Rewards

Membership has its privileges. Jackson's latest thing is maybe among his most wonderful. His walking has gotten to the point where he will occasionally attempt dashing. He will also play with things by himself, and then turn around to make sure we are still there. Then, often times, once he sees one of us, he will run across the room and at the last minute lift up his arms so we can scoop him up and give him some lovin. It is adorable. He did this several times today at the mall play area. He would wander away behind some of the big rubber dinosaurs, play a bit, then turn around to see where I was, and run over and grab my leg.

There was also an incident at the mall. There is a particular feature of the play area on the wall...a disc that has plastic sprinkles inside and when you turn it, the sprinkles fall all inside the disc. Jackson loves it. Today he had waited his turn to play with it, and this little three or four year old kid marched over and essentially shoved Jackson out of the way. My boy did not fall down, he did not cry. I was about 20 feet away and started walking over because I knew what was coming next. Little 28 inch tall, 22 pound Jackson wound up and stiff armed this kid right in the chest. I got there about 2 seconds before four year old socked him a good one, and to be honest, once I was there Jackson was a little upset.

My feelings about this incident are mixed. Obviously the last thing you want your kid to do is hit. But I also don't want him to tolerate being bullied and pushed out of the way by this kid either. I'm not saying socking a kid in the face is good, but I think there are times I would rather he stick up for himself than come running for me or Jason. It's a small issue at school now that he went from being king in the castle in infant 2 to the youngest and smallest kid in toddler 1. He' s not interested in being low man, and he's not going to put up with people taking away his toys or pushing him around in there either. So it's something we'll continue to monitor and help him figure stuff out, but again...I'm not that upset that he sticks up for himself. I think that's cool.

Sidenote: soon after I picked up Jackson we went to another part of the play area. When Jackson wandered back over to the disc that had caused this conflict, this kid's older sister who was like maybe 5 years old says, I'm very sorry but a minute ago my brother was not nice to that boy. It was so adorable. She had been chastising him for about two minutes about being nice to the baby. Then his mom showed up with the 9 month old baby...and I thought to myself, "Now I know why this kid is hitting mine...middle child."

Potpourri

Honestly there's not been that much new to report! We had another bout with an ear infection. Jackson got sent home from school on Thursday morning with a fever of like 101.3...not great but not overly alarming. I wasn't thrilled with his cough, so we went to the doc. Success! Red right ear drum equals antibiotics. So he became much more comfortable on Saturday afternoon and is back to himself. Sunday we went to a picnic for our cousin Matt, whose girlfriend Brandi is expecting a little girl on Father's Day. It's fun to take Jackson outside now. We slather up that sunscreen and he does well.

I think it's a big reason why he has transitioned so well at school. They play outside twice a day and have lots of things to play with and a nice shaded grass area as well. It's been so warm that they play with water as well, and next week they'll do some fun sprinkler time. Taking him to school in the morning simply sucks. When I leave, he screams. But I read that I shouldn't sneak out it will just freak him out more as opposed to just being upset that I'm leaving. So I have to endure that screaming while I walk out the door.

The garage sale was a success. Now our lives are about packing and finding a moving truck and friends and family to help.

Fun Times

Today we went down to Grandma and Grandpa's for the afternoon to get ready for the garage sale this weekend. Jackson has never been a fan of the grass...but now that he is in the big boy class at school where they play outside twice a day, he plays in the grass and dirt everyday! So when I set him down in the grass in my parents expansive backyard he knew just what to do and ran all over the place chasing the dog. It was very, very cute.

We have moved him over to whole milk, a journey which is interesting. They don't do bottles in the toddler class, so we've been trying to get him to shift to a sippy cup, which is no small challenge. He's not a fan of cold milk, so we have to try and get it to room temperature and let him drink it. He's just not a fan. So that's an ongoing struggle. One pleasant surprise thus far has been his adjustment to the new schedule. All his food is the same, but his naps are not...the toddler class takes one long nap after lunch as opposed to 2-3 a day in the infant class. Jackson has been napping like a champion! Like 90 minute naps, which for him at school is amazing. We would celebrate when he would sleep for 45 minutes in the other room. He's also not using a paci at school, and is adapting to lunch at the table with his classmates as well. I try and observe him at school so I can make sure we are all on the same page...they are doing great with him. Mom and dad need to step it up!

Mom's Day

So it's Mother's Day! My second! Hooray! It has been an interesting week leading up to Mother's Day...the last three days in particular. Friday Jackson took a visit to the toddler class. He was supposed to unwind back in his class, but he was having so much fun, he didn't need to. He has officially moved to the toddler class, where he gets to sit at a table with his friends, play in the dirt and make art. Sweet.

That same day, we put our house on the market. As I was picking him up from school, our realtor called to inform me that we would be getting an offer the next day. Indeed. We did. So we spent Saturday looking at houses. Today we accepted the offer and are prepared to put one on a place to move.

Oh and by the way, we close on the 29th. Of this month.

Doctor Doctor

Happy Birthday! You get shots! Gotta love the AAP schedule of exams and immunizations. Jackson had his 12 month checkup today and it went fantastically. He weighs 22 lbs, 3.5 oz which is pretty good, and is 29.5 inches long. I'm convinced that the nurse who measures him isn't doing it right...he seems so much taller than that. His head is large. 75th-percentile, but we knew it was big anyways. Then she informed me that his shot schedule over the next six months would contain four required shots, with one optional Hep A shot. We went with the Chicken Pox and Hep A today. At his 15 month appointment we will do the ghastly MMR that everyone thinks causes all the issues. So I can put off being worried about that for three more months.

Developmentally he is doing great and is just as he should be. I guess the average walking is at 14 months so he's ahead there. The adage I hear is "boys walk, girls talk" so that explains why he only uses mama and dada really and hasn't learned a third word. He says versions of Buffy. That's the closest he's come to saying an additional word we have tried to get him to say. He does his version of pat a cake which is high fiving, he waves goodbye. He points at things he wants, reaches up for us, and pounds on his tray when he wants more of something (which by the way, we are over).

Anyways, that's what's new here. We are putting our place on the market on Friday so we have been in a whirlwind getting it ready. If you're in the market for two beds and three baths in southwest Longmont, you know who to call...

Happy Birthday Buddy

Has it really been a year? How is it even possible? This time last year we were waiting to get rolled from labor & delivery over to mom & baby at BCH. My parents had visited. I was getting my poor body all cleaned up. Oh...and we had a new baby boy that was not even four hours old. Now he's a year old.

We had a nice and small gathering at Grandma and Grandpa's house in Lakewood. Jason's parents flew in for Jackson's birthday, and we were also joined by Uncle Eric and Aunt Jennie, Blaine and Maggie and Sally O'Malley. We had some barbeque dinner, opened gifts and had cake. Then got Jackson in his jammies and rolled home. It was over in an instant...just like this year was! Everyone says, "Watch it, it will go fast" and as much as you know and you understand...you can't possibly imagine the blink of an eye that year one will be.

I look back at this year and think about a few things each month that I remember. Taking Jackson to the park for the 4th of July concert, hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa the night before I went back to work, him wearing the pumpkin hat on Halloween and being so cute, trying turkey on Thanksgiving, opening presents on Christmas in his 19 different Christmas outfits, crawling for the first time on January 2, various bouts with illness in the springtime, cruising around the living room, then walking and now here we are he is a year old! I remember when he smiled, when he laughed...the first time he said mama...the first time he said mama and meant it (this was this past Monday). There are too many memories to count and I'm glad I have this blog to remember a lot of them.

Jackson, you are a sweet sweet little boy. You have breakfast each day with your daddy, who makes you something yummy to eat along with giving you your bottle. You have a very sweet disposition, and as much as sometimes we don't act like we remember, you are a very, very easy little boy and have been since you were born. You usually go to sleep when we put you down for naps or for bedtime, and you eat almost everything we give you to try. When you are done eating something, you look us dead in the eye and start picking up individual pieces of food and dropping them on the floor. It's hard not to laugh. You have a tendency to pull hair and put your fingers in other people's mouths. Lately you are very cuddly and you grab our legs when you want us to pick you up. You have had two bottom teeth for four months, and your front teeth have been coming in for it seems like forever. You are very good at throwing the ball...I think you might be right handed based on that you eat with your right hand and you mostly throw with it as well. You now are a big fan of Buffy the dog, and you laugh all the time when you see her and try to chase her. You climb up stairs but haven't figured out how to climb down. You can climb off the bed. You give hugs and they are adorable. We have a goodbye routine when I drop you off at school in the morning and it's how we keep you from crying when I leave...and me too for that matter. When I pick you up, you crawl or walk up to me and say mama and hold your arms up so I pick you up. When you're sleeping you are the most peaceful and adorable looking little man ever. We are so lucky to have you in our lives sweetie pie...Happy Birthday.

Walk, Don't Run

Jackson is running. He should not be running. He is not yet coordinated enough to do so. This does not seem to concern him. Windowsills, doors, high chairs...you name it, he will crash into it. His reaction lately is not to cry, but to become very angry. Once we determine he hasn't injured himself, it's quite entertaining. The other skill he learned is sticking his tongue out, which is hilarious. My parents are not as thrilled by it as I am, but I love it and think it's funny. I would be more inclined to respect their dismay had my father not taught him how to pull tissues out of the kleenex box. He can empty a box in a minute if we aren't watching.

Two days until my boy is one year old. How is it even possible?

Leavin On A Jet Plane, 2

This time it was Jackson. I didn't have the interest in noting that this last week's events led to Jackson's first ever trip on a plane. We were very nervous as everything was last minute and we didn't have a lot of choices as to when we could fly, nor could we really afford to buy three seats on the plane. So we went with the best times and had Jackson ride on our lap.

Our flight from Denver to Chicago...he couldn't have done better. He really was a dream. He didn't nap, but he didn't fuss at all, ate really well and was just really well behaved. The ride back from Chicago to Denver was a slightly different story. He needed a nap, we needed a nap, and we were all pretty drained. He was crabby most of the way, but honestly he did pretty well. He finally fell asleep in my arms with about 20 minutes left in the flight and then slept up until he got in the stroller. When we got home he went right to sleep after dinner and was great.

All and all, given the circumstances, it could have been much worse and I'm proud of him for a good job on his first plane flight. Next time will be to Indiana for Jason's birthday and he will thankfully have his own seat :)

Say Goodbye

Today we bid adieu to my Grandma Dot. I post this on the Jackson blog because he was there and was a bright ray of sunshine on what was the sunniest gloomy day I've ever had. He was chatty at the burial and was there for mommy to hug. He was there at the service for all of Grandma Dot's friends to see...and hear. And also at the after party we held at Westmoreland where he walked around smiling and cuddling with family and friends alike. He was a tremendous comfort to me and my family during the saddest day we've had in a long time. He smiled all day. Grandma would have loved it.

So Much To Say

It's 11:54 on a Tuesday night and I'm writing a blog entry because I can't sleep. It's been a rough few days in the Lew household. I know this blog is meant to be about Jackson, and this will mention him in a way, but really...this post won't be. We lost Jackson's Great Grandma Dot very early Monday morning. She was my last grandparent. My Grandma was very cool. She came out to Colorado for a wedding shower my friend CJ gave for me in 2005 and she had just suffered a fall and had a black eye and wasn't happy about it. She came to the shower and had an awesome time. And all my friends at one time or another who attended that shower agreed that "your Grandma is so cool" which is not a thing one expects to hear really. With my Grandma living in Chicago, it wasn't as though a plethora of my friends had ever really met her at any point in my life.

I had the total out of town Grandma experiences that will forever loom large when I reflect on my childhood. Each summer, that was what we did. We visited Chicago to see Grandma and our uncles, and we visited Wisconsin to visit all the aunts, uncles, cousins and Omi. When we were in Chicago, we were at the green house on Bennett Avenue and played at the park on the corner of Bennett and Simpson. We got to know Grandma's friends the Bannermans, Mrs. Persons, Mrs. Keem and Lu. The highlight was always, ALWAYS the 4th of July at Lincolnwood School where my mom used to attend school as a kid. I loved the races there...it was like getting another field day, which to me was a very big deal. Then we would walk down to Central Street and watch the parade before going back to Grandma's and getting cleaned up to go to Westmoreland for the picnic. You remember things like getting the variety pack of cereal at Grandma's when all you got at home were Corn Flakes, Cheerios and Rice Krispies. At Grandma's we got to have Corn Pops and Froot Loops and Frosted Flakes! We got to go to the dime store and get a toy to play with during our visit! Uncles would take us to the Cubs game, and we'd borrow the Altschul's beach tokens to visit Lake Michigan at Lighthouse Beach. Then there are more recent memories, some of which suck. Grandma had a great time at Jason and I's wedding which was wonderful. Not so awesome when she tripped over a stair at my parents house and broke her hip. The only upside to this was that Grandma was stuck in Colorado with us, which meant we got to spend a lot of time with her. So that was an upside if there could be one. She would look out the window and tell us how she couldn't believe that we had blue sky everyday...she had no idea it was like that here.

One of the most recent memories I have of her was when I called her to tell her that I was pregnant. Jason and I were actually at the airport flying to San Antonio for my college reunion and I was 12 weeks basically that day. So I called and told her and she was so excited. Once she got the initial congratulations out of her, the first thing she really said was, "What does your mother think about this?" Which isn't funny to anyone but me and Grandma because I knew exactly why she asked me that. Going to her 90th birthday party last January and meeting all her friends again was a wonderful time. When my brother got home from that he got engaged. Which was fantastic for many reasons, not the least of which is that it meant Grandma was going to roll the dice on another trip to Colorado. Which I'm very grateful for, because it meant that she got to meet Jackson. That was a big deal to me, and if it hadn't happened then I hope it would have happened in the time since before Monday. I sent her literally hundreds of photos of Jackson, and thanks to Uncle Paul she got to see videos of Jackson in action on Easter. Which is more timing I am thankful for.

My way of dealing with any situation that I am uncomfortable in is with a self-depricating joke. It's automatic. If I don't like it, I will make light of it. I now know where this comes from and is a quality I appreciate having. It has traveled from Grandma to my mom to me. I find myself doing certain things that I am sure were things that she did.

When the phone rang on Monday morning I was in the shower. I was in the shower much earlier than I usually am in an effort to get the house empty of Lews in a faster manner. So I knew why the phone was ringing and who it was before Jason even answered it. I heard it ring once and turned off the water, threw a towel on my head and put my robe on and dripped down to the kitchen to get the phone from Jason. I already knew it was my mom and I knew why she was calling. It wasn't a phone call I expected to get yet. I thought we had more time.

But I am thankful for the time we did have. Grateful. We've had a heads up on this for a couple of months. I think the worst thing doctors can say is "at any time" because what does that mean even? At any time could be today at lunch or in 3 years. But the upside to the worst thing they can say is that it sure motivates everyone. I talked to my Grandma a lot lately, but I'm furious that my last chat with her was on Easter and that it was as brief as it was. My mom talked to her on Sunday night and gave me a recap and I decided I was going to call her the next day. I didn't get a chance...my mom called me first. The services start on Thursday and we'll take on the task of saying goodbye but really I am thinking of it more like a salute to Grandma. I'm very sad, but I'm very glad that I will have Jason and Jackson with me. It's not the occasion we had in mind for Jackson's first time on a plane. He is Dot's first great-grandchild and I'm glad he will be there to participate.