Jake at 22 months

I have been thinking much lately about this particular stage of Jake's life--specifically the personality traits that are emerging and his current interests and preferences. Sum it all up in a sentence: Jake is a sweet boy with a tender heart and a very strong attachment to certain people and things. A few of his preferences:

* "Me Me" is the name for his beloved blankie. He still carries it around for much of the day and sleeps with it every night.

(No, he is not potty trained...he just likes to wear Diego underwear over his diaper. Thanks, Grandma for the idea.)

Whatever the sleeping position, the blankie must always be touching his face.

Yes, he fell asleep in that position. Don't ask me how he sleeps in the middle of that mess.

* Mama. He is still a little mama's boy. He cries most times when I leave in the mornings to go running or to a meeting of some kind...but I hear that he is getting better, and that the tears only last a few seconds. Nursery is another story. It's amazing that his 6 months of nursery visits have not diminished the Sunday tantrums. A friend of mine told me one Sunday she heard blood curdling screams from the nursery, and ran down the hall to investigate, expecting to see carnage of some kind. But after peeking in the window, she saw which child it was (mine, obviously) and said to herself: "Oh it's just the usual." Sometimes when I talk to people about Jake's continued aversion to nursery, I give the expected exasperated what-is-a-mother-to-do!? reaction, but really the most part of me just feels tenderness towards sweet Jake. His tantrums are more a hatred for nursery than love for his mother, but it tells me he still prefers me and our home!

* And of course the rest of the family. When Jake hears the garage door open, he perks up immediately. His eyes go wide and his smile spreads from ear to ear and he yells giddily: "DADDDDEEEE!!!" Without exception he drops whatever he is doing at the moment and runs full speed to the back door to welcome Daddy. Jake gives a similar reaction every morning. Always the first one up, Jake busies himself with television or food until hearing the first stirring noises from Noah in the bedroom. Jake gasps and his eyes light up while whispers almost reverently: "Owahhhhhhh!" (translation: "Noah"). As much as he enjoys being around mom all day, he definitely appreciates the company of Big Brother and Dad.

* Horses. This boy loves himself some horses. Although his vocabulary is growing slowly but steadily, "Horsie" is still the most frequently used word. It is also the answer to most questions. How are you, Jake? "Horsie." What do you want for lunch? "Horsie" Where did Daddy go? "Horsie." I will point out that he is perfectly capable of pronouncing the words "good" "cookies" and "work"...but even so, he defaults to "horsie".

* Athletic apparel. This is the main source of tantrum throwing. He thrashes his little body around when I try to clothe him in anything that does not include a football or basketball or team name. I've gotten smart and convinced him that clothes with numbers or words are also football clothes. This trick has significantly expanded his wardrobe and cut back on the fashionista

tantrums.

And so, little Jake seems to be developing a strong personality, but also a tender heart with a lot of love to give. What a good combination.