Jackson, Lately...

If the first 6 months of Jackson's life are any indication on how fast the rest of his childhood will go, then I might as well start packing his boxes for Purdue tomorrow. 


It is because of this tendency for things to go by in a flash that I want to capture some of the smaller moments before I forget them. Here are a few stories of Jackson lately...


I'm determined to teach JP as much as possible and I also have convinced myself that there is no such thing as "too early" - one such teaching moment comes at dinner time. In between bites I catch myself asking Jackson if he wants more in 3 different ways: first in English "Jackson, do you want more?" then in Spanish, "Jackson, quieres mas?" and then in sign language. No wonder he gets impatient in between bites.


Another teachable moment comes when we make our regular runs to the library. I pick up Spanish children's books to read to him at bed time. I can only imagine how I sound to Dan when he walks by the nursery only to hear me speaking in my best Spanish accent to Jackson. The latest reads are "Clifford El Perro Grande Rojo" and "Donde Esta El Bano." 


Speaking of books. When JP was born my mom (Nanna) signed him up for a monthly book club. So, every month a new book arrives in the mail. Last month I was overly excited when "The Little Engine That Could" arrived- one of my favorites from when I was little! I remember for a fact that I used to write "I think I can, I think I can" on the back of all my tests in 2nd grade- that is until Ms. Johnson wrote a note back saying "yes you did!" and I got embarrassed and stopped. Anyway, this month I was less-enthused when a book called "SkippyJon Jones" arrived. I had never heard of it and it looked lame. But, my little man LOVES this book. The last 2 nights we have read it several times over and over because he cracks up every time. I fear that we may have very different tastes in books. This could be bad. 


SkippyJon Jones is not the only thing that gets Jackson to erupt in laughter. The list of random things that he finds hilarious grows every day. This weekend the list grew with things like Dan's socks- seriously, he stares at Dan's feet and cracks up. Certain noises that I make with my mouth also get a good reaction and the more odd the games that my Dad (Poppy) play with him, the better. 


I read somewhere when Jackson was a newborn that babies need to hear something like 30,000 words a day. So to reach his "quota" I started talking to him all the time, including when we're in the car together, just the two of us. I find myself saying the most random things. "Okey dokey artichok-ee" are among the most often heard sayings. What does that even mean? This habit of talking out loud in the car seems to carry over even when Jackson is not with me. The other day I caught myself referring to myself as "J Money" - what?!?! Are you kidding me? Who have I turned into? 


Water bottles. The child is obsessed with playing with them. Why? Who knows. 


On Sundays, Jackson now goes to the nursery during church service. He loves it. He gets to play with his friends and gets more than his share of attention from the ladies taking care of him. He is referred to not by "Jackson" when he is there but by "The Bouncy One" - his reputation of not being able to sit still and being overly curious already precedes him. This morning Dan and I were convinced that we were going to get "the call" to come and get our child from the nursery during service because Jackson was in dire need of a nap when we dropped him off, but no such "call" was received while in church. When I went to pick him up after service the ladies told me that he was in such a great mood, laughing and smiling the entire time and put on quite the "show." I'm telling you, he is a FLIRT. He loves the attention. This, too, could be bad. 


Those are a few stories of Jackson lately. I'm sure I'm forgetting many, but you KNOW I'll share more soon!