A New Jackson

Puddle Jumper

noreply@blogger.com (Lori Jackson) — Mon, 21 May 2012 00:42:00 +0000

Fun Dip

noreply@blogger.com (Lori Jackson) — Sun, 20 May 2012 20:26:00 +0000

...and continuing the latest Jonas fashion fad... A plaid blue tie.

Spaghetti Night at the Jacksons

noreply@blogger.com (Lori Jackson) — Sat, 19 May 2012 01:26:00 +0000

There's never a dull moment in the Jackson house, that goes for spaghetti night too. If you've followed for a while, you know that Jonas is a pretty severe "problem eater." Beckett, on the other hand, is not; he easily eats twice as much as Jonas does. I typically remove B's upper clothing on spaghetti night (which is always immediately followed up with a bath). On this particular night, Jonas asked if he could also eat without his shirt on. I do whatever I can to encourage him to eat more than his select 10 foods, so I said sure.

Beckett loved his meal for sure, as evident from the video and photos below. But if you listen closely during the video, you'll hear Jonas giggling... as he's painting himself with spaghetti as well.

A Jonas Drum Solo

noreply@blogger.com (Lori Jackson) — Fri, 18 May 2012 01:18:00 +0000

The boy is serious about drumming. This is a common sound in our house... apologies to our neighbors. He told me recently that he needs "adult drums" for his birthday. Oi.

Here Jonas (age 4.5ish) is playing his current favorite song, "You Are My Joy."

Dinner: Always a Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Lori Jackson) — Thu, 17 May 2012 02:34:00 +0000

Blast Past Post: I found this post that I wrote a couple of months ago and forgot to publish... surprise, surprise. Anyway, the "laying down to eat" has subsided recently. I'm hoping it was a phase that has passed for good.

I posted previously about some of the issues we have with our little "problem eater." Over the past several months we've had trouble not only with the lack of variety of foods that Jonas will eat, but his dinner time behavior.

Of course he's a typical kid (boy) when it's dinner time and he's not ready to eat. We occasionally have problems with keeping him in his seat and he gets the choice of either sitting in his seat or in his room (by himself with no toys).

There are other behaviors that aren't quite so typical. Like laying down in the chair to eat.

Rock on, little man!

noreply@blogger.com (Lori Jackson) — Thu, 17 May 2012 02:07:00 +0000

Play Ball!

noreply@blogger.com (Lori Jackson) — Wed, 16 May 2012 01:50:00 +0000

Watching Uncle Ben play softball. The boys are really into baseball/softball right now.

Walking Beckett

noreply@blogger.com (Lori Jackson) — Tue, 15 May 2012 00:25:00 +0000

Behold, he CAN walk! Finally, it seems as though his confidence is on the rise. Our little B is walking!

Notice though, how he clings to my pants for dear life in the beginning. I know this is a milestone long overdue, but this video is bittersweet. I'm glad he's finally gaining some independence, it's part of this whole "growing up" thing, but I know that watching him walk away from me here is just the beginning of him walking/running away from me. After all, those are most of the photos I got of Jonas from the time he could walk until only recently, where his back is now replaced with, more often than not, a cheesy, fake smile. Nevertheless, we are super proud of our baby boy! Way to go, Beckett!!

Notice also the cute, squeaky shoes. Yep, those are about to get real annoying. Good thing the squeaker comes out!

Beckett at 18 Months

noreply@blogger.com (Lori Jackson) — Mon, 14 May 2012 02:02:00 +0000

Our little "B-bear" is 18 months old. He's no longer a baby, but a little boy!!

Beckett is still very timid with walking, usually only taking independent steps when either no one is looking or he's not thinking about it (in other words, he's distracted by Jonas or the tv). I've been hoping to capture a video, but that hasn't happened yet. He can walk though, we've seen him do it, but don't even think about forcing him; he'll have none of that!

Walking is the only thing he doesn't want to do just like Jonas. Jonas is his best friend. Beckett wants to do nearly everything Jonas does. No more cookie at the drive thru for just Jonas. Beckett wants in on the action too. Same goes for playing; nothing in Beckett's room is as cool as the toys in Jonas'. (See the drum lesson video below.)

B has been on a roll getting new teeth lately. They just keep coming, one after another. Yay for one year molars! He also insists on using a utensil at dinner (see the apple sauce video below). He also LOVES eating bananas (also below).

To make up for my lack of posting lately, below are some photos and video I've captured of Beckett (and Jonas) over the past month or so.

Climbed up on the stool and began
brushing his teeth, just like his bubba (Jonas).

Drinking from Bubba's (Jonas') cup.

Strawberry face!

Happy mothers day to me! :)

noreply@blogger.com (Lori Jackson) — Sun, 13 May 2012 20:16:00 +0000

Another Stellar Wardrobe Choice

noreply@blogger.com (Lori Jackson) — Sun, 13 May 2012 18:12:00 +0000

P.S. The drum shirt really drums.

My Boy has Style

noreply@blogger.com (Lori Jackson) — Sat, 12 May 2012 18:34:00 +0000

You can't make me walk.

noreply@blogger.com (Lori Jackson) — Sun, 06 May 2012 19:19:00 +0000

Meet Molly

noreply@blogger.com (Lori Jackson) — Sun, 06 May 2012 19:03:00 +0000

Molly is a black and white shih-poo (shih tzu, toy poodle mix) that is a gift for Jonas and Beckett's Grandma. She is the cutest and sweetest little puppy. The boys had a fun week playing with her before she made the trip to live with Grandma this weekend. Here she is with the boys, at 8 weeks old.

Always have a plan B

noreply@blogger.com (Lori Jackson) — Sat, 05 May 2012 13:56:00 +0000

Always have a plan b when raising children, especially autistic ones. There are very few alternatives to music class that will satisfy my boy. Thank goodness for the neighborhood basketball court.

Ooops!

noreply@blogger.com (Lori Jackson) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 03:08:00 +0000

We have been really encouraging Jonas to be more responsible for his own personal care: getting dressed, brushing his teeth, putting on shoes, using the potty and washing his hands. He's doing very well at it, though I believe there's something wrong with this picture...

Baby Boy

noreply@blogger.com (Lori Jackson) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 02:07:00 +0000

My baby boy... LOVE!!

Free Entertainment

noreply@blogger.com (Lori Jackson) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 02:06:00 +0000

The airport lookout: quite possibly the best free entertainment for both young and old. If only there were just flying planes, not flying insects (Jonas is deathly afraid of any and all flying insects... still).

License to Drive

noreply@blogger.com (Lori Jackson) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 02:03:00 +0000

Sorry Buddy, you've got at least 12 more years before you can leave the driveway in the driver's seat!

Stewie at the Ballfield

noreply@blogger.com (Lori Jackson) — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 15:02:00 +0000

We were on our way to watch Uncle Ben's softball game (Stewie watched too, but sadly no photo of that).

Saying "Cheese!" and the Fake Smile

noreply@blogger.com (Lori Jackson) — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 00:01:00 +0000

It has literally taken Jonas nearly 4 years to "say cheese" and smile on command. All the images I have captured of him during his life where he's looking at the camera (and maybe smiling) were elaborate tricks that I learned over time. He's still not a 100% participant and rarely holds the cheese long enough for me to snap more than one, so I have to be ready.

He asked me to take this photo though (I was shocked!) and actually posed for me. What a silly, fake smile!!

The Ultimate Elmo Reaction

noreply@blogger.com (Lori Jackson) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 00:54:00 +0000

Beckett loves Elmo. There's no doubt. Take a look at his reaction below to me starting up the Xbox, loading Netflix, and Elmo's image appearing on the screen.

After I captured the still images of his reaction, I attempted to get a video for the full effect. Take a look. Skip past Jonas' complaining for the first 30 seconds. B's reaction begins around 0:35.

Chewie

noreply@blogger.com (Lori Jackson) — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 02:49:00 +0000

Jonas has an obsession with chewing his fingers. He is desperate to chew, sometimes he just cannot stop. He will chew his fingers raw, as the photo below shows. I feel like I am constantly telling him to get his fingers out of his mouth.

A friend of mine suggested trying a neat little sensory device, called a chewie tube. Chewie is a good finger substitute for his desperate need to chew.

My Friend Stewie

noreply@blogger.com (Lori Jackson) — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 00:30:00 +0000

I'm not even sure where to begin on this post... perhaps with a disclaimer: Jonas does not know who the real "Stewie" is. ANNNNNDDD I should probably tape that disclaimer to his back on the playground due to the disapproving stares from other parents and the "woah dude, that's stewie" from every pre-teen boy within 100yds.

Stewie came into our household before Jonas was born. He was a prize that Jonathan and my brother won at Dave & Busters many years back. Some how Stewie avoided many spring cleanings and some how ended up in Jonas' closet. One day, Jonas found Stewie and it was love at first sight with this angry-looking doll.

Jonas has never had a lasting connection with any of his stuffed friends. Not until Stewie came along. Stewie became Jonas' representative. When Jonas was upset, Stewie was upset, and Jonas conveyed his emotions through Stewie. His connection with Stewie has only deepened in the past several months. It's rare that we go anywhere without Stewie.

Stewie gets put to bed, complete with cup of water and music on the iPod...

Stewie goes to the playground...

Stewie "eats mud" (read: Jonas throws him in a mud puddle)...

... and has to sit in time out...

and Stewie has a snack...

As Jonas continues to have adventures with Stewie, I will tag them as such.

World Autism Awareness Day 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Lori Jackson) — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 02:13:00 +0000

Today is WAAD... World Autism Awareness Day. This day is set aside by the UN and is one of only three official health-specific UN days, which is intended to bring awareness to autism.

World Autism Awareness Day shines a bright light on autism as a growing global health crisis. WAAD activities help to increase and develop world knowledge of the autism epidemic and impart information regarding the importance of early diagnosis and early intervention. Additionally, WAAD celebrates the unique talents and skills of persons with autism and is a day when individuals with autism are warmly welcomed and embraced in community events around the globe. (source: autismspeaks.com)

We celebrated WAAD today by holding an Azul for Autism event at my work. Here is my event from last year. We stepped it up a little this year and raised over $300 for autism research!!! How awesome is that!?! I shared many facts about autism and WAAD and Jonas stopped by to say hello (and peer at the fountains downstairs through the windows).

My mom and I put together a "Hawaiian Picnic" gift basket (check out our skills below!!) to give away to one lucky participant who either dressed in blue or made a donation, or both. Here are some photos from my Azul for Autism event. Thanks to everyone at ZAPATA that joined in our celebration.

Finally this evening Jonas and I took a ride downtown because I heard that the Duke Energy Center was suposed to be "Lit Up Blue." And whadaya know...

Jonas was very excited!