Our big boy is growing up! Jackson is such a sweet, friendly and smart boy!! He doesn't let anyone pass by without saying hello and is quick to show affection to friends and family. He speaks exceptionally well and has a very extensive vocabulary. He is great at solving problems and focusing on a specific task. His favorite part of the day, apart from being outside, is his bin time. Every day, he has a bin full of puzzles, educational books and learning activities. He would do it all morning if I let him.
He has really grown in his physical coordination over the past two months and can now jump, skip and climb. He is finally able to reach the pedals on his bike, but doesn't quite have the coordination just yet. He is also a great helper and especially loves to help mommy in the kitchen. He has such a sensitive spirit as well and can easily detect if something doesn't seem right. He'll ask me, "Mommy, what's wrong?"or will burst into tears if he thinks he made a "huge mess" (which is usually only a little bit of spilled water). He also has picked up on certain terms of endearment and now calls me, "lover," and wants to hold my hand just like Daddy.
We have not fully jumped into the whole potty training thing just yet. We were supposed to make a decent move in that direction at the start of the year, but we are getting off to a slower start than anticipated. Meanwhile Jackson has hit a new phase where he likes to undress himself as a way to keep himself awake and get attention when he's supposed to be going to sleep. Most times that just means that he hollers out, "Mommy, me unzip me tummy," which just means he's unzipped his pj's from neck to toes and his bare tummy is now exposed. However, on occasion I don't hear his holler or he stays quiet and I look on the monitor to find a naked Jackson playing in his crib. Luckily, we have only had two incidents with his diaper.
He still loves all things transportation...cars, trucks, construction vehicles, trains, planes, helicopters, motorbikes...and more recently, monster trucks. But most of all, he loves playing with all these things outside and in the dirt. He also has gained an affinity for dinosaurs and is very curious about each dinosaurs name and physical attributes. We are very excited for the spring when he gets to play in his dinosaur garden. However, we have had to pass along his dinosaur nightlight to his brother as Jackson got a new lava lamp. I'm not sure if he is starting to fear complete darkness or if he was just using the 20 minute timer on his dinosaur light as an excuse to have Bryan or I come into his room, but after several nights of Jackson staying up 3 hours past his bedtime yelling for us every 20 minutes, we quickly found an alternative.
Jackson still eats well for the most part but we have certainly learned a few things about his eating preferences. He has a prominent gag reflex, which seems to come out when he's eating such things as corn, sweet potatoes and spinach. He also loves eating anything with dip. His favorites are yellow sauce (chik-fil-a sauce) and white sauce (ranch). And a few of his favorite foods are PB&J, baked potatoes (with the works), oranges, edamame, mac'n'cheese and cheeseburgers.
He is quick to memorize words and pictures from his favorite books and can pretty much recite several of them verbatim. This particular one we haven't read in 2 months and he still had it memorized.
"God, You are my God, And I will follow you." - Pslams 63:1
