Our Helper

Something was up with J over the weekend - he came down with a 101 degree temperature, and though he didn't really act extra fussy or sick, he was extra sleepy and didn't eat much.  (Today his bottom gums seem really swollen and you can feel something under the skin, so I think he's getting a molar on each side.)  But anyway, he still had a fever on Monday a.m. so we had to keep him home from daycare.  We both worked from home so we could tag team, allowing us each to get as much work done as possible.

Later in the afternoon, I wrapped up work for the time being and was playing with Jackson.  All of a sudden, Jackson got up, ran over to where we keep our shoes, grabbed my shoes and delivered them to me, grabbed Corey's shoes and delivered them, and then ran over and pointed at where we keep the mail key --- even though we weren't on our normal "getting home from daycare schedule" where he hands me my shoes and we grab the keys after we get home, he realized it was the afternoon and that it was time to check the mail.  It was so cute; we both couldn't help but quickly put our shoes on and head outside.

And here are a few other recent stories that I just have to share:

As I think I've mentioned, Jackson's favorite book is 'Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus'.  There's a part in the book where the pigeon says 'uh oh' after the bus driver returns from being away.  I was reading him the book a few days ago and right as I got to that page, before I could even get the 'uh oh' out of my own mouth, I hear a little voice say 'UH OH!'  He has officially read the book so many times that he knows the EXACT second to say the magic word (which happens to be one of his favorite words...in hindsight, perhaps it's because of the book).

Any time he seems to be on the verge of a tantrum when he doesn't want to do something we need him to (put the book away, put the ball back, etc), we've learned a few ways to help avoid a full blown freak out.  One way is asking Jackson to "help" do whatever it is we want him to do (i.e. "can you help put the ball back?", or "can you help me put the book back on the shelf?")  As silly as it sounds, we then say, "okay let's say goodbye to the ball" or "tell the book bye bye".  For some reason, involving him in helping us and then saying bye to whatever it is we want him to put away/stop doing typically solves the issue.  Pretty silly, but it seems to work.

He and I were playing in his room and I literally left for no more than 10 seconds to get something from the bathroom.  When I came back, he wasn't in the spot on his floor that I'd left him in.  I quickly scanned his room and found him sitting in his glider (the right way, with his back up against the back of the chair) flipping through a book.  He glanced up at me, grinned, and went right back to his book.  It was adorable.

In other news, Jackson and I headed to Yakima this past weekend - I'll post pics and a recap soon, so stay tuned!

And, after making you read all that, I better leave you with a recent photo of the munchkin.