Jackson has turned a new leaf. I had this week off from work and we worked really hard on saying the 'magic words' and listening when out in public. He has really improved on both of these things and is consistent with his polite 'pleases' and 'thank yous' and fairly accountable with his behaviour while out and about.
Sunday, we travelled to Martin Mere Wetland Centre for the first time. We nearly went there about six months ago, but seeing as there was easy access to water and Jackson was really good at walking, but not so good at staying by our side, we went to a basic farm. Martin Mere is a wonderfully peaceful little retreat with a wide variety of birds (which are thankfully all contained to their individual ponds). By the end of our walk around, Jackson was worn out enough that he wanted to be carried! That doesn't happen very often. He took a little nap before we headed to a new restaurant called Marston's Inn 'The Mad Duke' (a chain of pubs, but each one is given a nickname to match its locality). Lee and I would highly recommend eating there because the food was delicious! Since it was nice and sunny out, Jackson also took full advantage of the playground while we waited for our food and then after the meal, too.
Monday was a basic day out to the grocery store and to order a rug from Homebase, but sometimes small trips out can be challenging. Surprisingly, Jackson was perfectly behaved at both places, stayed by me the whole time, waited while I paid for items, and even held my hand when we walked to the car! I didn't have to use any bribes, either.
On Halloween, Jackson wore his pirate costume to nursery for their party while I went to work to clean my cupboard and mark a few sets of books. He didn't wear his costume when the trick-or-treaters came to the door--only eight this year--but he did get really excited to greet everyone when they were on our porch.
The rest of the week, we played together at home and made small trips out, but nothing out of the ordinary.
Friday, Lee took the day off of work so we went to The Ice Cream Farm in Cheshire. We have gone there once before, but Jackson was only crawling at the time. It was much more fun this time around now that he can explore on his own. We also headed out really early so we missed the mad rush of people and got to enjoy the facilities during the 'off-peak' times. Jackson wanted to ride the coin-operated quad bike, but this has to be controlled by a pedal which he could barely reach. Lee was going to ride on the back of it, pushing the pedal, and letting Jackson 'drive' it around the track; but, holding true to his independent ways, Jackson didn't want anyone else touching his vehicle. The poor child doesn't understand how to steer so it was quite comical from the sidelines. Lee was visibly embarrassed, but I think now he can see the funny side of the situation. Half-way through the quad bike experience, the motor stopped running because we had used our pound's worth, and being without a pound, Lee had no choice but to push the hefty metal contraption back around the winding track. After that, Jackson enjoyed seeing the animals, pretending to drive the big tractors, visiting the soft play centre, and of course, eating ice cream.
When we finished playing at The Ice Cream Farm, we were right around the corner from Lee's grandpa, aunt, and uncle so we stopped to visit them for a little bit before the long drive back to Southport (there were huge traffic jams for some reason).
Through all of this excitement, I managed to get all of my work done--and then some--for school which is the first time that has ever happened during a half-term break. I actually got through my entire check list and had one of the most enjoyable weeks so far with Jackson. All-in-all, a very successful week.
Reflections with Jackson
He loved the bear at Martin Mere
Our own little Jack Sparrow
Sporting his costume at nursery
Enjoying a snack and relaxing at home with Mommy
The long ride home
His affinity for inanimate objects grew exponentially this week
"One serving of chocolate honey crunch, please. Bank you!"
Commandeering the tractor which luckily, didn't need a pedal to function
Developmental updates: Jackson turned another month older yesterday (25 months). He had a huge breakthrough with vocabulary this week: apple, glasses, Trolls, Poppy (a character from the Trolls movie), Do it! love you, bank you or bah do (thank you), All right? Where are you? Okay? grapes, Help! hurt, doggy, pig, horsey, amama (banana), yum yum, Here it is! and sticker. He has become really interested in horses and his new favourite show is Spirit on Netflix. (Thank goodness for a break from the Blaze show!) Jackson likes to make his mind up when picking a snack from the refrigerator. He wants to be held so he can be eye-level with the potential treats and then he says, "Hmm," over and over then points to what he wants. His new phrase, "All right?" is used for his toys, mostly. But, yesterday at football practice, he held my face with both hands and looked me right in the eye and asked, "All right?" It was very sweet. It's also a helpful phrase to check if he is okay after a fall because he will answer honestly. Something Jackson has started doing with his 'please' and 'thank you' responses is saying them with expression depending on the situation. For instance, if he wants jell-o (jelly, U.K.) and I say no and offer yogurt instead, then he will say, "Bank you," with a sad tone. But, if he gets something that he's really happy about, then he will jump up and shout, "Bank you!" and sort of skip off.
If you see Sammie Miles Davis, Jr. and Bella, give them my love.
