Van the Man

Jackson and I listen to music all day long. When I am at the computer, there's always tunes playing through Windows Media Player, which has a very special component. It's got a kaleidoscope feature that moves with the music. Jackson finds it absolutely mesmerizing. Here he is jamming out to Van Morrison, when all of a sudden, he sees the kaleidoscope. The rest is history.

On My Own

Ok, I am usually not too worried about Jackson meeting his milestones. I am a firm believer in kids doing what they do when they are ready to do it. That being said, at Jackson's 4 month appointment, his doctor told me that Jackson ought to be able to sit on his own by his 6 month appointment. Well, Jackson has had absolutely no intention of sitting on his own. Why bother, when rolling around the living room is so much fun? I started to get worried. His 6 month appointment is on Thursday and I wondered if Jackson would get scolded by his doctor, so I started sitting him down, rather than putting him on his tummy. It worked! All of a sudden, instead of toppling over, or going down into a tripod, he just stayed. And let me tell you, the boy's got some good posture! He loves sitting now, and if I try to lay him down, he gets mad. He'd rather go down when he's good and ready, thank you. And his mama's so proud!

Uncle Trae Visits Master Jack

All of Thursday, Jackson anticipated the arrival of his Uncle Trae. Jackson knows that he will see his Uncle Trae at least once a week, but the anticipation is almost unbearable. Trae comes in, and Jackson can hardly contain himself. He, who rarely reaches for anyone, immediately leans towards Trae for uncle comfort. Jackson even sat up for minutes at a time, showing off his newfound skill for his uncle. The bond strengthened throughout the evening, allowing Uncle Trae to carry Jackson to his room for bathtime preparations. What a ball they had! Jackson even grabbed Uncle Trae's lips and wadded them up in his tiny little hands, providing happiness for both. What a night!

Say What?

Jackson has got a lot to say. The kid talks non-stop all day long. He talks to me, the ceiling fan, his feet, anything that will listen. He's added some words to his vocabulary of "mamama" like "blah blah blah" and "bababa" along with the usual raspberries and bubble blowing. When he talks, his expressions are priceless. It looks like he's got the most important and serious things to talk about. And if he catches you looking at him while he's having a conversation, he stops talking and just grins at you.

Something other than milk?

Jackson is almost 6 months old. When I took him to the doctor for his 4 month check up, I was told that he could start having a little bit of juice or water in a sippy cup. I went right out, bought 2 sippy cups and some apple juice, came home, filled it up and gave it to him. Now, I'm a teacher, and should have known that I wasn't going to get immediate results, but I really thought I'd hand the sippy to the boy, he'd guzzle down the juice, and promptly ask for more. How wrong I was. But I've been trying, about once a week, to give Jackson juice or water in his cup, with or without the sippy thing on top. He's just never liked it. In fact, he down right depised it. Until yesterday. I filled the cup up with juice, handed it over, and voila! One sip was all it took and he looked over at me as if to say, "You mean there's more to life than just milk?" He loved it. For about a minute. Then he quickly reverted back to his old ways.

Life's a Beach!

Jackson and I went to the beach today. It was a major event because, even though we only live about 2 miles from the ocean, we've never been. (Jackson went to the beach once at our family reunion and was so excited to be there, he slept the whole time!) We went because my friend Gwen and her daugher, Ruby Jane were visiting from Chapel Hill. The day was overcast, but it was perfect for us because it wasn't too hot and we didn't need to lug an umbrella down there with the rest of our stuff. Ruby Jane and Jackson played together in the sand for a minute, until Jackson got too tired to hold himself up. I had to get the sand off of him somehow, so we went down to the surf. I couldn't tell if Jackson liked it or not, because he's at this stage where he doesn't know whether to laugh or cry, so he does both. No tears, but he went back and forth from smiling, to having a worried, furled brow look. I had him standing in the wet sand and his feet kept sinking. I wonder if he thought they were disappearing forever. We were having a great time until it started raining. It caused our beach trip to be much shorter than we had anticipated, but the company and the view were worth every minute!

The Art of Eating Bananas

We always thought Jackson's favorite foods were applesauce and green beans. We were wrong. According to Jackson, the best food on earth is bananas. Not "real" bananas, but the slimy, Gerberized in a jar kind. He loves them plain or with oatmeal. We've been trying to teach him good table manners by feeding him in his high chair and engaging him in meaningful conversations. I think it's working.