Sunday, January 2, 2011

Jackson - 20 Months

We have been delaying this post because we haven't added pics or a video. At this point, who knows if we ever will... So we're posting it anyway.

We cannot believe that you are already 20 months. In 4 months, that are sure to fly by, you will be 2 years old!

You have continued to amaze us in so many ways - good and bad.

You still love books. During the week Mommy reads to you before school and on weekends Daddy reads to you while Mommy sleeps. Throughout the day you bring us books and say, "book book" but now you are starting to identify the books you would like us to read. This morning, you brought Mommy If You Give A Moose a Muffin and instead of saying, "book book" you said, "Moose and Muffin book, Moose and Muffin book." Of course, this is after you tell Daddy, "Light, light" and tell Mommy, "Glasses, glasses." Each night Mommy reads to you before bed. You have learned to "work the room" with your books as well. When Grandma and Granddad MacGregor were over last, you took Mommy a book to read you. Then, you took the same book to Granddad. Then, the same book to Grandma. At least now, when other people are there, you spread the reading around, especially when it's the same book. Very polite of you. You're less shy now and will ask people you have just met to read to you as well.

Your vocabulary has continued to blossom. You can repeat most things we say, which is good...and bad. And you have learned to mix some "good manners" words in there as well. You have been saying please for a while, but you say it a lot more often now. Sometimes we even get a thank you. You have already really started memorizing things. You like to complete the sentences in the books that you torture us with and have us read you over and over and over again. You have also started counting to 10 and saying your alphabet. Of course we know it's pure memorization. When you sing your abc's the part at the end about "now I know my abc's...." is just a series of sounds that mimic the end of the song. It's pretty cute though. Over the past couple of months, you've really started speaking in phrases and short sentences. You have also learned the word, "that." It drives us crazy because you use it all the time, even when you know the correct name for something.

You were sick this month for the first time since you got your ear tubes. Although it was not fun dealing with it, we know we should be grateful that you have only been sick once since March! You had bronchiolitis, which is from RSV. We had to administer breathing treatments, which were NOT fun. Plus, the spray affected your sleeping and meant you wanted to get up at 3am. At least when the treatments stopped, your sleep returned to normal (which still means waking at 5am - so still not normal in our minds, but normal for you).

You have really started to love dancing. Jingle Bells started it all. You stomp/dance yourself around the living room. You love music and love the indestructible MP3 player that you got for Christmas. You ask for certain songs now, your favorite being "If You're Happy and You Know It." You simply call it, "Happy."

You spent the night with someone besides Mommy and Daddy for the first time. Grandma Stockman watched you while Mommy and Daddy went to Smithville for the night. It was probably harder on us than it was on you because it looks like you had a blast in the pics we saw. You were definitely a little upset with us upon our return and you let us know.

Your fits have gotten better, though we are sure we're in for more later. You rarely throw a fit anymore and when you do, it's usually more volume and tears than flopping on the ground refusing to move. Since Mommy is getting very pregnant it makes life easier for her!

Finally, you have become quite bossy. For example, you like to tell people exactly where to sit. If Mommy sits on your bean bag chair in the spot you want Daddy to be, you will tell her, "No," while trying to physically move her. Then, you will tell Daddy, "Sit here" while pointing. Then, you will point to another spot and tell Mommy, "Sit here now." You also have started grabbing Mommy's hand to lead her to whenever you want her to go and taking our hands and putting them on your body demanding, "More tickle."

Despite the bossiness, repetitive speech, waking up at 5am, and fits we still love you and wouldn't change your personality at all. Well...maybe the early-riser part.