Travel Often

“I see my path, but I don’t know where it leads. Not knowing where I’m going is what inspires me to travel it.” — Rosalia de Castro

Love Deeply, but Laugh Along the Way

"Happiness is only real when shared." - Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild

View Marriage as an Adventure

"Love is a flower which turns into fruit at marriage." ~Finnish Proverb

Fuel your body with GOOD (It's the only one you get)

He who has health has hope; and he who has hope has everything. - Arabian Proverb

Open your Soul to Motherhood

A Grand Adventure is About to Begin - Winnie the Pooh

A New Kind of Love is Born

Mothers hold their children's hands for a short while, but their hearts forever.

Showing posts with label 6 Months Old. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 6 Months Old. Show all posts

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Sixth Month Check Up - 6.5 Months


Jackson’s 6 month visit (even though he’s almost 7 months)

We had to change Jackson’s 6 month appointment because his pediatrician had a conference so now he’s a little off schedule but I’m always OK with delaying shots… hate those things!
Hello friends! I am sitting on my own! I'm 6.5 months old here.
 

As of November 6, 2012, Jackson’s measurements:
Weight: 16.6 pounds – 18 percentile (little peanut!)
Length: 27.5 – 74 percentile
Head: 17.09” – 29 percentile

Tall and skinny man!

I had only been feeding Jackson solids one time a day (dinner time) and had just started feeding him breakfast this past week (bananas). His pediatrician told us we should be feeding him three times now. OOPS!!! I was going off Jackson’s cues and just started to notice he seems to have tons of energy after he eats at night, and seems like he should get more during the day since he’s been working on crawling. Sure enough, he was VERY excited to eat in the morning. So he gets oatmeal and bananas in the morning. A fruit and veggie in the afternoon and a yummy dinner at night. All with breast milk with some breast milk breaks in between meals too. That’s a total of 6 feedings throughout the day. That’s a lot of eating!!! And a lot more food to make. I just want to make sure he’s always getting enough breast milk first though.
Getting ready for my shots!
 

We were also told he could eat meat now. This weekend I’ll be hard at work making all his foods. I’m going to try getting him fish at least once a week (same with us). I always feel so good the day after I eat fish. Weird, I know.   

Jackson tried pears this past week (loves them!) for the first time and tonight he’s going to try winter squash. We were also told we could stop his medication for reflux! So I’m going to add plain Greek Yogurt to his diet to help his tummy. Hopefully there aren’t any dairy allergies! Fingers crossed. I’ll probably have to introduce in the morning and on the weekend so I can watch him and be ready if anything should happen.

After work, I ran to Valley Natural Foods and bought some organic puff cereal. I gave Jackson a few pieces while I was fixing his dinner. Why didn’t I think of this before? This distracts him enough where he’s not getting impatient as I cook everything up. He didn’t know what to do at first but once he got one in his mouth, it was so cute to see his teeth and jaw chew! His face was priceless.
Step one
 

We also give him his sippy cup during his meals. It’s filled with water now until he gets the hang of it. He knows exactly what to do, but we have to work on him throwing his head back to get the water to come out.
Step Two
 

Sleep has been wonderful. Maybe once a week he’ll get up at 2, but most of the time it’s me going into his nursery at 5:30 before work. There might be a 4 am wake-up call in there every now and again too but I am fine with that. He will go back to sleep after...and same with me. I’ll get that workout in at some point… Just love this little man of ours.
Step Three
 

Jackson is able to sit on his own now. Just a little wobbly here and there. He has begun to notice strangers and will cling on to me if something scares him: when we Skype, the garage door opens or closes, someone scares him with a loud voice. He is so great at transferring objects from one hand to the next. The doctor was very impressed. 
Step Four
 

He’ll act like he’s ready to clap and he’ll extend his arms out a little better before when he wants one of us to pick him up. Love that feeling.
Dad? Is that you over there??
 

Changing him has become a crazy challenge. The minute we lay Jackson down, he’ll flip over and want to crawl over to the edge of the crib so he can bite the wood. A friend said they have a special book for their little girl that will distract her. She only gets it when she’s getting changed. So we tried this and it worked!!! For a minute or two, so we have to be FAST.
And back to trying to crawl again...
 

I don’t like that it’s SO dark out now when we get home. It’s very hard to go for a walk now. Not sure what we’re going to do. Next week it’s supposed to be in the low 30s, so I guess it’s about that time to get creative with our fresh air.

We’ve made it to church THREE Sundays in a row!! YAY! Yes, it’s during his nap, but we make it work.

Crawling. Crawling. Crawling. I wonder with him eating more, if he’ll have just enough energy to work harder and before we know it, he’ll be all over the place? Oh boy!!! This is going to get interesting!!

I had my first taste of what it might feel like when I get bit by Jackson. Ohhhhh, man… NOT going to feel good. I think he was testing what my reaction was going to be because he kept looking at me. I put the kibosh on that! Those teeth are SHARP!!

The best is when I pick him up from day care and his face lights up. He smiles, laughs and then we cuddle. Day has been made. Ahhhh.
 

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Hitting the Sweet Spot! - 6.5 Months

Jackson is 6.5 Months Old

WE SURVIVED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I SURVIVED!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well...this far:) I have hit the sweet spot! I'd hear people talk about it but wasn't sure what they meant. I just knew I wanted to get there!
Our sweet happy boy


"Things DO get better. I promise," is what I'd hear.

It's weird typing that because things were always awesome in hindsight, but becoming a parent is such a transition. And oh...man...the lost sleep!!! Ugh. That is killer. And you wonder if it'll EVER get better. Then you wonder HOW will it ever get better??? Because you worry. And you worry more and you sleep less. And the less sleep you get, the more delusional you become. Like borderline crazy. I remember thinking such goofy thoughts. One of them: My old life really wasn't so bad. What did I just do???
Sitting up at Gpa and Gma's House


I still remember how I didn't want to leave Kohl's a week or two after Jackson was born because I just wanted my old life of freedom and sleep back. And I was so scared my life would always be like that first month as a new parent.

It really isn't. Things really DO keep getting better and better and better. I mean, why else do people have more than one child? Ha!
Even though I'm away from my baby during the day, he's not far! Always on my mind and in sight.


I think hitting the sweet spot means, LIFE IS SO SWEET!!!!!!!!!! You really start to count your blessings. Someone at work even asked me if I was "on something" last week because I've been so happy and bubbly. I swear...it's the sleep thing. Jackson slept 12 blessed hours in a row two weekends ago. 12 hours. 12. Now...last night I couldn't fall asleep until 11 and then Jackson was up at 2:30...so little tired here. But I don't mind. Really. I know I can do it.

Some people hit the sweet spot immediately after their baby is born. Some it takes a few weeks. Some a few months. Me...took half a year!!! I'm not saying I woke up one morning just recently and felt I had it all together. I'm saying I love where things are at right now and I'm soaking each moment up as much as I can. I'm happy. I can't get enough of Jackson and he's so much fun to be around. I don't mind getting up in the middle of the night anymore (maybe because these times are fewer and far between). I have a system down. I'm more confident in myself. I'm stronger. I feel really good. I'm proud of myself and am not ashamed to write that. It was rough there, but I did it. I know deep in my bones that I'm in a good place and my life is going to keep getting crazy cool.
First Halloween!


But with those happy thoughts comes fear. Darn fear. The happier I feel and the more attached I get and the more I love, the more I have to lose. And that is scary. I can't even imagine a life without Karl or Jackson in it. It makes me sick and so sad to even think about that. So I'm not going to write too much about that...other than...that fear is there. And as much as things get better and greater, that fear sneaks up out of nowhere. I take it as a reminder to appreciate every second and moment I have with my boys and pray that I get to enjoy infinity seconds with them. 

I've also had to train my brain to lower my expectations (especially of myself) AND not be so hard on myself . If I shoot for accomplishing one thing a day for myself, the rest sort of follows. Karl will list off all the stuff he wants to do and has to get done and I tell myself, if I can get a walk in with Jackson, today is a GREAT day. Or...if I can spend an hour playing with Jackson, today is the BEST day. That's it. I try not to get down on myself if I don't cook up a fabulous meal, or get to clean an area of the house that's been collecting dust, or get out of the house to run a few errands or get a hardcore workout in. My first priority is getting time with Jackson in because I don't get a whole lot of that during the week.
Look mom! Just helping with laundry!


What's new with Jackson -

I woke up this past weekend to see Jackson up on all fours in his crib. Yes. And rocking. He lifted his arm as if he was going to crawl but instead leaped forward into a plank. It was pretty funny. But he got right back up on all fours and rocked again. I know it's coming. It's SO coming... He's doing it more and more on his mats too. Our house is so not baby proofed!!

We gave Jackson a sippy cup after his dinner last week. He took it and put it right in his mouth, but he couldn't quite figure it out. I gave him a little tap water to try. Dad had to help him but he wasn't so interested.
Why can't I get this crawling thing down?


Jackson was introduced to mangoes this week. He had to think about it but once he started making his "mmmm" noise, I knew he liked it. Tonight I'm introducing papaya! And later this week: pear. It's not that difficult to make his food. For instance, my brother was over so we could all watch The Amazing Race. He received a phone call, so in that time I chopped, peeled and pureed Jackson's food. Done.
Sunday Greeter at church with dad!


Jackson is blowing raspberries (i.e. making farting noises). It's the cutest thing. I read somewhere that he's getting ready for those first words!!! I can't wait.
Yo! You talking about my awesome cups?


Jackson went into a full out laughing spat when Mike (my brother) came over. We caught it on tape too. The greatest ever. I looked over at Karl. We both had tears in our eyes. Now that is PURE JOY. I couldn't help it. Jackson laughing - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOXzxC4EBpQ&feature=plcp

Karl made the most creative Halloween Costume for Jackson. Mr. Mustache Man. Not a bird. Not a plane. But Mr. Mustache Man. Saving the world one whisker at a time. I could not believe Karl was getting out of bed at 5 a.m. to get to work so he could find time in his day to work on the costume. I mean, we're talking about a man who LOVES his sleep. My mind was blown when I saw it. There was fur. And edging. And pants. And suspenders. And a cape! And a monster-sized mustache. What a great dad. I love weird people. Maybe cuz I'm one of them:)
Mr. Mustache Man and the creator of his costume! Can't wait for next year!!




Jackson has more than just one tooth. A few days after he got his first one, another one popped up from his bottom gum. He's a bit feisty and is doing his major teething thing again, so I'm wondering if another is coming...

I know there will be plenty of ups and downs but when there is a good day - oh, it's SOOO sweet! The day even tastes sweet.

Mommy hood is rockin!






Friday, October 19, 2012

Baby's First Tooth - Month 6

We have a tooth!!
Jackson's first tooth at 6 months old


For my own records (First tooth: Thursday, October 18 at 7:30 p.m.), I have to most definitely write a little post about Jackson's first tooth! We knew it was coming with him chewing on EVERYTHING (and standing on his own just to chew on things), but here are some other signs we noticed:

1. Last week Jackson had a cold (or at least was getting over a cold) but during the night I'd hear him let out a yelp here and there. Not sure if it was his tooth breaking through or sinus pressure? He was waking up around 2ish yelling, but eyes were closed. I'd scoop him up and nurse him and he'd go back to sleep.

2. Big time drooling. Always has been a drooler but kind of took it to another level... Almost puddles of drool on his play mat.

3. Anytime I'd hand him a teething ring, he's drop everything and lunge for it. He'd get so excited for it and chew down. And chew. And chew.

4. When I'd get him from daycare, I'd hug him and he'd open his mouth and start chewing on my shoulder.

5. Jenna said when she'd change him, he'd lean his mouth into her arm.

6. When I picked him up from daycare, he was all about getting everything and anything into his mouth. My coat strap, the car seat strap, the little toys hanging from his car seat. When I got him home, he'd try to lean into anything he could so he could teethe...the bottle warmer, pillows, our drinking glasses. ANYTHING. I'd hold him back but then he kept grabbing for my hands and sticking them into his mouth. And then he bit down before I could take my finger away... WHAT WAS THAT?? SOMETHING SHARP!! Granted he wouldn't let me peek in there, but I just knew!!! TOOTH!

7. He started sleeping 8:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. the past two nights. Something was up... He never does that. He had shorter naps at daycare yesterday. What was going on?

8. I noticed this week when I'd nurse him, he'd get a little rash under his eye all the way to his ear. After awhile it'd go away but thought that was interesting...

9. Karl took him up for a bath and I heard..."WE HAVE A TOOTH!" I ran upstairs and peeked in. SURE ENOUGH!! A TOOTH!!!

10. Just a titch nervous how nursing will go now...

Our little guy is growing up! *tear. tear*

Monday, October 15, 2012

Happy Six Month Birthday Jackson!

Jackson is 6 months old!!!

I can't even believe how fast time has gone. Really. I can only imagine how fast the next six months are going to go.

Jackson wearing "My First Birthday" Shirt...even though he's only 6 months! Hey... it was $.97!!

Here's what's new with Jackson...

He's getting better and better at sitting. Yes, he needs to hold on to something to stay sitting for longer periods of time, but he can do it. Still a bit wobbly. For example, I let him sit by himself for awhile (as he held on to the jungle gym for support) and a few minutes later he fell forward into a bit of a gymnastic flip. He looked shocked, but soon was smiling. We'll get there!

Just hanging out here...sitting with my friend Gerry the giraffe. (Karl has names for all Jackson's toys! Super fun.)
Gerry and I are buds!


Jackson was born with super strong legs. When he came out of me, he was practically standing and could hold his neck really well. It's no surprise he'll stand if we hold his hands and walk behind him. Now, he's dead set on being walked over to the jungle gym where he can hang on to the bars and chew on the plastic top in the middle. He loves doing this. I can let go and he'll go to town...all on his own! Big boy.
Working on my leg muscles!!!
Tall man standing
Give me something to chew on!!


Oh, and one area I AM SUPER PROUD OF MYSELF in is NURSING!!!!!!! I DID IT FOR 6 MONTHS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND WHILE WORKING FULL TIME 3 of those 6 months. HUGE accomplishment in my eyes because breastfeeding is a big time commitment. BIG. HUGE. I would not back down as much as I wanted to at times because I was so exhausted. I kept going. AND I DID IT!!! And I am damn proud of myself. I feel like we're getting a good system down too. I never know how much Jackson is getting from me, but after 10 minutes he seems satisfied and then I let him go play. He can go a few hours without wanting to eat again, so I assume he's getting enough. ??? No issues with production as of right now, so something must be working.

I noticed Jackson was squinting and blinking his eyes more, especially after he ate. I was super nervous there was a neurological issue or something going on so I went straight to Google. It sounds like this is common and we have nothing to worry about. Still...I plan to bring this up in his 6 month appointment.

Mr. Blinky

And then back to smiling!

And then right to hamming it up like usual!
Did I mention my dad is SO FUNNY??

Speaking of Jackson's 6-month appointment... His pediatrician cancelled so he'll be almost 7 months when he goes in for his third round of shots and weight check. Curious where he's at now that we introduced food. All I know is those size 2 diapers are getting tighter and tighter!

Speaking of food, Jackson has had whole grain organic oatmeal, barley, rice cereal and homemade sweet potatoes, bananas, avocados and apples. The face he made while eating apples was priceless!!! All these have been super easy to make and prepare. Now...wondering if I should introduce a second meal of the day? He seems pretty happy with eating once a day for now though.
Those apples were pretty tart! But I like!


Jackson is a huge fan of being on his belly. He doesn't stay on his back for long and before we know it, he's flipped over.
On my belly like always!


He kicks those legs of his and jumps with them a lot. I'll pick Jackson up to nurse and he's constantly pushing his legs against me so he's jumping off my lap or pillow. Then he'll keep bouncing. And he smiles and laughs when he does this. When Karl gives him a bath, he kicks like crazy!!! Non-stop kicking. Michael Phelps anyone? Oh, and his eyes are getting browner...
Me? Cute??? DUH!


Jackson is super observant right now. If I'm nursing him and he hears Karl come home from work, he's looking for him. If I'm nursing him in the family room and he hears the washer or dryer downstairs, he has to pause and look around. If I turn the TV on for even a second to DVR a show, he stops and tries to find where the voices are coming from. So I don't even bother. I guess it's good for all of us to watch very little TV, if any... Karl and I will catch up on a show or two over the weekend if we can after Jackson is in bed. Also, Jackson will sit in his stroller for hours and watch everything going on outside. We turned our fake fireplace on and he stared and stared at the lights.
These lights are NEAT! (Don't worry...I don't EVER leave him unattended!!!)


When I pick him up from daycare and am holding him, more often than not, he'll bury his face in my chest and push off with his legs while he's doing this. Trying to figure out if this is him wanting food or telling me he's tired. Or...maybe that he's just happy to see me:)

Jackson is still teething. Chewing on EVERYTHING! No teeth yet!

I chew on everything!


He's been saying "ba-ba" and just started saying "ca-ca" the other night. When I say it back, he smiles like crazy. Like he thinks I understand what he's trying to say. It's so cute.

He's starting to laugh more if I kiss his belly while changing him or his neck after I've fed him or pick him up to cuddle. He will start laughing. LOVE this sound. LOVE IT.

We have a nice nighttime routine down. We have learned THE HARD WAY that we have a window of time to get Jackson in bed by. Jackson MUST be in his jammies and eating between 6-8 p.m. If I haven't started nursing him in his nursery before 8:00 hits, HOLY SCREAM FEST. And I mean...no stopping the SCREAM. Like...I had to bring him downstairs and put him in his swing just to settle him down...(yes, tried the whole crying it out for quite awhile but we're talking SCREAM SCREAM SCREAM). Right now his bedtime is between 7:00-8:00 p.m. and works great. Karl is reading to Jackson every night so they have more bonding time since Karl has been working so much. ONLY hard part is not everyone understands why I can't hang out at night... It's still hard for me to do this especially with nursing... I know. I know. Give Karl a bottle and call it a night. But I LOVE THIS TIME with Jackson. This is MY time. And with working all day. I MISS HIM!!! Hang tight!
Dad and Jackson enjoying story time!

With Jackson going down between 7-8:00 p.m. (sometimes he still nurses until 8:30 but he's in a dream feed), he gets up around 3/4 a.m. I can totally deal with this. Though 4/5 a.m. would be ideal. We're getting there! He will get up sometimes between 12:45-2:30 but we try and let him whimper it out some. He's not really full out screaming around this time. If he is, something is up and I go get him and nurse him. Usually we can go until 4 though and I'll feed him at this time and put him back down. Karl wakes him up at 7:00 and brings him to daycare.

I cleaned out his closet and said goodbye to most ALL his 0-3 month clothes. SAD. Tucked them away for the next one... Sad because some of the clothes he never even wore!!!!!! What if we have a girl next??? Maybe we'll have to have three kids:) :) :)

LOVE when he wraps his arms around me and presses his face to my cheek. I know he's really trying to chew my face off but I pretend it's him wanting to kiss me. The kiss and hug feel amazing.
A kiss??? Maybe... He loves chewing on my cheeks. HA!


I try my hardest to get Jackson outside for a minimum of 10 minutes (much longer if we can!). I bundle him up and off we go!!! He even had a bit of a cold in this picture but fresh air is GOOD!
On a quick walk after work! Little chilly but we bundle up!


Speaking of cold...Jackson had his second one of the year so far. They last about 10 days total...three days being pretty rough.

Being a mom is FUN STUFF!!!! It really does keeps getting better and better and better... And it has only begun! WooHOO!!!

Oh, and last, but not least...here is a video of mom and dad waking Jackson up before daycare wishing him a HAPPY 6TH MONTH BIRTHDAY!!! http://youtu.be/LQhGC60_dgs

WE LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!