Jack Wasser, Boy Genius

I’m going to ignore some brat-tastic behavior that Jack engaged in over the weekend and focus on the really good stuff. The boy does tend to occasionally act… like a two-year-old… but you know what? I still really like the guy.

On Friday, we got the news from daycare that Jack is, as we put it, Going To The Show. That is, he’s moving up to the big exciting world of Group 3, where they sit at little chairs that are not attached to the table, speak in sentences, and sometimes even do fancy things like use toilets. I think he’s ready for the change (well, not the toilet part, but the rest is good), and I’m happy to hear that his friend Hannah is probably going to make the move with him. It’ll be good for Jack to have a buddy.

Now that Jack is on his fantastic kick of using more and more words, I have been amazed at some of the stuff he’s been able to say. Recently, he picked up his copy of My Oh My Oh Dinosaurs and started “reading” it. That is, he’d point to the picture and say the last word on the page: Happy! Sad! Good! Bad! If he couldn’t actually say the word, he’d at least use the exact inflections that I do when I read it. The kid has apparently been listening to me all this time (mental note: must be careful about the swearing). Even more amazingly, he can count to ten. I have to get him started, but if I count two of the ducks or sheep on the page, he’ll fill in the rest of the numbers. So cool!

Yesterday, he and I started a class called Giggles and Wiggles that’s offered at a local rec center. It’s a lot like Gymboree or My Gym, but because it’s offered by the county, it’s $7 a class as opposed to $20. Jack was the youngest kid in the class, but he was also the least shy and most confident. The other kids either clung to their parents or hid in a corner crying, while Jack happily hopped like a frog, sang “Itsy Bitsy Spider,” or enthusiastically fluttered theh parachute. Now, I know that my kid isn’t going to be the valedictorian of Giggles and Wiggles or anything, but I can’t help but be proud of how self-assured he is, how willing he is to play with new people and try new things.

I am really thrilled about the improved talking. I can now kind of have a conversation with him, at least more than I used to. Last night we were at the gas station, and he kept pointing and saying “Choo choo.” I finally figured out that he was pointing to a big silver truck that was full of gas. I said, “That does look like a choo choo train, but it is a truck. It’s delivering gas to the gas station.” Jack shook his head and said, “Is no a choo choo, Mama. Is truck.” Can’t argue with that.