Jackson is two

 

The announcement of his arrival.

 

Jackson newly born, in the tub @ home.

 

Jackson at his first birthday party.

 

1st birthday invite.

 

Jackson at his second birthday party on his actual birthday.

Looking back it's hard to believe it's already been two full years since we first met our little boy! We have loved seeing him grow & watching his personality develop during this time. I can't report on his physical stats at this point because his ped appointment isn't for another week or so but we can definitely attest that he has grown despite his picky eating habits. ;o) And on this topic, I am happy to report that he is doing better at eating more foods... he now will eat rice if it is separate from the rest of the meal, some pasta, and most veggies as long as they are not all mixed up with other things. But I will be interested to see where he is on his percentiles... for some reason I see him as being on the short side but I don't know where I get that from! I'd say he is probably average weight. But I'll report back when we get the numbers.

As far as personality... wow! It has been so interesting to see the differences between Jackson & Isabella. We can definitely see the "boy" traits in Jackson! He is very active & seems to always be on the go... running here or there (and he often runs with a little gallop) or doing this or that. He is sweaty a lot (and definitely smells more boyish than Isabella! haha!) He is very rough and tumble and likes to jump/climb all over us. His motor skills are really great, he figures out how to work or open most things. He likes to climb and jump but does have some reservations for new things (so not total dare devil but still adventurous). He loves to swing and to go high. He's been sitting in the big kid swing for a long time now (he still likes the baby swing but alternates between all of them). Jackson can be a bit stubborn at times and it gets worse the more you push. When he gets frustrated or angry, it usually comes out physically... he's pretty good at hitting, pinching, kicking, and biting so we have to watch him! Isabella dishes a lot out too and things escalate fast between the two of them sometimes. I will also add that they love each other very much and whenever they've been away from each other (even if for an hour or two) they are happy to reunite. Jackson usually exclaims, "Bella!" when he sees her again & runs to give her a big bear hug. It's very sweet to see. He is a good cuddler and loves to be comforted by being held and hugged. He also asks for a kiss (he says "kees") if he hurts himself. I think he is a bit of a momma's boy still but I am a bit biased. :) He does like to point out when his clothing items are like his daddy's (even if they're not really). 

Developmentally Jackson is learning lots. He loves to point out circles & is learning his other shapes. He knows a couple colors and points those out as well. He points to letters/numbers and says random alphabet letters like he is reading them off. He also likes to count the first few numbers, especially to say "1-2-3, go!" or when I start counting for him to do something, he finishes it off, "2-3!" He loves to read books and will sit still for a bit if the books interest him. I have to say I'm not as good at remembering to work with him on learning things as I was with Isabella... I guess it's a bit busier now with 2! But thankfully he is learning anyway. :) He also now goes to Gymboreeclasses once a week & really enjoys those. His speech is progressing and he has just recently started with 3 word sentences. He can say many words but putting them together is really what he is working on now. You can almost see him think as he pauses briefly between the words in the sentence. 

Jackson is a great sleeper (such a relief after Isabella!) & he still takes a good 2-2.5 hr nap in the afternoon. He goes to bed without a problem almost always and most of the time he sleeps through the night. He typically wakes about the same time every morning which is usually a little before 8am. I was thinking I would wean him at 2 years old as I did Isabella but he was not crazy about that idea! I didn't want a traumatic wean so I compromised by just dropping one of the two times he nursed and so we're just down to one time a day. Mike now puts him to bed at night which is how we dropped the night time nursing. Not sure how I'll gently wean him from his nap time nursing... when I ask him if he wants to rock or to read a book his reply is always "no" & he points to the chair saying, "me" meaning nurse. Ah well... in due time, I'm sure. I just read a post about Michael Jordan nursing to 3 and his mom attributing his skills to his extended nursing and I know that research has proven the benefits to extended nursing so I figure all is okay in this department. 

We have lots & lots of fun with Jackson. One of his newer things to do is to point to something & say, "mean guy!" In the pool at his swim lessons the other day, he had a turtle & he pretended that it bit him saying, "bite!" and then "mean guy, mean guy!" I then explained he was nice & he didn't bite. While changing his diaper the other day he added a third word saying, "mean guy poopoo!" I had to agree with that one! Another favorite thing that Jackson likes to do (mainly in the car) is to say, "mommy?" and then I say, "what, Jackson?" and then he replies, "Nothing!" He can do this multiple times in a row and we get a good laugh after each one. Isabella has even started doing it or Mike will do it to the kids. 

I think I could go on & on (& I also worry that I won't write enough & the memories will be lost!) but I'll stop for now. :) We look forward to another year having fun with our little boy!