JJ continues to develop a personality that guarantees multiple phone calls from teachers saying that he distracts the other children in class. I think the word "ham" comes to mind when he will babble something and then cheese and giggle. He has also started shushing us when he sees that Cubbie is sleeping (though he has no trouble poking his nose and playing with his tail at the same time). His walking has become quite stable and is quickly transforming from a trot to an all out run. The only problem is that his brakes aren't quite developed so we have seen a few more crashes than in the past.
His words are slowly coming around as well. He definitely has "dada, mama, banana" and few occasional words down. I expected his words to take off the way his crawling and walking did, but this seems to be a slower process.
JJ's diet also has exploded over the past month or so. He seems to have some aversion to chicken and really all meats for that matter, but you cannot get this kid full with anything else. He can down pasta, vegetables, fruit/applesauce for dinner, and then keep asking Sara and I for more off our plates. It's impressive for a 14mo old.
And on that note, that's always bothered me... For years, I've never understood why a child is "14 months old" and not just "one year old." I haven't told anyone that I'm turning 360 months old next week, so when does someone turn "years old" and not "months old." That sounds like a bit, but I really don't know because I tell people he's 1 and it doesn't seem to register. When I say 14mo, they immediately know what to expect.
Sara and I took another JJ-less vacation in early June. We went to Playa del Carmen, Mexico to take part in Matt and Abby's wedding. Our resort was incredible and we both had a great time (assuming you subtract the two days of food poisoning). We spent tons of time on the white sand, in the ocean, and poolside drinking and eating in an all-inclusive way. A large group of us took a private catamaran ride and went snorkeling for the first time. Someone in our group (let's call him A. Utterback) couldn't handle it from motion sickness and had to be rescued back to shore. Actually, I think that name may have been too obvious, let's call him Andy U.
I had my graduation ceremony at the IMA the week we came back. It was the first time our graduation was held there, but it turned out very nice. Dinner was excellent and it was nice to have Sara and dad meet some of the people who trained me (since they've heard plenty of stories).
Since then I've been fighting off senior-itis, but with little success. I'm really just counting down the days till I get to start my own practice. The plan for now is to start training right after July 4th and then start seeing patients on July 11th. I'm gonna be flying solo for a few months, but a former IU resident is coming back to town and will be joining me in October. So far things are falling in place to start on time, but there's still lots to do to the office before we start.
Betty and Denny also stopped by this month and we made a return trip to Bijou. If you haven't had the chance to try Bijou up in Lebanon, you definitely should go for your next celebration. It's pricey, but you'll have a great time and the food is worth every penny. I was given the responsibility of choosing the wine for the first time and I have to admit I haven't been that nervous in a long time. It makes no sense why wines are so intimidating. I chose a Pinot Noir from Oregon (really for no other reason than I've been there) - hopefully it was good enough for the table that they'll trust me to try again next visit.
To those who haven't heard, or who have forgotten, Sara is throwing me a Hawaiian luau themed 30th birthday/graduation party on July 2nd. It'll be here at the house and starts around 4PM. We'll have pulled pork and plenty of other food, plus a variety of beers to sample. Please let me or Sara know if you haven't RSVP'd already so we can plan accordingly.
