Jackson: Three Years Old

I am in absolute disbelief that Jackson is three. When did this happen? Why did no one warn me that I would blink and he would no longer be a baby? He has the most incredible imagination, has grown leaps and bounds in his development, and is as salty as he is sweet. Doing life with this guy is one of the greatest blessings I have ever had.

The greatest change in Jackson this past year has, without question, been in his speech and social skills. Last fall, he qualified for speech therapy, only having a handful of words and not interacting much with other children. He tested in the bottom fifth percentile, and qualified across the board for some interventions with early childhood education.

Fast forward to now. He is speaking in full, complex sentences. He comes home every day and recounts his day to me, telling me what he ate, who he played with, and lights up every afternoon at daycare dying to tell me about a frog, a bug, or a bunny he saw in the yard that day. He loves to play and interact with other children. His older cousin has quickly become his new favorite person, and they spend nearly every weekend together playing and swimming outside. He is thoughtful, inquisitive, and always looking to learn something new. He can always catch you in a lie, and has the sweetest giggle when you act funny and will say 'mommy, you're so silly!'

He went from the 5th percentile last year to testing in the 80-90th percentile for development this year. When I saw those reports, I felt more pride than I have in my entire life. Not because of how he measures up to other kids his age, but because I know he broke through all of those barriers that were limiting him. He is the happiest, funniest little boy, and he is constantly making us smile.

He is still tall, and we will find out in a week or so where he currently sits on the charts. He seems to have slowed down at least a bit, but has definitely had a recent growth spurt again. He did not gain any weight for what seemed to be almost a year (hello picky eater!) but has now put on a few pounds this summer, and with that I am guessing some height, as well. He is wearing 4T clothing, and is starting to ease into some 5T pajamas, which always seem to run a bit small. He is in a size 9 shoe, and growing fast!

Potty training has been..an experience. We had the support of our wonderful daycare provider who was willing to assist in the process, and he is essentially 'day trained' at this point. We only do diapers at bedtime, and have a few accidents throughout the week still. We are working hard to get him fully trained, but he is taking his sweet time and at this point we will take what we can get!

Jackson LOVES to play. His favorite characters right now are minions, but he still love snowmen. He loves to stack piles of blankets or pillows to 'build' snowmen, and anytime he has play-doh or crayons, they are the first thing he wants to create. Recently, he has started to really get into using his toys to play make believe. He is always bringing me a little toy figurine and asking me to play with him. He does, of course, tell me who I am and what I should be doing. ;-)

He loves to sing, and will always request The Wheels On The Bus. He knows all of his colors, and can count into the teens. He works on applying his numbers in counting objects, but almost always ends up telling me he has three of something, no matter what the quantity actually is. He can sing the months of the year and the days of the week, and always goes into a high falsetto when he gets to 'Friday, Saturday'. The amount he has learned truly blows me away.

Jackson and Lincoln are brothers, through and through. They can get under each other's skin like you would not believe, and then I will turn around and catch them playing a quiet game together so perfectly. The both know how to push the other's buttons, and I really cannot say that one is more guilty than the other in regards to who picks the fights. We have our hands full with this little duo, that's for sure! Even still, Jackson is always willing to hold Lincoln's hand and lead him, and I know he is going to continue to grow in his role as a big brother.

Jackson, you are a ray of sunshine and the life of the party. You put a smile on the face of everyone that you meet. Your happiness is contagious, and your giggle will melt the heart of anyone who hears it. You test us, and are becoming more and more independent by the day, but still ask us, every single day, to lay with you and snuggle before bed. You give the best kisses and hugs, and you can light up the room just by walking in. We love you beyond words, Jackson Thomas. Happy birthday, sweet boy!