Daddy's Boy

This has been the summer of dad, granddad and pop pop. J just loves his guys and we love watching all of them together! Here is a little Jackson update.

Our J-man is going to be 3-years old this October. He has surpassed the 3 foot mark and weighs somewhere from 32 to 36 pounds. He has started to thin out a lot now that he never.stops.moving. He certainly has gone from our Silent J to our loud and crazy man! He never talked to strangers or even people who he knew from church or the neighborhood. Now he narrates whole stories for them, whether they have time to listen or not :)  We are figuring out the fine line between letting him be a full-of-life child and realizing that our neighbors need some quiet at 7am.  His vocabulary is increasing daily and it's so fun to see the words and concepts he picks up from books. The other night, he declared that I should lay down on his bed so he could cover me up and turn me into a sarcophagus!  Oh that imagination! His grammar still needs a little work, however.  If you say to him, "Jackson, you are not a boy," he will respond back, "Yes am are!".  I have tried to start teaching him to say, "Yes I am" but instead it comes out as "Yes am am." It's super cute and part of me hopes that he keeps some of his errors for just a little longer.  

 He has inherited my puzzle genes and we love to watch his little mind work. He just looks at the piles of pieces and finds two that go together. There is no typical logic to his puzzling (like doing the edges first), but he has amazing knack for completing a puzzle. I am super excited (and JB is rolling his eyes) for family beach vacations when J and I can do puzzles on the kitchen table all week! 

We have made a breakthrough in learning colors and Jackson finally knows the last of the major colors...YELLOW!!!! For the past 3 months or so, he knew the rest but could never get yellow. He could tell you that something was the same color as a school bus or the sun and he could point to all things yellow but could never name it. Finally, he knows yellow and likes to proclaim it at the top of his lungs with lots of enthusiasm and pride! 

 We had a family trip to the dentist last week and it was a huge success! Jackson was curious but not scared and got a thorough cleaning and flossing. We got some instructions to start flossing his teeth at home.  Let me tell you what the hardest thing is...flossing someone else's mouth, esp when that someone is a 3 year old! We also learned that he is partially tongue tied which means that his frenulum (the piece of skin under your tongue) is not as far back as it should be. This could present problems with certain sounds as he reaches kindergarten but our dentist said it's benign in 99% of cases. Just something to be aware of if we try to put him back into speech therapy later. 

 In addition to his exuberant talking, J also runs everywhere and loves to be moving, climbing, jumping, running, hopping, falling, spinning. You name it. If it's physical, he is doing it. He started dancing this week with the typical little kid bounce that most kids do when they are one but he was never a big dancer. We're excited to get to see him get a little rhythm in his body! He's a pretty great climber at they playground in in neighborhood trees. His favorite game of the month is tag or simply, "I am going to chase you and then you chase me!!!!!" He will play with anyone he can convince to run with him and then he turns into a sweaty ball of exhausted little boy, and still wants to keep running! It will be a great way to get in shape after Rachel is born. 

 JB bought a longboard last month and has discovered a new form of entertainment that keeps all of my boys happy...JB boards, Link gets exercise and Jackson goes along for the ride when Link is sufficiently tired and unable to pull fast anymore.  I love seeing how much J looks up to his daddy. 

I got in a nice ocean swim last week 

 Finally, I am 35 weeks pregnant this Friday with a due date of September 26th. No word yet if she is anticipated early or late but we are ready whenever she is. Jackson might be the most overtly excited one in family. He proclaims daily that he is going to have a little sister and her name is Rachel! He is going to "rock her, hold her, feed her but not french fries." Yesterday he told JB that Rachel is going to be a giant! Oh goodness, I hope not, at least not until after she is born :) 

I've been feeling pretty good with a few episodes of SIJ (tailbone) pain that have resolved with some self-treatments and from the help of co-workers. It's one of the perks of being a PT; quick relief of pregnancy pain.  My cravings have subsided and I am back to eating a normal diet with a few more sweets than I would normally have just because I deserve them! I've had many more belly touches this time and people seem to be completely fascinated with my outie belly button. My 3-week period of extreme grumpiness has passed and I am back to my normal self (JB might note that grumpiness is part of my baseline however!). The hormones really have been different this time around and are reflected in stranger moods than I had with Jackson.  

 I am so ready to meet this little girl. I am ready for a period of rest from the other activities of life. I am ready to be at home with our family of 4, figuring out what she is like, letting Jackson get to know her and enjoying our new normal.  We are all so grateful for a healthy pregnancy and a girl who is continuing to grow (if my stomach is any indication!)