Just sharing

My blogging well has been running dry recently, and it's because I am having so much fun with my visitors! KK was here for a week. Stacia followed that visit with a 9 day stay, leaving this afternoon. And tonight, as towels are a tumbling in the dryer, I am making my grocery list and doing a bit of relaxing before Ricci and Diane (Jackson's Grandma and Grandpa!) arrive.

But, before I forget, there are three things that Jackson did yesterday that made me laugh. I hope the world wide web will never crash and he can one day read these funnies when he's my age (i TRY to keep up with his personal journal, where i keep all these memories, but i fall short sometimes. i never claimed to be supermom. usually, i'm aiming for mediocre-mom)

#1) Jackson is still slow on the verbal communication. He uses only a couple words (HI, MAMA and DADA about wrap up his repitoire), but for some time we've been aware that he "gets" a lot of what we're saying. I know it's not much, but this morning while he and I were hanging out upstairs before coming down for breakfast, I was excited to learn just HOW much he understood. I was taking my morning shower while Jackson was dilly-dallying in his kid-safe boundaries upstairs. He habitually brings me things- usually plastic toys, etc - while I'm in the shower. Sometimes they're played with on the bathroom floor, sometimes he tosses them in the shower with me. Yesterday was the first time he wanted a book to "play with me" in the shower. So "Brown Bear Brown Bear" (and not the sturdy board book version, the delicate thin-pages kind) was making its depressing descent into the shallow puddle of water when I caught it just in the nick of time.

Why am I wasting all this time on THAT part of the story? The part about Jackson "getting" me was much later, after I - still in the shower - safely laid the book on the bathroom floor (Jackson had already resumed a new activity), finished showering, dressed, and decided to read Jackson a book. We were both in his room and I said (with no motioning or body language WHATSOEVER), "Jackson, will you go into the bathroom and go get "Brown Bear Brown Bear?" I didn't have to repeat myself. Off he went. I figured he'd decided to go to our master closet and play with Dada's shoes or go to the office and roll the golf balls there or something equally obscure like he would normally do. But no. The child walked directly into the bathroom and returned with that darn book! Little did I know that he was THAT familiar with title of the book. Or with the smallest room of the house. But he understood. And we read the darn thing. As I was reading - newly aware of his ability to understand - I wondered if now was the time to inform him there is no such thing as a "Blue horse" or a "Purple cat" (those of you familiar with that famous book know what i mean). Maybe not yet.

#2) Shortly after Jackson went down for his morning nap, I alarmingly realized that it was trash and recycling morning. The one architectual complaint I have against our house is that the sleeping rooms are directly about the garage. 9.5 times out of 10, Jackson sleeps RIGHT through the garage door opening, which is what I had to do to complete my garbage/recycling tasks. As I was walking back up the driveway, a shifting in the upper window caught my attention. There my son was, standing up in his crib (which is against a window wall) with the curtains haphazardly cast over his head, hands pressed against the window and a bottom lip sticking out a mile wide. Then, the tears began rolling, even when my face broke out in a huge smile. He didn't find the Mom's-outside-I'm-inside-in-my-"cage"-does-she-leave-the-house-a-LOT-when-I'm-all-alone-in-here?-discovery as funny as I did. All I could focus on was that sweet face, all big-boy like staring out the window. So cute. When I did make it up to his room to calm him, he was still wailing with his whole head hidden behind the curtain. It took him awhile to realize I had relocated myself to his very presence. I cleared up the confusion when I picked him up from behind the fabric and loved on him for the next few minutes!!! So darling.

#3) This scene quite possibly marks the funniest thing I've ever seen Jackson do, coupled with the cruelest thing his Mom had ever done. To set the stage: Stacia and I are in the living room, hanging out and watching Jackson play. He ends up with a pen in his hand (what's new? he LOVES holding on to pens). Somehow, he flips it so that it lands half-in and half-out of the back of his shirt. The half-out part is sticking out right above his right shoulder. He realizes that it is somewhere on his person and turns his head, at which point he catches a glimpse of that highly-sought-after pen (ps, there are about 16 other pens around). So then the halarity begins for Stacia and I. Have you seen a cat chase her tail? Need I say more? He went round and round. And then round and round some more. He'd pause to get his balance. Then, round and round again. Then he'd stumble, catch himself and more spinning. Finally, he gave up the merry-go-round efforts and teetered left several steps, then right several steps. Like a drunk sailor... finally ending in a harmless tumble. Stacia and I NOT ONCE considered interrupting this little comedy show. Nor did we consider that his lunch could have come up after all that spinning (which it didn't, thank goodness). We just laughed. We just sat there and laughed. And now, instead of savoring this little moment with only myself, I share it with all of you.

PS. I finally DID dig the pen out of the shirt and give it to him. He worked hard enough for it.

So that's it. Just wanted to share those three things. More photos to come of our visit with Stacia.