Videos lately

Lazy mom's version of blogging.  Here are some videos.

The first is a personal favorite.  Jackson was playing in the playroom and I was half paying attention to him.  I heard his paci (which he usually doesn't have in while he is playing) drop on the floor.  The only thing that usually gets Jackson's pack out is me taking it or Jackson eating.  I was curious what caused the drop, and was amused to find that it was Jackson shooting free throws, as his brother does, right down to the spin and the deep breath.  The kid pays attention.



 

Lots of times, I'll find out what they do in preschool by watching/listening to Brady while he's playing and thinks nobody is paying attention.  Here is their prayer before snacktime.

 

 

And the second and third verses of "I'm a fat little pumpkin." Should be "I'm a smashed little pumpkin."

 

Like many siblings, Brady and Jackson have their own language and their own humor.

 

 

 

 

Pictures lately

 

Brady is usually so nice to his brother.  Emphasis on usually.

 

 

This is back when Jackson had lovely locks.  I miss those curls.

 

 

I'm a huge book worm, and while I hope they get many characteristics from their dad, this is one area where I hope they differ.   Brady has grown to love books but Jackson was born with it.  He'll grab a book, bring it to you, and harass you until you read it to him.

 

 

 Some light reading.  Like the Bible.

  



 

Jackson tries to do everything his big brother does.  He's impressively successful at many things.  Here, he is attempting a somersault.

 

 

I have to think since Jackson picks up so many things from his brother, that his kind spirit is likely to come out.  Nowhere is this more evident than Jackson sharing his paci with Elmo.  That's true love.

 

 

And speaking of love, I know the days of arranged marriages are gone, but I wouldn't be mad about this matchup!

 

Iowa visitors

My parents came to visit us last weekend and it was great dragging them along to our various weekend events.  The weekend started at the soccer fields where the Wallabies faced off against the Woodpeckers. We arrived 5 minutes before kickoff, and Brady was the lone Wallaby.  The Woodpeckers, on the other hand, had already completed their team stretching and were participating in coordinated drills.  And they were rolling about 12 deep.  Our team staggered in and I think we ended up with 6.  The good news.... Brady got lots of playing time.  And the Wallabies actually won (if they were to actually keep score) despite a lack of any sort of organization.



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We changed jerseys and zipped over to the Pumpkin Patch where the Bounce House reigned as the activity of choice.

 



  

After naptime (for everyone, I believe), we headed to Tar Heel Town for more Bounce Houses before the Carolina game.  While there, we ran into the real Rameses.

Then off to the game!  It was a perfect football Saturday and though we made an early exit, the Heels pulled off a win. 

 
And yes, Brady travels to the games with his helmet.  I'm just glad he's ok not to travel in full pads.

On Sunday, my dad left and in the evening, we took my mom and the boys to the North Carolina fair.  My mom is visiting from Iowa, where we produce great corn, great basketball players, and a great fair, so the NC one has a lot to live up to.  My mom enjoyed it though it was less grand that the Iowa State Fair, and I shocked her on the walk in when I informed her that they did not serve alcohol at the fair.  People are also not able to bring guns into the fair, a controversy that arose this year.  Shocking that despite the lack of drinking and weapons, throngs of people still show up.  I, for one, would have been perfectly happy to opt out of the fair, but now that I have the moment documented, I can remind Eric that's its my year next year (ie a year that we don't go).

 

After preschool on Monday, we had a picnic in the campus quad.  The weather was so beautiful and my mom and I could and would have easily fallen asleep on the picnic blanket.  I'm not sure my children would have followed our example. So instead, we ate sandwiches, played football, collected acorns (which were subsequently used for batting practice as a replacement for balls).

 

We were sad to see Grandma go on Tuesday and have grand plans to visit the grandparents in Iowa in February.  I hear its lovely that time of year!

Basketball has begun!

Basketball season has officially started.  Last week, we attended "Late Night with Roy." Between the dancing, skits, and glowstick, don't think Brady knew what to make of the whole event.  Brady's face in the picture below is basically what he looked like for the first hour.  He was enraptured.

He got to sit next to his buddy, Lee, and even got to see himself on the big screen (see YouTube clip below)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UTINvtpkoxU

 

Bobby Fraser was the host this year, with the regular, Stuart Scott, unable to attend.  Bobby just got a new job in Raleigh, and is staying at our house for 10 days before he moves into his new place.  Brady strode by the guest room one morning last week and declared, "Bobby, your room is messy!". And Brady's is always so clean.  Anyway, Brady enjoyed listening to Bobby at Late Night, even though he didn't pick up on the fact that Bobby was pointing and giving signs to him at the end of the first few segments.  But the day after Late Night ,when Brady saw Bobby again he said (several times), "Hey!  You had a microphone!"

The picture below is from when we were shooting the LNWR video.  I love it because many times, when I tell Brady to eat his vegetables (broccoli, green beans), if he complies, its so "I can be strong like Kennedy." This is Brady being strong.

Role reversals

I feel like Jackson has gotten a bad rap on this blog that I write.  Brady is the golden child...and Jackson sucks.  And while, as a mom, its very un-PC to admit it...for a while, that was true.  Since I've come out on the other side of it, I can now recount times during Jackson's first year when he'd be his usual baby needy self, and I'd resent him.  I just wanted to hang out with my other cool kid.  The two-year-old who was affectionate and easy and fun.  Couldn't I just spend the day with him and this other foreign baby could go find his real mom?

But no, because it was me who was responsible for this other human.  One who's hobbies include crying and making my life miserable,  With a few laughs tossed in to ensure his survival. I loved him, but I resented him.

There...I said it.

Easy to say now that he's a 16th month old sweetheart who I'm in LOVE with.  I love him, I love him, I love him.  And I like him, which is a breakthrough. Sure, he sucks at sleeping...but I care so much less now because I love him so much.  Here's my favorite memory of Jackson, which I'm afraid won't translate to words, but I'll take that risk since the alternative might be a lost memory.

Jackson has refused to be weaned but we're at a great place where he breastfeeds at night before bedtime, but he's less "attached" than he used to be.  And I finally feel like it is an option, not a requirement from his mom.  I could cut him off at any point and Jackson wouldn't hate me forever.

Take one hand and pretend you're milking a cow and there you have the universal sign for "milk."  So Jackson knows "milk."  Which leads me to my favorite Jackson moment.  As our normal night routine, I've nursed Jackson in his dark nursery, and I'm rocking him a few minutes before I put him into is crib.  He starts giving me the "milk" sign, and I shake my head with an exaggerated "no"! "You just got milk."  So he's good for a few seconds, then gives me the milk sign again." I say no and he gets the case of the giggles.  More milk signs, more nos, more giggles. 

That seems to be our thing now.  He'll give me the sign, I'll shake my head no, and we'll share a laugh.  Nobody else gets it, just us.  It's our thing.  Brady and I have lots of "things."  Jokes between us that are easy and silly.  It's nice to have that with Jackson.

And example of what a difference a year can make:
I felt slightly resentful a year ago when I was "required" to put Jackson down to bed, due to the fact that I had boobs.  Breezy Brady was Eric's responsibility.  Jackson was exhausting, Brady was fun.

Oh, how the tide has turned. 

Bedtime is usually not terrible, but each morning, if I have the choice of clothing Jackson, who just took a huge poop in his diaper, and a very clean Brady...Jackson wins 10 out of 10 times.  This makes sense to very few people who actually have boys, but 92% of Brady's tantrums have to do with his clothes.  This morning, he wanted to wear his football jersey.  For whatever reason (probably b/c he wore it yesterday), Eric told Brady he couldn't wear it.  When he had a meltdown, Eric didn't want to reward him by giving in to his craziness.  But geez, that makes for an ugly morning.

He peed his bed this afternoon during naptime.  Sure, its a pain to have to clean and change the sheets, but my feeling of dread stemmed from the fact that we'd have to come to agreement on another outfit.  And when it come to outfits, underwear counts and socks are SUPER important.  The apple doesn't fall far.

But this isn't mean to be a Brady-knocking blog, but rather a Jackson-building one. While his sleep still sucks, he's generally lovely during the day.  This picture sums things up.  Both boys go to sleep around the same time in the afternoon.  Jackson always wakes before Brady.  I lift Jackson out of his crib, try to relish a few moments in the chair with him, but he quicky wriggles out.  He walks out of his room and I usually stay for a few minutes in his room, messing around on my phone or reading my book.  After a few minutes of silence, I go check things out, but its always the same.  Jackson is reading a book in Brady's room. Sometimes he's on the floor, sometimes he climbs in the bed next to his sleeping brother.  It is always cute.  This picture below might be my favorite portrayal of an un-posed, authentic moment with the brothers.

And the title of the book he is reading? "I'm a Big Brother."  If I wasn't so tired, I'd get weepy right now.