"Annie"

Tali and Jackson watching "Annie" this morning.

Tali's new favorite movie is Annie, probably because it has a dog in it. She requests this movie often and sings the songs all day. But, like any other three year old, she doesn't know all of the words correctly. Her favorite song is "Dumb Dog." But since Tali has never heard the word "dumb" before, she sings it as "Dog Dog." She sings this song to Jackson at least five times a day and it makes me laugh every time.

Moved to the Country

I still have very little time for myself (hope that changes in the next few months), but just had to say hello after a loooong break. We finally moved to our new home and it's great! There's still a lot to do and I'm still juggling the end of a renovation with two children. The good news is that I don't have to commute over an hour to get to the renovation. The bad news is that there are days I'm stuck inside (like today) because there are workers here and I don't want to leave them alone with all of our things.

It's been almost two weeks since the move and everyone has gotten used to being here. Today we had a nice, spontaneous "we live on 4 1/2 acres of land" moment. UPS came to drop off a package and Jackson seized the opportunity to run outside. Usually, he pees and comes right back. But Tali, still in her pajamas and socks, ran after him. So he ran some more. The two of them spent a good 20 minutes playing chase and running around half of our property. They had a blast! Eli and I watched all the action. He thought it was very funny.

Of course, when it was over I had to spend the next 15 minutes checking everyone for ticks (all clear!) but I guess it was worth it. Before Tali's nap, she told me that when she wakes up she wants to go do it again. This is why we moved here.

Hurricane Irene

We've been stuck inside all weekend due to Hurricane Irene. Luckily, we haven't lost power, even though most of our city has. But, obviously, Tali is a bit bored. This morning poor Jackson was the target of Tali's boredom. He handled it well. He's such a good boy.

Some More Videos

I know I've posted video of this before, but it's just so much fun to watch Tali and Jackson play tug. They both have a blast. I only caught the end of this game on camera, but it's still fun to watch.

The Reason You're Punished

When we punish Tali, we always tell her "The reason you are punished is..." so now she says it herself. She usually knows why she was punished and inserts the proper reason.

Just a few minutes ago, I punished Jackson for not listening to me. Tali followed him to the crate and shut the door behind him. Then she said "Jackson, the reason you are punished is because you didn't listen to Mommy. And you have to listen to Mommy." He's been in the crate for about two minutes now and she keeps going over to him to tell him why he is punished. And, she's right every time.

They Grow Up So Fast

This was taken immediately after Tali said "Come on Jackson, let's go."

Jackson's Advocate

On Sunday, Tali took on a new role - Jackson's advocate. When she woke up in the morning, I told her that we were going to Saba and Savta's that day. Her response was "Jackson come with us." We hadn't planned on bringing Jackson so I told her that Jackson would stay home. All morning, she said "Go to Saba, Savta's, Jackson come with us." So, we decided to take him.

But before we went to Saba and Savta's, we had to go to a camp orientation. As soon as we got in the car, Tali said "Jackson in the car." I explained to her that Jackson couldn't come with us to camp but we'd go back to get him. As we were leaving camp, she reminded us that we needed to go get Jackson. We stopped home and picked him up.

As soon as we arrived at Saba and Savta's, the first thing Tali said was "Savta, get Jackson water." So she did. It was Aunt Judy's birthday so everyone was there and Jackson had a blast. His tail wagged for a few hours straight.

It's a good think Tali convinced us to take Jackson because we ended up staying there pretty late as H wanted to work on our taxes with Saba. Jackson was able to get walked at his normal time and wasn't home alone all day. She really loves that dog and he owes her a huge thank you.

But Mom, HE Started It!

I actually do think Jackson started this and Tali just egged him on. The whole thing had already been going on for a few minutes before I was able to compose myself (couldn't stop laughing at them) and grab the Flip for some video. Enjoy!

P.S. While editing this video to post, Jackson started whining and looking for Tali. (She's already asleep.) Guess he wanted to play again!

Snow Day (Again)

Yesterday was our third snow of the winter, and the second biggest. H worked from home in the morning then took Tali and Jackson out to play after lunch. Tali now has a snow suit (another hand-me down from her friend Autumn) and it took a bit of convincing to get her into it. But once she saw how much fun H was having in the snow, she willingly put it on so she could join him.


This time, both Jackson and Tali had a blast. The snow was just deep enough that it was fun to play in but not too deep that it was difficult for them to walk or run. Tali explored, made snow balls and destroyed H's snow man. Jackson ran and ran and ran through the snow.

Eventually, he tried to get Tali to play with him. She just thought he was being funny.

After 10-15 minutes, Jackson tired out and went inside to rest. Tali, however, stayed outside for about 45 minutes and was not happy when we finally brought her in for her nap. But she did eat all the snow off of her gloves (yum!) before she was done.

New Dog!

Tali's gotten some great Hanukkah/birthday presents this month but one of her favorites was a stuffed dog from my friend Jennifer. It usually takes Tali a couple of days (or more) to warm up to a new stuffed animal, but she took to this one within seconds - partly because it's a dog and partly because it looks real. Jackson loves it too and sometimes Tali has to fend him off.

Meet Tati

Who is Tati? Well, Tati is what Tali calls herself. But it's also what she calls Jackson. She can actually say his name, but she chooses to call him Tati. I've tried and tried to get her to call him Jackson, but she simply wants to call him by her name. If you ask her "where's Mommy?" she'll say "mommy" and point to me. Same with Daddy and Tali (but she says "Tati"). If you ask her where's Jackson, she'll point to him but instead of repeating Jackson, she'll say "Tati."

She asks for "Tati" if he doesn't come into her room with me in the morning when she wakes up. She points to him and says "Tati" when she wants to pet him. And she'll say "Tati" when she's playing tug with him.

I can only assume that it's a sign of affection that she's calling him by her name but it is a bit strange. She'll grow out of it eventually. In the meantime, she might just give poor Jackson an identity crisis.

Punishment

This morning, I was giving Tali a snack (dried mango - her favorite) when one slipped out of her hand and onto the floor. Of course, Jackson was right there to catch it. Tali saw what he did, knew it was wrong and tried to punish him by telling him "too bad" (our phrase to send him to his crate for punishment) in her own words. Unfortunately, hers sounds like "mmm ba" so Jackson didn't understand. When he didn't go to his crate, Tali walked over to it, opened the door and said "mmm ba" again! The doctor says that she won't understand punishment until she's two. I beg to differ.

Jackson Takes The Lead

Up until recently, when Tali and Jackson played together, Tali was usually the instigator. But ever since Jackson recovered from his surgery, he has embraced Tali as a playmate and he often takes the lead.

(Most of you have never heard Jackson bark, but you will here. He only barks when he's really excited to play.)

Dress Up

I'm not sure what age it's supposed to start, but for Tali, dressing up her dog started this morning. Tali LOVES wearing Mardi Gras beads and plays with them almost daily. Today, after she put them on me, she decided to put them on Jackson. He was a pretty good sport. Poor dog.

Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week

The culprits.

Poor Jackson has had the worst week of his life this past week.

On Tuesday evening, he began hesitating when jumping up on the sofa. He also didn't want to go upstairs. So I called the vet on Wednesday and made an appointment to go in on Thursday. The vet determined that he had a bulging disk in his back so he gave him an anti-inflammatory shot and a prescription for the next week.

On Friday morning, Jackson threw up. Within the course of the next two hours, he threw up three more times. So off to the vet we went - again. The vet didn't feel anything large in his stomach or throat, and in order to avoid the unnecessary stress of an X-ray, the vet decided it would be best to assume that he ate something he shouldn't have. So Jackson fasted for the day. I gave him a bit of food (a chicken and rice formula - not his usual) and water the next morning and he threw up again.

We took Jackson back to the vet on Saturday morning and they did an X-ray. They saw something small at the top of his large intestine and determined that he needed surgery immediately to remove the blockage. The vet found a chapstick cap and two office-type rubber bands. He must've picked up these things outside since we do not have any of those items in our home.

Jackson stayed at the vet that evening, all day/night Sunday and all day Monday. I picked him up at 5:15 this afternoon, brought him home, offered him some food (which he refused) and water. At 7:45, he began throwing up the water (three times). I spoke to the vet and apparently he drank too much. He seems to be doing okay now but I must watch him closely tomorrow.

Poor little Jackson. Such a sweet dog. Such a terrible week.

Life Without

I know I've said this before, but I simply cannot imagine Tali's life without Jackson. She truly loves him. She gives him hugs and kisses all day, he has the ability to calm her when she cries (I simply ask her "where's Jackson?" and she stops crying to go find him) and they play so well together.

H took this video of them playing a few weeks ago but somehow it got lost in the shuffle and I never had a chance to post it. After about 5 minutes of playing together, H decided that he should capture a bit of it on camera. This session lasted 10 minutes - giving me lots of time to get the dishes done - yipee!

Bad Dog

I think I'm mad at Jackson (this is rare). Today he took Tali's snack right out of her hands - three times! Her current afternoon snack is carrot sticks which I've steamed, frozen and then partially thawed in the fridge. Jackson loves carrots. So, he did this:

Then I gave Tali another carrot and he did this:

Perhaps he was just getting her back for shoving her whole hand in his food bowl this morning. Today he got a free pass. Tomorrow he gets punished. Yes, we punish our dog. And yes, we will punish our kid (often, is my guess).

First Words

I'm sure many of you have been wondering if Tali has said her first word yet. She's almost one (can you believe it?) and I haven't written about that yet. Well, to answer your question - Yes.

Tali's first word was "ma ma." The reason I didn't write about it is because she originally started saying "ma ma" as just sounds about four or five months ago. Then, about three months ago she actually made the connection. For some reason, I never got around to writing about it. Yes, I was excited that I was her first word, but it just never made the blog.

Tali's second word was "da da"(about a month ago) and she knows who that is. On Wednesday, Tali uttered her third word - "Jackson." No, she didn't say his full name. She calls him "esss" - that's the only letter of his name she can pronounce. But, it is clear that she is referring to him. It's very cute. Now she can say his name (sorta) and pat her leg when she wants him to come. She's learning quickly now.

Goodnight Moon and Jackson

Since we switched Tali's schedule to an earlier bedtime, I now read to her Monday - Thursday. Jackson loves to join us, hopping up into the rocking chair to sit beside me and Tali. Each night he comes to the chair, sits and looks up at me. I tell him it's okay to come up and pat the chair. It takes quite a few pats for Jackson to muster the courage to jump onto the chair (it's high for him) but he eventually makes it. Then I read Goodnight Moon to both of them while Tali holds her blanket in one hand and Jackson in the other (she doesn't pull his hair, just holds on to it).

Tonight, Tali initiated the pats! She saw Jackson come up to the chair, giggled (she just loves this dog) and then patted my leg (couldn't reach the chair) for him to jump up! In a week and a half, she's learned that is what needs to be done for Jackson to join us and so she did it. How cool to see her learn something so quickly.

Giving Thanks

Thursday was Tali's first Thanksgiving and she sat down with all the adults to enjoy a typical Thanksgiving meal. She ate turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce and loved all of it. She ate and ate and ate and ate. And after all of the adults were finished eating, she ate some more. While we did not go around the table and say what (and who) we were thankful for, I'd like to do that here.

The Who's:

My husband - He works hard to provide for our family. And on Thanksgiving morning, he watched Tali so that I could prepare the meal. He's also been very supportive in my decision to breastfeed for the full first year.

Gran and Savta - They do their best to make my life a little easier. Savta comes two or three times a month to watch Tali for a few hours and Gran comes every two months for a week. It's nice to have a break and a little help.

Doctor Holly - My childhood friend is a pediatrician and a huge help to me. I can e-mail her a question and she usually gets back to me within a day. Nothing like having your own personal doctor!

Jackson - When I'm having a really bad day, Jackson seems to know. He comes over to give me a dog hug and cuddle. It makes me feel much better.

The What's:

Wisp - I know I'm not the target audience for this product, but a "toothbrush" on the go is the perfect thing for a new/busy mom! Yes, we sometimes forget to brush our teeth or realize that our breath smells terrible from our last meal and it's too much trouble to turn the car around and unpack the baby before we get to our next destination. The Wisp solves the problem. I always have them handy.

Car Navigator - We moved to a new city just 3 1/2 months before we had Tali and I still don't know my way around. I don't know what I'd do without that woman's voice telling me where to turn and figuring out a new route when I make a wrong turn. She's a life saver and has a lot of patience.

Wholesome Baby Food Web Site - So far, I have made all of Tali's food. She's never tasted food from a jar (to those who told me I'd give up quickly - sorry to prove you wrong). This site has tons of great recipes and helpful guides.

Ergo Baby Carrier - Most people use the Baby Bjorn but I found it strained my back and the Ergo doesn't do that. All of the weight is on your hips (similar to a hiking backpack) and it makes carrying Tali so easy. I've used this carrier on countless walks with Jackson, a few trips to the grocery store and have even worn it around the house. Plus, it has a weight limit of 40 pounds! I'll be using this for a while.

Fisher Price - They just get it. Their toys, the high chair, etc. are all well made and loved by kids and parents. I know this is what they do, but I must say that they do it very well.

And, of course, I am thankful for Tali. I cannot even imagine my life without her anymore.