Manner of Fact

I'm a stickler for manners, and I don't think there's anything wrong with that. In some ways, I'm a little old fashioned. For example, I still love writing thank you notes by hand. My Mom and Dad instilled manners in me at a very young age, and it's just always stuck. I think you can tell a lot about parents based on the manners their kids have.

When we started teaching Jimmy basic sign language, "please" and "thank you" were included. Now that he can speak clearly most of the words we taught him, we are really trying to emphasize polite words. When we have a toy he wants, we will hold it captive until he signs "please" to us. Sometimes, he'll sign it right off the bat. Other times, he will put up a bit of a fight, but we won't give in until he minds his manners. And when he correctly asks for something and uses his manners, this house erupts with applause and praise. We make it cool and fun to be polite. :)

I also now ask Jimmy to clean up his toys before all naps and bedtime. We have a big basket downstairs that holds all of his toys, and for every toy he can gently place in the basket during clean up time, he gets praise and a big high five. He relishes in the attention and has yet to put up a fight when it's time to clean up toys.

And Jimmy is talking up a storm. He can say: more, hide, Coke, night-night (and asks to go night-night when he's tired), no, Jack Jack, Mommy, Daddy, Brinkley, milk (he will also ask for this; "Momma, milk"), go, bye bye and the list goes on. My favorite thing is when he sings to himself in his crib. It's unclear what he's singing, but it's adorable.

Jackson is growing like a weed. He drinks 5 ounces every 4-5 hours and is SO CLOSE to sleeping through the night. We are only up for one feeding at 3:30 a.m. now, and he drinks his bottle so quick so he can return to bed. I honestly haven't had any trouble these past 7 weeks adjusting to 8 hours of broken up sleep, and I thank God every day for that.

Jackson is also still rolling from his belly to his back and he's now reaching for toys. Every day, we spend time reading, playing with different toys, letting Jimmy show him how his train works, and time on his belly. When I put him in front of a mirror his eyes open wide and he just gazes in wonder at the baby looking back at him. Oh, and he's now smiling in response to my smile. It warms my heart because we have another Mommy's boy on our hands - he's only smiled for me. :)

I've decided I am still going to post pictures of the boys on Facebook because we have so many family members and friends who don't get to see the boys often and it's a great way for them to watch their progression. So, enjoy!