Two Ounces Shy of Turning Around

Jacob had his nine month check up yesterday. I figured it would keep me busy while I waited to pick up Ben from the bus rather than watching the clock to make sure I didn't get distracted and traumatize him by forgetting to come pick him up.  Jacob got the last Hepatitis B shot and a dose of the flu.  He remains our biggest baby, no surprise there.  His nine month weight is basically what Maddie weighed at 18 months and Ben at 15 months.  With only two ounces to hit the magic 20 lb carseat limit, he'll be our first kiddo to turn around in their carseat at 12 months!

Weight: 19 lbs 14 oz (40%)

Height: 28 3/4" (68%)

Head: 18 1/8 inches (70%)

He may be big, but he's still a tiny little squishy ball of delight. At least when he's not screaming.  Yeah.  He screams too much.  Full volume too.  It just grates at your nerves all day long.  The only rest for me is when he's napping.  This child cries in his crib in the morning when he wakes up like a normal kid.  I get him and we begin our day.  Within about thirty minutes the screaming begins.  In the last three or four weeks, there is rarely a time when he isn't screaming.  He just goes and goes and goes.  Without exageration, I can honestly say that eating a meal with him can take the standard thirty minutes.  He screams when you buckle him in his high chair, as you put on the bib, when you put his food on his tray, everything.  When it is a spoon fed meal, he screams at the top of his lungs until the spoon crosses the threshold of his little mouth, closes, swallows and opens his mouth instantly with another full volume scream (sometimes he doesn't swallow first and just goes for it with food in his mouth).  This lasts the entire meal, including the clean up wash up time.  Then he hangs out under the table while we finish (or rather start) eating our own meals, screaming the entire time. 

Then he screams until nap time arrives and I gratefully toss him in his crib.  It's increasing the stress level in our home immensly. I'm out of patience, the kids are tired of it.  We literally can't have any conversation at the dinner table.  If Maddie needs to ask for something, we have to tell her to yell it at us so we can hear over Jacob.  It's getting so old.

Last week I thought I was going to loose my mind.  I really did.  Even Mr. Together (Brian) showed signs of exhaustion with the whole scenario and he has nerves of steel and a gigantic portion of patience inside of him.  Yesterday it hit me.  Time to hit sign language full force.  Every kid comes with their own personality and I can't change that, but my only recourse to help solve the situation is to teach him how to communicate his wants so I have some clue what the heck he wants before I go batty.