Weird and Wacky Jack Fact #3

I really don't know what to say about this one...

Cousins

Jack loves kids. I set up a playgroup in our neighborhood and it's been good, but those kids just don't compare to his cousins. (It's the one bad thing about where we live...so far away from his cousins.) Jack has LOTS of cousins. On Stuart's side of the family, the cousins are all adults, but there are tons of kids on my side since I have about 100 first cousins. It must be a Lambson trait, but they are much more active and physical than most other kids and Jack LOVES that!

Last week we had the pleasure of hosting some of my family at our new house. My brother Kevin was in town and stayed a couple of days with us. Jack loved seeing everyone, but especially loved his cousin Bremen, who is 6 years old. He spent hours chasing him around the house. When he woke up each morning, the first thing he said to me was, "Bremen here?" I swear Jack didn't eat a thing while Bremen was here. He was just so excited to play with his cousin. Poor Bremen had trouble getting in a peaceful meal himself. These pictures are of Bremen attempting to eat breakfast while Jack tried his best to patiently wait for him to finish. (Obviously, patience is not one of Jack's best qualities.)

After Bremen left, Jack continued to call out and look for him in the house. A couple of days later, he found one of Bremen's socks and got very sad. He really misses him.

Happy Dance

Jack has a happy dance. It is reserved for very special occasions. Specifically, if he is about to get chocolate, or in this case, when dad is going to let him use the vacuum.

He's weird, we know. Just another reason we love Jack.

Bedtime

Bedtime is my favorite time of the day. And not because Jackson is finally going to sleep and we get a break, but because I love the whole routine. I am a big believer in rituals and have seen the positive impact on our boy. He knows what is coming, it is calming, and he is just so freakin' cute before he goes to sleep. At night Jack is at his best. Some of my favorite night time happenings:

• Jack is so happy. He is extra silly at night. There is so much laughter in our house and it is a great end to the day.
• He is especially ticklish.
• He loves to cuddle with mom and dad.
• He loves to run around naked and make you chase him after his bath or shower.
• He hates to put on his jammies, especially now that I broke out the winter pairs that are long sleeves.
• He often refuses his bedtime story because he knows that means bedtime is next.
• He usually asks to take a toy to bed with him, which we allow. (Lately, his choice is a couple of his small cars.)
• When I take him to bed, he often asks, "rock you?" (meaning he wants me to rock him first.)
• He has begun to sing along with his bedtime songs.
• When I finally put him in his crib, he grabs my arms and tries to pull me in and says, "cuddle, cuddle." He insists on pulling my arms around him and he smiles as we "cuddle."

I can't help but watch him sleeping. He is so cute. Here are some of my favorite pics of him sleeping.

Sous-chef

I have an awesome assistant in the kitchen. He is focused and determined.

He will always do what is needed to help with dinner. (Although, he may have no intention of eating it.)

He's a great help, although you have to watch him closely. He gets eager. Last week we were making cookies when I stopped to talk to his sister, Heather, on the phone. Jack couldn't wait and decided he could add the salt without me. Straight from the box of salt. At least a half of a cup. I tried my best to scoop it out, but there was only so much I could do. If anyone wants some salty oatmeal butterscotch cookies, we still have a few dozen left.

Potty Time?

I think it might be time to start potty training Jack. (OK, I know it's time, but in all honesty, I am scared.) I have heard the "experts" who claim all kids are ready by 2 years of age, but I disagree. I am learning that no kid fits perfectly into any developmental schedule. Jack has shown most signs of readiness for awhile, except the crucial one: the ability to clearly communicate. This has been my reason for procrastination. I figured until he can tell me he has to go, there was no sense in pushing the issue.

Well, his ability to speak has improved dramatically in the last 2 months, so I think it is time. He also hates to have a wet or messy diaper. (That is an understatement of monumental proportions.) We have gotten his bathroom painted and ready for him to use. His potty has been in there for awhile and he is very comfortable with it. (Although his desire to use it comes and goes.) And, recently, he has told me he has to go to the bathroom before hand on several occasions. So, the only delay is me. I really feel nervous about doing this. And diapers are so convenient for when you are out of the house with your child....

But, I think it is time to bite the bullet. The other day, Jack woke up from his nap with a dry diaper and insisted on using the potty. SUCCESS! He then refused to put his diaper back on and opted for his Cars underwear instead.

Doesn't he look grown up? He kept them dry and even told me when he had to go again about an hour later. I gave him m&ms as a reward for this accomplishment. He was so proud.

Of course, when his dad came home from work, Jack was too excited to focus on anything else and the accident was unavoidable.

I tried again yesterday, but discovered a problem. When he peed in his underwear, he didn't want to take them off. He cried and threw a fit. He refused a different pair. He wanted his Lightening McQueen underwear. (The lead car in the Cars movie. No other pair would do.) Now, these came 3 to a package, but only the 1 pair is apparently acceptable to Jack. Not good. Later in the day, he found the wet pair in the hamper and tried to put them back on...the ensuing fight was not pretty. This could be more of a hassle than I want to deal with right now.

I am going to try again, but would appreciate any tips or suggestions anyone would like to pass my way.

Weird and Wacky Jack Fact #2

Jack adores his dad. When we run weekend errands, I will occasionally drop Stuart off at a store, while Jack and I wait in the car. This is usually met with many hysterical tears as Jack seems to think we are leaving without him. Being the master of distraction, I invented a game to play with Jack whenever this happened. I drive around the parking lot and point out various people, asking "Is that daddy?" To which Jack replies, "nooooo." It calms him down and he has fun looking for dad in the parking lot until he returns.

Lately, Jack likes playing this game on his own. When we are driving in the car, Jack points people out and asks "That Daddy?" and answers himself with "noooo." It is so cute. I have even heard him doing it around the house, pointing at cars, cows, and other various toys while playing. He is just too cute!

I'll Never...

When you decide you want to start a family, you can’t help but visualize how your lives will change. You start to think about what traditions you want to continue and create. You think about the little love rituals that you will incorporate into your lives. And, inevitably, you think about all the things you won’t do. You know what I am talking about. You watch your friends and family with their children and you think to yourself, “I’ll never do that with my child…” We hate to admit it, but Stuart and I did a lot of that while preparing for little Jackson’s arrival. What we have come to discover is that life is much easier to plan when it is theoretical. Once reality hits, all bets are off. (You would think he would have been better prepared for this fact, since he does have first hand experience in this arena, but no, he was right there with me, foolishly making declarations.) Anyway, I thought I would share a list of some of the issues we have already backed down on when it comes to Jack.

I'll never...

1. let our child sleep in our room past 1 month. This one came about when a dear friend stated she was not putting a nursery together for her new child because she and her husband anticipated the crib being in their room for the first 3 months. Stuart and I laughed at how foolish that decision was! We said Jack would definitely be sleeping in his own room much earlier. HA. Jack not only slept in our room, but he slept in our bed until he was 8 months old! And don't think this was all about the overprotective mom in me. I was ready to move him at about 6 months, but Stuart said "no." He said he was too little to be on his own that soon. (It was kinda sweet, but it wasn't him that had a sore back until the day we moved him.)
2. bribe my child with candy. Suckers are now a staple in my diaper bag, solely for this purpose.
3. fix my child special meals. He'll eat what we eat, or not at all. That worked great until Jack was about 20 months old. He ate whatever we were having, no arguments. Not anymore. He is picky, and quiet honestly, we want him to sleep well at night and a full belly helps insure that happens.
4. buy my child a toy to keep him quiet in a store. Yeah, that one is gone too. It's hard when they are young and the toys are cheap. For a dollar I can keep him quiet while I finish shopping. Yeah, that's worth it every time.

I don't apologize for any of these. We do the best we can and try to stick with the ones that are really important. Besides, Jack is a happy little boy. And, we are happy. In the end that is what really matters. Besides, I'm certain there are more failed resolutions in our future. And you know what, I am learning to care less about it.

What resolutions have you compromised in raising your children?

Dressed Up and Mad!

Yesterday, I decided to get Jack dressed up so I could take a nice picture of him for our Christmas cards. It was my most challenging hour with Jack to date.

See, lately he has decided he hates long sleeves on his clothing. I can't state that strongly enough. He throws a fit every time I try to put anything with long sleeves on him. (It's going to be a long winter...) Anyway, to further complicate matters, I made him wear his first tie. He definitely didn't like that. When he saw the clothes I picked out, he kept taking them and throwing them away from him. He kicked. He screamed. It was ugly. It took me 10 minutes to force the clothing on him. This video only captures the tail end of his tantrum, when he was much calmer. Trust me, it was much, much worse.

Yes, you heard that right. I bribed him with a sucker. I know, I said I'd never do that, but I don't care anymore. It worked. In the end, he relented and even posed for a few pictures. I think they turned out great!

Halloween: The Real Deal

Halloween was a blast. We had a busy day. In the afternoon, our community hosted some fun activities. Jack had a great time. He picked and decorated his own pumpkin. He went on a pony ride. And, he got a spider tattoo painted on his arm. He had so much fun! Unfortunately, I forgot to bring the camera. Oops. Here is his completed pumpkin:


Our new house has a great courtyard in the front and we had fun decorating it for Halloween. We had jack-o-lanterns, spider webs, glowing eyes, lights, etc. (And, we didn't even use half of our decorations!)



To help Jack get into the spirit of things, I dressed up too. Jack was mesmerized by my funky false eyelashes. He kept staring at them while I was getting ready.


After the Friday night preview, Jack was eager to get started with the trick-or-treating.


He loved the neighborhood decorations and stopped to inspect all of them along the way.

He also played with every kid and dog he met during the course of the night. I'd say he had a pretty good time!

Halloween: The Trial Run

Halloween is a big event for Stuart and I. We never got the message that it is for kids. I mean, what's not to love? You get to pretend you are someone else for the night! We have thrown numerous Halloween parties over the years and we relish dressing up and getting into the spirit of the night. Jack, however, was slower to catch onto the idea of the holiday. For the past month we have been trying to get a costume for Jack, but he has wanted nothing to do with them. Each time we shopped for costumes, he would put his hand up in protest and politely say, "no, no." It's been frustrating. Since he loves his fireman boots, I thought I would get him a fireman's jacket and hat. That didn't work. He refused to even try them on. Our babysitter got him to wear the hat for a short time, but that was it.

I tried explaining the holiday to him and asking him what he wanted to be, but he answered with a very firm no to every character suggestion. When I asked if he wanted to be a boy named Jack, he finally agreed...Sheesh! We gave up and decided he could wear his batman jammies for the night. But, he didn't even want a candy bucket, no matter what it looked like. I think he was scared of them.

On Friday, we had a big Halloween preview day. Jack and I spent the afternoon making Halloween cupcakes for some of our neighbors. It was fun. Jack especially loved the spider ones, although, I, personally, like Jack's creation best.

Friday night we went to a local shopping center that had trick-or-treating at the various stores. We were early and had some time to kill. We started off with dinner at Chipotle. Jack ate an enormous amount of Tabasco sauce with his dinner.

We then walked around Best Buy, while Jack tried out their vacuums. He would have been thrilled to do that all night.

Then, it was time for the trick-or-treating. It didn't take Jack long to figure out how the system worked. After that, he loved carrying his bag around to get candy.

He even got pretty good at saying trick-or-treat. (Although, if you listen, it really sounds like he is saying turkey.)

It was good prep for the real thing on Saturday, but more on that later.