2 and a half!

This post is a little late, but I wanted to post about Jackson being officially 2 and a half years old this month! 30 months, I can't even believe it. It's getting to the point where he is more of a little boy than a baby! These 2 and a half years with Jackson have been amazing, and I am really enjoying watching him grow and learn every day. Jackson, at 2 and a half:

-you wear a 2T still, but it seems that in the past week you are sprouting up, so now I will buy 3T from now on

-you wear size 5 diapers

-you will not potty train yet

-you are now in preschool 2 days a week

-you are a big brother!

-your fave breakfast is "mush," aka oatmeal; bananas; yogurt; milk

-you want chicken nuggets and ketchup every day for lunch

-you sometimes surprise me by trying out what I make for dinner, but often you only take 2 bites (my rule) and call it quits

-you snack on granola bars and fruit

-you still love playing outside, especially at the playground and on the tractors

-you still love dates with Mommy at Barnes and Noble or Starbucks

-there is nothing you CAN'T say, and your vocabulary is growing by leaps and bounds; it's truly amazing what you understand and remember

-I love you Jackson, and I'm so proud of the little man you are becoming!

First Day of Preschool!

Today we had J's first day of preschool. I was really nervous because of his recent behavior, but it went great! A parent had to stay with him today, and it was only for an hour since it was for the first day. He had NO major meltdowns, and he actually listened and played nicely. It was very reassuring to see the other moms and dads say the same things to their kids that we say to Jackson; it helps to know we're not alone.

T Squared

That's what JW and I have started calling "temper tantrums." Jackson is going crazy. It's a real bummer. Not that I blame him, with a new baby sister, two-year-old urges, and changing weather. But it doesn't make it any easier. I feel like a broken record. The cool down chair...yeah, Jackson sings songs while he's on it. And today he started standing on it and turning the light on and off. He had his first major meltdown in public yesterday...at the Open House for his preschool, no less! At least we know that every other parent has gone thru the same, but it's still annoying. Today actually turned out to be a good day. The morning started out rocky, as he broke one of my things and had three time-outs in 6 minutes' time. But the afternoon was a lot better, and we had a fun evening with friends. "This too shall pass..." Meanwhile, Savannah is smiling a ton and she's super cute. I haven't been able to capture the moment on camera yet, but when I do I will be sure to post it. Tomorrow is a scrapbook day, and I'm super excited to create. It will be a girls day, just Savannah and me (she'll chill in the sling or the carseat hopefully most of the time, we'll see...)

I love you, Mama!

Today was the first day that Jackson actually initiated an "i love you." It was great. Yesterday was a tough day for the two of us, I yelled a lot and he spent a lot of time in the cool down chair. So it was really music to my ears this morning to hear those sweet words, totally unprovoked. It was a much better day today, though we still had our fair share of time-outs. I guess it comes with the territory of being two-and-a-half. I'm sure it will get better as Savannah gets older and she does more than sleep, eat, and poop. She slept a lot today, which was nice because I had a few hours to actually get out of the house, go to the YMCA, shower, and pay bills. It was a real treat. And I actually got Jackson to sit down with Savannah for a picture (see above). Progress!

Preschool and Pounds

Yesterday was an eventful day. I took Savannah for her 1 month check up, and here are her stats:
Weight: 10lbs 7oz (80th percentile)
Height: 22 inches (90th percentile)
She is very healthy and very strong; she's starting to lift up her head on her own a lot.

After the appointment, the family had a visit at "Come Grow With Us" preschool, and we loved it. We enrolled Jackson there for the fall; he loved it too. I think it will be great to expose him to other kids and have someone besides Mommy and Daddy reinforce social skills and other learning issues to him. I feel confident in his intelligence, and I'm excited to have him show the teacher how well he knows his alphabet and letter sounds. He's even starting to draw on a MagnaDoodle, and I've seen a few squiggles and circles, a step up from straight lines. Jackson is doing much more imaginative play, and he's having conversations with himself. It's really funny when you stop and listen. His latest infatuation is with the timer that I use for his time-outs. They are working though; he actually understands what he is there for and says he is sorry. Thanks, Supernanny!

1 month old!

Dearest Savannah Grace, you were one month old yesterday! I can't believe this month has simply flown by. You have come a long way since your initial gassy and fussy days. Now, you love to cuddle with Daddy and gaze adoringly into his eyes. You love me too, but really just the milk... You don't have a problem with projectile vomiting anymore. You love your brother, and he loves you and always wants to snuggle you. You tolerate all of your outfit changes with true grace. You love your swing and will take long daytime naps in it. You sleep with me in my bed and only wake up a few times to eat. You have had only three baths since you've been home from the hospital, oops. You are growing so much! We have your doctor's appointment tomorrow, so I will post your stats then. You have smiled at us a few times, though I think it was still involuntary, it made us very happy. You're starting to coo and talk baby talk. You poop a lot. :) We love you so much and are so glad that you are a part of our family.

One plus One does NOT equal Two...

So having two children two and under is HARD. And it is so hard to do it by yourself for a day! I don't know other moms do it, and with younger kids than mine too. And some even have three little ones at a time! So today JW was gone for a basketball camp from 8-3:30. I had planned on taking both kids to the zoo for a church playgroup, which started at 10am. The morning was rough! Savannah was nursing while I was trying to get Jackson to go #2 on the potty, and he was switching back and forth between the big potty and his potty chair every few minutes in the hour we were trying this feat. So I'm walking back and forth with Jackson by the hand, Savannah hanging off my breast, and various toys/books in my hands too to entertain him. Needless to say, we gave up after an hour. I had to get on with my day.

I took advantage of Savannah sleeping to get J dressed and change his (then) poopy diaper. But then I had to shower. I didn't wanted to leave J with Savannah unsupervised because he has been known to try to pick her up (he can do it, too). So I kept him in the bathroom with me, constantly talking with him to verify his presence, while Savannah, who had then woken up, was screaming in her bassinet. Sigh. Somehow, I managed to get us all in the car on time, and we made it to the zoo. From there, it was a breeze.

Savannah slept in either the carseat or the sling the entire two hours we were there, and J actually listened to me all day today. I rewarded us both with a trip to Starbucks afterwards. (Okay, it mostly for my benefit). So all in all the day ended up going really well, but I can definitely see the challenges having 2 little ones will present. We'll see what tomorrow brings, since JW has camp again. Maybe I'll try a trip to Barnes and Noble...