Nomading: 6 days down, too many left

How's the nomading going? Nathan and Josh and I are surviving. Jacob is in heaven. But of course he is! He spent all of last week being spoiled by Nathan's mom and dad and running in their huge backyard. We went to lunch multiple times, chased (too) many trains, and Jacob was entertained at every corner. Now, when he does something - anything - that makes people laugh, he bows and says "thank you! thank you!" Oh, what has been created? Whatever was created will be nurtured and shaped further this week by more grandparents (my mom and dad), and my siblings, Stacy, Stevie, and Uncle Mike, as Jacob calls them. Perhaps the most beloved member of this household is Stevie's dog, Trout. To cement Trout's important status as family member and not merely pet, last night Jacob started calling him Uncle Trout. Also living here is another dog, Oreo, and a big ol' lizard, Spike. We can also not forget that there are two dog water dishes here. Jacob didn't forget from our last visit two months ago. While we were driving through Stockton, about 6 hours before arriving here last night, Jacob started making a list of who we'd see that night. "Jacob, who are we going to see tonight?" "Gwama. Gwampa. Stacy. Stevie. Uncle Mike. Trout. Oreo...and water! Trout water." "Do we touch Trout's water, Jacob?" "Yes!" Jacob loves all things water. Spouts, facuets, cups, sprinklers, pools, baths, showers, puddles and gutters. It matters not where the water comes from. If it can be touched, splashed, sprinkled, dove into, ingested or licked, Jacob is happy. It took Jacob approximately three minutes and 26 seconds to realize that Gwama and Gwampa's fridge spews water on demand. Simple push of a lever! Water! Thank goodness there's a lock we can turn on. But then he discovered the water pitcher on the dining room table left out from dinner. While I was outside, Jacob covered the kitchen and dining room floors with water. I thought I did a great job securing all water sources. And about five minutes after I removed every imaginable temptation, Jacob was sitting on the couch drinking a glass of water. See, he had dipped the cup in the dog dish. The dog dish full of dog spit and dog hair and who knows what else. And he climbed up on the couch and drank it. In other news, Jacob will not be turning 2 this month. We've been teaching him to answer "2" when asked "how old are you?" And for the past month or so, Jacob has been right on like a trained seal to answer what we want him to, on cue. Yesterday, Nathan asked him how old he was, and Jacob replied that he was four. "No, Jacob. You're two. Can you say 2?" Nathan tried again. Same answer. One last try: "How old are you, Jacob?" "Okay. Five."