At a year and a half, our littlest guy still feels no need to talk. Why should he, when he communicates so effectively with screaming and flapping and pointing and grunting? And in a pinch, he always has a big brother and sister with a wealth of words at the ready to translate for him. He has sounds for lots of things: "buh" or "ba" or any combination or variation of the two could be baby, belly button, bug, box, ball or belly depending on the situation. "Dada" finally made its way into his vocabulary, along with "Papa," "Nana," "Ah-buh" (Abby) and some weird blah-blah-blah noise he makes by sticking his tongue out for words that start with the letter S, and banana, for some reason. There are plenty of other sounds out there that our immediate family understands, so he actually manages to converse pretty well when we're at home. But I must admit that my heart melts for the "Mommy" that recently replacced "Mama" in his vernacular. The fact that he smiles really big every time he says it just about pushes me over the edge into a big pile of Mommy mush.
What Jacob lacks in language he more than makes up for in fine motor skills. We've had the same toys through all three kids, and I've yet to see one of mine play with train tracks, blocks or cars as well or as effectively as my youngest. He builds intricate train tracks, complete with bridges and bypasses, without any help from the rest of us. Left on his own, he'll construct towers of blocks that rival most of what my 3 and 4 year old are currently building. He has a very detailed and creative mind, and it's fascinating to watch the difference in the way he plays with our "big kid" toys at such a young age. We're attributing this mostly to the fact that we packed away the baby toys much earlier with Jacob than we did with his siblings, and he's been manipulating these big kid toys for quite some time now. That, and he's obviously an engineering genius.
He is way snugglier than any baby yet to emerge from my womb. If I'm sitting (which I'm doing quite often these days), he backs right up into my lap and just sits there with me. Sometimes he'll bring a book, but most often he's content to just snuggle in my lap and help me parent his siblings from the comfort of my chair or the floor. He's more than happy to lounge in his dad's lap each night for a Bible story and a round of "Rock-a-bye Baby," a sight that still catches me off guard, since none of my kids has ever let me rock them and sing them lullabies while they just relaxed in arms.
It's not all sunshine and giggles with this little guy, however. He's got a bit of his sister's independent streak and testy temperament, and we're finding that in a boy, that can be slightly more violent. He's quick to throw a full-body-on-the-floor tantrum when things aren't going his way, or launch a toy across the room when he's provoked, or engage in a full-scale tug-o-war with his brother over a truck that they simply cannot share. In his quieter moments, he's been known to escape to his room or a corner of the dining room with a book or a train to play by himself for a bit just to get away from all the madness. He's perfectly happier--happiest, it sometimes seems--when everyone just leaves him alone to play in peace.
And other times, if the big kids will let him, he's a team player. If Abby and Caleb are building a train track and driving trains around, he wants to be right there with them. If we're reading, he needs a spot on the couch next to us. If we're coloring, I'd best give him something to scribble with and on or I'll never hear the end of it. He's made himself a place among the neighborhood kids, who happily ignore the fact that he's still six months shy of his second birthday and will include him in whatever they're up to, be it coloring a giant whale on the road in front of our house, or blowing bubbles, or riding bikes up and down the street (he chases them in his little blue car). I'm certain he has no idea he's less than half their age. He just likes being included in the fun.
With his big dark eyes and a smile that lights up his whole face, Jacob is a joy to have around. As always, I can't remember what life was like without him. And I'm so glad I don't have to.
No comments:
Post a Comment