When Brady tries to be like mom

This happens.

 

Might need an anatomy lesson.

Letters to Jackson: 3 months

Jackson,

Happy 3 month birthday!  You're officially no longer a newborn!  Hooray!  Oops, did I say that out loud?  I loved my newborn Jackson, but I'm digging the baby Jackson even more.  You can keep your head up!  No more floppy head! Amazing stuff!

The fleetingness of each stage combined with sleep deprivation causes my memory to fade.  I looked back on past blog entries to see how you compared with Brady during this time.  While some people say you look like your brother, you don't bare near the resemblance you did at birth.  You're looking more like your own self and acting like it, too.  I'm not sure that you'll be the mama's boy like your brother is/was.  He has always been a snuggler, and you...not so much.  When I used to comfort Brady, I would hold him close to my chest.  You want to be facing out to the world.  Forget about sleeping on my chest like Brady used to do!  But I love that you already have your own personality and I can't wait to see how it evolves.  You're a feisty one, but feisty people rule the world!

I love your blue eyes.  Those eyes are so big, and it seems like you're always watching and taking everything in.  I'm not sure much is going to get by you.

One thing you have over your brother at this age is hair.  Brady's was falling out at 3 months, but you seem to be hanging on to yours.  And speaking of your brother, he adores you.  And you love him.  Your eyes will follow him in a room and he can get you smile with as much ease as your mother.  It is very common to hear, "Watch this, Jackson" echoing through the house.  He's already trying to teach you things - as you can see from the picture, holding and throwing a ball is one of those skills.  I don't think he's real impressed with your progress, but to his credit, your teacher has not given up on you yet.  I'm sure there will come a time when you steal his toys and make him mad, but let the record show that first he stole from you.  He likes to take your pacis and put them in his mouth.  He also likes to climb into your cribs and seats.  Your brother is really quite good at cracking himself up.









You're different kids, but I think you'll be good pals.  You're lucky to have each other and I'm lucky to have you. 

I love you.

Love,
Mom

 

Twirler

If you know Brady or have read this blog, you probably know that Brady has a bit of a hair fetish.  If there is a head in his reach, Brady can't help himself - he'll reach up and try to twirl it's owner's hair.  Lucky for Brady, his brother was born with hair.  Not much, but hair nonetheless.

Here's a video of Brady caressing his brother's hair...and trying to poke his eye. 

Despite being prodded, Jackson loves his brother and watches everything he does!

Could've saved money on a mattress

I checked on Brady last night before we went to bed, and this is what I found.

Please note that he did not pull down the valance...just hasn't been hung yet.  And he didn't take off his shorts...he just never had them.

And tonight, I checked the monitor and didn't see a body in the bed.

 

That's because the body was in front of the door.  Luckily with enough room for me to squeeze in.  Please note the book sling, also not hung yet.  Waiting for Uncle Dave to visit for that!

 

I did move Brady to his bed in both cases, of course not without first snapping a blog-worthy picture!

In case you think my life is glamorous

Not sure why you would...but I'll set you straight.

On the way to church today, my coffee mug wasn't sealed tight and I spilled my coffee on my white skirt.  Debating between turning around to change or to continue onward, I opted to be on time for church.  Good thing because we didn't make it through the whole service.  I was feeding Jackson during the service and he blew out his diaper. All over himself and all over me...and my skirt.  Did I mention it was white?  There was so much poop I had to double check that there was actually a diaper on him.

So we changed Jackson, got Brady from nursery, and cut our losses.  We came home to eat lunch.  Someone sabotaged Brady's high chair and he had a hard spill after lunch.  Then I spilled a container of watermelon salad on the refrigerator and floor.  Then not to be outdone by his brother, Brady pooped, I changed him on our nice new comforter and I of course, got poop on it. 

Brady went down for a nap, Jackson woke up from his.  And fell asleep again right before Brady woke up.

Some days I feel like a superhero.  Today is not that day.

Cabin trip

We are home from our big trip to Minnesota and we had a blast.  We stayed at my sister-in-law's parent's cabin on a lake 3 hours north of Minneapolis.  We got off the plane in Minneapolis and realized we were underdressed - 57 degrees!  It was unseasonably chilly, but it warmed up throughout the week and we couldn't have asked for better weather.   The days were sunny and 70's.  The cabin was so cozy and we made a fire every night.  Smores were also involved. It was so nice not to have a TV or any other distractions for the week.  Except Eric's phone worked, unfortunately, so civilization wasn't quite as far as we would have liked.

I haven't seen my brothers, nieces, and nephews in 10 months, and that is a lifetime in kid-time.  They change so much! Brady loved his cousins and although having so many kids was a little chaotic, multiple playmates really makes parenting easier.

 My mom was a trooper after her knee surgery.  She went from laid up for 2 months at home by herself to full out grandma mode.  She also turned 48 (or so) during the week so she got to spend her birthday with all her grandkids.

The lake was chilly, but it didn't bother the kids.  We had lots of fun kayaking, boating, jet skiing, and swimming. 

And a Howe family get-together is not complete without games.  We're usually board game kind of people, but sister-in-law Amy introduced us to the Bag Game.  Basically, you have to pick up a paper bag using only your mouth.  Then the bag gets cut down an inch, everyone picks it up again, and repeat.

The highlight came when Eric (who stayed in the game far longer than anyone anticipated) was bending over and pushing his body's limits.  The fire behind him cracked loudly which caused my mom to yelp.  His concerned mother-in-law thought Eric's bones/joints snapped.  Fortunately, that was not the case although he (along with everyone else) was sore the next day.

No surprise, the 3 girls were the last standing and we all successfully picked up a penny from the floor with our mouths, making it a 3-way tie.

You can't pay for this kind of entertainment.

 

Brady and Jackson proved to be great travelers.  I would take a 2 month old and a 2 year old over traveling with just one 1 year old any day.  1 is the worst age to travel with - old enough to not want to sit in a seat and not want to sleep but not old enough to be distracted by books, iPads, singing songs, etc.  And since you're not paying for them, they don't get their own seat.  So while the number of kids doubled, traveling was much easier this summer.

 

 

Next family gathering...Christmas!