Well..it’s amazing that I am getting this post out before June 30 when Jackson will be one year old. I have been busy and behind, and Jackson himself is not fond of my computer time. Without further ado, pictures of my beautiful baby boy:

Boy was it hard to take these. He is a constant motion machine; climbing, crawling, standing, dancing. I had to put him in the Bumbo seat just to keep him still. 

What a happy creature he is! (As long as I am nearby). I have to admit, after Jacob I thought there was no way any baby could be higher needs. I was wrong. Jackson tried me by being very easy in the early months and then progressively getting more hands-on as time went by. It’s weird. However, these days are few comparatively, and I try to appreciate the snuggles rather than bemoan my inability to fold laundry. The laundry will be there tomorrow (it always is!)

He is quite the charmer, locking eyes with someone and then flashing that big smile. He waves and says “buh-buh!” when people leave. He likes to yell “Bop! Bop!” to get my dad’s attention, or when he “talks” on the phone. He will pick up anything remotely phone-shaped and hold it to his ear to say “Bop!”

I love when he moves his little mouth without making any sound, as though he is talking quietly to himself. He babbles and squeals, and is generally a pretty noisy guy. He is even louder in his protests when something goes a way that he does not like–I have been trying to stop this habit.

He is always climbing, and has no fear. He will climb up the couch, onto Jacob’s bicycle, up the steps at a playground, anywhere and anything. I usually catch him, but I can’t always, and he has had some scrapes and bruises. The latest drama with his poor little finger was a tough one for me, but it appears to be healing, and hopefully it won’t look too bad. 

He was a reluctant eater at first, but now he is incredible. He will eat anything. He doesn’t like to sit in the high chair; he prefers to sit on my lap and eat what I am eating off of my fork. He has eaten sautéed spinach, beans, rice, pasta, chicken, meatballs, salad, bell pepper, squash, enchilada…the list goes on. He loves guacamole, and he eats that often. He will dig in enthusiastically, and even likes to take control of a fork loaded with his piece of fruit or whatever and feed it to himself. he really likes weirdly hard things, like crusty bread or tortilla chips. I love watching him discover what his little teeth are for as he pushes food to the front of his mouth and crunches it determinedly. When I withhold a food from him (like something spicy or unhealthy) he will squawk loudly and angrily in protest. 

It’s amazing how many places we go at which people tell me that he is the most well-behaved and happiest baby they have ever seen. That’s because I’m not trying to do the dishes! 😉

He continues to love his brother’s company, and laughs the loudest around Jacob. Their new fun of Jacob pushing Jackson in the Cozy Coupe is so heart warming and wonderful to watch. They both really love to do it, and will not tire of it!

I can’t believe he will soon be a year old. It feels like only yesterday that I was waiting and waiting for him to be born. It was an eventful pregnancy and an eventful birth, followed by a tragically eventful year. He has been such a blessing through it all. I am so happy he is here and safe (if I can keep him safe!) and I can’t wait to watch him grow up.

But don’t be in a hurry, okay?

This sweet love with his excitement, many expressions, and his funny “monkey dance” is certainly one-of-a-kind and special. We are so happy he joined our family.