The Ivesons: Stage Two : Jackson Quarterly

Jackson Matthew Quarterly: March 27-June 26

For this next year I'll do quarterly posts on Jackson. We'll see how long that works for. Seems easier than doing mini posts and I know I won't remember/have time to do monthly posts. Did I really do weekly posts for his first year?

Eating: Jackson contines to be a good eater. Surprisingly, he tries almost everything we offer him except certain desserts! He is very apprehensive about ice cream, cool whip, or frozen yogurt. He does like frosty's and Popsicles, however. Jackson normally eats what we're eating at meals, but sometimes I'll give him a piece of lunch meat and slice of cheese if I know he won't like it. He likes clots of kinda of chicken, hamburger, taco meat, spaghetti, Pb&j, Mac n cheese, chili, and lots of fruits and veggies. He doesn't like broccoli, root beer, or apple juice. He went through an applesauce phase where he would eat it multiple times a day. He preferred it to gummies (fruit snacks). Now he would eat strawberries (Ahhh bees) and blueberries (bra berry) and bananas (mannas) all day if we let him. He also loves pop tarts and pop corn. Jackson used to dislike chocolate, but that is over! He discovered he liked 3 Muskateers candy bars and daddy's cliff bars. He has gotten much better about eating regular meals instead of just grazing all day. He will eat everything off his plate and then often ask for more at dinner! When he eats a good meal he is given dessert, Popsicle currently.

Sleeping: Sleep is finally starting to normalize! It only took two years. Jackson normal nap time is 1-1:30 and he usually sleeps for 2-3 hours. I am trying to get his bedtime up to 8:00. Right now he's been going to bed around 9:15-9:30. He had a few weeks where he would go to bed between 11-1 after we first brought Daniel home, but we've been slowly moving it up. Some nights he'll still have bad dreams and some nights he'll still come out and find me. But he has been sleeping solidly through the night often. He wakes between 7-8 most mornings, which is pretty perfect for our schedule. Hopefully this will keep up! When he's tired he'll say nap nap, nigh nigh, or book if I haven't already started putting him to bed. I've been putting him on bed without the iPad too. He still normally needs me to lie there next to him until he falls asleep, but for naps sometimes I can leave him and he'll stay. Jackson still sleeps under pillows and makes a little burrow for himself. It makes me a little nervous that he'll suffocate but he always makes a breathing hole.

Play: the biggest update in this department is Jackson's water table and pool! With the hot, humid summer ahead of us I knew we would need something to help cool us down. I ordered both off zulily and they have been so much fun. Jackson loves to throw the water with his sailboats and buckets. He likes to walk around in the pool and throw water up in the air. He gets so sad when it's time to come inside. Usually I'll try to go or early enough so he can stay out until he's good and hungry or tired so it's his idea to come inside. He doesn't like leaving his little treasures (leaves, sticks, rocks) outside though. We have him out them next to the door so he can see they're still there the next time we go out. That seems to help. He loves playing at Church! He recognizes the building now and when we get inside we can let go of his hand and he runs right to his class. He plays well with the other kids but he loves to play catch and had very good aim, so I'm sure the other kids and teachers get hit like Daddy and Mumma. Jackson will climb up the side of the couch and plop over onto the cushions. Daddy used to do this with him, but now he's big enough to so it himself. He also throws pillows at people since Daddy and he wrestle with them. We are trying to teach him about when to have a pillow fight and play catch and when not to. He's slowly learning. Jackson loves to ride the Daddy horsey. He'll climb on Daddy's back and say "1 2 3 Go!" Or "ready set go!" And Daddy will crawl very fast across the floor. Jackson just giggles and giggles at this and sometimes falls off Daddy. Jackson loves to drum on things! He has a bongo set that he drums on, but also the couch, table, chairs, fireplace, walls, practically anything! He has good rhythm for a toddler so who knows? Maybe someday he'll play real drums! Jackson continues to read letters and numbers everywhere we go. He also likes to find shapes- even when it doesn't look exactly like the shape. I thin his favorite shape is a "try gull" (triangle). He knows all the shapes in his app: triangle, circle (Kerr Kle), square, oval, rectangle, star, heart, hexagon (sun), and crescent (tress). Jackson still loves to play with his iPad, but he's not attached to it. He says no sometimes when we offer it to him to play with. He loves the pbs kids app. He still loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and we used my parents' log in for the watch Disney Junior App! He also still likes Super Why and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. Jackson loves to build with practically anything and to play catch. Jackson's favorite books are the Llama llama books the Winters got him for his birthday, Curious George, and The Grouchy Ladybug. We read then over and over. He reads them himself too and will say the key words from each page as he looks at them and goes through the book. What a smart boy!

Talking: This little man is like an explosion of words! He learns new words every day and applies then correctly. His first "big" words were try gull (triangle), le le fan (elephant), and bur fly (butterfly). He also speaks some sentences and can share ideas now. The first time I remember this happening was on 4/7 when Matt came home and Jackson said "grr cheese" and we had had grilled cheese for lunch. While we were in Michigan Jackson said "tickle" and "sleeping" in context on his own, not repeating after someone. It surprised me since he normally learns words by repeating us when we say the word and show him what it means. He also picked up "wall come" (welcome) by himself. If I say "thank you" to him he'll say "wall come" and when he says thank you he'll say "tank you, wall come". I'll be a little sad when he begins to say it correctly because his little "wall come" is adorable. Jackson has learned almost all of his lower case letters to go with the Capitol letters. The only couple that confuse him are "t" and "q". He thinks "t" is "j" and "q" is "p". He has always been good about seeing things if they are reversed or backwards. I'm trying to help him see the difference in these letters. One day we weren't going to give Jackson any more snacks before bed because he had a big dinner and some snacks afterwards. He want to the fridge, pulled on it, and said "hungry!" I mean, who can resist tha? It was the first time he had said hungry and it wasn't a punishment, we just thought he had enough. So he got another snack.

Personality: Jackson is still a fairly relaxed child. If this is the terrible twos then I'd say it's pretty easy sailing, knock on wood. Jackson still loves to be with people but has become slightly bashful. When we are out and people say hello to him he makes a surprised face and does a "duck face". It's still a happy face and whoever is talking to him thinks he's cute, but he doesn't just smile back automatically. Jackson covers his mouth when he laughs sometimes and Daddy says I do that too. I never realized I did it. But it shows just how much he watches what we do. For months now Jackson has scratched his chin and said "hmmm". It's adorable and he'll furrow his brow while he does it. Jackson likes to pick my fingernails with his. It's a very strange sensation and Daddy also does it! Both of them do it absentmindedly, like when they're watching TV. So strange the things Jackson gets from us that aren't learned. Jackson likes to pick at bumps on his skin, whether pimples or bug bites or anything. Unfortunately, he gets that bad habit from me. He had a scab for two weeks because he kept picking at it. Thankfully eventually it healed. He also likes to pick at the zits on my face. Nothing to boost your confidence like your toddler finding your blemishes... not! Jackson has learned to assert himself. In Michigan sometimes he didn't want his cousins to hold him or play his iPad games, etc. First he would run away from them, then if they chased him he would yell "no!" right in ther faces. I didn't scold him because it's ok for him to stand up for himself. Every once in awhile he'll slap someone and I correct him then.

Potty Training: Yes, we have officially begun! I started a little back in March, but he seemed afraid of the potty. I gave him a break and started back at it last week. I'm trying a few different methods on him. At the beginning of April he began telling me when he had gone potty. I would tell him to go sit on the potty before changing him. That way he got familiar with the potty without the pressure of going on it yet. Right now we go about half the day naked or in undies. The first day we got his undies was 6/23 and they are so adorable! He seems to like them, but it doesn't seem to hinder him from peeing in them. For a couple days I would have him sit on the potty before I changed his diaper and we would talk about the potty. When he sat on it with a poopy diaper he got a jellybean. We watch Daniel Tiger about going to the potty and read his potty book. Today 6/26 he went pee pee in the potty! Well, some got on the floor around the potty, but the intent was there! So he got anther jellybean. When he has an accident I tell him it's ok but that we go pee pee in the potty. He repeats and looks at the potty. So far no poopy accidents. I want him potty trained before he goes to preschool, but that won't be until fall 2015 so we have a bit yet. Hopefully it won't take until then though!

Little Brother: The biggest change this quarter was the arrival of Jackson's little brother. We were pretty sure Jackson understood that a baby was coming. We were a little nervous about leaving him with a sitter when it was time for Daniel I be born. If it was overnight I wasn't sure how Jack would do since he had never spent the night away from me and wasn't a good sleeper. While Mumma and Daniel were in hospital, Jack did so well with a Kelsi and then Daddy! Kelsi said he cried some at bedtime but then fell asleep on the couch next to her. Matt was able to go home around midnight so Jack didn't spend the entire night away from brh of us. I stayed in the hospital an additional night. Two nights away from Mumma and very little crying! Makes me sad that he is growing more independent, but also so proud. And it's just in time since my attention has been divided between the boys. We've been so impressed with how Jackson's taken to being a big brother! He loves Daniel so much. He usually calls him "the baby" but also has called him "dan-l" or "brutter". He loves to hug him, hold him, pat his cheek or back, and lie next to him. He hasn't had very many jealous moments, but when we were in Michigan there was one time he was jealous! We were at Golden Wok and Grammy was holding Daniel. Papa leaned over to look at Daniel and Jackson noticed and began pulling on Papa's hand for attention. Jackson loves his Papa and it was so funny to see him realize and understand that someone else was getting attention!

Other: 5/30- 6/1 Jackson was sick. He threw up during car ride to Mi then threw up 8 times the next couple days. We're not sure if it was something he ate or what because he didn't have a fever and besides when he would throw up he seemed perfectly happy. He would play and act normal then get quiet and his eyes bulged and he would throw up. We fed him lots of saltines and on 6/2 he woke up saying "hungry. Eat. Eat." Then he was fine. It is so difficult as a mother when your child is sick. Thankfully I had extra hands since we were in Michigan to help with Daniel while I cared for Jackson.

Jackson continues to be a bright ball of light on my life. He is such a happy child and is learning so much. It is so much fun to watch him figure out new things. It has been such a joy to see him transition to big brother. I do miss my relationship with him as an only child because I feel like I have to say no to him more often, even for nice things like hugs when I'm holding the baby and he wants to just jump into my arms. He has adjusted so well though and I still try to give him special attention every day when the baby is napping. He teaches me so much about life and love. It remains privilege to be his Mumma.