A Day in Jack's Life

Friday, September 30th - a few days shy of Jack's 22nd month birthday....

Like clockwork, a few minutes after our 6am alarm, we hear Jack calling "cummere Mommy!"

He greets me with: "Mommy, bed; Mommy, bed"

Morning time is my favorite time as all 3 of us pile into our bed. There are lots of snuggles and talking before we fully get up for the day. This morning included some books as well.


Jack spends a lot of time with just a shirt on when he's at home. This is our potty training method of choice. It seems to work great as he's very aware of going to the bathroom and doesn't have accidents (okay there was that one time when he pooped on the floor...).

Next it is time to pee pee in the potty... "Mommy, pee pee backwards....no, poo-poo on floor!" (he really does say this most times he's on the potty) Pee pee backwards is Jack's preferred potty sitting position.


Then it's straight to his fire truck in the living room. Or rather "Bire *uck".


A typical fire truck conversation goes like this:

"Mama, bire *uck! Big yadder! Many lights on. Oh no, bire *uck!" (He throws in a lot of "oh no's" into his speech - a little dramatic flare :) )

Then it's time to help Daddy unload the dishwasher while Mommy makes breakfast.


Jack manages to get two different "boo boos" and narrowly avoids a time-out visit. It's amazing how much can happen in the 5 minutes it takes me to make breakfast!


Every morning, Jack has "yum yum" (oatmeal or hot cereal). Breakfast convo:

"Mamma yum yum; Daddy yum yum; Jack yum yum (he points)...Bire station; bire *uck, coming back; bire man press button, door open. Mmm-hmmm" (Jack likes to affirm what he says.)


Then it's time to brush teeth. Jack allows me enough time to sing Happy Birthday (or as he says "Happy Derfday") once for his top teeth and once for his bottom teeth. Diaper and clothes on. Bag packed. In car.


On the way to school, Jack narrates the trip by letting me know who else is on the road:

"School bus...nummer school bus? 2 school bus! Po-po car, po-po car! Amblance *uck - many lights on! Backhoe *uck! Garbage *uck! Taxi cab!" And my personal favorite "Checker Picker *uck!" (cherry picker truck) The child doesn't forget any truck we've learned about and we've read LOTS of truck books!

It's now 7:55 and we're at school.

J: "Momma, too?"

Of course, I will come too Jack.

J: "Jack, walk?"


J: "Hey Miss Yahbin!"


J: "Play amblance truck?" "Airplane!"

Me: Bye Jack, I love you!

J: "Mommy, work, coming back!" (For the first two weeks, this was said shakily and with tears; now he says it very matter-of-factly.)

Jack then spends the rest of the morning at school, playing trucks with his friends, playing outside, doing some art, and eating some lunch.

I pick him up after lunch. I ask him if he wants to show me the outside play area. He beelines straight to the fire truck, of course.


Once in the car, he asks:

"Drive by bire station?"

I take a slightly less direct route home from school so that we can do our daily drive by. As we get close...

J: "Drive by bire station!!! Slow down! All doors shut! Bire *uck missing!!" Whatever he sees at the fire station he talks about for the rest of the day.

At home, it's straight to his room for books and then naptime in the big boy bed.

J: "Big boy bed, no out"


10 minutes later, the scene has changed to this:


I am so lucky to have a flexible schedule where I can go pick Jack up at lunch. His nap (usually 3 hrs) gives me the time I need to do more work at home. The end of my work day comes with a thud, some giggles coming down the hallway, and a very disheveled Jack:


J: "Snuggle Mommy? On couch? Read books?"

And after each book,

J: "One time?"

Me: You mean one more time Jack?

J: "One time?"

Me: Jack we have to get ready for our adventure!

After a visit to the potty and outfit changes, we are ready to go.

J: "Snack cup Mommy? MMM! Snack cup!"

Me: What are you eating Jack?

J: "Pears, raisins!"


We then bought some baby gifts and went to two different Friday afternoon play groups - at two different neighborhood parks. Jacob met us at the second one and had bought Jack a new soccer ball since we lost our last one. Jack had a blast climbing, sliding, swinging, and running around. He has been known to flip out when it's time to get back in the stroller to leave, but not tonight because....

Jacob: Jack, do you want pizza?

J: "Pizza! Daddy, pizza!"

Jack loves sitting outside and eating his pizza.


We walk home and Jack gets a bubble bath. Then back to the big boy bed where Jack reads his truck books to us. (Okay, it's more like he fills in the blanks)

Then we gather Hop, Blue Bear, and Bunny, his two pacifiers, and his blanket and head to the crib.

J: "Mommy, rock?"

We turn the lights off and rock and say our prayers and then he goes right down...

30 minutes of quiet later...

J: "Mommy cummere!"

J: "Mommy rock?" "Rocking chair"

He's hard to resist and who would mind having this precious little boy snuggled up in your lap randomly spouting out bits of his day and his deepest thoughts? :)

J:"Big papa press button, door open"...."Uncle Willliam, pick up truck"...."trash - garbage truck carry away" (a line from a book)...."Mommy, coming back"....

I lay him back down and this time he goes to sleep for good.

I wish I could bottle up moments like this, but I guess the next best thing is writing it down sometimes, taking pictures and videos, so that I can "open it up" again one day when Jack doesn't ask me to "snuggle". Will I want my 18 year old to ask me to snuggle?