We went to Yosemite with Dan's family for 4 days and once again our Little Bear did great and seemed more comfy in the outdoors than at home. He slept great, he ate when he felt like it, and he loved the icy river. We have a lot of pictures to share on this one!
Dan and Jack setting up the new bike trailer. Jack wanted to sit in it constantly, even if it wasn't moving.
A little family time before the rest of the family arrives.
Climbing, climbing, climbing!
Viewing Lower Yosemite Falls
Jackson just drives his legs right up these steep rocks and expects us to support his arms.
Independent climbing on the small stuff.
The cousins show up and already a few scuffles over the bike.
Always sooo dirty, but happy with the Cherrios.
Hiking to Vernal Falls. We never got to enjoy it for a reason that became a long story (basically our 7-year-old nephew wandered off and was lost for about 45 minutes, and the long search was very tense!), but the hike up was beautiful and steep.
Fighting the hat.
Finally he caught a few z's in the backpack.
Part II to come because there are so many more pictures!
Is is possible? So I shared my Jamba Juice with Jackson this weekend and that was a nice moment seeing him finally enjoy a smoothie with me, slipping off the big straw and learning to avoid the brain-freeze that comes with trying to chug it.
But now today he insists (though whining, distinct pointing, and binky throwing) on sharing my Starbucks! So I'm walking through Safeway pushing a baby who has taken over my non-fat chai frapaccino. I felt really silly and like everyone was staring at me for giving a baby coffee. I wanted to declare to all, it's not coffee, it's just milk and a lot of sugar, and probably some caffine, but how is that better than a coffee drink, really?
Then I thought, I guess I have to order him his own healthier Starbucks drink. Then I snapped to my senses and decided that I have gone nuts if my 1 year old already had his own Starbucks drink order. Luckily I only find the time for a Starbucks about once a month, so hopefully I won't have to deal with this new problem very often.
It amazes me how a non-talking, newly-walking toddler can make his will so clearly known and has all kinds of techniques for getting what he wants. I guess the days of saying "no" have come and are here to stay!
Our first camping trip of the year, and Jackson's second overall. He LOVED being outside all day, everyday and did a pretty good job of trying to stay inside the campsite. We went with our church small group, so there were a lot of toddlers on the move.
The men setting up
We bought a giant 9 man tent and it was great to have all the space.
It was 92 deg at 7pm when we arrived. Jack has red-checked all weekend
Raiding the Woon's car
Friends Heather and Jonah
He loved his little camp chair and wanted to sit in it for a long time. Thanks Aunt Laura!
2 huge tents are up
And Dan can easily stand up inside. Plus Jackson gets his own "room"
Staying hydrated
With Michelle and Noah by the lake.
The cool water was the only relief from the heat.
Bringing the baby gate didn't seem to pay off until we realized that we could use it to keep babies out of the sooty firepit.
Jackson a little jealous of Emeline using his chair.
These 2 ate mainly chips that day. I kept hiding the bag and they would find it and dig in.
Overall a camping success. 2 more camping trips to go this summer. Hopefully it will be less hot on future trips.
I'm having a hard time keeping up with all of Jackson's changing quirks and interests in his baby book, so I'm hoping that this blog will at least be some kind of a record of the special things that come and go so quickly with babies. I already look back at a few months ago and those behaviors are ancient history compared to what he's going now. So, at 13 months this is what life looks like:
Sleeping:
Jackson is a night owl and the absolute earliest we can get him to bed is 8pm. However, like his mom, he loves to sleep in. He slept in until 10am today! Usually he wakes around 7am and has a bottle and then goes back to sleep in his crib until 8am or so. He is taking 2 naps a day at about 2 hours each and is showing no signs of dropping a nap yet. He constantly falls asleep in the car seat and I can actually take him out and carry him to his bed sound asleep. It is so sweet when he's all sweaty and heavy and it's a highlight of my day escorting the little sleeper to his crib, which he actually loves. Sometimes he loves his bed so much that he wants to play in the morning but doesn't want to be taken out of his crib. He wants you to stand over the crib and play with his teddies with him.
Eating:
First off, we think he's in a growth spurt. He gained 2 pounds since his 1st birthday, whereas it took him 6 months to put on 1 pound before that. He weighs more now that mommy did at 2 years old. He is eating all meat and carbs these days. I can barely get him to touch the fruit (blueberries, grapes, strawberries) and yogurt that made up 100% of his diet for the last few months. Now it's all chicken, turkey, beef, cheese, crackers, and pieces of my bagel or toast. He will hardly look at a vegetable. It is getting kind of embarrassing in restaurants when he won't eat anything I brought him but feasts on Dan's onion rings. I want to tell the people around us that he never eats food like that at home!
Playing:
He's so silly and wild sometimes. See the long video below that includes a lot of his newest behaviors: biting Curly the Sheep, playing peek-a-boo with one hand over his face, running hugs and tackles, working on little problems that he often can't solve, diving on furniture, babbling constantly, roaring, pointing at things he wants, and asking for songs. His favorite song hands down is the Itsy-Bitsy Spider. We sing it at least 50 times a day at his request and he does some of the hand motions. He also loves pools, sprinklers in his face, drinking pool and bath water, being outside all the time, his Cozy Coupe and red wagon, ballons (he bites them), puzzle (though he can't quite put them back together), and picture flashcards are his favorite thing right now. He also loves to flip through books and be read to. He brings us so many books each day to read to him.
Other Interests:
The electric toothbrush is at the top of the list right now. He does not like his own baby toothbrush, but begs for a brushing when I'm using my toothbrush. He communicates his wishes very clearly though some sign language I taught him, some sounds, and a lot of specific pointing. He likes setting up a repetitive cycle, like bring Daddy a toy, then drop it and run to the kitchen to get tickled by Mommy, then laugh and run back to Daddy and repeating the sequence for a 1/2 hour straight. He's very curious about things like the laundry room, the fridge, and cabnets that are locked. He loves to observe older kids and is not shy about approaching them to try to join their games. He will be their friend forever if they include him.
We are loving our Man more everyday. We can see how discipline is going to become more of an issue in the coming months (we had our first defiant meltdown in Target yesterday!) and I'm sure that will be confusing and challenging, but we're praying for the wisdom to know what to do and how to guide him. Thanks for reading.
We got last minute Giants seats in the bleachers with Dan's work this week and decided to try taking Jackson to a night game. It went ok. He liked being carried around the stadium and flirting with all of the ladies in Dan's office that sat near us and waved at him. He did a lot of high-fiving with the guys. He also liked eating french fries and Cracker Jacks instead of his real dinner. He did not like waiting in line for food, being on our laps for the 7 innings he "lasted" through, cotton candy, or that we wouldn't let him play in the beer puddle under our feet from the spilly people a row above us.
He's wearing his uniform.
This scowl is a new expression that he's trying on lately. It doesn't always mean that he's mad. Often he's smiling, then scowls, then goes back to smiling a moment later.
