Cleaning, Signs, and Independence

I've started household chores early. I figure the sooner he learns to help me out, the better it will be for me! Just kidding. Actually, he took to it all on his own. Jackson loves to push things. He sees me vacuum a lot (we have a lot of crumbs around here) and wants to join in on the fun. I figured I would just make him happy and let him accomplish something at the same time:

He loves the swiffer too. I used to just let him push it around without the swiffer pad on; then, I wised up and put the pad on. He might as well pick up some dust while he's having fun!

Most of you probably do not know that Jackson is quite a squealer. His squeals are high-pitched and make my ears ring. I realize that his squeals are his way of communicating, but trying to decipher his message isn't very easy. We've been working on sign language and I'm pleased to say that once I did my part and stayed consistent, he started signing! The first sign was so exciting...and so adorable. "More" was his first sign. Now, two weeks later, he knows 6 signs. He'd probably know even more if I was better about learning the signs that are meaningful to him. Here he is signing "Eat" and very happy about it.

Okay, back to the squealing. Jackson mostly squealed while we were eating. We tried almost everything and nothing seemed to stop him. We knew he was trying to tell us something but didn't understand what it was...until one afternoon when he was sitting on my lap while I was feeding him and he grabbed the spoon and put it into his mouth. He wanted to feed himself...and not just with his hands, which he was already doing, but with a fork and a spoon. Oh, and he wants the bowl or plate on his tray - not on our table. He isn't satisfied with me filling the spoon and then offering it to him. No, he wants to do the whole thing by himself. Here's a shot of a piece that made it into his mouth. He's actually pretty good at it!