Ring Bearer

My sister-in-law Megan married the love of her life Joey a few weeks ago. My husband and I were in the bridal party and little man Jackson was honored to be the ring bearer. 

He had a special job to do at the ceremony, bring Joey a note and he had a good understanding of what he was suppose to do. At rehearsal he was running all over the place, up and down the isle until the formal practice and he backed down a little. We kept talking to him about it though and this is what he would tell you for his role..."Walk up the aisle and bring Joey a note. No crying."

He was infatuated with Megan that weekend. Running laps at rehearsal dinner to find her and then crying uncontrollably when he couldn't go by her during dinner. When he saw her in her dress the next day he was wide eyed speechless! Even a little scared to give her a hug, it was the most adorable reaction!

At the ceremony Jackson waited patiently with the bridesmaids and bride for the ceremony to begin. He was psyched about his note, telling everyone what it said, "I love you Joey, from Megan."

When the ceremony kicked off Jackson started off so well down the aisle when it was his turn. He made it almost half way walking in front of Matt and I holding the note out firm in front of him. Then fear was triggered ( I think there were lots of cameras and more eyes on him now). He turned around quick with big eyes to find me and a look of sheer terror, he realized he was scared. With panic in his eyes and his arms beginning to outstretch for us to pick him up Matt and I each quickly grabbed a hand and walked as a family of three up the rest of the aisle. We stopped at the last row and Jackson finished the last few steps on his own, successfully delivering Joey his note. 

His purple tie was too long for him, so we would tuck it in his pants. It of course never stayed so Matt was constantly tucking it back in. 

Family Selfie

After the wedding ceremony I drove Jackson to my parent house to try and get him to nap. When we were leaving the church J asked where Megan was. I told him she was going with the wedding party. Jackson replied, "I want to go to Megan's party!"

Our first dance :)

At the reception Jackson sat at the head table by us, having fun with stickers and crayons until his chicken fingers & fries came. He raced toy cars with another kid there and then once he discovered the dance floor, thats where he stayed. Actual dancing was minimal, but he loved running in circles, falling down and going up and down the bump at the edge of the dance floor. Soon he discovered the flashing lights being displayed on the ground. He would bear crawl on all fours to try and catch each bright dot that flashed by him.

The wedding was wonderful! It was fun to see Jackson all dressed up, looking five years older than he is. He bounced all over the place and loved seeing all the people. Thank you Megan & Joey, we wish you all the best! 

Potty Training

Potty Training. I read a guide on How to Train in Three Days. Then day one happened (started!)...and I just read the signs from Jackson and what felt right after that. 

Day 1:

6 pairs of underwear by 10am. 

He had absolutely no idea how his little squirter worked. He would cry and cry when we set him on the potty, so worked up that there was no way he was going to go. As soon as he would get down and start playing he would pee.

Whenever Jackson did pee, on the toilet or as an accident, he would yell out "I pooped!"

Day 2:

Less crying than day 1. We found some distractions in coloring and drumming as he sat on the potty. These helped keep him relaxed. At his few successes his face erupted with pride.

Day 3:

A successful start right when he woke up. We tried to go potty a little later with no luck then there was two not good accidents in a row. Soon after he told me he had to go potty again. I rushed him to the bathroom but nothing. He just got back to playing when he said again he had to go potty. Ok J...we rush back to the bathroom. AND HE DID! He was more than right, going #1 and #2. 

Jackson had been wanting this Duplo construction set, so from the beginning of potty training we told him that he could get it when he went poop on the potty. He would say "I go potty potty, I get dump truck and digger!" So he was BEYOND excited when I had it upstairs waiting to be opened. Emotions still raw from the weekend of potty torture, he was easily frustrated at the slightly more advanced Lego set in the beginning, but it came everywhere with us that day. He absolutely loved it. 

Day 4:

Trying to go potty in the morning..."I don't go poopy any more, I already have my dump truck and digger."

Overall, much more successes than failures. Mostly because he is telling us he has to go. He is not always right but something is triggering him to think he does.

We stayed home the first two days but have ventured out the next two and will just go on with normal life tomorrow. Although I cleaned my carpet today I know we are far away from accident free. It is going to be pull-ups for outings for a while and diapers for sleep for even longer but overall I am pretty happy with the progress he has made this far. And how cute is Lightening McQueen and Buzz on that little butt? I'm proud of you little man. 

Jackson - 27 Months

Three months more than two years! (And now he is practically four months passed)

Not a usual mile stone but I had some time, and things to write down so why not?

27 month chalkboard with the only way I could get Jackson to sit by it

Current Favorite Foods:

Mickey chicken nuggets, chocolate milk, Bunny Grahams (Teddy Grahams), Eggos, rotating variety of fruit, milkshakes

Favorite Words/Sayings:

"Oh man!" 

"I run Mom?"

"I can do it all by myself."

"We are hikers"

"Where's Jackson?"

"We go to Meijer, Target, and the coffee shop."

Favorite Activities:

He enjoys books, often getting into a rut with a favorite. For example we read how to give a wholly mammoth a bath probably two dozen times. And that doesn't count the times other people read it to him!

He loves to fix things with his tools. He knows each of their names and their general functions (i.e. a saw goes back and forth to cut, a screw driver turns for a screw). Often times he fixes his jeep/cozy coup, the gate at our stairs, his toy cars, or any electric toy that he feels isn't working. 

He loves to watch Mickey Clubhouse, Bob the Builder, or Caillou OnDemand when he wakes up in the morning or after nap and/or before bed. He doesn't just sit there quietly and watch any more though, he laughs loudly out loud, sings with them on little songs and completes routine sentences said by characters (i.e. "oh toodles" on Mickey Clubhouse, or "Can he build it, yes he can" on Bob the Builder).

Jackson LOVES the sand at the park. We always have to have his sand toys and thats the first place we go. It has helped with sharing and meeting kids though because when you show up at a park with a lot of sand toys its like a magnet to other kids. He gets frustrated sometimes that another kid wants his shovel or that they want to play in their own way and it doesn't align with his. Each experience has made him better though. His pure excitement when another kid wants to play is heartbreaking. I just sit their hoping the kid will be nice and cooperative, even friendly. When thats not the case you watch a piece of Jackson's innocence chip off as he stares at the kid (literally just watches) trying to understand. Jackson loves to knock over castles that you build and bury things to find again. We lost our fish mold for a few days before we uncovered it on another dig, currently our octopus is gone. He takes his shoes off before he goes in the sandbox and is always covered in sand when time to go. Often we will try the slides a little before we leave, but the sandbox dominates our time. 

Jackson spots diggers, trucks, tractors, and bulldozers where ever we go. When driving he points them out or we do and he is always excited to see them. He looks to see if they are working or not and stares at them in awe. 

27 month outtakes 

Terrible or Terrific TWOs

Sure, he tests his limits (and my patience), challenges my requests, is learning to manipulate, and is perfecting the art of procrastination. But he is also so sincerely sweet, giggly, open minded, full of energy, and so eager to learn. He is a little parrot, always listening and repeating what you say. He has an imagination so unique that is growing immensely. 

People always talk about the terrible twos. Well they may have some terrible moments (and I say that with a grain of salt) but they are pretty terrific too. 

Here are some moments (or even habits) that are well worth remembering. 

Terrible

"Please, please, please, PLEASE"

We always request that Jackson says please when he is asking for something he wants. He has now started using it (in a desperate tone repeatedly) when we are asking him to do something and he wants to be doing something else. For example when he is playing and I need him to come put his shoes on. 

Terrific
Driving in the car with my dad, Jackson and I told him about a new park by the splash pad they should go to.
My dad: "Sure Jackson, you can take me to the splash pad park."
Jackson: "Yeah, I take you there."
....pause...
"But you drive Grandpa, I can't drive."
"You sit in the drivers seat."

Can go both ways (often at the same time)... :)
"I do it myself!"
He still asks "carry me?" but our little boy is growing in his independence. We almost always let him try to do it himself but its often a battle, one vs time or safety. 

He is a parrot! He will repeat almost everything you say. Sometimes it is in an inquisitive way, wondering what you said meant, trying it out for himself. You can clearly sense the questioning behind his repeat if he wants you to define it. Other times he repeats you because you said something out of excitement or other emotion that usually prompted a reaction, one that you expressed personally or that others did. 

We went to our garden a week ago and there was a red tomato ready to pick. We let Jackson do it. He was all excited and eagerly struggled to pick it. We kept talking to him about the color, it was red meaning ripe not green meaning still needed to grow. Colors are something we are still working on with Jackson, he's getting better but not there yet. A few minutes later my dad and I looked up from weeding when we heard "Look, I picked another tomato!" He was so excited and proud, holding the small green tomato up for us to see. He truly thought he was helping. I quickly talked to him about the color of the tomato and said we can watch this one get red on our counter at home. 

Imagination. His has certainly grown. He dreams up animals shaped out of his food or the clouds in the sky. Often you catch him talking about something random to someone that we don't see or to just himself narrating an adventure. Sometimes when he is lost in his thoughts, mid story, deep in fantasy, it is hard to pry him away. He gets upset quick and fights you to stay in his imagination a little longer. 

"Just a second...In a minute...I'll be right back. Ok, mom?"
When he wants to do something (or not want to do something else) he asks, often assuming the answer before you give it. A lot of times he is sincere, asking permission, not sure if its ok. Other times it is a form of procrastination. Some times it ties in with his imagination. For example one time he just had to vacuum. "Just a second, I have to do something" as he was taking out his vacuum. I let him finish and ok he was content and ready to go when he was done. 

I would have to say, two is a pretty great age. 

Baby Girl - 33 weeks

 33 Weeks (or at most 7 to go!)

Movement: She moves ALL THE TIME! Movements are becoming more and more uncomfortable (and a lot more noticeable from the outside). 

Food cravings: Grapes, ice cream, cheese and crackers
Missing: I can not wait to lay on the floor and play with Jackson!! I also miss going down slides with him, being able to be real active outside with him and pick him up with out worrying or hurting. It was also hard to pass on the delicious strawberry garnished glass of champaign at my sister-in-laws wedding this past weekend. Mostly though, I am missing the feeling of what it is like to stand up without pain shooting through my left leg and groin. If you look close you can see some awesome varicose veins on my left leg in the photo above. They are getting worse and I will only get relief when baby girls makes her debut. 

Girly Things: Baby girl has a lot of wonderful clothes already! All are washed and the 0-3M clothes are ready to put in drawers. I also recently completed her ribbon garland and can not wait to hang it. 

Nursery/Toddler Room Transition: We have actually made a little progress! Toddler bed and mattress are purchased, new crib dust ruffle and sheet are ready to go and a little more closet space was made. Lot's still to do, starting with rearranging the room and transitioning Jackson to a new bed in two weeks!
Jackson's Perspective: He is more cautious around me and baby sister, noticing that mom is not always her usual self or limited with some things. He has asked a few times what is wrong with my legs, pointing to my veins saying "what happened?" He is eager to help with anything for baby sister and wants to get in his new bed soon.