I Scream, You Scream...

Jack most certainly screams for Ice Cream! This is what we call the "Excitement Face", and if you are fortunate enough to have seen it in person then you know it is way more than just an facial expression. It entails the baring of teeth, a complete stiffening of the arms and clenching of the hands into fists. And on occasion, the legs will stiffen out so that his whole self is involved. So, basically, I guess it's more of a full-body "Excitement Move". (I actually thought that he was having a seizure the first time it happened, but he now does it on command, so perhaps I over-reacted, as usual.) As you will see in this instance, The Move is accompanied by a larger-than-necessary spoon. Which can only mean One Thing, and One Thing only.

ICE CREAM!

Ice cream at our house is serious business. We do not play around. Here, Jack is enjoying some of his Daddy's Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla with some Hershey's Milk Chocolate Shell on top. Yum! (Notice - in the photo to the right - the disdainful look I am getting for actually thinking of interrupting his eating by taking a photograph! How dare I?!) Yes, Ice Cream is a precious commodity at our house, as you can see below in Phillip's joyful, I-really-don't want-to-share-even-with-Jack expression. Hee hee.

I guess that I will also give you all the abbreviated Weekend Update, while I have a moment here at the keyboard. I am sick - AGAIN. Jack has been sick with a cold pretty much since we got back from vacation, but is finally taking antibiotics and seems to be improving. I thought I had managed to escape it this time, but Thursday night I began feeling really cold, which for me, usually means fever. Sure enough, I was running a pretty good one, and had chills all night accompanied by a massive headache which turned into a sore throat and earache by morning. My mom (known here as the Beacon of Hope) arrived early Friday morning to whisk Jack away, and he just returned this afternoon. You know I was feeling bad to not see my favorite person for two whole days! I pretty much lived on Over-the-Counter cold medicine and Chicken Noodle Soup all weekend and Phillip and I watched about ten movies so that I could lie on the couch and not have to talk. (I am happy to report that I truly loved Napoleon Dynamite this time around, and I wasn't even intoxicated like I said I'd certainly have to be if I was ever going to find any humor in such a terrible movie. Of course, I suppose it could have been the cold medicine.) I know, I know - with my ridiculous sense of humor, you'd think I'd have gotten it the first time around, but I didn't. Sometimes, I am just a little slow. I would also like to give the Duncan stamp of approval to Million Dollar Baby. Wow. You GO, Clint Eastwood! Just don't rent it if you are looking for something lighthearted.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, my throat feels much better and the fever is gone, so I am hopefully on the road to recovery. Please say a prayer for Phillip, as he is singing in a wedding next weekend and really needs to stay healthy!

Jack is doing so much fun stuff. Walking (strutting, really), talking, playing, communicating his needs with gestures (instead of grunts or screams), follwing simple instructions, attempting headstands. He's even using his shape-sorter perfectly! After months of my trying to get him interested in it, all of a sudden he just sat down with it and started sorting all the little shapes without any help. He knew just what to do! He really seems to know what to do with all of his toys all of a sudden. All these things that Little Boys are supposed to do. Little Boys? Where's my baby?

These are indeed precious times and they are moving by so quickly. I knew they would, but I had no idea how much fun they'd be!