18 MONTHS

Jack is officially 18 months old today. Crazy that he has been in our lives now for a year and a half. Even crazier are the things that he is doing now - things like sliding down a slide sitting up (not sure when other kids learn how to do this, but we felt Jack was lagging on this - we blamed his big head - so we were shocked the other day when he went down without falling backwards). Or greeting every doorman with a high-five. Or climbing onto the couch or bringing us the remote so we can turn the TV on. He's also showing his independent (isn't this just a parent's nice way of saying "stubborn"?) streak. If he doesn't want what you're feeding him, he will keep it in his mouth, refuse any more bites, and then minutes later SPIT OUT the food wherever he may be. Oh, that's a fun one - nothing like finding bits of broccoli on the living room rug hours after dinner is over. He is also super sweet - giving kids "kisses" at the playground, but don't worry, all that means is he gets really close and tries to put his lips on their clothes. He waves hello and good-bye to just about everyone, including vehicles and dogs. He loves, loves, loves any sort of emergency vehicle and the accompanying siren - wondering if that will fade with the move to California. He's a good kid. We're lucky to have him. Here's hoping the next one is as good!

CS/38

We headed across the street to the playground today because we could tell it was super empty due to the grey, drizzly weather. We brought along one of Jack's outdoor balls, but of course he wanted to play with any ball that wasn't his. He immediately gravitated toward a little boy exactly his size who also had a red ball and proceeded to trade with him. While Adrian and I discussed how old the little boy probably was, we also discussed how mean his mom looked. She was wearing sunglasses, chomping on gum, talking on her cell phone, and she was also wearing those MBT sneakers that supposedly tone your butt and legs as you walk. I was interested in her mainly because I could tell she was pregnant and I'm all about comparing bump sizes at this stage. At one point, Jack and her little boy were playing and I got close enough to hear her voice and I realized in an instant it was Elisabeth Hasselbeck from "The View." It was also confirmed when she eventually got off the phone and used the name Taylor for the little boy, which Google states is her boy's name. When we got home, we kept an eye out for her since we can see the playground from our apartment and when she left we assumed she was headed to the East Side. But surprise, after my Google research, we found out that she lives up here with us - 99th and Broadway to be exact, in some 2,300 square-foot condo. She's due in August some time and she was a bit bigger than me so that made me feel good. Oh, and her son Taylor was born on November 9, so Jack is exactly two days older than him, though we did have to admit Taylor is a better runner than Jack is, but he did have a pacifier in his mouth the whole time and Jack gave that baby stuff up at five months.