First Pair of Shoes

Jackson's a pretty good walker these days.  This winter has been bad so we haven't gone out much, but he does walk around Target a lot, often pushing his stroller.  Last week the weather was starting to get nice so we decided to hit up Stride Rite.  Jack got his feet measured (size 6 wide), and we tried on a few pairs.

When I first took a pair of shoes out and put them on the floor, Jack tried to step into them.  Super cute.  I go them on his feet and for half a second he wasn't a fan, but then started walking around with them on like a pro!  He was so funny.  He would take a couple of steps, then bend over and touch the shoes, and then walk some more and repeat.

We decided to go with the Step 2: Early Walkers which are super flexible and Jackson seemed to be comfortable wearing them.  They only have two different color choices in his size, navy and grey, and blue and green.  We decided to go with these:

And Jack is super excited about them!

He loves to carry them around the house and try to put them on.  He also knows that now when we go out, he puts on his hat, coat, and shoes.  So cute!

Yesterday it was actually nice outside (before the 6 inches of snow we got this morning), and Jackson took Willow for a walk.

He held her leash and they walked down the street with Jackson's new shoes on.  How fun!  Until Jackson tripped and scraped his face.

Poor baby!  He's only tripped a few times with his shoes on, but I guess this happens when you wear shoes.  (Happens to me all the time.)  He hasn't fallen since then and his fall hasn't seemed to discourage him or his fondness of his shoes.  My baby's getting so big!

Gym Class

A few months ago I decided I wanted to enroll Jackson in gym class.  We are so blessed to have my mother-in-law and mom watch him while Arnold and I work.  I LOVE this and wouldn't change it but he also doesn't get much time with peers.  So after some research and trial classes, I decided on My Gym in Skokie.  They sing and do some stretching exercises and then the kids are free to play on the equipment.  The teachers set up the gym differently each week so there's always something new.  They also bring out swings and other special equipment.  After free time, they teachers bring out a small ball pit and a bunch of noisy toys, and this is supposed to be "separation time" where parents hang back while the kids play.  After that the teachers do some songs with puppets, and then we sing out goodbye song.  This all sounded perfect for Jackson!  Thanks to a very generous gym membership, we have been going every Saturday for a few months now.

When we first started going, Jackson was very apprehensive to do almost anything.  He didn't want to try any of the equipment or play with any of the toys, and got upset when the teachers would talk to him.  He also wouldn't leave my side and certainly wouldn't interact with any of the other children.  This went on for a few weeks, with only slight improvement with separation and social interaction.  So I decided Jackson might do better if just Arnold took him and I stayed home.  The first week only Arnold and Jack went, there was giant snowstorm that morning and Jack was one of two students at the class.  He did great socializing and separating from Arnold, but we didn't really know if that was from the small amount of people, or no mommy.  The next week when he went with Arnold he was a little clingy, but better.  He played with other kids and on the equipment, and didn't get upset when the teachers talked to him.  Since then, he interacted and separated more every week.  Yesterday, Jack did great!  He climbed through the giant tunnel,

went down the slide,

climbed on the mats,

climbed on the ladder,

and swung in the "gondola".

He also played in the small ball bit,

and danced and kissed the sheep during music time.

He played with his friends Erik, Zara, Ryan, and another Jackson.  He separated from Arnold pretty quickly and approached other kids.  He even let one of the teachers pick him up and put him on some equipment!  I love that he is separating more and interacting!  I am a little sad that I haven't been able to watch him but I know he does better with Arnold.  In a few weeks I'll try going with him and see what happens.  Right now I'm just loving that he loves gym class!