JACKSON'S BIRTHDAY!

I can't believe the past year has gone by so fast.

My little guy turned 1!!

(Time to expire the nickname "Baby J?" Maybe, but it'll be hard!)

Our morning was pretty typical with lots of playing and a little birthday photo shoot, but we also made sure to give Jackson lots of extra lovings. Chyler and I even had a talk about how to be extra nice to Jackson, not to hit, and to remember to share our toys. For lunch, we drove to Brian's work and went out to eat. Brian and Jackson totally have the father-son relationship and seeing each other makes both of them light up with joy. Later that evening, we ate dinner, and then busted out the cupcakes and ice cream!

Jackson couldn't wait to get his hands on a cupcake! 

 Mom, it's all over my fingers! 

Sorry for the sideways shot

 Eating the cupake

After cake and ice cream, we bundled up the kids and went on a walk around the neighborhood, a family favorite activity. When we got back, Brian, Chyler, and Jackson opened up his presents. He got a play tow truck, ABC blocks, a puzzle, a new ball, money, and a fish and net bath toy. The kids love the toys, especially the new tow truck. Surprisingly, they played really well together that night and a did a good job sharing. But, not surprisingly, sharing has not gone so well since then and I always have to remind Chyler that they're Jackson's toys, not hers.

Jackson's 1 year appt. isn't until January, so I don't have all his height/weight stats. I can guarantee that he's still on the smaller side though. Small, cute, and barely fitting into size 12 months clothes. (I have to say I like how my kids are on the small side because they seem like a baby longer, plus their clothes last longer :)

Eating
As I've mentioned, Jackson is pretty little. He did gain a whole pound from 9-10 months when we went in for a weight check, so we were excited about that. However, Jackson has just started teething (1st tooth just popped through!) and he hasn't been eating/nursing so well. I hope his sore little gums feel better soon.

He's on the Move!
Jackson started crawling forward  around 10 months (the backwards crawl had been perfected for months) and has loved the new freedom! He also enjoys holding our hands and walking around on his feet, but I'm pretty sure he won't start walking for a few more months.

Activity
Jackson's favorite toy is ... (wait for it) a wooden spoon! When I let him take it into the store, people always comment on it. One time someone asked, "Is that in case the kids are bad, or is that a toy?" It's an easy, cheap toy, so I'm happy :) Jackson also LOVES bath time. I can never just bathe Chyler because Jackson while come crawling and won't stop grunting and lunging towards the water until I put him in too. He must be like a little fish because I've noticed he's not really afraid of the water either. When playing with Chyler in the bath, he always gets water splashed in his face and he never cries.

Sleep
Last time I wrote an update on Jackson at 9 months, he was still waking up multiple times at night. While he did great falling asleep for bedtime and nap time, he just had an issue with putting himself back to sleep in the middle of the night. The week I wrote the update, I tried the crying technique. And... (drumroll please) he started sleeping through the night in less than a week!! Hooray for sleep! Even though he does sleep pretty well, Jackson still wakes up when he's had a bad dream, he's been sick, if we're visiting someone, or if we ever go into check on him (he's an ultra light sleeper). I never think he'll sleep as well as his sister Chyler, but we'll take take getting up with him every once in awile over waking up 2-3 times every night!

Jackson still takes 2 naps/day, but has occasionally started skipping his morning nap. Chyler stopped taking a morning nap at 12/13 months too, so I'm trying to prepare myself.

Communication
The speech-language pathologist inside of me has to talk about his speech and language development :) Jackson's first word was "Mama" and I just love hearing him say it over and over and over again. He babbles a lot and says some different sounds, but the babble you'll hear most often is "Mama." I wrote the following story on facebook, but thought I should add it here:

"Lately, Chyler has been saying "I am not a mama!" I wasn't sure why she was saying it until yesterday. While we were riding in the car, Jackson was saying "mama, mama, mama," over and over. It was then Chyler yelled "I am not a mama!" She thinks Jackson is calling her mama and she is NOT happy about it! Ha ha!"

I just recently started teaching Jackson a few signs and already saw him sign two of them back. I don't know if I'll be as diligent teaching them to him as I was with Chyler, but I'm going to try.

In conclusion, I just wanted to end with a few things that I LOVE about my little man, my Baby J, my sweetheart, my handsome, my Jackson. (Can you tell I'm not ready for him not to be a baby anymore?)

I love how when I smile at you, you can't help but smile back.

I love when you reach for me, even over Daddy.
(Which can sometimes be rare:)

I love, love, love, when you lay your head on my shoulder.
I love your laugh all the time, but especially when Chyler is the culprit. She can really get you going! There's nothing sweeter to a mom's ears than her kids laughing with each other.

I love you!