Winter blues.

Oh, how I can't wait for winter to end!!! Thankfully, the snow from the big blizzard has mostly melted--only traces are left in the backyard, with a few larger piles in the front corners of the yard. We were able to purchase a good used snowblower from my good friend, Leslie, but I'm ok if we don't get to use that the rest of this winter!

I haven't let the cold weather keep us too house-bound. We've been to Evanston, made a couple trips to the north side of the city, and been to Des Plaines this month. For the first time in a month, I took Jackson to the mall to play today. Apparently, there was no school so there were a ton of kids there, a lot of them older (maybe 6-10?). Jackson started off by sitting and watching the kids running around him. He was on one of the play mats when a little boy ran up to him. Jackson, of course, didn't move out the way so the kid got frustrated and whacked him on the head. I was appalled! I was right there and looked at the kid and politely (as I could) asked him not to hit other kids, and if he wanted to go around him he could. It's not like Jackson was blocking anything, nor was he as bothered by the hit as I was. Anyway, he stared for a while and eventually got up and ran around. There were a couple girls who were helping him and it was so sweet! Then another little boy came around and kept falling on him and knocking him out of the way. I was PISSED, but I didn't say anything, mostly because I don't think the kid was purposefully trying to knock him over. Again, Jackson wasn't one bit bothered by any of it. He played for a good 20 minutes (there was a new barrier around the whole entire play area, so he was less likely to escape as he had before). I drew a few conclusions after all this:

1) My son is NOT a bully (as we once feared). No way, no how.
2) He's actually quite laid-back! He never once got upset by being bowled over by anyone, and seemed quite fascinated by the other kids.
3) Jackson is a SWEET boy! He was walking around, going in and out of things, and every now and then he'd look over at me and smile! That just melted my heart.
4) He's really a people-watcher. We knew this already, but WOW...he really likes to sit and take in what's going on around him.
5) One cute moment: a little girl about his age came up to him, and he leaned over to her, like he wanted to kiss her. I guess wanting to kiss her is better than wanting to bite her head off, however we may want to watch this in the future....

Naptimes are in constant flux these days. I read in a magazine that he should still be taking 2 naps a day for a total of about 3 hours combined (until he's 18 months). Somedays, he gets both naps, but lately, he's been skipping the morning one. When he doesn't take one, it shows--he's SUPER tired in the later-mornings, and by afternoon, he just drops. Sometimes, he'll follow a no-morning-nap day with a long afternoon one, but most of the time, it's an hour or so long. That's just not enough, in my opinion.

Bailey's days with us will probably be coming to an end soon. Aside from the incontinence, she seems to be getting more and more confused, anxious, and all-around senile. I can tell she's confused at times, mostly when we let her out to do her thing--she'll walk outside, then almost immediately turn around and stand at the door to come back in. Sometimes, she'll wander around the yard and look back at the door, almost as if she's forgotten why she's out there. It's so sad to see, and I hate knowing she's going through this. Paul's not quite on the same page as I am, but he's starting to see what's happening. I would imagine she'll be seeing her last days in the next few weeks.

Here's hoping for warmer weather and happier days!!

Unforgettable.

There are so many little details about Jackson that are endearing, and I fear that with my horrid memory issues, I may forget them one day. I figure I can use this forum as a way to list them all out in an effort to jog my memory down the road:

1) For the last month or more, Jackson has been responding affirmatively to questions we ask him (yes/no) by laying his head on a shoulder. I'll ask him questions like, "Are you hungry?" "Do you want lunch?" "Do you want a bottle?" at appropriate times for him to want these things. Usually, I can tell he needs something when he starts getting really naughty or cranky, which seems pretty typical of most kids. This week started a new trend: when he's in a position where he can't lay his head down on a shoulder, he responds by putting a hand on the side of his head. It's the most bizarre thing but we understand it, which I guess is his point. It's cute as all hell, too.

2) Ever since Jackson was a baby, I've always rocked him before going down for a nap or to bed. I know what "experts" say about this, and I follow the rule where you're not supposed to rock him completely to sleep but put him down awake. It was a choice I made to start this, and I've never for one minute regretted it. I don't have to rock him long--I can rock for 2 minutes or 20, whatever I'm in the mood for. This time together has been an amazing bonding time for us. Most of the time, I make him laugh and probably get him more riled up than I should. We talk and laugh together; I tickle him quite often; he likes to yell and sing and try to mock me when I ask him to say mamamama. I never breastfed him, which I remember hearing is good for bonding, so this is the next best thing. We have a ball together when I rock him and, despite being squirrely otherwise, he actually spends a good amount of time laying with his head in the crook of my arm.

3) There are so many things that are evolving with Jackson, from the way he acts with animals, other kids, and me, to the way he plays with some of his toys. We (Paul and I) like to build his blocks up as high as we can. Jackson always comes over and knocks everything down, but lately he's been more careful and thoughtful about it, taking certain pieces instead of just hitting them willy-nilly. He's also started building things back up, which seems like such a positive step forward to us (not sure why as it's probably a normal progression). He's no longer such a bully about his toys when other kids are around--today, he was playing with our neighbor Evelyn, and she was perfectly capable of holding her own with him! He'd try to take a toy away from him and she'd take it right back, and he'd let her be. She's a month older but significantly smaller in stature to him. Even with his friend, Angus, he's very accommodating and shares his toys.

4) For the last few weeks, I've been babysitting a friend's young baby (born this past mid-December). I don't get paid for it--she's young (the daughter of a good friend) and is trying to get on her feet. I feel bad for her and told her long before she had Jake that I would gladly watch him. I'm so happy that she's taken me up on it! I hate when people promise things and don't hold to them, and I didn't want this to be one of those times. One reason I wanted to do this is to see how Jackson would react around a baby. We're not pregnant (trying though!) and it'll be a long while before we have another, IF we're able to again. But it's still interesting to see him with the baby. There doesn't seem to be any jealousy on his part (or, if there is, it's minor and rare), but I'm told he might be too young for that. Today, I put the baby in the playroom with Jackson while I ran to get a bottle for Jackson. It was QUICK--I don't trust him to be alone with the baby for fear he might try to get him to play with some toys. When I came back in the room, Jackson was leaning over the baby, attempting to kiss him. It was so incredibly sweet and I just love that he's gentle like that. It's my greatest hope that this gentleness will carry through his whole life. I know it's too soon to know that for sure though.

These are just a few things that are foremost in my mind at the moment. Sorry if this seems long and rambling. I'm sure I'll come up with more as time goes on!

This is snow not fun anymore.

I HATE SNOW. Hate it with every breath I breathe. It was fun, however, to have Paul home for a snow day on Wednesday. He hasn't been home like that since December. I mean the kind where he gets up in the morning and takes care of Jackson all day...that kind of being home. We do miss him terribly on weekends, but I can't really tell him that without making him feel horribly guilty, so we tell him we miss him a little.

Anyway, nothing's really going on around here, save for 2 big Jackson issues: overnight peeing, and biting. This child pees through every diaper during the night. I've tried Huggies overnights, Pampers Pull-Ups, and now I don't know what's next. Walmart is getting used to seeing me walk in with an opened box of diapers to be returned. I need something that works! I had some sample diapers that worked wonders, but I don't know what they were. My mom suggested a Poise pad on the inside, and I'm tempted to go that route soon!

The biting. Jackson bites EVERYTHING. It's gotten so bad--I don't see this sort of thing from other kids. For the last few weeks, he's taken to biting his own fingers when he's frustrated or mad about something. If I tell him to stop doing something, he puts a finger in his mouth, bites down, and pulls it out. I'm tired of hearing that this is a phase he's going through because it seems to be more than that. Paul was reading on the internet that sometimes this is caused by environmental changes in the home, i.e. if a parent takes business trips, etc. I wouldn't be surprised if Paul being gone so much is having a negative effect on Jackson. Who does one talk to about these things? I'll see his pediatrician next month, but I don't know how much she'll be able to help. I think I need a child behavior specialist.

I had to remove the stuffed animals from his crib this week after he bit the nose off of Doudou Julius (sorry, Lisa!). I went in to get him after his nap and he was chewing on a large piece of fabric and stuffing. I checked over all "the guys" and found DJ with a hole where his nose used to be. I love Doudou Julius (who Paul likes to call Juju Doulius to bug me)!! That was always what I handed Jackson when I put him down to bed. "Here's Doudou Julius, and your blankey." It's a sad day at the Iaco house.

We've had a little visitor the last couple of weeks. My friend Peggy's daugher, Robin, had a baby about 8 weeks ago. Baby Jacob has been visiting when Robin's had to work. He's a cute little Mexican jumping bean (for some reason, I started calling him Peanut Butter). It's been fun having 2 around--I think of it as good practice for later, in the hopes we have a second. Despite everyone's concern, Robin hasn't been taking advantage of me--Jacob's only here once or twice a week for a few hours at a time, and surprisingly, Jackson doesn't seem jealous of him when he's here, though he does like to steal things from him (his pacifier, his socks, his bottle, etc). It's cute to watch him around the baby!

February's here...one month closer to warm weather! Paul and I booked our trip to Mexico, so we'll be headed out for a week in April (sans Jackson). I can't wait!

Stay warm!!