A few weeks ago, I was at the kitchen table, working on my computer when I looked up to see Jacob walking toward me, his hands over his eyes. A moment later, with a flourish worthy of Broadway, he flung his arms wide and giggled at me. Peek-a-boo!

 

To be honest, I didn’t think the novelty of peek-a-boo was going to last much past six months. And yet here we are, coming up on sixteen, and the game just keeps getting funnier. For him.

 

For us—his parents, grandparents, etc.—it’s become kind of frightening. I love that the kid has such great trust in his world and the people in it. But walking across a room strewn with toys, books, and the occasional sippy cup with your eyes covered can be kind of dangerous. There have been a few spills, but they all end with smiles and another display of the most triumphant peek-a-boo reveal mankind has ever witnessed.

 

Peek-a-boo isn’t just frightening these days; it’s messy, too. The other day the mood struck in the middle of lunch. The avocado stage of lunch. I removed the chunks and tried to brush his then-wet hair, but it stuck out a weird angle until bath time. I didn’t take any more pictures that day, after this.

There’s been a lot of talk about No. 2 in these parts recently. For the most part, that’s been because I had those posts written already and was too sleepy to write new ones. Good news: I think the glory of the second trimester is about to kick in. With it comes the return of enough energy to make it through a day without utterly needing a nap, and that, my friends, is a very welcome change.

 

That energy means it’s time for some more updates in Jacob developments! He’s cut three of four molars, and the last one is just under the surface. Apart from drooling like a fountain, he’s handling it very well. We’re starting to brush his teeth, too, and every day it’s less of a fight.

He’s learned some new signs: again and book, though he struggles with the latter. Most of the time he just brings books to me anyway, so it’s not hindering communication.

And finally, he’s picking up some wilderness skills. I let some of the water out of his ducky tub before I take him out of the bath, to minimize the bubbles we take with us onto the bath rug. I showed him how to use his scooper toy to get the water out of the ducky and into the big tub last night, and he thought that was great. He baled water for another couple of minutes, until I convinced him it really was time to get out. He may not be able to swim, but I know if his boat ever springs a leak, he’s all set until he can make it to shore. What a relief. Now I can rest easy tonight.