18 Months

Jackson,
You are 18 months!  I can't believe it's been a whole year and a half since you arrived. It's been a really fun holiday season, and I hope we've started some traditions that will continue for many years to come.  You're personality is very much like both your mom and dad - you like to work the room and say  hi to everybody and you like to make us laugh.

It's been a crazy December, but we'll get back on schedule in a few days.  This is what a typical pre-holiday day looks like
6:30 - wake up/eat breakfast
7:00 - leave with Daddy for school
8:00 - arrive at school, eat breakfast again
9:00 - outside playground
9:30 - learning centers
10:00 - Circle time
10:30 - Art time
10:45 - Lunch
11:15 - Storytime
12 - 2 - Naptime (on a cot on the floor)
 3:00 - Outside play
2:30 - Snacktime
3:00 - Storytime, Music/movement, Center play
4:30- Grouptime
5:00 - Go home with Mommy (you usually need a snack on the way home)
6:00 - Get home and play while mommy fixes supper
6:30 - Dinner - you are usually so hungry by the time we get home we can't all sit together and eat.
7:00 - Play with your toys.
7:30 - Bathtime, Story time,
8:00 - Time to go to bed and snuggle with Bear and Mr. Frog.  You are still good about going to lay down and go to sleep.

One thing that we've found out is that you're a picky eater and that stresses mommy out just a little.  You like  chicken nuggets (from Walmart), mashed potatoes, green beans, bread, pineapple, apple, bananas, grapes, hot dogs, fish sticks, ravioli  and mac and cheese. And you also like cheese slices, crackers, Teddy Grahams, peanut butter,  You're not a big hamburger meat or vegetable fan, and I hope we can work on that this year.

As far as your sleeping goes, you're pretty good at nap time now.  Typically you nap two hours during the middle of the day, but sometimes you only sleep an hour.  If that happens, you will go to bed early (per my instructions), because I know you're tired and that's when you tend to get in trouble. You get that honest buddy - I'm the same way.  I am very thankful though that you go to be pretty easily and don't cry.  That was one of my priorities after you arrived -for you to go to bed on your own in your own bed.  I'm sure one day it will take a stick of dynamite to get you out of bed.

Your favorite person right now (other than me and dad) is Mickey Mouse.  You will just cheese and grin when he goes on, and you have a stuffed Mickey and a smaller toy Mickey with a car.  Other favorite toys are Elmo, Norris the Horse, Bear, the farm that Mimi and Pops gave you for Christmas, and playing with any kind of ball.  Santa brought you a basketball goal and you're enjoying playing with that in the house.  Hopefully we can play with it outside in a few months.  You are still a big fan of books, and you got some new ones for Christmas as well.  The other night, you let Pops read the Mickey Mouse Golden Book to you and you sat so still while he read.

There are some things that you can do, and I just think how smart you are and how much we have been tasked to make sure you live up to the ability that God has given you.  It's a blessing to be smart, but a sin to not use it.  Right now, you are jabbering and blabbing a lot, and some we can understand, but most we can't.  Most audible words include:  mama, daddy, Mimi, Pops, rara (Sarah), joshs, dog, meow, moo, mou (for mouse), ball, bubbles, bath, uh-oh, bye.  Recent additions to your vocabulary include towel, remote, yellow, and no.  But more on that word later.  You're trying really hard to say Gamma, Caitlin, Kelly, although the C and G sounds are a little hard for you right now.

So now, let's get down to the nitty gritty.  Let's talk about your use and understanding of the word "no".  You've learned how to say it and say it emphatically, which does not bode well for you my son.  For example, last night I asked you to not get into one of the cabinets in the kitchen.  You have one cabinet you can play in and that one wasn't it.  I said "no" and you opened it again.  I swatted your hand and said no again, only to make you madder, which you went right back to the cabinet and slung open the door.  Big mistake.  Oh you are my child and you may have just a touch of the Norris temper in you.  So you had to go sit in your bed until you quit crying and then you said you were sorry to mommy by giving me a hug.  This is just life buddy and you will eventually learn to do what mommy says.  I have faith in you!  The meltdowns have been more frequent since Christmas, but I know that's because you're out of your routine and that just throws everybody off sync.  We'll right this ship very soon.

One thing that I know will never be thrown off kilter is our love for you.  You are such a blessing from God and I heard this verse the other day and it's my prayer for you - Number 6:24 "May the Lord bless you and protect you.  May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you.  May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace."

Can't wait to see what the next year holds.  It's going to be a good one just because you're here!  We love you!

-Mommy and Daddy