Grammy and I were so proud we could take you to Disney World and other places. We had so much fun being with you!  Our first full day on vacation (Sunday) wasn’t great weather-wise, in fact it poured while we were at Animal Kingdom… I bought ponchos for 13 of us!  But from Monday on… the weather was beautiful in the low 80’s.

Here are some of my favorite photos of you from our vacation:

You came with your Dad, Uncle Tim, me, Ben, Emma and Camden to Tom Sawyer’s Island… we went into caves, a windmill, a fort and walked across a rickedy floating tire bridge. It was fun!

As usual, you took everything in stride… always even-tempered, never upset (unless we took you away from looking at a truck) and always with a good natured smile.

One of my favorite photos is you pinching Mickey Mouse’s nose – you weren’t afraid of these life size characters one bit, you thought they were funny!

Guess what your favorite thing was on our vacation?

We visited the Magic Kingdom;  Epcot; Animal Kingdom; and Hollywood Studios… You went to Legoland and Dr. Seus’s playground at Universal Studios… Rode on Pirates of the Caribbean, Toy Story and Cat in the Hat rides… saw the Muppets in 3D… ate dinner with dinosaurs and saw beautiful princesses… but NONE of these were your favorite.

What couldn’t take your eyes off?

What made you cry when we had to move away and you couldn’t watch any longer?

Trucks! Transportation vehicles! Construction equipment!

Here’s a photo taken at Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom… Grammy is holding you and you’re watching trucks!  When we had to move forward in the line, you were very upset! Isn’t that funny?

The next photo are the people mover trams that bring people from the parking lots to the parks. You loved these!

The last photo is the construction crane at Fantasyland which is under construction. It was fantastic fun for you!

You flew in an airplane the very first time on Saturday, March 10, 2012 on our way to Orlando, Florida for our eight day Disney vacation.

While waiting for our airplane to arrive at the Manchester airport, you had a blast watching the trucks do their thing.

You were a  good boy on the three hour airplane ride, taking it all in stride as you almost always do.  Your Dad sat with you and you slept over an hour.  The whole experience didn’t bother you a bit!

Grammy and I had a blast being with you one-on-one at our house.  You stayed a few hours… we had lots of fun.

After a peanut butter sandwich and some cheese, we started playing. I showed you how to pull the green wooden frog pull toy around… and you did.

Photos were captured of you sitting in one of the chairs. I tried to duplicate your brother’s famous Harry Potter book photo shoot, but you didn’t have the patience… places to go & things to see.

I brought you into the master bathroom where you never go… When I said “come on Jack, come this way,” you followed me into a new world of shiny floors, mirrors and Beatles music coming over the ceiling speakers. I’m pretty sure you thought it was a spectacularly cool place to hang out.

Back in the Great Room, I remembered how you love trucks, so I put fresh batteries in the yellow tow truck and red fire engine.  I showed you how to activate the little white buttons on top of the cab roofs… you paid close attention and then pressed.

HONK HONK! said the yellow tow truck.

WOOO WOOO! exclaimed the red fire engine.

At first you were surprised… you gave us a look that said “What the heck… since when do those things do that?”

Then a big smile transformed a perplexed look into a wide mouthed Jack grin.  Your Mom said you love loud noises, so no wonder you loved it. You kept pressing the buttons over and over.

We played with the red wooden car parked in the play doll house garage. You liked it when I pushed it far across our wooden floor.  You walked over to get it and brought it back, repeating the process several times.

Grammy said my name to you one time and then it happened…you repeated her and said:

Papa

That was the first time anyone’s heard you say that word… it was a moment I’ll always remember!

Despite the excitement I felt when you said my name, I must accurately note that “Papa” was not your first word… that was “Momma” followed by “Daddy” and then one of your favorites…

Go. Go.

I always bring you to the kitchen floor clock and bring your face even with its face saying “Tick Tock.”  You tried to repeat it and soon will say it.

Today you met Grammy & me at Flatbread Pizza in Portsmouth for lunch.  Grammy pointed out the lights above and said “Lights.”  You repeated “Lights,” saying it another three times for good measure.

It’s so cool imagining your brain cells spark and illuminate, making the connection between  objects and names… it’s all coming together FAST for you. Your verbal progress is fun to witness… like walking, it’s one of the pivotal transformational experiences that turn a baby into a toddler.

Sixteen months old… already.  Where is the time going?  Pretty soon you’ll be walking AND talking a blue streak.

Thanks for lighting up my world smiley Jack.

Yesterday you decided to go for a ride.

On your own.

Down the stairs from your family room to the basement.

You took your big lobster claw paw and pushed the tension gate down, following in a cascade of spins and tumbles that landed you on the basement floor.

Fortunately, the stairs and landing were carpeted; this softened the blow.

Your Mother was calm as a cucumber – NOT!  She called your Daddy and he came home for awhile.  Mommy didn’t want to put you down for a nap so she held you. But soon it was apparent you were none for the worse.

Today you wore a t-shirt that said:

I do all my own stunts.

 

You are a busy boy Mr. Jack Attack.

You are still doing your Tank thing, walking over any object in your way.  Why look and change your path when you can simply crush it!

You’re cutting new teeth, so some days are less than fun lately.  It’s not like you to fuss and cry, but sometimes we just have a bad day.

You’re also getting a bit of a temper Master Jack – very fun to watch from my perspective and Grammy’s too.  You let it be known when things are not going your way.  They don’t last long, and you get over things quickly.

You’re just asserting your growing independence… putting your foot down, expressing yourself and shaping your world.

But birthing teeth and temper tantrums are no match for meal time.

Mommy calls your stomach your “buddha belly.”  It’s round and jolly and cute, yes, but nowhere as big as a buddha belly.

You absolutely l-o-v-e to eat, that’s true.  I’ve never heard a baby (certainly none of our seven grandchildren) cry such a horrible cry when food disappears from your tray and there’s no replacement round on the way.

It’s a pained animal cry… pure devastation.  It’s as if you’re saying “I cannot freaking believe there is NO MORE FOOD for me… how can these people do this to me? Are they freaking savages?  It’s unacceptable and it’s flat-out cruelty.  I will never forgive them; I will report this… I can’t possibly go on with life any longer as I know it.”

Something like that.

You are some pissed off.

But once you’re cleaned up and are back on the floor, life does in fact go on and you are delighted doing your mobility thing again… with a full stomach.

You are such a happy camper now that you’re under your own head of steam.

Nothing stops you from completing your little voyages… if anything gets in the way it becomes an object of unintentional scorn…  walked on, crushed, trampled and sometimes annihilated underfoot.

You’re Jack the Tank.

What makes it so fun to watch is the delightful mix between (A) the sheer joy of being able to control your own destiny and (B) your naivete about what is actually transpiring as you plod your way over and through all obstacles.

Blocks underfoot?  No problem.  150 lincoln logs strewn about?  I don’t see ’em.

Without speaking, you translate the obvious:

“I don’t care. I may feel something under my feet, but I am ignoring it because the most important objective is moving forward.  If I ignore, I will overcome.

I just… want…to…move…forward.”

But Jack the Tank you are not alone.

Cast within the same rugged little wide-body is another being… a back-and-forth swerving machine I call the Drunken Sailor.

Like a sailor on leave hitting ground for the first time after months at sea, your little legs are set wide as you move forward in a rocking-back-and-forth style that stabilizes and yet propels.

Ever present is the inimitable Jack grin… smiling wide as you become the person you’ve always dreamed of… independent… adventurous… free.

We had a fun time all together on Christmas Day.

Here’s one of my favorite photos… there were lots of presents to open including some giant boxes – one of them was for you!