Pantry Playin'

Jackson's got tons of toys, all of which he loves, but when he's cranky and nothing else will cheer him up, all we have to do is open the pantry door and let the boy in. He loves the pantry! He climbs all the way in and pulls everything out. We've discovered that Jackson loves pulling the lids of tupperware off and putting them back on. And of course, he's got a whole new room full of thing to put in his mouth! We get a kick out of it.

Clapping, More and All Done... We're so Proud!

We've been teaching Jackson how to clap since Christmas and he finally figured out how to do it by himself! All day, every day, I've been showing him how but, instead of clapping, he'd just clasp his hands together. Yesterday at breakfast we had a breakthrough. He finished his waffle and I said "Yay!" and clapped, and he clapped with me. It was so exciting! I got it on video today at lunch, along with a couple of other milestones that we've been working on. We've been teaching Jackson baby sign language, mostly how to sign "more" and "thank you." Today at lunch, he signed "more" for the first time. (I think he did, but he was probably just playing with his food. But, I'm the mommy, my kid is brilliant, so he was signing more!) Another thing Jackson's been doing lately is handing us his food when he's had enough. He used to throw it on the floor, but that's no longer the case. When he's full, he politely hands us the remaining food, with a smile. Our boy is learning proper table manners and we are so proud!

Crawling, Talking, Screaming-I'm SO Excited!!

Here's a cute video of Jackson, who got one last burst of energy before bed. He's hamming it up, like he's so excited to get his bath and go to bed. Enjoy!

Words With Meaning

Jackson's been "talking" for months and months, but this morning, he actually said "bye bye" at the right moment!! It was awesome! Disclaimer: The video is very dark and slightly out of focus, but you can hear Jackson talking.

Kiawah Island!

Every year, the "kids" in our family try to get together for a mini reunion of sorts. Last year we went to Columbia, the year before, Pawley's Island. This year, we went to Kiawah Island, which is just south of Charleston. Chip did some work for a home owner there and in turn, she gave him her beach house for the week. We couldn't have picked a better weekend, weather-wise. It was sunny and 70 and we took full advantage. We were about a block from the ocean, and we spent part of Saturday on the beach. There were lots of seashells and seagulls, and deer, of all things! I couldn't believe it, but there were deer grazing in the dunes right by the water. We were also able to tour some of the houses Chip is wiring, which was pretty cool. But best of all, Jackson and Tyler were able to play together all weekend. The only thing that was missing was the presence of Tracy and Kevin, who needed to stay close to home-WE MISSED YOU GUYS!!!

Loving North Carolina!

While the rest of the country seemed to be chilly, we were chillin' in the sun! We had record breaking weather last week, and took advantage of it. Jackson absolutely loves to be outside, and he loves to take long walks around the neighborhood. We spent most of our afternoons outside. Now it's all a memory, as it's in the 30's here. I don't think it'll be long before the spring weather returns, though!

Baby?

Jackson has added a new word to his vocabulary-baby. He just started saying it yesterday, and since then, it's been non-stop. If you listen real close, you can hear his southern roots! Also, the boy now has a "lovey" or an object that he's attached to. Actually two lovies. After trying for weeks to get him attached to his stuffed dog or a blanket, Jackson has chosen a red coozie and a burp rag. That's my boy!