Jackson is now 16 months old!

I cannot believe Jackson is already 16 months old. We drove up to Rock Hill to see Charlie’s only living grandparent “Geemaw” on Saturday. We had not seen her since last Christmas, so it was great to see her!

Things are still going great, he just gets stir-crazy at the house….I think he is ready for preschool already! He still cries every time I drop him off at the nursery which is hard…I just try to drop him off as fast as possible ( I usually type off some instructions so I do not have to talk to whoever is there to watch Jackson). We are going to toddler time at the library starting this Wednesday morning. The program goes for 5 weeks and I am so excited! Overall, he is a joy, and has so much love to give. He is a great hugger and he loves people!

Some transitions:

Nap Time:

1. He is ready to go down to 1 nap a day, but the only problem is that I cannot get him to sleep but for like 1 hour and a half to two hours. I think he wakes up early because he is hungry. I would love it if he slept for closer to 3 hours starting at like 1 pm. Right now he sleeps for like an hour and a half after lunch and then sometimes he goes back to sleep around 5 and I have to wake him up at 6:30 and then to bed around 8:30 or 9 pm and wakes up around 7:45 am.
2. Toddler Wise says that you usually try to transition to two naps a day at eight months and usually continue this through sixteen to eighteen months. They recommend transitioning to one longer nap right after lunch at 18 to 20 months old. I guess we are just in that transition time. I just need to move up his morning routine to about ½ hour.

Eating:

1. He is getting better and will eat a variety of food now! Again the books say that just one teaspoon per age of child of food. So that means Jackson only needs about 1 teaspoon of food! I am sad to admit he still gets a morning bottle, midday bottle and night bottle. My goal is to cut out the middle of the day bottle in the next couple of weeks! He will only drink like a couple of ozs of milk out of the cup, but he drinks like 4 ozs of pear juice out of the cup. If anyone has any suggestions about getting rid of the bottle, I am all ears!

Playtime:

1. A new idea I have been trying that I discovered in the Toddler Wise books, is that I put a basket a toys in the middle of the den, and then just let him go through it and play. This last for an entire 15 minutes, which is long for Jackson, and then he helps me clean up the area. I think he is right on track with everything, except problem solving skills…I think (and so does the doctor) that he is advanced when it comes to problem solving. A couple of weeks ago, he got my keys and put them in the bottom keyhole of the door, and tried to unlock the door. I have only unlocked the door a couple of times with him because he is usually asleep when we come in, and I just always lock the bottom deadbolt behind me.
2. Toddler Wise also recommends teaching your toddler self-control with their hands. Ezzo states that, “teach your child that self-control begins with the folding of her hands. That is a wonderful concrete way for her to understand calmness. Children as young as eighteen-months can learn this wonderful skill.” I am trying to teach Jackson to fold his hands when we pray at night. Sometimes it actually works. I have now finished reading Toddler Wise. I would recommend this book to anyone who has toddlers. Of course, I do not agree with everything, but it helped me realize more what I do believe, and it helped me get some new ideas on how to teach Jackson.

Toddler Wise Makes me Think

Yesterday, Jackson caused a 5 foot ladder to fall on him. The ladder was against a wall and I was doing laundry and moved the laundry basket that was in front of the ladder to my bed. One minute latter I heard a huge thud. Literally, it was 5 seconds of not watching him and Doddlebops was on in the next room so I did not think he would come anywhere near me....boy was a wrong! Praise the Lord the ladder only hit his face. He is fine, but it is so funny that I am posting on Toddler Wise....boy do I need to read about how to be a better parent to a toddler!

Again, I do not agree with everything in these Baby Wise books but I am reading Toddler Wise right now and I thought I would share what I have read (in general these books make me think, and force me to think about how to be a better mom). First, Ezzo states that there are 4 principles of instructions.

1. Principle #1 is “when you speak to your child in a way that requires an answer or an action, you should expect a response. Children will rise to the level of expectation of their parents.” He goes on to say that a walking talking two year old can only comply with an adult 60 percent of the time. He is not capable of more. When they reach 3 they can comply 70 percent and then when your child reaches five they can do eighty five to ninety percent of compliance. I am not too sure where they get these figures, but it does make since. I guess Toddler Wise does help me be a better mom so it is good reading. Perfectionists, like myself, expect Jackson to do every little thing I ask him to do. I do not believe that we can become perfect here on earth, so why do I expect Jackson to obey his parents 100 percent of the time? It is crazy that these Toddler Wise book really makes me think hard about my theological beliefs. I have started to use the rod (I use a wooden spoon) on Jackson, but only if it is an action that can result in injury or hospitalization. In the last two months, I have only had to use it one time and that is when he kept on crawling up my parents wooden stairs after I told him no, and then I said he would get a spanking (I even gave him 3 times to not do it). The rest of the time, I usually put him in the pack in play when he is being defiant. In the pack in play he has no toys, just books.
2. Principle #2 “With toddlers, you must give instructions, not suggestions.”
3. Principle #3 Healthy discipline is always consistent. Consistency provides security and freedom
4. Principle #4 Require eye contact when giving face-to face instruction

Here is my problem....I think Ezzo is saying that toddlers do not sin until they are 3 years old. I understand what he is trying to say, but after I have told Jackson that it is wrong to do something, he then has the knowledge of it being bad, and then sins. I believe we are all born sinners. Listen to what Ezzo states, “For the one-year old plus, it is simply the operation of his nature. He looks, he sees, he wants, he takes. He does not sit back and contemplate the rightness or wrongness of an action because such behavior for a one-year-old is valueless (me, myself, and I are dominate thoughts), while at three years of age behavior becomes value-driven.” Just because Jackson is not taking the time to think about his actions, does not make all his actions right. Do yall agree? Do you understand what I am trying to say here? Maybe Ezzo is saying that about 3 years of age is the “age of accountability,” or the age that God holds people responsible for their sin.

Ezzo goes on to say that, “A child’s desire to do wrong can only exist when there is the knowledge of wrong. With children, resident knowledge of wrong begins to manifest itself around three years of age during the early formation of the higher conscience.” There are no footnotes so I have no clue where he gets this information. Do yall agree with this?

The only other good thing that I want to comment on is that Ezzo states, “temper tantrums, for example, are often the result of an over-stimulated child in need of sleep. The action of the tantrum should be considered secondary to the real problem. It is not discipline that the child needs, but rest. Have you ever seen a well rested child throw a temper tantrum?” I would say amen to that. Still the best book I have read is Shepherding a Child’s Heart, but this book does not focus exclusively on toddlers. Next book I want to read is Don't Make Me Count to Three: A Mom's Look at Heart-Oriented Discipline by Plowman. What other books would yall recommend?

I have signed Jackson up for toddler time at the library for 5 weeks starting in a couple weeks and we are excited about that. I also might be joining Gold’s Gym and doing the BodyStep classes there…but we will have to see about that. They have childcare and it would be a great way for us to get out more! However, I am not bored at all - things are as busy as ever with church and everything

Ps-a lot of teeth are about to come through, one just came through on the bottom making that tooth number 7....I was trying to get a picture of that 7th tooth coming in....wow he is going to have his mommy and daddy's gap in his front 2 teeth! He also has excema now and we were back at the doctor for the like 100th time this winter. They just gave us so steroid cream and it has gotten a lot better!

Happy New Year!

Wow, we have had a fun week! We went to see Kelly in Atlanta this past Saturday and we had the best time. I got to go to my favorite dorky store...Franklin Covey....I have had a Franklin Covey planner since I was in the 7th grade with all the stickers and everything. We went to First Baptist Atlanta Sunday morning and it was great. It was a wonderful worship experience and we learned a lot from their preschool ministry just by dropping Jackson off at their nursery. The youth pastor actually preached and he did a great job....I really enjoyed his way of giving an invitation at then end. He preached on 1 John 3:8. He reminded us that what we think about is what we are passionate about. Romans 8:6 states that

"For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace."

What we think about is really what we care about. It is so important for us to take every thought captive to the mind of Christ and to not dwell on things that are passing away here on earth. This is one way we fight the fight of faith. We need to have a time, place, and plan to spend every day in God's Word. Without a plan, we plan to fail. I am so excited that our Bible Study is trying to read through the Bible in chronological order. It is going to be such a blessing to everyone.

The above pictures are us at the Cheesecake Factory in Atlanta...yum! Then, we went to Waynesboro and finally met my cousin's baby Luke who is now 7 months old (he is in the above pictures)! He is so sweet and we had a great time visiting with Aunt Sandi and all her family!

The one good thing that I think I read in Toddler Wise is to have a bedtime routine with your toddler. We started a new one a couple months ago. We tell Jackson to go get his Baby Bible book. We go on and on saying that this is the your most important book you will ever have. We say we are going to read a night night story from this Bible. Then we read a story, pray with him by holding his hands, and then sing a night night song. All in preparation to go night night. I do not ever want Jackson to remember a day with us not reading the Bible or praying.

We had a New Year's Eve party at our house last night that was so much fun. I think we had around 15 adults and 15 children. We played games (new year's resolution games) and had a great time of fellowship. I hope yall all had a great New Year's. Ps- I will never be coming back into town again on the day we have a party...bad planning on my part.

Jackson is 15 months old today!

We actually went for his 15 month old check up today:

He weighed in at 22 pounds and 12 oz (25%)

Height was 30 ¼ in (25%)

Head circumference 47 cm (45%)…he use to be in the 15%!

We are at a new pediatrician office and they actually asked me to fill out questioners. Jackson was doing everything he is suppose to be doing except he does not point to his head when I ask him to point to it (pointing to certain body parts) But he is advanced when he comes to problem solving issues such as putting blocks in containers and taking them out, and trying to sweep up the floor. We only had to get the Hep. A shot today (he has already had chicken pox…he had a ton of shots when he turned 1).

Some issues:

1. He fell last weekend at my parents house and his bottom 2 teeth cut the top of his top two teeth gums…she said it looked fine!
2. He still loves his morning bottle and night time bottle. During the day I can feed him enough table food that he is ok. The doctor recommended putting water in his bottle (this helps with constipation as well) and put warm whole milk in a cup. I just feel like he does not eat enough some days so I am having a hard time getting rid of the night time bottle. She said to be sure to brush his teeth after he eats the bottle….the main concern is for his teeth. Some days he has 3 scrambled eggs in 1 day! He loves grits, yogurt (yo-plait), baby food of sweet potatoes, squash, and banana strawberry. Sometimes I will feed him eggs in the morning and at night. He also loves bread, crackers, pudding, etc. He is doing a lot better with eating…he will even eat chicken. Mimi even got him to eat some green beans from KFC! He also likes most dry cereals.
3. He is bored and ready to learn. I am going to sign him up to go the Lexington library once a week. When I worked at the YMCA, I used to schedule out activities for the kids and on Sunday night and I am going to have to start scheduling out his activities for the week. Part of the problem is that we had to stay home for like 10 days while he had the flu. Do yall plan activities for your children? Have yall read Toddler Wise? Do yall do an activity schedule for your toddlers? Toddler Wise says children until they turn 3 learn best by actually seeing things such as animals and that is why it is so good to go to the zoo! Usually 2 major schedule activities a week are good for toddlers such as the library and a play date.

These first pictures of us at Barnes and Noble. It always cracks me up how people go to coffee places to ignore each other....Some of them just could not help but notice Jackson!