5 Months!

Dear Jackson,

You're 5 months old today! We spent the weekend at Mimi and Pops, and you were the life of the party!  Once you figured out where you were, you really smiled and talked with everybody, especially Aunt Sarah. You've recently started tearing up if you're unsure of your surroundings.  You're becoming very inquisitive, and you can see all of those questions on your face.  It's so fun to watch.

Jackson, or Action Jackson as they call you at school, you have figured out that there is too much to be seen and done during the day to nap.  This past week, Mommy took off from work to spend time with you, and I am worn out from you not napping!  If you do happen to fall asleep without being made to, you will only sleep for about 30 minutes.  Then your eyes will pop open like "Hey what did I miss?"  You fought daytime sleep very hard, but I'm hoping going back to school will get you back on routine. A couple of times I just had to let you cry it out, and I hated to do it, but you really needed to sleep.  At night though, you are really good at going down between 6:30-7:30 p.m. We'll wake you up for a bottle between 10-11 p.m., and then you'll stay asleep until 5-6 a.m.  That's a pretty good stretch, and it sure does beat that every 3 hours a few months ago!

And speaking of fussiness.  One reason you're sleep has been jacked up is because I think the next tooth is coming down.  There's been drool everywhere, refusing to eat all of your bottles, pulling at your ears, and of course chewing on anything you can get in your month.  Me, Mimi, and Aunt Sarah have tried to feel around in your mouth, but nothing is poking through yet.  (Aunt Sarah said you were the only kid who she wouldn't get mad at if you bit her, but hopefully you won't ever do that to her)!

Pops said today that he didn't remember your mom (me) being as active as you are.  If you're awake, you're moving!  You can roll over from your back to tummy in a flash, and have just started to pull your knees up and put your butt in the air.  I think once you figure out how to push forward, you'll be gone!  This past weekend, you've rolled over onto your tummy and then get mad because you're there.  You can roll back to your back, but I guess you haven't realized that's what you want.

And speaking of mad.  Mister, I think you have a little bit of a temper.  When we're changing your clothes, you start grunting at me.  The first few times it was funny, but not so much now.  You've also started to pit a fit when I take something away out of your hands.  Also not funny, but I'm pretty sure you got it from me.  (Let Pops tell you about a Norris fit).

We've started you on baby food this month, and you've tried squash, carrots, green beans, avacado, and green peas.  The last two I made myself and you were unsure of the taste, so we'll try them again soon.  But the other veggies you've eaten very well.  You're also on rice cereal every day, and have tried oatmeal.  I need to get a game plan for the next few weeks to see what else you can try.  I have no doubt that you and Daddy will be outside grilling before too long!

Jackson Landon, you are such a joy to us.  I cannot imagine what we did without you around and I know you will be big far before I am ready for you to be.  I hope you know how much you are loved by everybody, but most of all, by us!

Mommy and Daddy

Here's my sweet boy when we got home today.  

And yes, those are teeth on the bottom! 

Oh hey Mr. Bear! 

I think he's finally longer than the bear.  

Thankful

We have lots to be thankful for this year.  A perfectly healthy baby boy, and... a daddy who has a job! Yesterday, Brent accepted a job in the IT department at Dillard's Corporate Offices starting in January.  I'm not going to lie - the last month has been stressful at our house.  We've had tears, arguments, and lots of prayers.  But ultimately, we knew that God would take care of us.  I've only had a few other times in my life where my faith was tested, and this was definitely one of those times.  But God is faithful and provided right when we needed it according to His time.

When I was reading in my Journey last night, the story covered this verse.  Why am I always amazed that the Word of God hits me right where I am.

We will not hide them from their descendants;
we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord,
his power, and the wonders he has done.  Psalm 78:4


Because this blog is also our family journal, I want to make sure Jackson has documented proof that God is active in our lives and answering the prayers of our hearts.

Cousins

It's Thanksgiving week, and we've been hanging out with Kelly and Caitlin since Friday night.  They got in late that night from Arizona, and the next morning, it was time for the cousins to meet.  She has been so good with him - wants to love on him and hold him a lot.

Jackson is mesmerized by Caitlin.  He loves to watch her, and then he'll just grin.  

Ha!  

Both of the smiling - it's a miracle! 

Here's my lil' man.  He's getting so big - he'll be 5 months next Sunday. 

Today Grandpa Gary and Dottie came over to see Jackson and Caitlin.  They live in West Memphis, and it is just near impossible for us to go over there with two kids (one who hates the car seat), so they met us at Dixie Cafe for lunch.  This is the first time they've met Jackson, and they couldn't get over how big he's gotten.  

Here's Caitlin and Dot (Brent's step-mother). 

After lunch (and a melt-down from Jackson), we hung out on the back porch for a little while.  The weather has been really nasty, but it wasn't too bad to sit outside with a jacket and a heater on.

Grandpa Gary and his two grandkids. 

Tomorrow I'm going to get my hair cut, and we'll probably go visit the Jump Zone to get some of that 4-year-old energy out!  Wednesday, we're going to get our pictures made in North Little Rock and then have some family time with cousin Whitney.  Of course, Thursday is Thanksgiving and we'll be going to  hang out with the extended family.  I've really enjoyed the time off, and looking forward to the next few days.  

Ready for Deer Season

My dad has always been a big hunter, and last weekend when he was at Fort Thompson's, he bought Jackson his first pair of camo overalls.  He's ready to go to the deer woods with Pops now!  They will be riding the 4-wheeler and hanging out in the deer stand before we know it.

Green Beans

We tried green beans tonight, and he seemed to like it.  I fed him a little bit of cereal, which he has been eating every night for a week now, and then we opened the green beans.  Ideally, I would like to make some of his baby food myself, but for now Gerber will do.  Honestly it didn't taste too bad, but it was a little runny, which is why it went everywhere.

Hey mom - what's this green stuff? 

Who doesn't like green bean cream of wheat - yum!

This is a glimpse of how my day has gone.  He has been cranky, fussy, clingy, and snotty.  In fact, he fell asleep after bath time while Brent was rocking him.  So I laid him down, and he was fine for about 10 minutes, then he started up again. I went back in, and picked him up, and he settled down and closed his eyes.  But the second I put him down, he started crying. My instinct was telling me that he really needed to lay down, despite his crying.  well, he got M.A.D. We hated hearing him cry, but about 15 minutes later he had passed out and ultimately I know it's the best thing for him.  Plus, Mama was tired and needed a break! 

I'm praying tonight goes easier than the past few nights.  We may have to do some sleep training in the coming days.  He should be getting close to sleeping through the night, and it feels like we're going backwards.  We are so ready to sleep through the night again! 

Saturday with Mimi and Pops

Today Mimi, Pops, and Nannie drove up to see Jackson for the day.  It had been over a month since they'd seen him in person, and that was just about three weeks too long.  We didn't do anything but hang around the house, but Jackson really enjoyed the extra attention.  Today was also Nannie's birthday, so we were glad to get to spend it with her!

Hey - I think I remember you! 

Pops - let's go ride the 4-wheeler! 

What do you mean you ate all of my Halloween candy? 

Mimi's telling secrets to Jackson. 

We finally got our future OBU Tiger shirt.  I think he'll be the Class of 2033.  Tell Coach Sharp and Coach Knight to be finding us an athletic scholarship to go along with our academic ones! 

It was a little cool on the patio, so we pulled up the hood.  I think his teeth were bothering him today, so he was a little cranky. 

This is the view from our back patio! 

Panoramic shot of the back yard. 

Jackson and Pops.  

Wrestling in the floor with Pops. 

Tomorrow is SPP's Fall Family Picnic, so we will be heading to Maumelle Park in the morning to get set up.  I know lots of people will want to see Jackson, and I hope he feels a little better tomorrow than he did today.  Part of his problem today was that he has been hungry!  Right before bed he took an 8 ounce bottle of formula, and that was about an hour after he ate three tablespoons of ride cereal.  He must have a hollow leg!  

Happy Halloween!

I was very excited for Halloween this year!  Monday morning, we got dressed in our costume and headed to the doctor for our check-up.  Dr. Wilson was dressed up as a witch, so it was pretty funny having a serious discussion about cereal while she was wearing an orange wig and a witch's hat. (LOVE her, BTW). 

After those mean shots, we went to school for the rest of the day.  I couldn't take off the whole day, and I knew he would probably be sleepy that afternoon.  He gets lots of loving at school, so that makes me feel good.  Some of the other babies were dressed up too, but I think the little Skeleton was the cutest. 

He was so happy this morning! 

After work, I went to Target and grabbed some candy and then went to pick up the Skeleton.  We had gotten invited to a few parties that evening, but I knew with the shots, Jackson would need to go to bed early.  He was so cranky when we got home, and I could tell he didn't feel good.  So we got some Tylenol, a bottle, and a quick nap, and he finally quit crying.  I was excited to pass out candy this year, but the kids didn't start arriving until about 7 p.m. and it was only about an hour of steady trick-or-treating.  We all bundled up and sat outside in the drive way to pass out the candy. 

This was the Skeleton after his bottle.  He was quite content once that Tylenol kicked in, and even sat outside with us for a little while. In this picture, he was noticing the candy corn and bats on his shirt. ha! Thanks Gamma for sending us these cute PJs.

Of course Daddy has to be silly!  We bought J a fleece taboggan, and it's still a little big, but it covers his ears.

I'm gonna knock you out! Mama says knock you out!

We did not take him around "trick or treating" this year, but I'm sure next year we will have to start making the rounds to a few houses. 

Oh and another update on a milestone for Mr. J.  He has started rolling over all the way!  He's finally figured out how to get that arm out from under him, but the problem is that he's doing it at night.  So he's waking himself up on his tummy and can't figure out how to get back over.  It'd be very amusing if it didn't happen at 3 a.m.

Four Months Old!

Dear Jackson,

You are four months old!  One-third of the year has gone and I can hardly believe it.  It's so cliche, but truly where does the time go?  Oh wait. It disappears at 3 a.m. when you're hungry.  Your personality is really starting to shine and I absolutely love your eyes and smile.  Your daddy and I always say after you go to bed, "That little boy is cute, isn't he." 

We went to the doctor yesterday for your check up and shots, and you weighed 14 pounds and were 25 1\8 inches long.  Dr. Wilson said you looked great and you're right on track with all of your development milestones.  You can roll from your stomach to your back pretty good now, and almost have rolling from your back to stomach down.  If only that dang arm would cooperate with you!  You are holding your head up when you're on your stomach, and you really prefer to sit up and look around.  I see that you will be nosey just like your mama, which isn't always a bad thing. 

In the past few days, you have really started studying people who aren't around you often.  On Saturday, Monkey came to visit and she got you up from your nap.  You just stared at her, and then started to cry, which is a first.  But once she started talking to you, that smile appeared and all was well with the world.  Speaking of crying, we had our first attempt at "cry-it-out" on Saturday.  It was about 3 p.m. and you were so sleepy.  Most of the time you enjoy being rocked, but this particular time you would have no part of it.  So I put you in your crib, and you got MAD.  But here's the deal, son.  I'm the mommy, so I get to make the rules right now.  You cried for about 15 minutes, and I was determined to not let you win.  (Daddy was gone, and he might have caved).  After that 15 minutes, you calmed down and went to sleep.  It was a small victory, but I know that it will help you in the long run. 

For the past few months we've given you rice cereal off and on, and for the most part you like it.  In fact, one evening, you almost took the spoon out of my hand and fed yourself!  (Not really, but you ate every bite that I fixed).  Last night, we tried it again, and you did the same thing.  In a couple of weeks, we're going to start trying some fruits and vegetables.  I can't wait to see your reaction to that!  I feel like you're ready for something a little more filling, and I know you're ready to use those two new teeth that are coming in.  (Yes, the 2nd bottom tooth has started poking through). 

You are also starting to talk more, and of course it is the cutest thing we've ever heard.  Last weekend when your teeth were coming in, you were screeching very loudly.  It hurt my ears, so I know something was bothering you.  Every morning when I get you up, I always say "Good morning Mommy.  I love you Mommy."  Daddy says that I'm just priming you to make your first words be "mama", but I also say it with Daddy too. 

Jackson, we just love you more than you'll ever know.  Right now, we're having the best time with you, but I also want you to know that we're going through a faith-building moment.  Daddy doesn't have a job right now, and we don't know what God has in store for us, but we have assurance that God will take care of us.  He has done it before, and He will continue to do it again.  Doesn't make it any easier, but we are anxiously awaiting the right job to come along.  2 Corinthians 2:9 says "No one has ever seen or heard anything like this, never so much as imagined anything quite like this, what God has imagined for those who love Him."  So when that perfect job for Daddy comes along, we're going to be sure to let you know Who sent it. 

We love you!
Mommy and Daddy





10-27-11. The sticker has become interesting, and he tries to eat it before the photo shoot is over.



And a look back...

7-1-11

7/27/11

8/27/11

9/27/11