New adventures lie ahead!

Well, I've been feeling rather inspired to become a craftier person lately.  This whole idea grew from another lady whose blog I follow!  She has a little one a bit older than Jackson, and her projects are adorable and it got me thinking that maybe I'm capable of more!   Since I've been following her blog, I've been considering venturing out into unchartered craft territory.  I've been convincing myself that there is no way I can learn to sew or any of the other things I've been dreaming about...but my mom is great at sewing and is very good in the craft department - so I thought - maybe it is hiding away undiscovered in my genes somewhere!  Here's to hoping!  My final push happened yesterday morning when I watched the beginning of Julie and Julia.  I haven't seen the whole movie, but can't wait to watch the rest!  Her bold push to conquer Julia Child's cookbook and blog about it and her fearless surge into it gave me my final push to get of the fence and learn, grow, and take chances!!!  

Aren't you all so scared to see what will be hiding under the Christmas tree this year?!

In order to create my own surge...I purchased my very first sewing machine!  I can't tell you how much fun or how much joy it brought me yesterday (that is, after it took me over an hour to figure it all out and thread the darn thing!!)!  

I didn't attempt my first project as I don't have fabric - yet!! - Stay tuned though as I do intend to create one of these mystery projects for Jackson, Trevor, Mom, Dad, and me!!  BEFORE we go to California!  Here's to hoping!  I will keep you posted!  Last night I just practiced stitching with some of the functions my new friend has to offer!  Yes, I definitely have some learning to do!

I had this wonderful white fluff ball as a foot warmer the whole time!  I'm so glad she's so patient!  I wouldn't have hung around that long waiting for a sewing machine to be threaded!!

How relaxed could you be?!

Mr Jackson was ever so sleepy last night...he even slept through his bath!

Patiently Waiting...

Last weekend, Jackson patiently awaited the return of his grandma and grandpa while daddy mowed the lawn!  He waited so long...he fell asleep.  He was hoping for a s'more fire...but still not yet!

Grandpa and Grandma finally came home a couple days later, and Jackson didn't hold a grudge, he still shared a nap and some cuddles!...So sweet!

Sunglass Wearing Dude!!!

SO CUTE!  Man, I love him!  He must be practicing his look for California...

So our Mr. Moose weighed in today at 14 lbs, 4 oz!!!!  This boy is in a rush to grow up!!!

Enjoy your weekends!

Splish, Splash...we love our baths!

We love our baths so much that we introduced bubbles!!  What more could a little boy want?!

The Snuggletons

Kia and Jackson are getting closer and closer every day...and they are really starting to be quite cute together!  Tonight...Jackson cuddled in for some snuggles before bath!  I love these two!

Love that he is smiling!

Must be dreaming about how soft Kia is...he's making a heart with his hands!

I could eat them up!

...a close up of each!...

Sophie the Great!

Jackson is starting to discover his tongue more and more...and with this, more and more things go in his mouth!  Including Sophie the Giraffe!  I also love Kia's tail fanning him...so cute!

Not an accident!

Well, I keep getting told that the rolling over must be an accident, but I think he's getting better and better at it!  Less grunting, more superman-ing!  So proud of our little bug!

Such a ham!

Jackson the flirt!

Time with Uncle Stuart!

This weekend, Jackson got to meet Uncle Stuart!  Hopefully we will be seeing more of Stu...it was fun to watch him on baby duty!  

Thursday Fun...

Thursday Morning...waiting for daddy!

What is this soft thing touching my head?!

Oh, it's KIA!!!

I LOVE Kia!

Thursday Afternoon!...Daddy's home!

Giggle

This giggle is for you Daddy!  Hope it is a welcome sound after your long crummy meeting!

TOO CUTE!

His noises and facial expressions have been so entertaining lately!  Love it!  I love his reaction after his sneeze!  Too funny.

2 more sleeps Trevor!!

Yup...he did it again!!!

Jackson finally woke up and we had some fun!  He did it again for the camera!  He Rolled OVER!  He, however, got stuck on the way and it made me laugh.  It was so hard not helping him go the rest of way!!  But, in stubborn and determined tradition - he kept working it!

Love ya bud!

First Set of Vaccinations - Completed.

Our sweet baby boy got his first set of immunizations this morning.  It made me so sad...I let out a few tears too.  He did really well and only fussed a little but was able to be calmed.  Since then, he has been quite sleepy and a bit more fussy than usual (both of which are apparently normal) and I've spent the day giving him some extra cuddles and consoling.  I feel like I'm just staring at him to make sure I watch for all the possible negative side effects.  So far, so good...here's to hoping he's just sleeping it off and will be back to himself tomorrow.  So sad.

On a brighter note, he has surpassed the 13 pound mark!  He is now 13 pounds, 2 ounces.  MOOSE!!!  He is still in the 90th percentile.  We were sitting across from a 6 month old in the waiting room who weighed in at 13 pounds, 15 ounces...I felt like our boy was as big as this baby!  He's growing very well and they are happy with his progress.  He also grew an inch in length since the last time being there too!

Morning Time!

Jackson has started to love spending time on his Einstein mat!  Each morning he spends time on there while I clean, sterilize, and prepare his bottles first thing after night time.  He entertains himself on there for anywhere from 30 minutes to 45 minutes - which amazes me!  The other day I could hear thumping, so I was looking to see what Kia was so happy about because her tail always thumps the floor...but to my surprise, she was sleeping...so I turned around and it was the little man thumping his leg on the floor!  He does it a lot and it makes me giggle each time, because in my head he learned it from Kia (which I know is not true!)- but I like to think so!

Night Time Feeding Delight!

Jackson was such a character during his last feed of the day yesterday!  He was making so many funny faces - I can really start to see him develop his personality!  Just showing the content boy with the content belly!

A New World

Well, now that Jackson actually naps...and I am starting to get a hang of our new approach...it is amazing how much I can get done in a short amount of time!  

Catching up on the laundry!  No more piles on the floor!

Bottles cleaned, loaded, and ready!

Living room clean!

Blog updated!

Kitchen and nook clean!

What a beautiful thing!  I am amazed at how much I am able to get done in a short amount of time...things that I used to doddle at are done very efficiently now!  If only I was this motivated before!  The above is repeated daily if not twice a day!  I feel like I'm always doing laps around the house!

My New Best Friend!

Okay, so anyone out there who has children knows that the first months are the hardest and most tiring!  I have been blessed - clearly - with a beautiful baby boy!!!  Only, during the day, this little man did not want to sleep and I didn't know how to help him...and nights were a different story all together!  He would nap here and there but it was always so inconsistent and he'd be up for hours on end.  So, I read and read and read.  I stumbled across this other person's advice and they recommended The 90 Minute Baby Sleep Program book by Dr.Polly Moore.  I am in love!  It seems too simple!  For two consecutive days (going on three) Jackson has taken several naps throughout the day and has had decent nights as well (waking at 1-ish and 4-ish).  

Basically the book describes the natural biological clock that runs on 90 minute intervals.  So as soon as your baby wakes up, you basically check the time and add 90 minutes to it...the time you get will be the time your baby will be ready for a nap.  In the beginning babies usually follow this 90 minute interval each time, but as they grow, they can combine 90 minute intervals to be awake for longer stretches...but still always working with that number.  What happens if you miss the time frame window is your baby will reboot their internal clock and be up for another 90 minutes...and so on and so forth.   Well, I payed attention to Jackson's sleepy cues closely...and sure as you could imagine...he would start yawning right before the 90 minute mark and I would help sooth him and off to sleep he was.  They don't quite know yet how to put themselves to sleep and often need help...so watching the clock and prepping them helps them learn how to sooth themselves as well.  Bliss!  It also talks about their sleep cycle and how they sleep (stages, noises, etc) but I won't get into that.   

Sometimes he naps for 30 minutes others it's 2 hours.  He also sleeps better at night because of it - apparently a big misconception is that keeping your baby up longer helps them sleep longer...really studies show it's the opposite...it makes it harder for them to sleep because they are too tired and struggle to wind down.  The more they sleep at this stage, the better it is for their development, etc.  I could go on and on...but really, just get the book!  It won't fix all your problems or make your baby sleep through the night...but it sure is a quick read with valuable information!  

Anyways...while he is napping now (he he he), I thought I would post this as I wish I had read this book prior to his birth...and will be making a point to give it as a shower gift from here on in.  Any expecting mamas out there or friends of expecting mamas - pick it up! Enjoy!