Jack just turned 22 months old! We’re only two months shy of having a 2-year-old on our hands! He is growing by leaps and bounds and acting more like a rambunctious little boy every day. We love it! We’re really seeing some “terrible 2s” behavior lately with temper tantrums and choosing not to obey, so he has become very aware of “time outs” lately. It seems that he either has a really good day or a really bad day with no middle ground. Regardless though, that’s to be expected at his age, and I’m really proud of how well behaved he is most of the time. He is such a gentle, caring little boy, and I’m so glad he is mine!

Right now, we are planning Jack’s big boy room! We have picked out the furniture we like, the quilt and sheets, and some of the decor. We’re hoping to get his new room painted and the furniture ordered in time for his second birthday. He is getting furniture that will last him at least through elementary school, so this is a big deal! No mini furniture or little toddler beds – but a twin bed with a dresser, a new closet set-up and a bookshelf for all his favorite books and toys. I can’t believe we’re setting him up for a big boy room already and that he is going to be a big brother. It’s all a little overwhelming for me right now. I guess because he won’t be my only baby anymore, and that’s a little emotional. I think back to all those little, private moments we shared where we would snuggle on the couch and nap together when he was a little thing. Now he is going to be the big brother who is sharing his mommy with another sibling. I know I’ll love them the same, but the thought of it not being just me and him anymore is a little scary. Don’t get me wrong – I’m excited – just sentimentally wanting to hang on to my little boy and our one-on-one moments together forever.

Recently, Jack went through a speech evaluation. The evaluation showed he was 99% in auditory comprehension, but only 1% in expressive communication (speech). That is a HUGE gap, so we immediately started speech therapy for him to get a good jump on things and to try and lessen that gap as quickly as possible. He goes once a week for 30 minutes, and he always works hard while he is there. So far, we have been to two sessions. We also take home exercises that we learn in class to work on during the week. He gets frustrated real easy, but that’s to be expected. The therapist said the frustration will get worse before it improves. I’m glad I went with my intuition to have him evaluated though, so he won’t be so far behind later.

Our new Boxer puppy, Emma, is our latest addition to the family. She is 12 weeks old now. At her vet visit today, she weighed 15 pounds (gaining 5 pounds in one month). She is doing well with her crate-training and potty-training. She is MUCH faster about going quickly when we’re outside, and she is also more vocal about when she needs to go out, which is helpful. She loves her crate too, which is good right now with Jack being so young. There are many times she needs to be up for awhile while Jack needs my attention. All I have to say to Emma is “night night”, and she’ll run into her crate and wait for her treat. She’s full of energy and lots of crazy, but she really is a good girl for being a young puppy. She has one more vet visit to complete her puppy shots, and we will spay her in a few months. Other than that, we get to chill out on all the vet bills and immunizations for awhile and just let her grow up and adapt even better to our family. She is getting to the age where I really need to be working with her on obedience training, so I’m hoping the morning sickness slows down so I can get her where she needs to be before the baby is born.

On a side note, the pregnancy is moving along just fine. I’m terribly sick still, but that tells me the baby is healthy at least. I only have a few more weeks of my first trimester, so I’m praying that the sickness will pass as we get a little further along. I haven’t been able to really enjoy this pregnancy yet, and that makes me a little sad. I think it’s just a different experience when you already have a young child to care for. I’m hoping once we find out the gender of the baby that things will become more real and more exciting! That’s when I always start picking up little things here and there for the baby, like a little outfit or a stuffed animal. Of course, Jack will think it’s all for him, I’m sure, so that will get interesting too!