Six Months Old!

Happy Half Birthday Jackson!  I seriously cannot believe that just six months ago you came into this world, and my how things have changed!  We are spending this last week of the year at home together, and it's been so much fun to play with all of your new toys and read your new books.  Unfortunately, you are also very fussy because that top tooth is bothering you.  It's not poking through yet, but you can tell it's definitely making you uncomfortable.  I'm hoping you'll sleep good tonight and will feel a lot better tomorrow.

And speaking of sleep, you're still not making it 10-12 hours yet.  We'll wake you up around 10 for another bottle, and then that'll get you until 4-5 a.m. the next morning.  Over Christmas weekend you woke up every 4 hours and ate 8 ounces!  It must have been a growth spurt, so I'm expecting you to be over 16 pounds at Thursday's visit to see Dr. Wilson.  You are wearing mostly 9 month clothes, especially pants for the length.  I've had to retire all of your 6 month pants because they look like capri pants. ha!

You're still eating cereal, fruits, and veggies really good, and we're going to try some new things this week to see how you like it.  You still don't like green peas, but we laugh at the faces you make.  It's almost like you're gagging (not choking though).  I think the hardest part of this whole baby thing is figuring out schedules and feeding.  You mommy is a schedule person, and I've had to learn to go with the flow a little more.

As far as your personality, I think you're going to be a social butterfly, but only after you get warmed up.  Over Christmas you were in several new places, and you really studied everybody.  I could see the little wheels turning in your head trying to figure out who all of these people were.  But once you got going, you were all grins and smiles for everyone who talked to you (especially the pretty girls).

I also have to tell you that after much prayer, your daddy has both found a new job and graduated from college!  He has been dedicated to finish school, and it will be something that he will have forever.  When we first met, he was going back to school, so we're looking forward to Daddy being around without having to check school work.  God has also blessed him with a new job in January.  He'll be working on computers at Dillards, and I know he's ready to meet new friends and show off your cute pictures!  He couldn't have done either of these without Our Almighty Father answering the prayers of our heart.

You, My Little Man, are the best thing that has ever happened to us.  Even after a long, exhausting day, when you're in your bed asleep and dad and I are watching TV in the quiet, we say how much we love you and couldn't imagine life without you.  I am reminded of the verse that I've prayed for you:  Ephesians 2:10 - For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."  We pray that as you get bigger that God will prepare us and help guide us so that we can point you to Him.

We love you more than you'll ever know.
Mommy and Daddy

If this isn't Brent, I don't know what is. 

Go baby Go!  

Dear Jackson

Dear Jackson,

This is your first Christmas!  I know you don't have a clue what's going on, but we are enjoying it just the same.  We had lunch at Ma's today and you were interested in your presents (and Mommy probably had more fun opening them than you did).  You got lots of cool stuff, played hard with your second cousins Jordyn and Cade, and smiled at all of your great-aunts and great-uncles.  Both of your great-grandmothers were there, and I want you to know what a blessing that is!  They love you o much.

Tomorrow is Christmas Day and we'll go back to our house after church with Mimi and Pops.  We will have dinner with Daddy's side of the family and will throw the infamous Fireball.  And that night while everybody sleeps, Santa is going to make a special post-Christmas trip to your house.  But you know that Santa isn't the reason for the season.  It's Jesus.  You see, Jesus was born a long time ago, and he came to save us from our sins.  We celebrate his birth and thank God for sending him.  There's a reason why we always read Luke 2 before opening presents - it's because that story is way more important than any toy you could ever get.

Jackson, you are the best gift Mommy and Daddy could have ever gotten.  You are my joy!  We love you!

-Mommy and Daddy

Weekend before Christmas!

This past weekend, Mimi and Pops came to see us and we all had a great time.  Jackson is really giggling a lot now, and we LOVE to hear it!  This lion really made him laugh, but only when Mimi was holding it.  I love seeing those teeth when he grins!

Sometimes when I'm getting ready and he's awake, I bring him in our room and put him in front of the mirror.  It's several minutes of pure entertainment for all of us, and I think Jackson really likes that baby in the mirror. 

We had a mini-photo shoot last night before we went to church, and this is what we got.  He can sit up by himself for a few minutes, but wasn't interested due to all of the shiny things.  He hasn't really been interested in the tree, until I stuck him under it.  ha!  Daddy was hanging on to him and kept all of the bows out of his mouth (or tried to).

This is the best Christmas present I could ever have asked for.

And this is where things went south.  ha!

We are looking forward to a fun week-before Christmas. 

Secret Sis Reveal Party

Last Thursday night, Ginger opened her house to our girls group from church for a Secret Sis Reveal Party.  For the past year, we've each had a different girl and have showered them with prayers and small gifts.  I really enjoyed doing it and tried really hard to make her feel special, even though I was out of commission for a couple of months.

So we had dinner and visited, and then exchanged one last present.  I went first and gave my present to Amanda Rowe, who was then to give her present to her secret sis.  Which just happened to be ME!  ha!  We live very close to each other, so for the past year, we have been sneaking presents to each other.  Brent almost caught her delivering my anniversary present, but she had recently had her hair colored, so that threw him off!  The present that she gave me was the book called "Heaven is for Real."  I had heard of the book, but hadn't read it yet.  I sat down the next afternoon and read it on just a few hours.  I boo-hoo'ed through the first part, then it was just amazing to hear about what this little boy saw in heaven.

Anyway, here are some of the girls. Oh and out of this whole group, only one figured out who her sis was, and it's because she called the cops on her strange vehicle that was circling her street and then recognized her vehicle at church later.  ha!

And here is my sweet Secret Sis, Amanda! 

I can't wait to see who my sis is for 2012! 

Four Years

Four years ago today I married my best friend.  It's so cliche to say, but I honestly love him more today than I did in 2007.  We've gone through a lot, had a lot of fun and laughter, and now have the sweetest, brown-eyed boy in the world!

I love you, Brent!  

First Snow and Christmas Decorations

Man, what a week we've had!  From Sunday night to Tuesday, we've been at home with Jackson, who had a little virus.  I thought it was teething, but the doctor confirmed that a virus was the culprit of the high fever.  He also got a fever rash - bless his heart.  We had to stay home Tuesday because he needed to be fever-free for 24 hours, so by this morning I was ready to get out of the house.  But when I woke up, this is what we saw outside.

WHAT!  SNOW!

Last night it had started spitting snow before bed, and I tried to tell Brent that it was snowing, but he didn't believe me.  Well, he definitely believed me when he got up with Jackson!  ha! I waited until about 10:45 to head into work because I am NOT interested in getting stuck in traffic for two hours with this child who doesn't like his car seat.  Not to mention that I don't want to get into an accident with him in the car.  It was pretty to look at, but I had cabin fever and was ready to get out of the house.  Mama had to go to work!  Plus, I think we all needed some time away from each other.  ha!

In other news, Christmas is officially here at the Haywood House.

Here's my "mantle" aka my piano. Isn't that baby sweet! 

And another picture of J with Santa.  

Ba Ba Ba Ba

This past week, I've noticed that Jackson has started saying a couple of consonant sounding words.  Mainly, "ba ba" and "ra ra".  Once he gets going, he really talks up a storm (wonder who he got that from).  His "ba" sounds like bye bye and Bubba, but we think he is really trying to say "bottle."  Because when he gets hungry, he starts saying "ba ba", and then he attacks the bottle once we give it to him.  Of course it may not be, but we like to think that's what he's saying.   We're working on "mama" and "dada", so we'll see what sounds come next.

He's also getting more steady while sitting up.  He wobbles and you have to make sure he doesn't fall over, but he's holding his head and torso up a lot better.  I was rocking him tonight and just can't believe he's gotten this big.  I know it's only been 5 months, but where has the time gone!  It's so cliche, but true.

Today has been a rough day.  He was up off and on from about 5 a.m. this morning, and he didn't feel good during church today.  We probably would have stayed home, but we had to bring breakfast to Sunday School and had nursery duty during 2nd hour.  He acted fine before we left, but by the time we got home, he had a temperature of 102.  Poor baby!  You could tell he felt bad, so we got the tylenol out and called Pops.  An hour later, his temp was down, and after a nap and a bottle, he was almost back to his jolly self.  We'll be calling Dr. Wilson in the morning just to make sure, but I'm fairly certain that there is another tooth coming down.  I can't feel anything yet, but he's had all of the classic symptoms:  fever, drool everywhere,  chewing on everything, loose poops, and extreme fussiness.  This was exactly what he did when the first tooth came in, but the fever has me a little concerned.

But I have to tell this quick story before I go check on J.  Today Brent and I were in the 3-year old room, and it was wild let me tell you!  But we jumped right in and started playing.  I'm not sure who had more fun playing legos, the little boys or the big one.

It was also a good snapshot of what our life will involve in 2 1\2 years from now.  Legos, dinosaurs, sharing, and singing about Jesus.