The Very Hungry Caterpillar!!!

We celebrated Jackson's 2nd birthday bash with a few close friends and family.  We had a blast!!!! 

Happy 2nd Birthday!!!!

Skyping with my grandparents while singing Happy Birthday.

Chocolate cupcakes are yummy!

I can eat this by myself.

It tasted good!

Green Beans

Jackson saw us eating green beans during dinner.  There were chopped up green beans in his rice, meat and soup.  I gave him a green bean and he seemed to like it. He then asked for more.  I guess you cannot eat too many veggies! I hope he will eat green beans tomorrow.

Instant Love

From the moment Michelle shared Jackson's photo with me, I instantly fell in love with this kid. I look forward to Jackson calling me everyday. So what does an aunt discuss with her nephew? Jackson...how was your day? Jackson...did you drive mommy crazy? Jackson, what did you eat today? And my favorite words to him "Brown Bear Brown Bear." Whenever Jackson hears "Brown Bear Brown Bear" or Floppy, it means time for a nap or bed.

The best part about being an aunt is purchasing fun clothes! Here is a similar outfit Spencer and I purchased for Jackson. We swapped the beige pants for skinny jeans and the loafers for personalized converse. Can you believe Gap makes skinny jeans for babies and toddlers?

The Virtues of Being an Aunt

I spent time in Nashville last week to visit my nephew Jackson. He is a lively, expressive, and active toddler. Jackson enjoys playing with blocks, pushing chairs in after we eat,  wipes his own mouth, and helps bring in the dishes after dinner. Doesn't this sound great? Blek! Don't let this kid fool you! Jackson is a smart kid who knows what he is doing to get his way. He makes us think the only word he knows is "no", but in fact, I caught him one day saying "yes" to me.

The second day I was in Nashville, Michelle left me alone with Jackson while he took his afternoon nap. Michelle promised me he wouldn't wake up until she came home (a few hours). Jackson woke up within the hour and I changed his diaper (number 1). I am so clueless when it comes to changing diapers that I didn't even know where to find them in their home. Within the next 5 minutes, I sat Jackson down for his afternoon snack and that's when I smelled something. I checked his diaper and he pooped! I almost threw up when I saw it...and it smelled! Jackson led me to the bathroom where Michelle changes him. He laid on the tile and put his hands over his eyes. Cute, but not that cute. After I changed his diaper, we went on with our day. I texted Spencer to let him know what happened and he texted me back saying "how can a cute boy produce such toxic gas?"

Life of a Two Year Old

Well, close enough.  Jackson is almost two. In fact, he's been acting like a two year old for awhile now. We have been very busy the past few weeks.  I really don't know where the days go.  So, here is an update of the past two weeks. We went for the first doctors visit.  It went well.  Jackson is a healthy little boy.  He is in the 95% for height and 75% for weight.  The doctor said he is in a good place.  Yee-Yee (Autnie Kelley) and Uncle Spencer came for a visit.  We had a lot of fun and Kelley will post her own blog about the perils of being an aunt. We ate good food, played at the playground and laughed a lot. Jackson is starting to say some words.  He can of say "hot" and "out." He signs food, please, more and all done. Jackson is usually very outgoing and likes to wave, blow kisses and fist bump everyone he sees. He now knows that we pray before we eat.  Last but not least, Jackson is teething and is testing us each hour of the day. There are no language or cultural barriers when it comes to the "Life of a Two Year Old!!!"

I didn't stage this.  Jackson knows how to use chopsticks.

"Mom, you are in my way."

"I can feed myself!"

A day at the park.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear

As a young child, my mother instilled the love of reading in me. She took my siblings and I to the library, let us buy books through the book club, had subscriptions to magazines and highly encouraged us to read "Reader's Digest" although I preferred "Teen Beat." Now as an adult, I still enjoy reading.  Lately I have been reading articles about toddlers and adoption but you can also find me reading the "Wall Street Journal" or cooking magazines.

Jackson has taken a liking to books.  His favorite is "Brown Bear, Brown Bear," by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle. In fact, he is sleeping with the book right now! I am not sure how he came to love this book but I started reading it to him the night we became a family. He taps the book as I read it signaling that he is also reading it with me (he does this with all of this books now). Jackson has had several crying spells and every time I say, "Brown Bear, Brown Bear," he stops crying.  I don't know what it is! For an instance, it was nap time today and I know he was really tired. I said, "Jackson, Brown Bear, Brown Bear," he stopped what he was doing, ran into his room, got his book and sat on my lap.  We read the book together and he fell right to sleep.

I hope the love of reading will continue. Books are so powerful and often times they can express what we cannot say. So, if you are having a bad day pick up your favorite book or just read "Brown Bear, Brown Bear."