Since Baby Benjamin (our newest nephew) was born two weeks ago Jackson has been especially in love with babies and talks about them constantly. His teachers at church said that he gets very concerned when he hears a baby cry from the nursery next door and had a baby doll in his arms when I picked him up from class this past Sunday so I surprised him with a baby doll of his own last night and I don't think he put her down for more than 5 minutes all night. I asked him what her name is and he told me "Audrey" and he sweetly held Audrey on his chest all night as he slept.
While on my mind I wanted to capture some more random Jackson'isms:
-While babies are totally on his mind, he is still 100% boy- he is Dan's shadow and best buddy and prefers to be outside "helping" Daddy above all else.
-We have been talking a lot about colors- if you ask him, his favorite is "bue" and if he doesn't know the color of something he insists that it is "bue" although he also knows purple, red, green and orange.
-"Letters" and writing are a constant topic as well- he loves to bring me a piece of paper and crayon and he tells me exactly what to write and where I should write it- this little game goes on forever... words most written include: Pop, Nanna, Dada, Mama, Sammy, baby and tree.
-And of course our learning time wouldn't be complete without shapes- he recognizes circles, squares, ovals and triangles.
-Reading books continues to be his favorite thing to do with me- I can't even tell you how many books we read every week. He always has a few favorites that he asks to be read "again" and again and again. There are many books where I do little hand motions or funny voices and he knows exactly what's coming as soon as I turn the page. Last night I called him a "silly goose" and he immediately ran from the room into his room, opening one of his book drawers and found a book that had a goose in it- he brought it to me and went straight to the correct page and showed his mama a "goose." In these moments I tell Dan again and again how I am positive our little man is a genius in my totally-unbiased-motherly-opinion, of course.
-Papaw made Jackson a step stool and he LOVES everything it now allows him to do- "help" us do dishes and cook, wash his own hands, brush his own teeth, climb more easily up to where Sammy likes to hide on top of the couch.
-He continues to be a great sleeper- incredibly easy to put down at night. We have our routine that we do every night which includes me arranging his 8 stuffed animals and 2 blankies in his bed followed by prayers and then lights out for a few minutes of cuddling and talking before putting him in his bed. A couple of weeks ago I had my back to him as I was arranging his bed and when I turned around he was standing in the middle of the room with his hands folded in the praying position patiently waiting fo rme to pray with him.
-With the new baby coming we haven't been pushing potty-training just yet, but Jackson initiates it on his own every once in awhile, telling us he needs to go potty and then doing so for a "treat" (a mini marshmallow). My plan is to focus in on the official potty-training once Audrey is here and I am home with them on maternity leave- I definitely think he'll be early to be trained versus most kids because he totally understands what it means and is clearly self-motivated.
-I always thought that Jackson acted just like Dan, but I think he's beginning to become more a more balanced version the two of us (for better or worse!). He gets many things from Dan, but one thing that is clearly me is that he is so focused and somewhat serious when it comes to certain things- just like I was as a child- he is particular and knows exactly what he wants. This amuses Dan, but for me I am grateful that he has the balanced "Dan" side because from personal experience I know how exhausting it can be mentally to be that super-focused little kid who grows up to be that super-focused adult!
-One of the sweetest things that gets me every time is how Jackson signs "I love you." He seems to do this especially often with Dan. Every night at bed time he goes to tell Dan good night and to give him a kiss and then they give each other the "I love you" sign, but then the cutest thing is when Jackson walks to his bedroom he normally will turn around before shutting the door and give Dan one last "I love you" shout out. Earlier this week Dan dropped Jackson off at Mamaw's house in the morning which he never gets to do because I am always on "drop-off" duty, but he said that as Jackson was standing in the window waving bye-bye to Dan as he pulled out Jackson flashed Dan an "I love you." Seriously cute. How could you possibly have a bad day when you have that sort of send off?
I am sure there are a million more stories I could tell- and if you ask my friends at work I'm sure they would verify this as they have to listen to them all the time- but those are just a few that were on my mind. I love that little man more than anyone will ever understand!
Happy 20 months, Jackson Philip!
He's getting so big! Glad to hear he's baby oriented, hopefully that will help when he has his "own" baby :)
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