Do one-year-old kids have a "cognitive surge"? I think they must.

I've been incredibly busy the past two weeks, and only seen Jackson in the morning and at night for brief periods. His dad has been holding down the fort, baby-care-wise. But tonight was a fortunate night and I got to spend several hours straight with the little guy, just one-on-one, and he is definitely a changed creature.

He says "yeah" for yes with clarity and intentionality.

He understands commands, although he doesn't understand why he can't, for example, dive headfirst into the access hole to the crawlspace beneath the house. On the other hand, "Can you please put that in the trash can?" is cake.

He knows what an applesauce box looks like, and knows that if it's empty he's been robbed of his entitlement!

I swear when I explained that we were playing in dirt, he said "dir dir dir" over and over again...until we were done playing in the dirt.

Compared to the baby I had two weeks ago, this Jackson is a taller, sturdier and much more communicative person. He's on the verge of letting go without fear while standing unsupported, and I think soon after that his core muscles will be strong enough to allow him to stand from a seated position.

All of which is to say that I'm extremely excited to meet the new person that is "Jackson the toddler," who is obviously going to be a different fellow altogether from Jackson the baby.

P.S. I haven't taken any photos of this kid in weeks. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!