Jackson 2.5

It has been a while since I have wrote a Jackson update. Three months shy from turning three, I don't want to forget all he was up to these past four months or so. 

He is a mini Matt in his desire to drum around the house and loves to listen to the University of Illinois drum line play while in the car with him. They have developed the game sticky hug that they play on the couch with pillows and Jackson loves it.

Legos have consistently been the toy favorite for this kid. He loves them and has quite the imagination to not only develop the "flyers" and trucks and towers that he does but then to fabricate a whole scenario and have various Lego creations interact with each other amazes me. Mostly he builds these "flyers" that usually have wheels, are symmetric with two wings (if he puts them there) and are usually too long or too heavy at one end. He flies them up over his head and adds on to them then does it again. He saves them from day to day and loves to point out unique aspects of them. 

I absolutely love that Legos fuel his creative side. He received so many more Legos for Christmas (mostly Jake and Neverland ones) and now he has more material to engineer the best flyers he can. 

Jackson has gone in and out of reading books out loud to others instead of us to him. The first time he "read" a book to us that we read to him often almost word for word I caught myself watching in amazement with a smile. He absorbs the stories and then can recite them back to you. If he is unsure he will make up something based on what he sees in the picture. 

He is becoming more independent every day. I hardly ever carry him downstairs any more when he wakes up, he opens the fridge on his own, feeds the dog without my help, and leans over his bowl while eating soup. His desire to get himself dressed and undressed is relatively new, now even putting his own shoes on (sometimes even on the right feet). He is almost completely independent in the bathroom department but I think it'll be a while for a few last things :) When in a rush I find myself just wanting to do it all for him but when he accomplishes a task he so demandingly said "I can do it, I do it myself Mommy" about his genuine large proud smile wipes away any aspect of frustration. He is getting so big and I am so proud of the little man he is becoming.

Some obsessions that were strong early to late fall and now calmed down:

Putting stickers on his tummy.

Using his step stool for EVERYTHING. It started out as being used for any activity in the kitchen from wanting to help to eating but then even evolved into his solution to enable him to do something adults were doing that he couldn't. It empowered him and built his independence, but that step stool was also a source of frustration whenever a task was trying to be quickly accomplished. It saddens me to even say that though because his fuel behind pushing the stool all across the kitchen was only to be included.

Putting all the toys, books, "treasures," he could possibly fit into his kitchen, both the microwave and by lifting out the sink to put stuff in the cabinet. I would just start to open it and everything would fall out; couldn't find a toy, check the play kitchen.

Most importantly in the last few months, this little 2.5 year old has been an amazing big brother. He checks on Emmy, tries to put her pacifier in her mouth when shes crying, brings her toys and throws away dirty diapers (for mom :)  ). His newest big brother challenge has been trying to be quiet when they sleep in the same room together. 

Jackson, I can't wait to see how much more you grow before you are THREE.