Ringing in the New Year

What a week!  It seems like Christmas was a month ago already.  We had a nice, quiet Christmas Day at home with just the three of us.  It took Jackson a span of eight hours to open his presents because he wanted to play with all of them as soon as he opened them.  Then of course, we had to give him time to take naps and to eat.  We were exhausted at the end of it all!  It was a big change from last year, though, and much more enjoyable to see him rip open the paper himself and get excited about his new things.

On Boxing Day, we spent the day with Lee's family at his Grandma and Grandpa's house in Neston.  Jackson had a lot of fun and skipped both of his naps that day so that he could keep playing with his cousins.  We ended up leaving with three unopened presents because Jackson was distracted with all of the toys that were already set-up and also, he was quite pleased to just run around and chase the other children.  (It wasn't until Friday that he finally opened the remainder of his gifts.)

Tuesday was still a Bank Holiday, so Lee had the day off with us and that was the day that my brother and sister-in-law, Scott and Kirsten, arrived!  We had a really fun week with them going around Southport and Liverpool and luckily, we had really good weather every day.  It was great to see Jackson playing with some of his Ohio family and he acted like he knew them his entire life.  Thankfully, this week went really slowly and although we only got to see Scott and Kirsten for a few days, we fit in a lot of quality time--at least enough to last until we see them again this Summer.

Seeing Jackson happy and healthy on Christmas and getting to spend time with my family made for a perfect holiday celebration.  And just like that, we're moving on to a new year.  Happy New Year to all of our family and friends all over the world!

Showing off the shopping items in his trolley and looking quite proud

Drawing a pretty picture on his new Aquadoodle mat

Dipping the water Aquadoodle pen in the water 'paint pot' to colour.  Jackson kept 'mixing' the pen in the pot so that he could draw on his mat.

Out of all the books Jackson has, he found my "Pretty Patterns" colouring book and decided he wanted to read that to his Aunt Kirsten.

One last photo for the road

Developmental updates:  Jackson can safely climb on and off of his ride-on pirate ship toy.  His legs are now long enough to stretch up and over the toy so that he doesn't need someone to lift him onto the seat anymore.  He also started playing hiding games this week where he will sneak behind a wall or into a corner and then 'appear' again and laugh as we are surprised by his trick.  Jackson's other hiding game is a one-sided hide-and-seek where he looks for us while we kneel behind furniture (he hasn't quite caught on to the hiding and waiting while we look for him).  This week, we noticed that he is talking a lot more in 'sentences' and he is using new sounds to pronounce his 'words.'  He definitely has a grasp of the word 'no' now and he shakes his head when he hears it sometimes and he is starting to answer questions by shaking his head no.  With all of his new toys, we are seeing his pretend play skills come alive, too.  Jackson has been playing with his plastic food and shopping trolley and likes to 'eat' the food and share it for others to try.  He also enjoys stacking his boxes of play food in a very neat row on the coffee table and it ends up looking like a shelf in the supermarket.  The best think Jackson started to do this week is come to us to get our attention and then reach out for our hand to follow him.

If you see Sammie Miles Davis, Jr. and Bella, give them my love.

Peace On Earth

This year, while teaching the Nativity story to my class, I found this Bible verse to be the one that made me stop and think the most, and it turned out to be my new favourite part of the Christmas story:

Luke 2:13-14 (NRSV)

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host,[b] praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”

In one translation, it says that the angel was joined by the "armies of heaven."  It must have been amazing to be in that field and--after getting over the shock of the first angel--hearing the Heavens echoing with praises to God.

I would like to think that visits from angels and skies resonating with sounds of singing are still possibilities today.  More and more, I look for signs of God and His angels in everyday life, and after re-reading this Bible verse, I am going to start listening for them, as well.

Merry Christmas!

Jackson meeting Santa (the picture that was in the newsletter)

Climbing into and playing in the box that my family sent with his Christmas presents inside

The best picture we could get by the Christmas tree this year--he's very active!

Developmental updates:  Jackson gives high-fives now and says "hi" to get our attention.  Also, Jackson has a very sociable personality, but more than that, we realised the power of his flirtatiousness.  He has big, inviting brown eyes which capture everyone's attention, but he must realise his appeal.  During church this evening, he stared at the teenage girl behind us for an entire hour and raised his eyebrows intermittently to keep her attention.  Then, we found out at nursery this week, besides dishing out the hugs to all of his friends, he also shared a dessert of mandarin oranges with a little girl and they were taking turns feeding each other!

In the upcoming week, my brother and sister-in-law will be coming to visit us and Jackson will get to meet them for the first time.  I haven't seen them in person in four years!  We are excited to see them and to see Jackson's interaction with his aunt and uncle.  Stay tuned!

If you see Sammie Miles Davis, Jr. and Bella, give them my love.

What Would Jesus Do?

Since having Jackson, I have a lot more of my thoughts devoted to others' needs.  Even when teaching, I have become much softer in my approach to discipline because I can truly see each student as someone's pride and joy instead of just a student.  I can't pinpoint exactly why having a child makes someone see the world differently; but for me, since I am putting all of my energy and thoughts into giving my child the best the world can offer, it makes me consider little ways that I can try to make someone else have a better day.

With that being said, there is so much more I can do.  To really be Christ-like (as the Bible tells us to be), it would require a lot more time and bravery than I'm ready to commit, though.  A few examples from the past week:  would Jesus ever pass by a homeless person without talking to him or giving him some food?  Probably not.  But I do this all the time.  I know that I should and could help them, but I choose to be selfish with my time and money.  Also this week, I was driving home from my work Christmas party (in England, they call it a "Christmas Do") and on this quiet, foggy country road, I saw a man stumbling and swaying home around midnight.  He clearly needed help getting home and seeing as there weren't any houses close by, I didn't know how much more of a journey he had to go to get home safely.  Would Jesus have kept driving?  Probably not.  But, I did.  On a basic, human-to-human level, ignoring these situations is really cruel.  Even though I did what the majority of people would do in these two instances, it doesn't mean that it makes it right.

To make amends with ignoring big situations like the homelessness on my doorstep and people in distress that I pass, I try to be as loving as I can be to the people in my life.  I am going to keep trying to be like Jesus and gradually turn my little actions into bigger, more concrete good deeds that spread to my community.  Thinking about Jesus's arrival with only one more week to go, and the main message He wanted to teach us during His short time on Earth--to love one another--it's the least we can do and a good starting point for us all.

Jackson getting his Christmas pictures taken at nursery.  He chose this pose himself!

His first head shot

Believe it or not, Jackson was crying and screaming before this picture was taken and then after we let him hold some toys, he started posing again.

Developmental updates:  Jackson learned a lot this week and really seemed to blossom into an even more sociable little chap.  He started blowing kisses when someone says good-bye.  When we make roaring noises and ask, "What sound does a lion make?", Jackson will imitate us in a soft, baby roar that sounds a bit like a newly hatched dinosaur.  Another thing we experienced for the first time was Jackson's first tantrum.  He was trying to stick his fingers in an electrical socket and we kept pushing his hand away and saying, "No."  He got fed-up with us and turned his back, then pushed his bottom lip out, and started to cry.  When we didn't give in to his attempts to get his way, then he smacked the wall in protest.  I was surprised at the whole scene, but even more surprised that he was throwing a fit when he's only 14-months-old.  I expected this to happen when he reached the age of two.  We're nearly a year early!  Even though Jackson is still our little baby and he is the best boy we know, I feel like we have to be stern when it comes to letting Jackson always have his way.  He's starting to test his boundaries and to learn what we will let him get away with.  If we don't address the misbehaviour now, then it will be a lot harder to correct later down the road.

If you see Sammie Miles Davis, Jr. and Bella, give them my love.

All By Myself

A semblance of normalcy has finally returned to our house!  Our kitchen floors and stairs all have their new flooring in place and it looks great.  We are really pleased to have had some good customer service and good results from a local company.  Within two weeks of going to look around at options, we now have beautiful new floors.  Out with the old and in with the new!  And any reminders of the drunken decorator have now been erased because there are no blue splotches of paint on our new Berber carpet.  On top of all of that, we also finished another week in good health.  Hallelujah!

Lee and I noticed how much Jackson has grown-up since he started walking (and running, sometimes).  He really commands a room.  I'll paint a picture of what happens when I drop him off at nursery:  Jackson tries to run toward his friends and teachers before I have a chance to unzip his snowsuit.  Then, when he's finally out, he toddles over to one of the children and gives the sweetest, gentlest hug.  After that, the other children gather around Jackson, offering up their toys.  He takes them and sits in the middle of a circle of children playing and then hands out the toys so everyone can play with him.  Then he waves good-bye to me with a big smile on his face.

When I pick him up at the end of the day, I like to peek in through the window to see what he's doing with his friends first and lately, he's been playing chase with his friends!  He's walking really quickly and with confidence.  He even tried to go walking down the stairs this week when we took down the baby gates for the carpet to be laid.  Let the heart attacks ensue!  Of course we were right beside him to grab him from a treacherous step down, but we were still shocked by his fearlessness.

As we're getting ready for Christmas and picking out toys for Jackson, it's amazing how we know what he will like to play with whereas last year, we just chose generic baby things.  He has his own personality and interests already!  Jackson likes to be artistic at nursery and can even hold pencils, pens and crayons with the correct hand grip.  He is very delicate and deliberate making his marks on a page.

Even though he can't speak in complete sentences yet, it does seem as though Jackson is saying that he wants to do things by himself now.  He's a brave little boy who, by the sounds of it, has no fear at nursery and tries every new activity that comes his way.  His love of life and excitement to play and entertain energizes us and definitely makes our days brighter.  Jackson truly is the epitome of a 'bundle of joy'!

Jackson learned how to put the coins into the cash register and even matched some of the coins to their correct slots

Our kitchen floor before the redecorating

It took us (mainly Lee) all week to get the three layers of tiles off.  The first two came off easily, but the last layer was really old and crusty and came off bit by bit.

The carpet on our stairs now (it used to be green)

The kitchen floor after all of the hard work!

Jackson loves having space to move again!  He was crawling, walking, and running from room to room and shouting in delight at the new surfaces.

Developmental updates:  This week, Jackson took the pen from his teacher when I was supposed to sign him out and he signed the sheet with his 'signature.'  Today he used a spoon to mix and mash strawberries and 'eat' them.  He was laughing and talking the whole time and to taste his creation, he dipped the spoon in the juice and ate it.  (I fed him some strawberries on the side so he didn't just have a snack of strawberry juice.)  Yesterday, Jackson was playing with the telephone at nursery and his teachers told me that he was saying, "Mom" over and over and after each time, he laughed.  (The weird coincidence about this is that I got a missed call on my phone from an 'unknown' number.  Very strange indeed!)  I am really proud to also announce that Jackson has finally made it on his nursery's weekly newsletter.  He's on the front page of this week's edition and it's from his magical meeting with Santa.  Give it another year and he'll probably have his own column.

If you see Sammie Miles Davis, Jr. and Bella, give them my love.

Santa Claus Is Coming to Town

The Christmas Season is in full swing and it's easy to appreciate the magic of the holiday since we are all healthy and we made it through another week without visiting the hospital.  To get in the spirit at school, my class made paper chains, designed Santa's workshops to hang on our windows, and crafted Advent wreaths and ornaments to adorn our classroom.  We also put up our class Christmas tree and lights which we gather around and turn on at the end of every day to sing a Christmas carol.  I feel lucky to teach a class of seven- and eight-year-olds because there is still a magical feeling in the air at the mere mention of Father Christmas.

Today, we took Jackson to meet Santa Claus who was waiting in his 'grotto' at Jackson's nursery.  The nursery and school have five different buildings so there was enough room for many activities and a special room decorated just for Santa and his helpers where, after waiting in a line for about twenty minutes, Jackson met Santa and we got to take his picture.  He also got a wrapped present from Santa.  Jackson took his time walking towards Santa and I served as a barrier between him and his new friend, but even though he was a bit leery of Kris Kringle, he didn't cry.  Instead, he just watched the Jolly Old Elf intently and took everything in with a discerning stare.  We were really happy with the entire experience because Santa took his time to talk with Jackson and with a big stairway leading to Santa, we couldn't hear any of the other kids waiting in line.  It was a similar set-up to Ralphie's climb in A Christmas Story, but with a more jovial Santa.

After we made our visit to the grotto, we enjoyed German sausages, visited the Year 6 Business Club stalls, went to the craft and activity tables where Jackson made a gift tag (and allowed himself an impromptu tour of the classrooms), and we listened to Christmas carols by a pianist--and Jackson wasn't afraid to start dancing in the middle of the hall (gymnasium).  There were also raffle tickets to buy, a cake sale, mulled wine and hot chocolate for sale, and a Yankee Candle gift stall run by some of the parents.

The best part of the day was when Jackson saw his teachers, he gave all of them a hug and one of them even said that I am the "luckiest mom in the world."  She said that Jackson "always eats every bite of his meals, smiles all the time, and is always happy."  Wow!  What a wonderful compliment and a fulfilling feeling to hear how content our little baby is when he's out on his own in the world without his mommy or daddy to lean on.

Tomorrow Jackson will be turning 14-months-old and we are so proud of him and everything that he has learned to do.  He will always be our little baby, but we can see many traits of his boyish, toddler side coming through, especially since he started walking.  We are so grateful for our perfect, lovable, caring little boy!

Smiling by the Christmas tree at Ashbridge

Jackson's first visit to a real Santa's grotto

Ashbridge Nursery decked out for Christmas

Jackson gave us a tour of the pets and pointed to his favourite rabbits

Our beautiful baby boy

Developmental updates:  Jackson has developed a 'shocked' face when he is surprised by something or someone--especially when we sneak up on him.  His sociable side has blossomed even more and we saw this as he boldly approached all of the children of his same height and stood face-to-face, trying to talk to them at the Christmas event today.  There was one girl in particular today that he really wanted to befriend and despite her efforts to ignore him, he went to 'talk' to her three times and even moved her hair out of her eyes with his left index finger.  Smooth, Jackson.  After she smiled and finally interacted with him, then he went on his way.  Jackson also tried to make friends with a boy in the local carpet and flooring store today.  (We went back to put an order in for carpeting for our stairs and landing.  All of that should be done next Saturday so tune in for the before and after photos.)  The final example I saw of Jackson becoming friendlier with his peers was when he entered nursery on Monday, he walked over to Liliana and gave her a hug, rested his head on her shoulder and kept hugging her for about 30 seconds!  It was heartwarming to say the least.  He must have waited all weekend to finally do that.  He is still giving us hugs and has started holding our hands when he wants us to go walking with him.  Jackson is also giving 'kisses' to us and leaning in toward us so we can sit forehead-to-forehead with him.  His latest favourite song is Let it Snow!  Let it Snow!  Let it Snow!  Jackson's done very well this week and has switched completely to only drinking whole milk, leaving the formula in the dust (pun intended).  He likes to share his toys with us and to hand us various objects he finds throughout the house.  Jackson also had his first experience of clearing out a kitchen cupboard of its entire contents and he chose to start with the Tupperware.  He actually managed to put two pieces back before he called it quits and headed up the stairs to bed.

If you see Sammie Miles Davis, Jr. and Bella, give them my love.

Family Day

We finished another week as happy and healthy as we could manage.  What a relief!  Jackson still has a bit of a cough left and I still have to hold my ribs when I cough or sneeze, but it seems our illnesses are fading away slowly but surely.

This week, my school had its parents' evening (parent-teacher conferences).  Unfortunately, the day before the night to meet all of my students' parents, I lost my voice.  Go figure!  At this point, I wasn't surprised, but the show must go on.  So even though I had to strain to get every word out, I met with all of the parents and finished by 6 o'clock (it only took two-and-a-half hours).  Parents' evening is really different from my memories of conferences in Ohio.  When I was little, our teachers spent an entire week meeting with parents every night for at least 15 minutes each in their classrooms.  Sometimes, the teachers even provided snacks and drinks like cookies and coffee for parents who may have arrived early to their appointment so they had something to eat while they waited in the hallway.  In England, parents are allotted a 5-minute time slot and all of the teachers sit around the perimeter of the hall (gym) while the parents sit in the middle of the room, waiting to be called over to their child's teacher's table.

As a parent, I would appreciate the 15-minute meeting much more than a quick 5-minute update, but as a teacher, I really like having all of the meetings done in one night.  To be clear, parents can request extra time for their meeting or can ask to talk to teachers before or after school at any time if they feel that they want more details about their child's progress.

With all of the hours I've been putting into work, little has been getting done around the house, but today, Lee and I had a productive day of rearranging our living room furniture, dusting, vacuuming, ordering new flooring for our kitchen and entryway at a local shop, eating out and trying a new pub, and putting up new Christmas decorations.  Best of all, I also made our Thanksgiving dinner and it only took me two-and-a-half hours!  Admittedly, the glazed carrots took three hours, but they were prepared in the slow cooker (crock-pot), so they don't really count.  Needless to say, we are all tuckered out and the boys are both in bed now.  It was great to have a day completely devoted to family without any school distractions.  Because we were so productive and we got to spend so much time playing with Jackson, it also makes the day feel like a success.

Next week, Jackson will get to meet Santa for the second time in his life.  Last year, he was only two-months-old and he would let anyone hold him, but we're not sure how this round will go since he is getting more selective about who he lets pick him up.  Tune in next week to see how it goes!

Walking back and forth between Mommy and Daddy

Happy Thanksgiving!  We celebrated today with a big meal of chicken (in place of turkey), creamed corn, glazed carrots, stuffing, Brussels sprouts with bacon, and green bean casserole.  Jackson liked everything besides the stuffing and we don't know if he likes Brussels sprouts because he started falling asleep before he could finish his meal.

Go OSU!  O-H-I-O!  Jackson didn't actually stay awake for the end of the big game today, but he certainly showed his excitement when we brought all of the food to the table.  After he went to bed, Lee and I enjoyed watching the game--what a nail-biter!

Developmental updates:  Jackson began pointing at things this week, other than at pictures in his book.  He points out new things he notices or wants to bring our attention to.  He is doing really well with his walking technique and today, he even walked across the room, stopped to clap and then roll his arms one over the other, and then continued walking toward his toys.  Besides stopping to do a few dance moves, Jackson has also started standing and bouncing to the beat of songs (mostly to his current favourite Rockin' Robin) and bracing himself and stomping his feet to the music, too.  For the past two weeks, Jackson has slept through the night and has only woken up a few times because he didn't feel well (usually he had a temperature and needed Calpol).  At nursery, he is also only drinking milk--no more formula--and only needs to drink out of a bottle if he's feeling unwell or a little cranky.

If you see Sammie Miles Davis, Jr. and Bella, give them my love.

Thanksgiving

We finally did it!  We made it a week without going to the hospital!  Although there are still two hours left in the week, I am feeling hopeful that we will make it to Sunday morning with only the lingering signs of a chest infection and upper respiratory virus.  As soon as these are gone, we will all be 100% healthy again--I have almost forgotten what that feels like.

On another happy note, our hallway, stairs, and landing are all beautifully lined with paper and painted.  It only took three days for everything to get fixed from the debacle that was left by the first guy and we can finally rest easy knowing that our house looks presentable again.  If anyone in the Southport area needs a handyman and decorator, then please check the comment section below and I will advertise our decorator's contact information.

The weather this week was bitterly cold and extremely wet.  This may sound like a bad thing, but for the past two days, we have had hail in Southport and signs of a little bit of snow in Preston (where I work).  I am grateful for this because for five years, I haven't seen snow--bar 5 mm two years ago--in this country and if the weather has turned wintry this soon, then that could mean a snow day may be in our future.  And seeing how our luck is on the upswing, a magical snow day might very well happen this year.  Fingers crossed!

Work has been very hectic lately with assessments and deadlines that had to be met for data analysis.  In the past week, I've clocked about fifteen hours of sleep.  Teaching seven-year-olds really shouldn't be this hard.  And it isn't the teaching that is difficult--it's the behind-the-scenes requirements of paperwork that really doesn't affect the children's learning at all.  But, I am really thankful to have my job and to be working again.  A year ago, I was so tired and delusional from not getting any sleep that I could barely put a sentence together; and now, I'm teaching a class of Year 3 students to use adverbs as sentence starters and the correct use of 'a' and 'an' determiners in their own writing.  What a difference a year makes!  Teaching is a really competitive field because there are hundreds of applicants for one job, as I've seen recently at our school.  So even though it is extremely demanding, I am grateful for the time I am teaching and working with my class.

To all of my family and friends in The United States:  Happy Thanksgiving!  I am thankful for all of you and I miss you.  Enjoy your turkey with stuffing, creamed corn, dinner rolls, Macy's Day Parade, time with family gathered around the table, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce, deviled eggs, yams with marshmallow topping, and pumpkin pies with a dollop of Cool Whip on top.  We will have our own little Thanksgiving meal next Saturday to celebrate everything we have and everyone we have in our lives.

Our little bibliophile 

Reading From the Day You Were Born

Our hallway after the old wallpaper was torn down, but pre-drunken decoration by the irresponsible decorator

Our hallway after the reliable decorator fixed everything

 

This photo shows the true colour of the paint a bit better (Valspar State Secret)

Developmental updates:  Jackson took his first steps today!  We were so happy to both be in the room to see him let go of a stool and then take three steps across the living room.  (Thank you, Jackson, for waiting to do this at home with your parents instead of at nursery.)  Today he uttered the words, "Hubba, hubba," about six times.  We aren't sure where he picked that up from.  At mealtimes, Jackson is averaging an adult-sized portion of food (or two toddler servings at nursery) and gets very impatient if we are slow with the spoon.  When Jackson reads his books now, he points to the animals or other characters and laughs.  He points to the same ones every time and his favourites are a badger, a rabbit, and a little painting on an easel in one of his books called Best Friends Forever.  When we read with him, sometimes he just points and waits as if asking what the name of the thing is at which he is pointing.  Slowly, we're building his vocabulary, and we're waiting with great anticipation for the day when he reads his first word!

If you see Sammie Miles Davis, Jr. and Bella, give them my love.

Election 2016

We only had two trips to the hospital this week!

On Monday, I pulled a muscle in my ribs so badly that I couldn't walk or stand-up straight.  Unfortunately, this happened at work so I had to ride in an ambulance to the Royal Preston Hospital in the middle of the day and see yet another doctor.  After a few hours, I got to leave with some really strong medicine that takes away the pain for about two hours at a time.  The doctor said that the pulled muscle stems from the chest infection I had and that for the next four weeks, I will have to keep taking medicine to dull the pain because every time I sneeze or cough, it pulls the muscle again and again.

Then, on Thursday when I picked-up Jackson from nursery, I noticed that he had developed a strong cough and had some green gunk coming out of his eye.  Half-way home, he started crying after every cough and it sounded like he was getting a sore throat.  Lee and I gave him some cough syrup when we were all home, but that didn't seem to stop the coughing or make it any less sore for him, so we headed to the hospital in Ormskirk.  The doctor said that he has an upper respiratory virus and conjunctivitis!  We just can't catch a break.  The medicines he need are the basic paracetamol and ibuprofen doses and then a gel for his eye that goes on three times a day for five days.

Because of this, I had to take Friday off of work to administer his eye medicine and keep him from spreading the conjunctivitis to the other children at nursery.  However, all of the materials were not ready for my class for Friday so Jackson and I trekked in to work at 5:40 A.M. and at 6:45, we were strolling into my classroom to lay out the plans and work needed for the day.  By 8 o'clock, everything was done and we headed home, but we made a pit-stop at his nursery to have my first parent conference to get updates on his progress.

Jackson's reviews were impeccable and although she didn't say it, I know his teacher thinks that he's the best baby she's ever taught.  What she did say, though, was that he is very sociable and loves to get messy.  She also said that he is on track with all of the milestones typical of a 13-month-old.

So with all of this week's events combined with the last two months, I must say that the fact that there will soon be a President Trump didn't take up too much of my thoughts or energy.  Many people did ask me at work since I am American, after all.  I gave my honest answer that I didn't expect him to win so many states, but after that, the conversation ended and we went about with our lives as usual.

The reaction was similar when the EU Referendum came about because after a day or two, no one mentioned it again and so far, we haven't seen any effects of the decision.  And that decision is something that will last this country a lifetime--not four years!  But that is one thing I really like about the English culture:  they don't worry near as much about political matters as the US seems to be doing at the moment.

From all media outlets for months and months, we have been told that Hillary Clinton was winning in the polls and that 'obviously' the American public would choose her because she was the 'smart' choice.  Perhaps out of spite of being told what to do for so long and who they should choose by biased news anchors and out-of-touch celebrities, the people chose the person who has never held a political office and who claims to be anti-establishment.  I hope that he sticks with what he promised and isn't swayed by lobbyists, but instead listens to the people who elected him.

Now, that doesn't mean that I agree with everything I've heard him promise, but as I watched a man explain why he voted for Trump and he said, "Jobs.  He's going to bring jobs to our country," I immediately had hot tears fill my eyes.  This man was about 65-years-old and he had a sound of desperation in his voice with a look of yearning hope in his eyes.  For his sake and for whomever he knows who needs a job, I hope that Trump delivers at least on his promise of bringing jobs that have been sent to other countries back to the U.S.

And for people who are 'ashamed' of the outcome and have done nothing but protest or complain for four days straight, please give yourself a break.  From the outside looking in, you don't need to ashamed for anything other than the violent, rioting protests that are only harming the people and businesses in the cities where you have to live and work with the people who probably voted like you did.  I know a lot of people think that their loud, belligerent protesting is going to change something, but I hope that they think of a different way to channel their energy and their time.  Imagine having that much time to march in the streets, repeating the same chants for four days!

If President Trump does anything illegal, then there are policies in place that will remove him from office.  If he does a good job, then maybe he will be re-elected for another four years.  It's amazing how many people think that he is going to mess-up the country in such a short amount of time seeing as these same people have complained for eight years that President Obama hasn't been able to get anything passed that he wanted to.  Eight years ago, the Democrats had a majority in the House and Senate (which is mirroring what is happening now with the Republicans), yet the elected Democratic President, didn't fulfill all of his promises while he had Congress on his 'side' so to speak.  With all of the checks and balances in place that have protected America for over two-hundred-years, I believe that it can survive no matter who the President is.

Our family photo from Jackson's photo shoot--this was the best we could get after many attempts

Dapper Jackson

Giving us a genuine, sweet smile and showing-off his big brown eyes

Developmental updates:  When I collected Jackson from nursery on Wednesday, I peeked in the window to see what he was doing and he was playing chase with a little boy who looked a little older than him.  As they 'caught' each other, they sat and clapped their hands, and then one chased the other, crawling as fast as they could across the floor.  On Thursday, Jackson's teacher told me that she heard laughing coming from the reading area as she was setting-up for lunch and as she looked over, she saw Jackson sitting by an older toddler named George, sharing in laughter, and Jackson had his arm around George's shoulder.  What a picture that would have made!  Our sweet little baby is making friends.  Wouldn't it be great to know what the two little tots found so funny?  Jackson is finding that he can climb over things instead of just around them and goes over the sides of his house like I do when stepping over his baby gate.  Maybe I'm setting a bad example.  Oops!  He's starting to want whatever food or drink we have and wait with his hand out until he gets a tiny bite to try.  Most of the time he does, but we draw the line with caffeinated or sugary drinks and salty or fattening snacks. Jackson is inadvertently getting us to re-think some of our eating habits.

If you see Sammie Miles Davis, Jr. and Bella, give them my love.

Silver Linings

It was nearly a perfect week here at the McRae household.  I won't dwell too much on the pitfalls, but I will mention them briefly:  I am still struggling to breathe and have an intense pain in my ribs when I move or cough.  Today I visited a medical walk-in centre and the doctor said to take paracetamol (Tylenol) with codeine.  So far, it has not helped with the pain, but I will give it a three-day trial as he said to do.  The other quite big pitfall was the person who was papering and painting our hallway and landing apparently has an alcohol problem.  This became apparent on Tuesday when we got home and saw dark blue paint all over our kitchen floor, carpets, wood trim, and doors.  We also saw crusty wallpaper paste splotches running up-and-down our stairway.  There were many other unforgivable mistakes made that day, but those were the most noticeable.  Lee and I immediately called the man, returned his supplies, and got our house keys back.  After getting over the shock of it all and wiping away tears of fury, we scheduled for a new decorator (a father of a friend of mine) to come and give us a quote for the work to be fixed and then completed correctly.

Looking at the bright side of things, though, we got Jackson's photographs back from his photo shoot and they are beautiful!  We are so pleased with the quality of the pictures and the photographer captured the many faces of Jackson in a very natural way.

Yesterday, I had my first lesson observation from my new bosses and it went very well.  Their feedback was really encouraging and they only had a few suggestions for improvements.  It was a relief to have it done and over, but I didn't get nervous at all.  I have a really great class this year and I knew I could count on them to behave.  I also compared the pressure of a 1-hour observation to everything we have been through recently and I really didn't see any point in getting worked up about it.  I am so glad that I did not spend any time worrying because it turned out great and that would have been such a waste of time and energy.

Today, Jackson and I danced together; we have danced together before, but this time, he stood on his own, held both of my hands, and we moved around in a circle to Elvis Presley's All Shook Up.  He really is growing up right before our eyes and he is turning into a little boy.  Yesterday, Jackson turned 13-months-old and we are noticing more than ever just how much he is becoming his own person with his opinions of what he wants to do and when he wants to do it.

Last week, over 100 of you came to read the blog and check-in on our ventures.  Thank you for reading and for caring!  It will be fun to share all of these entries with Jackson one day, too.

First Birthday photo shoot which took place on October 29th (featuring his favourite stuffed animal)

A photo collage of Jackson's best shots in his 'formal wear'

And now, in his casual wear, playing with blocks and doing some light reading

Our little artist

Happy 13 months, Jackson!

Developmental updates:  This week, Jackson started putting his triangle-, circle-, and square-shaped blocks in the correct holes in his toys.  He also really showed his love for music by conducting the congregation at church during every hymn, using two arms to wave to the beat.  Pretty impressive!  Jackson really likes hiding things inside of toys and boxes around the house, retrieving them, and then hiding them again.  For instance, he has a little toy that has a door where balls are kept and he will sit for a long time and play with that so he can keep putting the balls in and then take them out again.  He also likes playing guessing games with Lee such as the classic, "Guess which hand" where Lee will hide a toy in one hand and then Jackson will choose the one he thinks holds the toy.  He has a fairly high success rate so far.  For his birthday, he got two toys from his pal Ralph--one was a car and the other was a Mr. Potato Head.  He loves to hide things in the car and then push them around the living room and he likes taking Mr. Potato Head's accessories out of his 'bottom' compartment and putting them back again and again.  Jackson still has remnants of his virus left and is still coughing, but other than that, he had a pretty healthy week.  His teachers said that he makes them laugh all the time and that he always eats all of his meals and desserts.  He especially likes going outside at nursery and getting some fresh air.  This week, his orneriest moment was pulling his shoe off during a diaper change and throwing it--the shoe landed right in the toilet!  (This news made me laugh and didn't phase me at all compared to everything else that has happened in the past two months.)

If you see Sammie Miles Davis, Jr. and Bella, give them my love.

No Rest for the Wicked

Three trips to A&E and one trip to the GP (doctor's office):  this week was anything but the restful rejuvenation for which I was anticipating.  I keep trying to stay positive but it has been eight weeks of ongoing sickness in our house and I really need a week off!

Early Monday morning around 2 A.M., I woke up from a coughing fit that had been going on for three days at that point.  I realised that I had a pain in my chest and after staying up for two hours without the pain going away, I called 111 to see what to do.  They said to go to A&E and after an ECG, blood tests, and a chest x-ray, the doctor said it was a chest infection and sent me home with a box of antibiotics.

We were worried that Jackson's cough that developed the same time as mine might be the same thing because he was coughing all through his sleep, so Lee took him to see the doctor Monday morning.  Jackson's diagnosis was that he had another virus.  So he went to nursery, but then Monday and Tuesday, he ran a fever up to 39°C (102°F).  I was worried that this meant something more than a virus, therefore there was another trip to A&E to get things figured out.  After a few tests, the doctor said that Jackson had a very red ear and throat and to reduce any pain and soreness that may be causing, we needed to continue administering ibuprofen and paracetamol continuously every four hours in rotation.

After that trip and hours waiting in A&E, I was really worn out so Tuesday night I went to bed as usual; but then, when I woke up to get Jackson ready for nursery on Wednesday, I realised that I couldn't lift myself out of bed!  It felt like a weight was laying on the left side of my chest and any time I tried to turn, it felt like my lung was shredding apart.  My chest infection had slowly been getting worse for two days and it hurt more and more to breathe and it hurt horribly whenever I coughed, but I thought it was an illness that would get worse before it got better even with the medicine that I had been given.  I called 111 again to see what to do and after only three questions, they said they were going to send an ambulance!  I really wasn't looking to make a scene, but I also felt better that the paramedics would be able to tell me why I couldn't sit up and what was going on with me.

Lee called his boss and they said that Lee could work from home for the rest of the week.  He headed off with Jackson to nursery while I headed to the Southport hospital again.  After more blood tests and another chest x-ray, they gave me stronger medicine for the pain in my chest, but other than that, they just sent me on my way again.  It hurt to lift my left arm for the next couple of days so Lee had to do all of the driving because to shift a gear, it ripped at my lung (or at least that's what it felt like).

I didn't get as much work done as I would have liked to this week, but on the bright side, it does feel like I've been away from work for two weeks with all of the incidents that have happened.  My goal was to get ahead with my work load, but there were two days when I felt way too ill to function.  I did the most that I could, but still it wasn't enough.  One thing I was thankful for this week was the NHS system.  I was mad before about paying so much from each paycheck to the NHS; but, if we were to get bills from all of the A&E trips and doctor's visits we've made in the last eight weeks, there would be no way that we would make it through Christmas without having to sell our car and maybe our house.

On a positive note, Lee got to redeem his birthday present which was drum lessons!  I was more excited about it than he was initially, but when he got home after his first lesson, he seemed genuinely happy with the experience.  I'll keep you updated on his progress.  Also, we got work started on our hallway and landing and it should be done this week.  We're getting all of the layers of old wallpaper taken down and having the ceiling and walls repainted.  (All of the walls in our house have remnants of the rewiring we had done in the Summer of 2015 on them, so we're finally starting to get them redecorated.)  And finally, Jackson had his one-year-old photo shoot today!  We had to reschedule it two times before because of sicknesses, but we all made it today and the pictures turned out great.  We will be getting them later this week and we'll share them on the next blog.

Here's to hoping that this next week is happy and healthy for us all!  Happy Halloween!

Wrapped up and ready to go out for a trip to Southport

Happy Halloween!  Loving his astronaut costume from his Aunt Paige

Look, Daddy!

He thought about taking a nap in his costume

Looking at his reflection as an astronaut--he crawled behind the mirror to try and find the other baby looking back at him

Developmental updates:  Jackson is clapping a lot more now and likes to dance to music.  He has started drumming on things to hear the different tones they produce and he can keep a pretty consistent beat, as well.  Every time I drop-off Jackson at nursery, he goes straight to his teachers; but we realised this week that if Lee drops him off, he will cry and reach out for him like he used to at the beginning of his nursery days.  Jackson had his first school picture day on Thursday and luckily, Lee and I both went to pick him up right before the pictures were taken so that we could help make him laugh and smile at the camera--and to get him in his picture outfit.  On the same day, we also had his two-month settling-in meeting at nursery with the manager, Ruth.  She said that he is right on track with his development milestones and that he takes advantage of all of the activities that are planned for his group called the Minnows.  We were very happy with his general report and in a couple of weeks, we will have the chance to meet with his teacher to get a more in-depth report.

If you see Sammie Miles Davis, Jr. and Bella, give them my love.

Breaking Point

After possibly the longest seven weeks I've ever experienced, I finally get a week's break from work!  I found that keeping on top of everything was easy to begin with, but then all of the various illnesses hit one after the other.  After that, I found out that I wasn't keeping up with all of the demands that the new management team put into place last year while I was on maternity leave.  So after many late nights and very early mornings trying to get all of my work done, I am going to enjoy a week of rest and relaxation mixed-in with work (in preparation for the next seven weeks of school).

My original plan was to do a bit of work at night when Jackson goes to bed and take him on daily trips.  But when I made my to-do list for work, that plan is just not possible.  There were many days during this half-term that Jackson was at home with us because he was sick, and since we pre-pay for every month of nursery, I feel like that's another reason to take him in as many days as I need to in order to get my work done.  Although, I'm not going to take him in for as many hours as he usually goes (about ten) per day, but he will still get a chance to do crafts and play with his friends while I get work done around the house and all of the paperwork typed, printed, and highlighted for school.

My goal is to work ahead on the planning that took me the longest during the weekends so that I can spend more time with Jackson every week and more time going to church.  It's easy to push those things aside because if family time or church time is diminished, there's no immediate punishment--except for the guilt.  If work doesn't get done for school, then there will be a definite punishment and 26 children will be sitting behind blank desks with wide-eyed stares and I would lose my livelihood.

In university, training for teaching, some advice I was given was to handle everything in my power without complaining to the principal (head teacher) and to do as much work as I could at school, but then when I walk through the door at home, leave school-work behind me.  The latter is obviously not possible and I think it's because the former has been carried on for so long by the majority of teachers.  There are so many teachers chomping at the bit to take any job openings, so the pressure to hang-on to your job at any cost is definitely present.  In addition to this, head teachers must have the impression, year-after-year of piling on new requirements, that their staff are handling everything in stride.  This combination has really reached its breaking point for many in the teaching field as many of us barely see the light of day or have the patience or coherence left at the end of the day to be with our families.

Hopefully I can get ahead this week so that I can increase family time for the next seven weeks and maybe even enjoy Thanksgiving and Christmas without thinking about my work to-do list in the back of my mind the whole time.

Opening more presents on Sunday--and relaxing after the big party day!

Playing with the conker necklace and bracelet after digging in the straw and pumpkin

At the play dough station, Jackson skipped the squishy, Autumn-scented dough and carried around two acorns the entire time.  No matter what room we went to, all of the teachers knew him by name and he was quite the popular little guy with his friends.

In honour of the new Troll movie, Jackson was our little Baby Troll through the aisles at Tesco.  He actually only wore this for about a minute, but we were happy with the amount of cooperation we got from a one-year-old.

Developmental updates:  Jackson was laughing a lot at nursery this week.  At lunch yesterday, his best pal and mentor, Arthur, told him to stop laughing, but that only made Jackson laugh even harder.  Then, he made his way to a mirror and sat and laughed at his reflection.  He also developed a new smile that shows all of his teeth and his chin points up to the air in pure delight.  Jackson has a new tooth that has cut through--his second right incisor.  He hates brushing his teeth, but we're hoping that one of these days he snaps out of his slump and likes the process again because he did for the first two weeks of brushing a couple of months ago.  In his Little Tikes Garden Centre, Jackson now crawls through the window to get out instead of through the door or slide as he always did before.  He loved all of his birthday presents, however, his favourite things to play with have been two balloons and a bow from a gift box.

If you see Sammie Miles Davis, Jr. and Bella, give them my love.

Healthy, Happy Birthday Boy

Our second attempt at Jackson's first birthday party was a success!  After a week of the antibiotics (which we picked up on a second trip to A&E on Sunday), Jackson's impetigo rash is almost all gone and he is acting like his old self again.  He's had a tough week of crying through the night from the itchiness and sores that spread all over his body, taking the poisonous-smelling antibiotics, and having to stay away from his friends and teachers at nursery until Thursday.  By Wednesday, he was really happy again and we had a good feeling that we would be able to have his birthday party today.

We didn't count our chickens before they hatched though and we waited until this morning to buy the food for the party and to set-up the toys and games for the babies.  (All of the other decorations were still up from last week.)  Luckily, all of the people we invited could make it to the party today and everyone had a great time.

His best pals Penny, Ethan, Ralph, and Thomas came to celebrate and they had a lot of fun playing with Jackson's new toys.  After his friend birthday party, Lee's family came over for the second-part of his party.  In between the parties, Jackson had to take a nap to rejuvenate and came back with lots of energy and excitement to play with his cousins.

After last weekend, we're very thankful for a 'normal' day where Jackson is healthy again.  Lots of planning, time, and effort goes into a birthday party, but looking back on the day, it's the best way to commemorate the past year and kids deserve to have a day that is devoted to them every year.

Opening his presents with a little help from Mommy and Daddy to rip the paper

The party room

The sweets and treats table adorned with a fully decorated cake and flowers this week

Daddy and Jackson in the Party Photo Booth

Jackson wasn't sure about the Photo Booth

Ethan and Jackson at the sand table

Ralph stopped by for some sand time while Jackson explained the rules of the sand table

Thomas had a great time playing in the climbing frame

Jackson loved every second of "Happy Birthday" so we sang it twice

We tried to get a group photo with all of the babies...and this is it

Developmental updates:  Jackson climbed up the stairs for the first time this week and then that quickly became his favourite thing to do--over and over again.  Somehow, he developed the perfect method of left knee, right knee, left foot, right foot for going up the stairs so he must have had the stair idea in his head for awhile.  On Wednesday, he started clapping!  We've been waiting months for this milestone and it's finally come!  Jackson may have been celebrating the fact that his impetigo was clearing up and he was ready to go back to nursery the next day.  When he finally did return to nursery, his teachers told me that he went to everyone to give them a hug and gave all of the teachers cuddles, too.  He had two great days at nursery and is back to eating full meals and drinking all of his milk.  As we were singing nursery rhymes to him this week, he seemed to join in and 'sang' along until the song was finished.  He has also started dancing along to music and keeps the beat by hitting objects that are near or slapping his little baby thighs.

If you see Sammie Miles Davis, Jr. and Bella, give them my love.