This year we had a Curious George themed birthday party for Jackson's 2nd birthday, which I'm sure came as no surprise to those that know him. The party was much smaller than last year (I learned the hard way that our house cannot handle 40 people), but was equally as fun!
Decorations:
I made a simple garland, like last year, and hung some of my favorite pictures of Jackson from this year. I also made the yellow, red, and blue circle garland that is hanging from the ceiling (which was inspired by this blog). The wooden "2" was purchased at JoAnn Fabrics for a couple dollars- I just painted it to match the party colors and taped it to a frame that we moved from Jackson's room to the dining room for the party. Finally, I added some fresh flowers and colorful candies to the table. Easy!
Cake:
The cake was made by the very, talented Katrina from Nicely Baked. She was in ECFE with Jackson and I and just started her own business. The cake really brought everything together. It was so cute I didn't want to cut it (but I'm glad that we did because it was also delicious)!
Food:
We kept the menu really simple this year, too. Here is what we served:
Where has the time gone my sweet boy? It's hard to believe that two years ago today daddy and I were sitting in a hospital room holding you for the first time. (All five and a half pounds of you). It has been amazing to watch you learn so many new things this year and grow into such a happy and confident toddler. Daddy and I are so proud of you!
We had a pretty quiet day today. Daddy had to go out of town this afternoon, but he was able to spend the morning with us. We opened presents, had breakfast, and went to music class (where everyone sang Happy Birthday to you). The big celebration will be on Saturday!
Although you have just turned two, I think we are deep into "terrible two" behavior (at least I hope so because I don't know how much more I can handle). I hate to be negative on your birthday, but you have been a handful this month! I think this was partially due to the fact that you were pretty sick for the first half of the month. You had influenza, which triggered your breathing problems again, which led to an official diagnosis of asthma. While you were your sickest, you needed a nebulizer treatment every 4 hours. The doctor also added a steroid to your regimen, which doubled the treatment time from 6 to 12 minutes. This may not sound like a big difference, but it's torture for an active toddler. (Even one who is being bribed with television). It was a long couple of weeks, especially since you couldn't go to any of your classes or activities. You even had to miss your friend's birthday party!
Your transition from being home-bound back into the normal world was NOT a smooth one. I'm not sure if you just forgot how to behave around other kids (okay you probably haven't learned this yet at all) or you are just now delving into the "terrible twos." One morning, after you were feeling better, I decided to take you to Lifetime. I dropped you off at the kid area and told them which class I was going to be in. I set up my spot right by the exit because, more often than not, I get pulled out to tend to you for whatever reason. I was pleasantry surprised when that didn't happen. However, as soon as I left the class I could hear my name being called over the loud speaker. (You can't hear this over the loud music in the class studios so if they know you're in a class they will come up to get you). I immediately knew there had been a miscommunication and panicked. I ran down to get you and was told that they had been trying to find me because you were being aggressive. (That was a new one!) Apparently, you were pushing other little kids "unprovoked" AND you didn't "respond nice" when the teacher told you no. I'm not quite sure how they expected you to respond or what you actually did that wasn't nice, but I've been afraid to go back ever since (and I can feel it in my jeans). I kind-of blew this event off. I don't take you being aggressive with other kids lightly, but I know that a lot of kids go through this stage. Plus, I have to admit, it seemed like a stressful environment when I dropped you off. It was really busy, there were lots of screaming kids, and your favorite teacher wasn't there. This was a recipe for disaster and I should have known better. I realized, afterwards, that you were also still tired from being sick because as soon as we got into the car you fell asleep. When we got home, I set you on the bench so I could hang up my coat and when I came back into the kitchen (two minutes later) you had fallen back asleep.
At this point, I was feeling totally responsible for what happened. However, a few days later, we went to Edinborough Park and had another, more traumatizing, incident. This time, you were jumping in a bouncy house with a few other kids. All of a sudden you were on top of another little boy, hitting him. It all happened really quickly, but I didn't see him do anything to provoke you, except for maybe getting into your bubble. Before I had a chance to grab you, the mom of the boy you were hitting started screaming at you (right in your face). I quickly got in between you and her and swept you away (after quickly apologizing to her). It seems that every day I learn something new as a parent- new situations arise and different emotions present themselves. This day, I felt the strongest "mama bear" feelings I have ever felt. The more I thought about the situation, the more upset I became. I obviously felt horrible that you hit a child and made him cry, but I was also mad at myself for not saying anything to that other mother. I am pretty sure that her (extremely inappropriate) reaction was the result of her own motherly instincts, but she had absolutely no right to scold you (especially in such in out of control manner). She didn't even give me a chance step in. I was so shocked (and shaken up) by her response I didn't know what to say. I'm sorry for not sticking up for you, but believe me I'll be ready next time. (Let's hope here isn't a next time, though). Since then, we've had several social outings without any aggressive behavior, so we're on the right track! Go, Jackson!
Your antics amuse daddy and I on a daily basis. You really are a funny little kid. This month you have decided to call daddy and I by our first names. While it's pretty hilarious to hear you calling for Er-ca or John, we would much prefer you to call us mommy and daddy. You love walking around with my glasses on (upside down), playing hide-and-go-seek, tickling, and pretending you're a monster (however, you get really upset when anyone else is the monster). Anytime I take my eyes off you for a second you're into something....like my lip gloss.
Earlier this week, you had your very first snow day. We got around 10 inches of snow overnight on Monday, so your Tuesday morning block time class was cancelled. Daddy got out of work a little early that afternoon and we took you sledding.
You only made it down the hill four times (twice with daddy and twice with me), before you were saying "no sled." We ventured over to the park and played in the snow cave for a little bit before heading home. It's safe to say that we have all had enough of winter. Bring on Spring!!
I'm sad to say that you lost another great-grandma this month. Daddy's grandma Barb passed away the day after Valentine's Day. She was such a sweet (and spunky) woman. We will miss her dearly, but I am so glad that you had the chance to meet her. She took the whole family out to celebrate everyone's birthdays throughout the year, at a restaurant of their choice. This was taken at the first birthday celebration dinner you attended when you were just a few weeks old. Rest in peace grandma Barb.
Finally, I've decided to do a questionnaire each year on your birthday. Since you can't really answer on your own this year, I will do my best to answer for you...
What makes you happy? hugs, blankie, bear, kisses from KG
What is your favorite animal? monkey
What is your favorite thing to eat? clementines
What is your least favorite thing to eat? you're not a very picky eater, but will randomly refuse to eat things that your normally like
What is your favorite thing to drink? milk (you also really like orange juice, but for some reason you call it apple juice)
What is your favorite thing to do? play with daddy, tinker with tools, play doctor, listen to music (while singing, dancing, and/or playing your drums)
What is your favorite TV show? Curious George (you also really like Sesame Street)
What is your favorite movie? Monsters, Inc.
What are you really good at? playing the drums
What is your favorite color? blue (this is a tough one, but it's the only color you know by name)
What is your favorite song? Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star (you request it every night before bed) and Hey, Ho by the Lumineers
Who is your best friend? Christopher
What do you and your mom do together? EVERYTHING
What do you and your dad do together? watch movies, get donuts on Saturday mornings
What is your favorite sport? football (you call it "game")
Where is your favorite place to go? the park (I would have said Edinborough Park before "the incident")
What is your favorite book? Baby Animals (you also love any Curious George book and Harry the Dirty Dog)
What do you want to be when you grow up? daddy (or a drummer)
Three words that best describe you: lovable, gregarious, curious
Happy 2nd birthday my sweet, darling boy! I am so lucky to be your mama. I can't wait to see what the next year has in store for you!
Love, Mom
P.S. This will be the last "monthly" post. I'll definitely continue to post about your adventures and milestones, just not on a specific schedule. Stay tuned for your second birthday party post... (Hint: it's a Curious George theme).
I am so excited to be involved in a monthly photography challenge with such a talented group of photographers. This month's challenge was food. I prefer to photograph people and was feeling stuck until, one Sunday morning, my husband decided to teach our son how to make Ebelskiver (traditional Danish pancakes). It's a recipe that he learned to make from his grandma and mom. Without this challenge, I probably wouldn't have taken pictures of this, but I'm so glad that I did. Jackson thinks daddy is the absolute coolest and I think that's apparent in these pictures.
Well, we made it through another COLD, snowy month! I'm already counting down the days until spring. Luckily, we've kept busy with music classes, ECFE, and lots of indoor play-dates.
We also escaped to the Como Conservatory. It was fun to pretend it was summer for a little while...
On top of that, grammy White came to stay with you for several days when daddy and I took a trip to Seattle. Daddy had to go for work and I tagged along. While he worked, I had two whole days to explore on my own. I have to admit, although I missed you terribly, it was extremely refreshing to have so much time to myself! Daddy and I also enjoyed several dinners out on the town, a tour and tasting at a local winery, and lots of sightseeing. After a plentiful happy hour I even talked daddy into his and her pedicures- he loved it! We are so thankful to grammy White for using her vacation time so she could babysit and for taking such good care of you while we were away! We're so lucky!!
Daddy and I also had the tough task of deciding what to do for you for preschool next year. I toured one school, that I had heard great things about, and fell in love! Most importantly, I think you will love it, too! The hard part was deciding whether to send you for one or two mornings per week. We went back and forth trying to decide what would be best for you (and our family). Well, it turns out we didn't have to worry about making a choice because there was only one option left when it was my turn to register. This preschool is really popular and slots fill up quickly, but I didn't realize just how determined some parents were to get the spots they wanted. I had planned on getting there at 6:30am, when the doors opened. I naively thought this would be plenty early because registration didn't start until 8am. Boy was I wrong! I got a text around 5:15am, from another mom, telling me that the parking lot was starting to get crowded and that I should get there soon. I jumped out of bed, got dressed, and headed over. I didn't get there until about 5:45am because, of course, my car was just about out of gas and I had to stop to fill it up on the way. Ahhhh! Because I was such a slacker you got into my very last day/time/location choice, but at least you got in. As of now, you will go Mondays and Wednesdays from 9-12... (I'm hoping we can switch to Tuesdays and Thursdays). Anyway, it was a very stressful morning and mommy was very tired that day.
Back to you... Your talking has continued to impress (and amuse) us. New words this month include sorry, silly, tickle, broccoli, sleep, wake-up, etc... While your vocabulary has grown and your annunciation has improved, you still have quite a bit of difficulty with the "f" sound. You typically just substitute it for the "sh" sound. For example, fork=shork, phone=shone, and fart=shart. You're a little more off with the word fish...
This is particularly embarrassing when you shout "shit" at the doctor's office (which has a large aquarium in the waiting room). You also created a spectacle at your friend Christopher's Nemo themed 2nd birthday party. As soon as you saw the fish decorations, you shouted "shit"! Throughout the rest of the party, people would point to one of the many fish around the house and a ask you what it was. It was pretty entertaining... Besides swearing up a storm, you had a great time running around with the other toddlers and playing in the aquarium,
eating "shit" sticks, gold-"shit", and cupcakes,
and posing in the photo-booth (okay maybe you didn't enjoy this so much).
I think you're going though a growth spurt because you have been ravenous lately. The other morning, you had two pancakes, an entire banana, a piece of turkey bacon, juice, and milk for breakfast!! Thankfully, you're not a very picky eater! I've been afraid to even write about this because I don't want to jinx it, but you'll eat almost anything (at least when it's on your terms and you can take your time). Some of the surprising things you like include brussel sprouts, shrimp (with cocktail sauce), tofu, cherry tomatoes, beets, pickles, curry, and chili. You also had your first Happy Meal (shame on me). Daddy was out for the night and you and I were on our way home from a failed trip to Target. Shopping is nearly impossible with you these days (even when you get to ride in the cool car carts at the grocery store).
Anyway, I had planned on getting something to make for dinner at Target, but that didn't happen. You wouldn't get in the cart and demanded to "help" me push it. It was during the after work rush and we crashed into a few people (who were mostly understanding). That sort-of worked until you started taking things off of the shelf and putting them in the cart. When I would put them back you would scream at the top of your lungs. We quickly ended our trip and headed home (with nothing from my original list). There was no way I was getting you out of the car again, so we went through the McDonald's drive thru. As soon as I passed you the first french fry, your cries and whines turned to yums! Whew! I was so relieved I didn't even feel guilty.
We've had a few "warm" days where we got out to play in the snow. You're finally getting more used to it and particularly enjoy being outside while it's snowing.
On a particularly blustery day, you rode your little tricycle in the garage. (When it's hardly above zero, you do what you have to do).
I just can't get over how quickly you're growing up. A friend of mine, who hadn't seen you in a few months, commented that you had no baby left in you. Most of the time, I completely agree with her. You want to do everything yourself, you're talking and growing like crazy, and are constantly (fearlessly) investigating your environment. This grown-up Jackson, was even more apparent at a recent play-date at Edinborough park. You quickly made friends with a group of little girls (who were about 8 years old). The helped you and Christopher in the bouncy house and down the slide,
they pushed you around on a scooter,
and even helped you make a basket (are you kidding me?).
I kept a watchful eye, from a little distance, while you were playing in the gym; you were clearly enjoying all the attention. I decided that I better follow more closely once you and your entourage ventured into Adventure Peak. You weren't very happy with this, however. You said "mommy go" and "bye-bye mommy" while shooing me away. I guess I'm already cramping your style... When it was time for the girls to go home, you chased after them and had to give them all hugs. It was a riot!! However, I think I deserve at least a few more years as your leading lady...
Thankfully, every once in a while I see little glimpses of baby Jackson. You'll come plop in my lap and rest your head on my chest for a brief moment or cuddle up with your "me" (the name you have given your most favorite blankie). One afternoon, after a busy morning, you even nodded off in your high chair...
I cherish these moments, because they are growing farther and farther apart, but I also love seeing glimpses of the amazing little boy you are becoming.
