Thinking of Grandma...

Today is my Grandma's birthday... she would have been 79 years old. It has been 10 years (in September) since she passed away unexpectedly. I would love to have the baby today since she will be named after her. So far, no pain, but we'll see. I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon. I am anxious to find out my progress.

BIG BOY BED UPDATE...

I didn't take any more pictures, but just want to note that Jackson slept for 10 1/2 hours straight in his bed last night!! He is taking his morning nap there again right now... I believe we have officially transitioned and it only took 3 days! Not bad!! Whoo-hoo!!!!

2nd NAP!!!

Okay, maybe this seems weird to some, but I am SO beyond excited that Jackson is successfully taking his second nap in his big boy bed!!! Maybe I have the magic touch? Not sure. Whatever the case, he is asleep and I really am going to attempt to take a shower now... it's almost 3pm and thinking about the fact that I could potentially go into labor at any time gives me even more motivation to sign off and get in the shower!
My sweet little boy!!! I love him to pieces!

First nap in toddler bed! Yea!!!

Yea! I thought it would be a more difficult transition, but he laid down in his bed for his morning nap today... after I sang the Happy Family song about 4 or 5 times and held him for a few minutes. I took these from the doorway because I was worried I would wake him up and I still need to jump in the shower. However, he has been asleep for over an hour and he's IN HIS BED!!!
Hopefully, he won't be upset when he sees his little sister sleep in the port-a-crib!

Big Boy Bed...

I ordered this bed back in April, but we kept it in the box until now because it was one less piece of furniture that we (okay, Parker) had to move during our 3 moves so far this summer (5 weeks). Luckily, we will be here (our current location) for the next 5-6 weeks... ideally enough time for me to recover and help Parker a little for the final move of the summer before we pack up to go back home.
That being said, this seemed like a good time to set up Jackson's toddler bed... especially because we are going to need the port-a-crib that he is currently sleeping in for Kate when she arrives.
I don't think there are words to describe how excited Jackson was about his new bed... and he did "help" me put it together, which was quite an accomplishment for an 18-month old! However, nighttime came and he was a little less sure.
I think being in a strange/new place and having the bedroom door close and there you are in a new bed was a little scary. So, we put him back in the port-a-crib and he slept soundly for his usual 9 hours. We will try again each night. I think eventually he will get used to it, but I don't want to force it on him.
He is young still and will soon have to cope with the idea of having a baby around 24/7 taking attention away from him. He is so young, I'm pretty sure he doesn't have a clue that she's coming. However, he has definitely sensed that things are changing as we go shopping and bring new things into the house and sew blankets and burp cloths, etc. Parker and I try to talk about Baby Kate as much as we can and I point out babies as we run into them or see them on TV. We will see what happens when she gets here!

Jackson's Cows

Here are some pictures from Jackson's visit to the cows that are being raised at his Grandpa's work... they will be our hamburgers and taco meat come October, but Jackson is enjoying them for now. He had a blast running around and petting the cows!
He has gotten so big lately! It seems like he has grown physically and emotionally a ton since we left La Grande 5 1/2 weeks ago. He becomes more and more like a toddler everyday and less like a baby, which I suppose is good since we'll be bringing home a new baby soon. But it's a little sad for me to watch him grow up. His vocabulary has expanded and that is VERY exciting for Parker and I because we can actually communicate with him rather than spend our days trying to guess what he really wants or needs.
Jackson loves mimicking the animals' sounds... his favorites are: ruff ruff, moooo, quack quack quack quack, and snorting like a piggy. He loves jumping on the trampoline, water in general (sprinkler, pool, hose, water bottle, sink, bath tub, etc.), birds and planes in the sky, puppies--any type, anywhere, and lately babies have been catching his eye (I hope this is a good thing). He says: milk, more, no (and all versions of the word, such as "no no no no no" as he shakes his pointer finger), mama, daddy, papa, puppy, fish (that's one of his favorite words right now), shoes, plane, juice, car, cheese (for the camera), uh-oh, oh-no, yuck, and nums (that's food). I can't think of anything else right now, but I know there are others. He continues to sign "please" and loves to give kisses and hugs. It is so cute to hear him say "mmmm-maw" as he gives kisses. Oh, and he loves to blow kisses.

No longer breech & 3 cm dilated + Jackson's Cows

Well, baby Kate threw me for a little bit of an emotional roller coaster last week at our doctor's appointment as she comfortably rested in a breech position. I was not looking forward to the idea of a C-section... especially for the recovery process that goes with that surgery. Today, my doctor reassured me (through encouraging words and an ultrasound) that Kate is not breech--her head is definitely down, although still "floating" a little, she is most certainly a girl (a good confirmation after all of the dreams I have had that the baby is born and is a boy), and finally that I am dilated 3 cm. Dr. Hendrickson said that she doesn't expect her to come in the next day or so, but also that consequent pregnancies usually go more quickly than first babies, so be prepared; she may come sooner than you expected. Hmm... well, I guess it's a good thing that we have moved (again) and have everything settled (food in the house, things put away, Jackson's room organized and mostly "baby-proofed", etc.) so that we are prepared regardless of whether she comes this weekend or August 11th (her due date).

I don't really have a picture to go with this post, which I am bummed about because I think that posts without pictures are VERY boring! What's the point of the blog if there aren't any pictures? I do have some of Jackson with his Daddy and Grandpa feeding some cows. I will try to load those ASAP, even though they're completely un-related.

Soft Blankies... slight obsession...

Jackson keeps finding Kate's blankets and thinks that they are a great find! He pulled this one out from under a bunch of other baby misc. and was trying to get it down the stairs. I just had to take a picture.
Later, he decided that he didn't want to part with the soft blankie and insisted that he have it with him during his nap.
Parker tried to take it away when he went to get him up from his nap, but I let him keep it... that's what moms are for, right? It's not hurting anyone, it makes Jackson happy, and Kate isn't here to use it yet anyway.
I have been trying to wash Kate's clothes, blankets, etc. in preparation for her arrival, (which could be as early as next week if I go into labor during my "external version" where they try to turn my high maintainance breech baby around so that I can have a normal delivery). Jackson had been helping me load and unload the washer and dryer.
Jackson was elated when we took two fresh "soft blankies" out of the dryer! He carried them around with him for the rest of the afternoon.

Sister Preparation 101

Jackson has been so funny lately... talking more (actual English words that we can understand), giving kisses on the mouth (he holds my cheeks with his hands and puckers up... pretty dang cute!), learning to unlock baby-proof gates (and collect all of the outlet plugs that are supposed to protect him).
We are house-sitting a home for a family with two young girls and a 1-year old boy. Needless to say, the playroom is filled with girl toys, so that's what Jackson plays with. He has no concept of gender-related colors yet (which makes his slightly-older cousin Maddie frustrated because he takes things that are pink and she knows if they are pink, they do NOT belong to Jackson because he is a BOY!).
Parker gets a little worried from time to time watching him push the baby doll around in the stroller. I just tell him that it's good preparation for being a dad someday and for learning to be gentle with his little sister.
I finally got a picture of him giving the baby a kiss... and pushing the stroller. (He's been doing it for days, but I couldn't ever catch him in the act with the camera.)

Fun in the Tub

Jackson & Maddie had so much fun in the bath tub together. However, getting them to smile and look at the camera at the same time isn't as easy as it may seem!

Cute kids at the Oregon ZOO

Jackson with the black bear

Jackson absolutely LOVED the black bear. The bear would walk back and forth in front of the window. Jackson jumped up and down and clapped his hands and giggled everytime he came back in front of him. It was really funny to watch how excited he got!

Jackson & Maddie at the ZOO

At the Oregon ZOO... waterfall

Jackson loves the water! He did NOT want to leave it.
I told Jackson to let the water get his piggies... this was the result. Too cute!

Maddie was a little reluctant to get close... it was splattering.