Funny Clip

This could be Jackson is 3 years (which, honestly, would make me laugh--that doesn't make me a bad parent, just someone who appreciates the proper use of superlatives)....or my niece Marley (which, in that case, I would laugh hysterically! Just kidding Rickie...I would tell her to go and say that to her daddy and see what happens! HA!)

Grass

So today started out awful...when I said that Jackson was a good boy and went to bed at 8:15pm, he did, but after I shut my computer off at 11:40, took my contacts out, peed, put my jammies on and was crawling in bed, HE WOKE UP! And not only woke up, but woke up happy and wanting to play--as in, mommy trying to lay with him in her bed and shoosh him back to sleep, and Jackson wanting to pretend Mommy was a mountain and try and climb over her....this lasted until 1:15AM when I finally gave him a bottle and he conked back out. Although that didn't last long, because Adam went in to check on him at 6:30 before he left for the office, Jackson saw him and started screaming, and from then on, was awake, and again, wanting to play....CAN'T MOMMY GET 5 MINUTES OF SLEEP! I can't blame him; maybe he just couldn't sleep--we all have that some nights, and I'm sure babies have it to.

Adam and I had a meeting and lunch date, so Jack Jack stayed with Grandma Netty, then the afternoon was filled with me working on the computer and Jackson playing some more with Grandma...and when I was all done, we got to lay by the pool!! It was so beautiful today! Jackson hung out in the shade in his pack n play, watching Mommy and Grandma, and then: we put him in the grass on a pool towel. You remember that he doesn't like the grass? No different today--and the funniest part was that the towel was his boundary! He would NOT move off that towel! He just sat over by the fence all by himself, smiling at us, and then moving in circles around the towel trying to find "a way out"!






Then Aunt Tacey came home from work, and Jackson just made himself comfy in her lap...

All work and finally some PLAY!

Today, Jackson was an extra good boy! Mommy had to work on some images, so Jack Jack played in his pack n play, ate some lunch, played in his pack n play some more...we played in his room for a little bit before naptime (which included pulling every toy out of the basket, showing it to Mommy, and then throwing it on the floor and saying "hoo"). We read one of the new books Aunt Rickie send him, and finally fell asleep for about a hour (Jackson, not Mommy..I used that time to pick up ALL the toys on the floor and get some more work done).


It was such a beautiful day today, that we had planned on taking Jackson to the park when Daddy got home. And about 5 minutes after Daddy arrived, we got a phone call from Grandma Netty "Can Jackson come out a play?" What a great suprise! On our front porch was the Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt Tacey! So we all packed up and headed to the park!

Jackson loves the swings still...although when we first put him in it, he lost his arms!



We had a nice, relaxing time at the park, and we wore him out! We got home, he got a bath and a bottle and officially conked out at 8:15pm!! What a great day!

Oh, Poop!

For all those new mommies out there, or anyone wanting babies of your own, here's some info to learn. Poop: it's inevitable that you will change a poopy diaper sometime in your lifetime. At first, you think it's going to be awful (if you've never been around kids) and it probably will be. But for us (now) veterans, poopy diapers are really not a big deal--until the poop starts changing! There are MANY stages and COLORS of poop. When Jackson was born, and up until 6 months, he was exclusively breastfed, so his poop was that mustardy-yellow, non offensive odor poop--actually, it smelled like buttered popcorn (I SWEAR--ask anyone in our family!). They were easy to change! As you introduce new foods, poop takes on the color (and the smell) of whatever they ate! Sometimes it's orangy, ALOT of times it's green...and then when you introduce meats, it becomes utterly offensively horrifically smelling!! It's all normal, but it's just amazing to me that in a few months time, not only does the child change, but their poop does too...something to look forward to!

And as a side note: when they have the biggest, poopiest diaper is the same moment that they choose to roll over and try and get away the second you take that Pampers off! IT IS NOT FUN! VERY CHALLENGING! And that's why they say mother's can juggle anything.....

Baby's 1st Easter

Oh! It has been a crazy and busy week, but we ended it this Sunday with church the morning with our entire family: Grandpa Doug & Grandma Patty, Great Grandma Vera, Uncle Elliott and Kayla and Camden, and Grandma Netty, Grandpa Scott, Aunt Tacey, and GG Jane! Wow! Lots of people for church, then on to OUR house for our first Easter dinner! Jackson got an Easter basket filled with Gerber finger foods, Cheerios, and a Laugh N Learn Bunny! He just liked pulling all the individual packs of Puffs out and throwing them all over the living room! Once we got home, I wanted to get in the studio quickly since we don't have a family portrait--shocking, I know! So Grandma Netty snapped a few of the three of us in blue, then we got some of Cousin Camden with his Easter basket and their family, and then the two lil boys together--which ended tragically since Jackson gets too excited and starts hitting. Camden cried, Jackson laughed, and Mommy got embarrassed that Jackson is in this faze....goodness! Sorry Cam! I give you permission to kick him when you get mobile! And we were able to get a good image with Adam's Grandma Vera and the two boys. We had a great dinner and good dessert and it was fabulous day! Cold, but fabulous!

Happy Easter everyone!!

Kemah

This weekend, it poured. And when I mean poured, I mean POURED! So Saturday, we literally stayed in our jammies and did almost nothing (okay, we went to the eye doctor, ran some errands, tried out a new resturant, drank mojitos for lunch, then came home and took a LONG nap) We also busted out the video camera and got video of Jackson dancing! I love it! My goal for next week to is put all the videos into little clips and add a section to the blog for video clips! We have some pretty funny stuff that I would love for you all to see! Jackson went to bed pretty early, and without a struggle, so Adam and I actually got to enjoy an evening together with popcorn and an entire movie with nobody crying (Superman Returns). It was great!

On Sunday, we slept in a bit and got ready to go to mass at a new church--St. Paul's in Nassau Bay. We thought we were going to 12:30 mass--but no, it was at 12:15, AND it was in Spanish! SO instead of mass, we headed to Kemah and met up with Grandma Netty and Grandpa Scott for lunch on the Boardwalk. This was Jack Jack's first trip to Kemah, and it was filled with watching the seagulls, playing in the "fountain", watching the sailboats, and riding the Merry-Go-Round!! And, Mommy didn't have her camera--but Grandma had her point-and-shoot, so we got a few shots that are pretty cute! The first time on the MGR, Jackson rode with Mommy and Daddy, and the only one left was a goat. But we set him up there, and get grabbed a hold of the bar, like he knew exactly what to do! And then he started kicking his legs, as if to say "giddy-up!" The next time around, he went with Aunt Tacey and Grandma Netty, (and they got the Zebra!) and he acted like a pro that time--smiling for the camera and giggling!








Last night, I had a photo shoot, so Jackson and Daddy hung out for about 4 hours, and in that time, Jackson started not feeling good, and has had a bit of a cold ever since. Right now, we are laying in bed trying to get this little guy to go to sleep, but he's just so uncomfortable--he is also getting 2 more teeth and I KNOW they are bothering him. We had a menthol bath, Baby Vicks rubbed on his chest, and the humidifier going with menthol, trying to get his nose to stop running. He's also loaded up on Tylenol and the Hyland's tablets, so I'm REALLY praying that he get comfy and sleepy soon and sleeps well tonight...I'll let you know tomorrow how is goes.

9 months {updated}

We started the day with breakfast of yogurt, Cheerios, and a bottle. Jackson is now able to sign "milk", yet at the same time, we know he's hungry when he says "mi miiiill", or "mo miiilll" or "my miiiilll". Remember when I thought he FINALLY said "Mommy" for the first time--I think I was mistaken, because they sound so much alike! But as a note for his 9 month birthday, here are some milestones:

*Crawls
*Stands ALONE
*Climbs the stairs (up only)
*5 teeth (working on 6 and 7)
*Waves and says "bye bye"
*says "dada" and "mama" and "papa"
*Walks behind walker alone
*Claps
*Dances to music (mostly when he's kneeling)
*Opens cabinet doors (and pulls all the diapers onto the floor!)
*Watches for birds and airplanes
*HATES the grass! He'll stand on one foot to avoid it!
*Eats any kind of fruit, and most veggies (except broccoli and peas)
*Loves Handy Manny and Johnny and the Sprites
*Can spend HOURS in front of his Leapfrog Learning Table
*Likes to "play" the piano
*Smiles and giggles at everything!
*Likes to swing, go on walks in his stroller, and be outside


Yesterday, I had a photo session for a friend of mine in the studio, and while she was making a clothing change, I took Jackson out of his jumperoo (his watching point while I'm working!) and put him in front of the camera for about .2 seconds:

(notice how he's holding his mouth--I think his teeth were hurting him today..."more teething tablets, please, mi miiiillll")






We go to see Dr. Wardell (for the last time...she's moving and we will miss her dearly! She's been so wonderful! I just love her and so does Jackson!) at 2:30, so I'll update tonight with his stats and info! He also gets shots today (so sad) but Daddy will be there too, so hopefully it won't be so bad!

**Update**
We just got back from saying our goodbyes to Dr. Wardell--she is off to Palestine, TX (home of my friend Brandie) and as she walked out of the office, Jackson said really loud "BYE!" and waved--too cute! He is now 20 lbs (50%tile) and 27.25" long (25%tile) She thinks he is growing well and impressed with how animated he is and how strong he is in nearly walking. She said he is ready to try some meats--so we gave him some chicken tonight with green beans, and of course, he ate them up! He is a really good eater! We told her we just weaned him at 8 months, and she was happy that we nursed for as long as we did--hence the super healthy baby! I highly recommend breastfeeding--it may seem weird, but the benefits are phenomenal--if you can do it, DO IT!! Some babies are not good breast-feeders, but if they latch on well, keep going!

Sweet Baby Boy

Hyland's Teething Tablets

The last time we went to see Dr. Wardell, she told me to get Hyland Teething Tablets--but I thought she said teething BiSCUITS, so like an idiot, I've been searching the Internet, every store, every baby aisle, and obviously couldn't find them. So at my Mom's Night Out with my MOPS group last week, the ladies were telling me to get the Hyland's Teething Tablets, and I burst out "WHERE DO YOU GET THEM! I CAN'T FIND THEM ANYWHERE!" and they all said they had the same problem (so I didn't feel like such a bad mom) But THEIR problem was that at Walmart, they are located with vitamins (uh, hello Walmart? You are supposed to be the kings of marketing and product placement, why in the WORLD would you put a baby product on the bottom shelf of the vitamin aisle next to weight loss pills and estrogen supplements? Ever heard of Baby Orajel--PUT THEM NEXT TO THE OTHER WONDER DRUG MOMS LIVE FOR! okay, enough venting, but this was months of frustrating searches built up)

I swear by these things now! They are all natural, and contain chamomile, which soothes baby's mouth instead of numbing it! It works like a charm! Jackson hadn't been sleeping very well because his teeth were waking him up (we're working on #6 and #7) but I gave him his 3 little pills under his tongue and he conked right out--and has been sleeping through the night again ever since!

So remember: Walmart, bottom shelf, pink and white box, get your sleep back!!

Bribery

Okay, we have come to the sad realization that, even at the ripe young age of nearly 9 months, Jackson can be bribed. Yes, I said it, spoiled with bribery. And it's all Grandma Netty's fault. Yup, blame it on the Grandma. Here's what happened: I get home from the gym and everyone wants to go to lunch. So, even though it's close to nap time, we go anyway, as I sit in the car thinking "Oh Lord, I'm going to spend an hour playing "the pick up game" (which,by the way, I hate, and typically, DO NOT put up with, but for every one's sanity in the restaurant, I will oblige this one time)" or hoping that we brought enough toys for distraction. But as we get out of the car, my mom says to Jackson "Now remember what we talked about: if you are a good boy, we'll make a stop on the way home for that surprise, but if you're not good, we go to the car." I'm like "Good one mom. He doesn't understand how to sit still when you change his diaper (and that for about 20 seconds), how do you expect him to sit perfectly quiet for a toy."

Well, somehow it worked, because my child did not make a PEEP during our entire meal. No toys were thrown, no crackers were crushed, no drinks were attempted to be knocked over, no strangers were stared at, no loud screams were uttered, no fussing, no squirming.....he SAT STILL AND ATE CHEERIOS LIKE A GOOD BOY FOR AN HOUR! (I think people in Hell are cheering and wearing parkas while drinking ice cold Desani)

So on the way home, we stopped at Target where Mom and Jackson jumped out of the car and made a B-line for the Fisher Price aisle, all the while with Jackson giggling and smiling like he knew exactly where they were going...and my dad and I sitting back watching all of this with our jaws on the floor because there is no way a child of this age should have a clue what is going on, but he truly seems as though he does.

And this is what we bring home:




It's the Playskool Walk N Ride, and since Jackson can stand all by himself now, and walk between Adam and I, yet will not take that first step by himself, Grandma thought this would be good to get him "going" on his own! And so far, it works! He is ALL OVER THE PLACE with this thing. He pulls up on it by himself, and tools around the living room like a toddler. It's amazing...he is getting so big so fast!

Piano Man

This morning, as we spent, yet another morning at Grandma Netty's before my computer battery went dead and I could not work anymore (I left the charger in my office) I got a chance to "play" with Jack Jack! He was hysterical this morning! After playing a game of "scream, giggle, and run up the stairs" (this was were he gets to the bottom on the steps, we say "Jackson! No No!", he screams, starts giggling, and then high tails it 90 miles an hour up the next step--like he so much faster than Mommy and he will get away! Ha! Not a chance!), Jackson headed for the piano. Now, the piano can be a dangerous place. It has sharp corners and a bench that can tip over. But Jackson's new thing is using it as an obstacle course and maneuvering his way in and out of the legs. In addition, he remembers from a few weeks ago that there are keys under that cover thing and he can bang on them and make noise--so he is always reaching for it. I put him on the bench again to see what he would do--and the fact that Daddy says Jack will NEVER play the piano is absolute BS, because just look at my little Mozart! He was banging on the keys, singing out loud, leaning back and wailing! It was a hoot! He is a little ham and whenever he gets an audience, he is quite the performer. Gee, I wonder where he gets that??!!!??