The Picker Family: May 2020

Thursday, May 28, 2020

Jace ~ 21 Months

We were blessed with the opportunity to spend yet another month home with our family of 5: working, learning, and playing together:)

Our little guy changed a lot again this month!

He's constantly chattering (with or without his pacifier in his mouth) and says more phrases regularly. Some recent additions are "nickey mouse", "so close" (when he misses a basketball shot attempt), "no want it" with a shake of his head when he's offered something he doesn't want like food or a helping hand, and "are you Nora". He's currently calling me "mom-mom" or "mom" and I kind of love it:) He's also counting to 10 more often on his own. He's also very aware of routines that happen regularly. He knows the steps to bedtime and going outside (socks, shoes, hat, sunglasses). He will walk around the house talking about socks, shoes, hat, and sunglasses when he wants to go outside and we're not letting him. For instance, when it's been rainy:)

Physically he's growing a lot too. We're currently in the 6 months between well-child visits so we're not sure of inches and pounds gained, but he is wearing 2T shorts and 3T shirts. He's a plump, strong, agile little guy and I love his sweet round cheeks and chubby feet so much! Last weekend he practiced walking down the stairs (on his feet) while holding the rungs/railing. He literally practiced over and over on Greg and Cally's deck stairs and wanted no help from us. Refusing help is not uncommon for him though. He does NOT hold hands. He would rather fall to his butt if he feels unsteady. We're working on the phrase "help please" when he needs help with food or a toy. Every time I say it when I notice he's frustrated, his face lights up and he repeats me. He seems happy and proud to be able to communicate his need. Jace is also happy to ride anything with wheels. We have several choices of toys his and Nora's size and he rotates between them all, even if they are too big for him.

Jace's fascination with wheels does not stop with toys. He also loves watching anyone mow and stops dead in his tracks when a big truck or trailer is in sight. Yesterday the neighbor's lawn care service pulled up to mow and Jace literally did a little dance in the driveway while he watched the big riding mower drive out of the trailer:) This month Jace had his first experience with the ice cream truck visiting our neighborhood. He was floored! A truck that delivered ice cream!?!? We learned that he quickly started associating every white box-style truck with ice cream. We were on a walk the next day and he started whining about "coo-kas" when he saw a white truck. Thankfully Nora and Brent put this together so now we know what Jace is talking about. Unfortunately for him, the ice cream truck only comes Thursdays.

Another fascination of Jace's is watching the big kids on the trampoline. Our neighbors have one and it often has several kids on it. Jace loves to check out the action and chattering and point at them. He also loves the neighbors sand box and play set and we're often found chasing him into their yard when we it's not time to play:)

Thankfully Jace continues to broaden his food spectrum and regularly tries and enjoys what we're having for dinner. He also continues to get his 2 year molars. Last we checked he had two broken through the gum.

Our little guy is so much fun and brightens our days. It's hard to believe some days that he's our last, but we also love the time and attention we (Brent, Luke, Nora, and I) can give him since he's the only little guy in the house.

Morning snuggles

Hiking at Nerstrand Big Woods Park

Always looking for something to climb

Getting a ride on the "tractor"

Mother's Day

Mother's Day - Social Distance Style

Lovin the dirt!

Ice Cream Truck!!!

His treat

Always wanting to drive/ride

Goof ball

Snuggles before Jace's nap

Trying to take my seat!

Last day of school for Luke (8th grade) and Nora (1st grade)
Jace didn't really care

Big boy on the swing!

Big sister = big helper!

Nora's ziggle

One of my favorite of Luke's hand-me-down outfits

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Jace ~ 20 Months

We have a 20 month old and he's SO much fun!

I was thinking recently how this is probably the most time I've gotten to spend with one of our kids as a toddler. I'm certainly not thankful for COVID-19, but there have definitely been many blessings in this time of being home together. One of the top on my list is extra time with our kids. They will never be 14 years, 7.5 years, and 20 months again and I get a front row seat to their lives each day.

It's amazing how quickly a toddler changes. I always look back at the blog post from the month before while I write and Jace has been developing very quickly!

A few of his favorite worked are: "coo-ka" = cookie and/or cracker, "dood" = dude (copying Luke), "paci" = pacifier, and "b" = blanket. Paci and coo-ka can change his mood instantly if we bring them up. He can be whining at the table, we offer a coo-ka, and we suddenly have a smilely guy! He can be frustrated about bedtime (especially when it involves coming in from outside), we mention his paci, and he's ready to head to bed! A funny part to his language right now is how he doesn't distinguish well between N and M sounds. For instance, "gome" = gone, "nickey" = mickey. But, on the other hand, he says ma-ma and na-na (for Nora and banana) correctly. He's also working on putting more two word phrases together. He'll say things like "bye daddy" or "shoes off". He really enjoys counting and will repeat or fill in most numbers when we count with him to 10. Once, we even heard him count straight from 1-10 by himself.

Jace still loves books and loves any that include animal sounds, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse characters, or trucks/tractors. One of his favorites is Easy Street which we've had since Luke was young. He's also getting much better at identifying pictures in books and repeating lots of words.

He continues to develop physically as well. He walks up the stairs on his feet while holding the wall or railing, he can actually get off the ground when he jumps off two feet, and he keeps getting teeth! We noticed he was chewing on his hands more again and having some messy diapers so we checked on his molars....yep, he has started getting his two year molars! The first one had already broken through the gum. Thankfully, Jace is eating a little better this month. He still certainly has his favorites, but he's been more willing to try what we're having for dinner and wants to eat it especially if it's on someone else's plate 😊

The highlight of Jace's days this spring has been watching the working vehicles in our neighborhood! Tractors, diggers, and dump trucks oh my! Our yard backs up to a farm field so he can watch the tractors work. Our neighborhood is also expanding so he can watch dump trucks, diggers, and cement trucks working on grading yards and filling driveways/sidewalks. The best part is that he can see it from the kitchen window even if we're not outside. He has also been a fan of watching and/or following Brent while he mows the lawn. We have more yard projects planned and I'm sure he'll enjoy plenty of time in the dirt!