The Potty Fest Continues . . .

I thought that Jackson using the potty the other day might have been a fluke, but he continues to use it! He uses it about half the time that he needs to pee, and he hasn't gone poo in it yet, but it's a start!

Peepee in the Potty!

WARNING: If you do not enjoy reading potty talk, skip this post!

Not only did Jackson go peepee in the potty for the first time today, but he went SIX times! Until now he would tell me right AFTER he went in his diaper, and about a week ago he started taking off and throwing his soiled diaper in the garbage. I was assuming he was doing the same thing today when he took off his diaper, but instead he ran into the bathroom, lifted the lid of the toilet, and attempted to climb onto it. After I helped him up, he sat for (what seemed like) several minutes and then HE PEED IN THE POTTY! 

I don't want to get too excited and count my chickens before they hatch, but if he could be potty trained within the next 3 months, before baby #2 arrives, I would be ecstatic!

An interesting side note: We have a potty training chair all set up for him in the bathroom. It's just his size and easy to sit on, but he ignored it all day and went to the big potty, where I had to put him on, and then he would teeter on the edge the whole time and make me wonder if he was going to fall in. So I went to Target and bought a toddler toilet seat to put over the regular toilet seat, and a step stool to help him climb onto it. So far he's way to interested in playing with the toddler toilet seat., and the step stool still isn't tall enough to allow him to climb onto the potty by himself. 

I'm curious to see what happens tomorrow.

Bedtime Miracle

Jackson is not usually hard to put to bed. I usually just wait until he acts sleepy, and then I put him in bed and sing a few songs while he falls asleep. The hardest part is waiting until he's sleepy, because he doesn't need much sleep (unlike his mother). If we put him to bed at 7 PM (like most kids his age), he wakes up at 5 AM which is MUCH too early for Mommy and Daddy. He generally is sleepy between 8-8:30 PM, but sometimes as late as 9:30 PM.

Now for the bedtime miracle: Jackson put himself to bed for the first time tonight! I was watching TV with him, when he suddenly turned to me and said, "Night-night!" I thought he was kidding, because likes to pretend to go "night-night" by laying his head down wherever he is for a few seconds and then getting back up. But then he climbed off the couch, walked confidently in the dark to his room, and climbed in bed! I sang a couple of songs for him, since he didn't fall asleep right away, and then left him sleeping soundly. *sigh of contentment*

Southern California Vacation -- Part II

Jackson and Luke chillin' in their matching car seats, on the way to the El Centro Fair.

Jackson's first pony ride. He didn't cry, but he wasn't too sure about it at first. By the end he was smiling and enjoying himself.

Chris, Jackson, and Matt petting animals at the fair.

Me, Jackson, Lucky, and Chris all packed up and ready to spend a few days in Vegas. We were all especially ready to spend a few nights outside of the motor home.

Jackson feeding carrots to wild horses and burros, with Simon and Kira Peters, in Ridgecrest. My cousin, MiriLou's, house in Ridgecrest was our last stop on our 2 week vacation.

Jackson's Actions @ 18 months

Speaking: 

nana = banana

bah-boo = peekapoo

bah-boh = bubble

bah-bah = bottle, sippy cup, jar, glass, or anything resembling such

bee-bee = blueberry

bye = I want to go outside OR telephone, depending on which one he's pointing at

eye = eye, glasses, and sunglasses

no = no OR nose

doggie = any animal with four legs (except cats)

meow = cat

roar = lion

quack/duck = bird

Southern California Vacation -- Part I

Lucky and pregnant me at Avala Beach.
We spent the first few nights of our vacation at Matt's cousin's (Scott) house, near San Luis Obispo.







Matt and Iban get eaten by a shark at the Birch At Scripps Aquarium in La Jolla! :-)








Dan, Iban, Chris, Jackson, and Matt at the Birch At Scripps Aquarium. We spent 2 nights in Del Mar with Dan and his family.







The whole gang after a great day at the San Diego Zoo.

Christmas Train

Here are some pics from our first annual ride on the Woodland Christmas Train:

Jackson and Matt writing a letter to Santa

Storytime

Fred Claus, Santa's brother, leading Christmas Carols

Jackson was terrified of Santa, but we finally got a picture where he's not screaming!

Our token family photo