Kansas City Zoo

Today we made our first visit to the Kansas City Zoo. I can't believe it took us so long to go! It was "free zoo day" for the residents in our county (one benefit of paying taxes!), so I thought even if we lasted an hour, it would be worth it! And it was! We were there for 4 1/2 hours! We met up with Hilary and kids along with my church friend, Elizabeth, and her kids. We packed up picnic lunches and headed out! Lily & Jackson had a great time. Of course, we didn't see it all so we will be back!

with Hilary, Colin, & Maria

with Elizabeth, Jack, Max, & Kate

"the sea otters were That Big!"

over 36 kangaroos on a 3 acre plot of land

huge elephants, tired girl

typical Lily...the only one that will pose when I ask :)
(side note: She wanted to wear a fancy dress and sandals to the zoo. I told her she had to choose something that was OK to get dirty and she needed to wear tennis shoes. This was her choice. This girl LOVES dresses and skirts!)

showing off their souvenir pennies (the ones you crank in the machine :)

Jackson- 18 month update

Jackson has added some new words to his vocabulary! In the past couple of months, I have seen improvement in his language. Here are the additions:

• Nnnnnnno! or No-No!
  
• "Th" sound for "Yes" (he is working on his "s" sound :)
  
• Ah-Ma (Amen!) and he says this with great gusto! sometimes even when the word "prayer" is mentioned, which typically means that he is saying it before we have even begun praying :)
• "Ha" for "Hot!", and he puts his arms up in the air as if to say "no touch!"
• "Ack" (book)
  
• Ah-po (apple)
• Car
  
• Elmo
• Ka-Ka (Kelsey)
  
• Aga (again?)
• Nana (banana)
• Baba (baby)
• Ba-bo (bubble)
  
• Mama (finally!!!) Yes, I am thrilled that he has actually started identifying the woman who gave birth to him, nursed him for a year, and was (& sometimes still is) up with him at night! Funny thing...Lily is always saying "Mama?" when she is asking me a question. So now Jackson is repeating her. He will sit in the highchair or in his car seat and say "Mama?". When I reply "Yes?", he just mumbles something and smiles. He also recently connected "Hi, Mama!". So that is my greeting after naptime and in the morning...and many times throughout the day.

One duty that Jackson has really taken excitement in is feeding Kelsey "Ka-Ka". He loves to grab the cup and walk with the dog food to her bowl to dump it in. Of course, he has to be assisted by Mommy, Daddy, or Lily to ensure the food actually makes it successfully to the bowl! (learned our lesson on that one!) He also loves giving her treats. He loves playing in her water bowl, then going to get my hand towel to clean up the mess. He is Kelsey's buddy. He is typically the one who plays with her- or at least gives her attention. Whether it be using her as a step stool to climb on the couch, or chasing her around the house. And, he loves to share his snacks with her! What dog wouldn't love that?!

Jackson has developed a love for books and puzzles! Another "Yay!" for Mommy! He is starting to point to animals by name, which is exciting. Right before naptime and bedtime, Justin or I will ask him to go and pick out a book. He races his little body (which is a funny sight in of itself) to his little stack of favorites by the rocking chair in his room and picks one out; all while cheering "Ack! Ack!" (Book!). I look forward to this moment every day.

Although he still uses his sign language, it is noticeable that his lack of ability to verbalize is frustrating him. When he is hungry or thirsty, he now goes to the pantry or refrigerator door and cries. And Jackson is a LOUD crier; it is actually more of a yell. If we are in the other room, we will ask him to come to us and "tell us what he wants". Typically he then points in the direction of either fridge or pantry and walks, (with his finger up as if to say "follow me!"), until he gets to his desired location. We are sympathetic to his frustration, but it is difficult not to laugh!

Speaking of frustration, we are entering the "tantrum" phase. For no reason at all, and many times without prompting from a discipline issue, Jackson will throw himself on the floor and burst into tears. I have learned to walk away and let him work it out, but it can be challenging at times. I am also realizing he has more difficulty responding to "No!" and am researching new forms of discipline.

Jackson LOVES to imitate his sister. If she laughs, he laughs. If she is dancing, he is too. If she runs, he chases her. And so on. Whatever she does, he is keeping a close eye on and attempting to imitate. Sometimes I will just sit back and watch his face while he is checking her out. It is very cute to watch how he adores her.

(speaking of imitation...Lily made this same face at 18 months!)

He is climbing everywhere and has recently discovered the fun of climbing onto the kitchen chairs and standing up. "Look Mom! I know I'm not supposed to be doing this, but I don't care! Check me out! I'm a Big Boy!" is typically the expression that reads all over his face. I am amazed at how sure-footed and well-balanced he is! I find myself being less concerned about him falling and hurting himself as I was with Lily, although I know I should be.

Last update: teeth! Jackson had two molars and an additional front bottom tooth poke through in the past couple of months. He is also working on the 4th front bottom tooth (right under the gumline). It's been a fun guessing game of "will he sleep through the night tonight or not?" It seems that once the molars finally broke through, he was sleeping much better. Poor guy. :(

It seems that each time I have sat down to "complete" this update, he has done something new! It's an exciting age and we are enjoying the laughter.

Gymnastics playdate

This morning, Jackson and I joined up with a church friend and her playgroup to Extreme Fitness & Gymnastics in Lees Summit. They have "open gym" on Friday mornings for 2 hours for children preschool age and under. Sometimes I wish I had a video camera attached to my head, because you should have seen the look on Jackson's face when we entered the gym. His eyes were about to pop out of his head! We took off our shoes and he was GONE! Squealing the whole time! I loved the fact that this is a gymnastics gym so everything is padded! (Phew :) He loved the trampolines, the ball pit, the climbing pads, and just RUNNING! I tried my best to take some pictures, but with all of the constant movement it was difficult. And the fact that this is not my photographic child. "Picture, Mommy? Who has time for that?" :)

He was trying so hard to figure out how to jump on the trampoline. He just watched the "big boys" and tried to join in. He had a few wipeouts, but he got right back up and tried again. Tough boy!

Such fun! Great Mommy & Jackson time!

Style

It is interesting what traits I have realized about myself since becoming a mom. And unfortunately, I have to say the ugly ones are easier to see. One of these ugly traits is Control. Lily is 5-years-old now and very capable to dress herself and choose her own outfit in the morning. Although I am thankful she has this skill, I am also having issues with it. Case in point:


There have been many morning disagreements on what goes with what, etc. and I finally gave up. My child can debate just like me! (and in this case that is not a positive thing) If she wants to wear pink with red, brown with black, or patterns with stripes with polka dots, so be it. Although I cringe at some of her choices, we have come to a happy medium. She is allowed to choose her own attire to preschool, however, I reserve the right to choose Sunday attire for church and special occasions.

See, Mommy can be a little flexible! :) Small steps...