite things to see are the bunnies, the turtle (tortoise), cows, the tractor (which he can sit on and “drive”), and the giant dragon sculpture that spits water out of its mouth.

At 18 and 19 months, Charlie…

Has been busy, busy, busy! He flew from London to Florida, then up to Pennsylvania, then drove to the Ocean in New Jersey. He’s been such a trooper and we are so glad that our trips have been smooth so far.

Loves to explore and take things apart. He’s happiest if he can climb up, on, and around everything and then find something small to take apart and put back together.

Loves dumping water out of containers and filling them up again. He also really likes stomping in the water after he’s poured it out (even better if it’s in a mud puddle).

Got his first pair of wellies. He thinks they are the best, and carries them around saying, “Boots!”

Loves to be chased and tickled (especially by his Aunt Kelly).

Really enjoyed playing with his younger cousin Jameson!

Says lots of words, new ones every day. Some favorites are: mama, toes, shoes, bee, snail, squirrel, cow, moo, swing, play, park, Nanny, GiGi, Kelly, Pap-Pap, cat, meow, dog, woof, airplane, hey-oh, hello, strawberry, cheese, smoothie, iPad (hah).

Started using the iPad a week before our big trip so he’d have something to keep him still on the flight. It’s worked fairly well but I’ll be packing it away again until he’s two, so I’m imagining our first few weeks back there will be some repeated requests for it.

Has started to be a little more shy when meeting new people (understandable, since he’s met about a zillion new people over the past few weeks), but warms up to them pretty quickly.

Blows kisses when he says goodbye, which makes the ladies melt.

Is pretty tall but super slim (still wearing 12 month clothing). Which is not for lack of eating, because this kid loves to chow down.

Loves the splash park, the beach, and the pool. It was definitely hard to say goodbye to all the water activities we got to enjoy, but not so hard to leave the summer heat!

Took his first ride in a little red wagon (in the driveway of the house where his Grandma grew up).

Loves swinging in the backyard with Granny and watching for birds and squirrels.

Whenever he sees a picture of a bear, he points to it and says, “Cow. Moo.” Not sure how this one started since he has seen plenty of cows since he was little!

Misses his dad (Caleb had to go back to Wales about halfway through our trip to keep working) and gets the biggest smile and laughs whenever he sees him on FaceTime.

At 17 months, Charlie…

:: has begun running (oh boy) and doing little dances (mainly bopping up and down).

:: started signing “please” and “thank you” — which really still mean nothing to him, but are nice social graces!

:: is drinking well out of a cup again. We went through a “dump everything on the floor” phase for a while, but now he’s back to being more interested in the actual eating and drinking again.

:: thinks that Ikea or any home store that has empty cabinets/toilets/sinks is paradise.

:: can now climb on and off things like rocking horses, small see-saws, and bouncy animals. Which is cool, but also scary.

:: loves to be upside down. He likes to go for a “horsey” ride on our laps and then throw his head back until he is upside down.

:: has started to pretend to cook while using his learning tower. Today he was mashing broccoli in a bowl for awhile and helping me wash carrots.

:: decided that the electric toothbrush is cool again, and not scary. I need to start looking for a smaller one — it seems a bit silly, but he loves brushing his teeth with it and I’m happy to pay for an extra battery every now and again in order to avoid bedtime brushing drama.

:: has explored France! Well, mainly just Paris. I’m hoping to do a little update about our trip soon, but wow, the parks. Charlie had a blast. He also enjoyed hanging out with his new friend Jack (the son of another church planting family in Paris), and learning how to say goodbye by blowing a kiss.

:: is enjoying a resurgence of the peek-a-boo game, although this time with slightly more advanced hiding (and more enthusiastic re-appearing).

:: likes making animal noises, especially if it’s for a dog (woof, woof)!

:: looooves to go exploring outside. Almost as soon as he gets up in the morning, he starts bringing us his shoes and his jacket, ready to go for a walk.

:: can finally wear the little Converse sneakers that I bought Caleb to tell him that we were expecting!

At 16 months, Charlie…

:: is a real toddler. Walking all over the place, opinionated about what he wants, not happy to sit still for more than a few minutes — he is a fireball of energy!

:: has started to understand the difference between throwing and rolling. Throwing, of course, is still the most fun.

:: is no longer happy just to point and watch cats — he likes to chase them!

:: had his first mild ear infection and managed to get through it after just a few days, without any antibiotics. Thankfully it wasn’t bad and he mainly just got extra sleepy/lazy and grumpy. The day after we went to the GP (doctor) to see what they thought it was, he ended up feeling much better. We were given amoxicillin just in case but I’m glad I didn’t have to find out whether or not he was allergic to it (a number of my relatives are).

:: really enjoys “washing his hands” (which actually consists mostly of playing with the tap/faucet and putting the towel in and out of its ring.

:: likes to put the oven mitt on his hand and touch the stove saying, “Hot! Hot!”

:: says and does the sign for rain when it is raining. He’s added a number of other signs (and words) to his vocabulary and is a lot of fun to communicate with.

:: could probably eat TWO blocks of cheese a day if I let him. The kid loves cheese.

:: is turning into a total giggle-monster. He will go nuts about the most random things and has started throwing his head back and cackling.

:: loves his DIY learning tower. He doesn’t stay up in it for too long yet and mostly likes dropping various utensils off of the counter, but it’s made kitchen time a bit easier and given him some more independence.

:: discovered the amazing joy of an electric toothbrush.

:: decided that an electric toothbrush was incredible and super cool for two nights…but now it’s a little scary.

:: is also nervous about the vacuum cleaner. So we decided to be goofy last time I had to vacuum and I would point at it and say, “No, vacuum cleaner — we don’t like you!” After that he wasn’t as scared and instead enjoyed pointing at it and calling, “No no!”

:: has started to get “ear” “nose” “mouth” and “eyes.” Although there’s still a big of confusion between no / nose / know.

:: likes “sweeping” with his very own little broom.

:: is more interested in exploring and walking around than in toys, but does like balls, cars, his pound and drop toy, wooden eggs and musical instruments. He also has started playing more with some of his “buddies” (stuffed animals) and loves to hide them, do the sign for “Where did it go?” and then find them.

At 15 months, Charlie…

:: is finally walking! He is still very cautious and crawls more often than not, but he’s walked up to six feet or so on his own. He much prefers holding our hands, which is fine by me because I know he’ll be running off before we know it.

:: has started connecting more and more words with objects. Some favorites right now are: ball, shoe, cheese, cat, dog, bye, hiya, nana (banana), nah (no), eat, more, and of course mama and da (dad).

:: likes copying what we do with our hands. We have an awesome print in his room from my sister-in-law, Angela, and sometimes I’ll point to it and read it to him. He smiles really big, points back, and “reads” it back to me.

:: loves riding on his dad’s shoulders.

:: opens and closes everything he can, especially doors (and unfortunately, the toilet seat). He really, really likes “doing laundry”: opening the washer door, putting a dishrag in, closing it, and pushing the “on” button (which beeps because of the childproof setting). Then he’ll open the door, take the rag out, and start over.

:: is getting better at eating with a spoon (and using his fork), so mealtimes are more 50/50 utensils and hands.

:: could eat a block of cheese a day if I let him.

:: makes me both proud and terrified with his climbing skills. There will be some falls in our future, no doubt about that. Hopefully just not big ones!

:: wants to be involved in everything we do in the kitchen. We are working on a learning tower for him this weekend that should make his time while we are cooking a lot more enjoyable.

:: loves looking for cats and dogs. If you say “cat” or “dog” he will immediately repeat it and then point outside. If he gets to pet one, he’s in heaven!

:: loves reading: current book obsessions are Hands Can and Have You Seen My Cat?

:: has started sleeping much better at night, which has been wonderful. It looks like we are coming up on the transition from two naps to one soon, which I’m both looking forward to (much easier to schedule around one nap) and dreading (because it’s nice to have two little breaks in my day, and transitions are usually tough).

:: is such a goof. I love that he is still such a happy, silly boy!

At 14 months, Charlie…

:: is really starting to look like a little boy (and not a baby!). I’m proud, but also a bit sad!

:: has taken his first steps! It’s only happened a few times, but he gets braver every day.

:: hands down, favorite activity right now is dropping/throwing/hiding things and then throwing his hands up in a “What happened?” or “Where did it go?” gesture. Usually I’ll pretend to look around and then he will go “find” it.

:: likes to repeat noises I make, especially if it’s got a musical tone to it.

:: loves to “brush” his teeth. He’s actually doing some semblance of brushing, which is a step up from just sucking on the brush. He also enjoys brushing his hair and using the handkerchief to dab his nose (although not when it’s actually runny). I’d like to set up a better “care of self” area for him soon.

:: eats with a fork and spoon (if I pre-load them). The spoon eating is definitely messy, but I am trying to let go and embrace the mealtime mess as he learns.

:: enjoys eating his snacks at his little table in the living room (when we are at home).

:: enjoys watching the blender when we make smoothies, and has a blast drinking them (especially because it usually involves a smoothiestache).

:: gets really excited whenever I say, “Do you want to find Dad?” and starts chanting, “Da! Da! Da!!!”

:: does the signs for “milk”, “more” and “all done.” He understands the sign for “book” and we are also working on “dog.”

:: hates being strapped in his car seat. He’s fine once he’s in, but ever since he figured out how to climb out after being unstrapped, he doesn’t want to sit in it until he’s buckled. We will probably move up to an extended rear-facing seat in a few months (hopefully we can fit one in our car and can find a decent price), but for now he is still fine in the smaller seat (since he’s such a small fry).

:: likes to bend over and do a mini downward facing dog pose. He also loves flipping backwards when we are holding him and looking at the world upside down.

:: loves animals. He likes to stand in his window (with me behind him, of course) and watch the cats and dogs that are frequently seen in our court.

:: has lots of fun playing with the few Schleich animals I got for him, especially the sheep. He says, “baa, baa” when he picks it up and if I ask him to get the sheep, he will crawl over and take it out of the basket.