Thanks for all your replies, everyone! Though it looks like I'm stuck wearing him. Or making food at more opportune times. One thing is that his behaviour is just so startling--he's never been like this before. He can usually play independently so well. But more with my husband, it seems. He's far clingier when it comes to me.
Re: the infamous bread!--I am so buying a bread maker. That was the most ridiculous exercise ever. The bread turned out just fine, but the making of it! And this was even labelled "Easy Bread" in the cookbook.
Leeze, I'm just paranoid about sodium, period. And I'm always surprised when the recipes in the "official" cookbook call for things that are laden with sodium. Example: tuna croquettes. Tuna--sodium. Breadcrumbs--sodium. Cheese--sodium. So I'm looking for the lowest sodium alternatives possible. I've found low sodium canned tuna and salmon. I only give him Swiss Cheese (lowest amount of all cheeses). But the biggest betrayal was the bread--I just never thought about it. He never did have more than one slice a day (if even that--he typically sucked whatever was on the bread off and then smooshed the rest between his fingers). Actually, the bigger betrayal was a double betrayal. After realizing that store-bought breadcrumbs had lots of sodium in them (and breadcrumbs are a common ingredient), I got smart and made my own out of whole wheat bread. Until I realized that the bread itself had sodium! So, I figured that the only way to control this and assuage my anxiety was to make my own.
So J has learned some new words. The one from two days ago was "duck," but I hadn't heard it since. But while we were taking a stroll around the living room and kitchen today, hand in hand, he said "duck." I wasn't sure I had heard him right, but on our way back to the living room, I saw that his rubber duckie was next to Tigger. Again, he said "duck," bent down, picked it up and on our way we went, as he chewed on duck.
Then last night, I was changing him and he farted. Whenever he does that, my husband and I automatically say "toot!." This time, he smiled and said "toot!" right back. Yup. That's my boy. Klassy.
Let's see, what else? Oh, I'm still trying to encourage a love of books in him. I'm now playing dirty and tricking him. Yesterday I sat down with Pig and Tigger in my lap and pulled out one of his new books: "That's not my dinosaur!" (I bought some more...) I told him to go about his business with his cups and whatnot, and I was just going to read his friends a story. And so I did, taking Pig's ear (his hands are sewn together) and Tigger's paw to touch the pages. He snuck glances each time I turned a page, but then turned back to his own stuff. But when I started with "That's not my monkey!", he came and sat next to me and listened, and after Tigger and Pig had their turn, he touched the pages, too. Ethically, I'm not sure about this parenting move, but you know, ends, means, blah blah blah.
Oh, I am so woefully behind on personals! Forgive me, please!
Angel--you asked about "sledging" (British-speak is so quaint!). I would take him tobogganing if I didn't live on the friggin' prairie... Well, I'm sure that there are
some hills around here somewhere, but skiing is the big thing here. Eric can ski like he was born to and he'll be taking J to the Rockies to learn as soon as he can. I think we're waiting until he's four or five and then they'll go. I'm not a skier, though. I've gone a number of times, and am absolutely certain that each time I'm going down the hill that I'm going to die. Seriously.
Yaaay for Dom sleeping! It seems like it's over, doesn't it? You made it through!!!
Rowan--you must be exhausted. I can't remember--is M typically a good sleeper? Is it
Michael who is keeping you up?!? Oh my, I STILL can't believe that not only are you pregnant, but you're half-way there! As for J, playpen and new toys--he gets bored really quick, so he just cycles through his toys over and over. So that wouldn't help the playpen situation. We've used it probably less than 20 times, anyway, so he's not used to being in it.
***I'm writing this as OH and I tag-team getting J back to sleep. He's teething and we've already been through the Tylenol and the Advil. All that remains is rocking him and pleading with him. It's OH's turn again, and he's decided to start with pleading.***
Okay. It is now 2 hours later and waaaay past my bedtime. OH gave up, passed the baton back to me, I took him downstairs b/c at least he won't cry down there, and now just spent 45 min. FINALLY rocking him to sleep. So much for catching up on personals... I owe all those I didn't get to (which appears to be almost everybody). Babies! AAAArrrggghhh!
ETA:
Rowan--I've been meaning to say, if M can handle all those other things right now, then I think you're doing well. J still doesn't swallow everything--he'll suck on some stuff and spit it out.He knows what he can get down. And when you say choking, is it gagging/coughing, or real, not able to breathe choking? The first is normal and necessary. The second, well, it's good you know the baby Heimlich...
He hates his playpen, by the way, and his naps are hard to come by these days. I talk to him, and we have music going the entire time, and I sing along, and I give him lots of toys to keep him occupied on the kitchen floor. But it doesn't work. Can you guys give me some advice on how to deal with this, other than wearing him?
. Really going to miss my family but hopefully next year we will be able to go to Brasil to spend some time with them and show my country to Thiago and my husband
. Boys will be at the door when they get older 
and we brought him to bed and after about 45 min of trying to stop the crying and hubby saying we shouldnt give him a bottle I decided to go against his will and gave the milk to the boy and he then slept till about 8AM. 
. Thiago did his job and got us some candy too
