4 Months

Jackson turned four months old on November 6th!  Here are some pictures from the last few weeks (which have suddenly become SO hard to get - the little bugger can be SO uncooperative haha!) and Jackson's 4 month stats. 

 

Jackson's first school picture! Sooo cute!

I have a feeling Jackson will skip crawling and go straight to walking...he loves to be standing.

-At Jackson's four month checkup, he weighed 16 pounds 3 ounces (76th percentile), was 26 1/2 inches long (93rd percentile), and his head circumference was 17 inches (75th percentile).  He is getting so big!!  While we were there, he got his four month immunizations, which were as awful as I remembered from his two month shots!  He handled them much better than I did though. :)  He was more tired after this round of shots and ran a low-grade fever just a little longer as well.  However, after a few days, he was as good as new!

-Jackson is still wearing size 2 diapers during the day, but I've moved him up to size 3 at night.  About two weeks ago, I packed up yet another tote full of baby clothes.  He is going through them way too fast!  He has just a few 3-6 month outfits that he can still wear, but is mostly wearing 6 month clothes. 

-Jackson is now drinking five 6 ounce bottles with 3 teaspoons of rice cereal every day (still on Alimentum).  He's gotten into a pretty regular eating routine, taking a bottle around 4:30 am, 8:30 am, 12:30 pm, 4:30 pm, and 8:30 pm.  Every night around 6:30, we have started feeding him a little over a tablespoon of rice cereal mixed with formula.  He does such a good job eating from a spoon!  In regards to his sleeping, we have a pretty inconsistent sleeper!  About a week before he turned 4 months old, we transitioned him to his crib.  At the same time, we stopped swaddling him (we wanted to make all of the transitions at once!).  Since being in his room, he's had nights where we put him down around 8:45 pm and he will not wake up, even once, until around 4:30 for his bottle (he usually goes right back to sleep until I wake him at 7:00 to get ready for daycare).  The very next night, he may wake up several times.  Luckily, most of the time, giving him his paci does the trick in getting him back to sleep.  He is battling a little cold right now, so his congestion is keeping him up.

-We feel like Jackson has really started teething.  He is a big slobber monster!  A bib has become a necessity lately.  His hands are always in his mouth and any toy/object he grabs goes straight to his mouth to be chewed on.  As of now, he isn't interested in any of the teething items we have...he would much rather chew on his fingers.  :)

-Jackson continues to be a much happier baby!  He loves smiling and laughing at Eric and I and there is nothing more precious!  Jackson's awareness of his surroundings sometimes amazes Eric and I.  No matter where we are, he is always looking around and taking everything in.  He frequently reaches out and wants to touch/grab things, loves watching Eric and I, no matter what we are doing, and has recently noticed Zoe.  When Zoe walks in his eye sight, he stops what he is doing and watches her.  We've started sitting on the floor with Jackson in front of Zoe...it cracks him up when she gives "kisses."  Since he is getting so long, Jackson's feet now touch the ground when he is in his jumperoo.  Once Jackson realized he could touch/jump, he took off!  He LOVES to "jump jump."  Even when we are holding him, he bounces constantly. :)  Jackson is doing better with rolling over.  It's really hard to keep him on his stomach for tummy time, as he typically pushes himself over pretty quickly.  He still occasionally has trouble rolling from his back to stomach because his shoulder gets in the way, but he manages to do it often enough that we have to keep a close eye on him!  We are still working with Jackson on practicing sitting up.  We can tell he is getting stronger as he is able to hold himself up with minimal support for longer periods of time.  He's getting too big too fast!!!

-Likes:  Jackson still loves his baths.  He has just recently started kicking his feet and splashing the water, which he enjoys tremendously!  Jackson loves his music time.  Every night, we spend time listening to music and singing.  Jackson spends most of this time bouncing and laughing.  Jackson loves to play with Eric and I and can become pretty annoyed if we stop.  Most of all, Jackson loves his jumperoo.  He second we put him in it, he takes off.  He will jump for a looong time.  :)

-Dislikes:  Jackson has developed a strong aversion to his aspirator!  With the changes in weather lately, he has been more congested and stuffy.  It is a battle to get those boogers cleared out!

Jackson's First Halloween

Although we didn't do much for Jackson's first Halloween, I wanted to share some pictures!  The weekend before Halloween, our friends' celebrated their kiddos birthdays with a Halloween themed party.  We bought Jackson a Batman onesie to wear to the party and, I must say, he looked adorable!! :)  I also picked up a "My First Halloween" outfit for Jackson to wear to daycare.  We spent Halloween night at home passing out candy to trick or treaters.  We are looking forward to trick or treating and attending Halloween events with Jackson next year!

 

So serious...At this point, he was about to become "Mommy's little monster." :)

3 Months

Again, I'm behind on blogging Jackson's monthly stats!!  Time just seems to always be getting away from me…imagine that!  While at the Race for the Cure this weekend, I had an older woman stop and talk to me before the race started (this is a common occurrence when I have Jackson with me…luckily, strangers refrain from stopping and talking to me when I’m by myself J).  Anyway, back on track, during our conversation, she strongly encouraged me to enjoy every minute with Jackson because I’ll “blink four times and he will be 42.”  All joking aside, this seems to be true!  Jackson turned 3 months old on Sunday, October 6^th, and in two short weeks, it will be time for his four month stats!

The last month and a half since my last post have been crazy!  We seem to have something planned every weekend.  Eric and I went to Dallas the last weekend in September for an Imagine Dragons concert.  It was our first night away from Jackson!  It wasn’t as hard as I was afraid it would be, probably because I knew he was in good hands at our house with my parents.  Eric, Jackson, and I went to a birthday party for our friends’ daughter the first weekend in October and went home to visit my parents the second weekend.  Last weekend, Jackson and I walked in the Race for the Cure (he did sooo good!) and then Eric, Jackson, and I went to my sister and brother-in-law’s for a housewarming party.  As the holidays approach, I know our calendars will just get more and more crowded!

Jackson has grown and changed so much over the last month and a half!  Here are his 3 month stats followed by a ton of adorable pictures!  Haha! J

- At a doctor’s appointment last week, Jackson weighed 14 lbs 14.2 ounces.  We won’t have official length measurements until his 4 month checkup, but I know he is getting taller too!  I put him in his Baby Bjorn carrier while grocery shopping last night and quickly realized that I won’t be able to use it much longer...

- Not surprisingly, Jackson has battled a few different illnesses since starting daycare.  I keep telling myself his immune system will be at Hulk strength by the time he is a year old! J  After his first week, he came down with a minor stomach virus, but with a little Pedialyte, we were able to nurse him back to health fairly quickly.  Shortly after this, I began having trouble getting him to eat and he wasn’t sleeping well at night.  I knew something just wasn’t right, but couldn’t figure out what because he wasn’t running a fever or even all that fussy.  After a few days of him being “off,” I took him to the doctor and he had an ear infection.  A round of antibiotics knocked that out.  Last Monday when I dropped him off at daycare, I noticed he was warm.  I had them take his temperature before leaving (I thought I would prevent being called back later) and he did have a low-grade fever.  When his fever continued to go up, we went back to the doctor for another appointment.  He had some cloudiness on his chest X-ray so she prescribed him a strong antibiotic to avoid pneumonia.  I feel like he caught some type of virus because the antibiotics didn’t help much and he kept a fairly high fever for most of last week.  Luckily, the fever broke and we are only left a with a lingering cough.  It is so hard to see that sweet boy not feeling good and be completely unable to make it better!  Again, I just keep reminding myself he will have an amazing immune system…hopefully soon!

- Jackson is wearing size 2 diapers.  He has completely outgrown his 0-3 month clothes and several of his 3 month outfits are getting too small, mostly due to length.  Depending on the brand, he is still able to wear a few 3 month outfits, but is mostly wearing 3-6 months.  Last week, I packed up another tote full of clothes he has outgrown.  Makes me sad!

- Just this week, I’ve increased Jackson’s bottles to 5 ounces of formula (Alimentum) with 2 teaspoons of rice cereal.  With Jackson’s acid reflux (he still gets Prevacid every night), we haven’t been able to give him a lot at one time because he will just spit it up.  He is still eating every 3 to 3 ½ hours during the day and every 5-6 hours at night.  In the last few weeks, he’s seemed hungrier in the evenings and isn’t satisfied with a bottle, so we started giving him a little bit of cereal with a spoon.  He took to it like a champ!  He is still going down at night around 8:30 and gets up once during the night for a bottle.  Afterwards, he goes right back to sleep and wakes up around 5:30.  He is still in his Pack N Play in our room.  We are planning on transitioning him to his crib in the next few weeks.

- Jackson continues to be a much happier baby.  Bye bye, colic!!  He smiles a lot and has been laughing out loud…most precious sound EVER!  He likes to be held (thanks grandparents!) and tends to get a little fussy if he isn’t, particularly after spending time with said grandparents. J  He is very content and likes to watch everything around him.  It’s amazing how much more aware he is of his surroundings.  He is always taking everything in!  He recognizes Eric and I and will begin looking around when he hears our voices.  When I pick him up from daycare, he looks at me and smiles so big.  Melts my heart!  He has really become interested in his toys.  He will reach for them and hold them in his hand once he’s managed to grab them.  When laying on his play mat, he swings at, grabs, and shakes the hanging toys.  Since he’s pretty much mastered neck control, we’ve been putting him in his jumperoo.  Although he can’t touch the ground, he loves playing with the toys around him.  He has also become very interested in TV.  When he’s on his mat, in his jumperoo, or in his swing, he will turn his head and try to catch a glimpse of the TV.  When he’s able to see it, he focuses right in…just like a man! J  Jackson is doing much better with tummy time and can roll from stomach to back.  He continues to be very talkative and loves making noises.  We’ve just started working with him on sitting up.

- Likes:  Jackson still loves his stroller and riding in the car.  He still loves taking baths and has starting kicking his legs and squirming around once we put him in his tub.  Jackson LOVES being outside.  He loves music, being held and talked to, and playing in his jumperoo.  Also, oddly enough, Jackson loves laying on his changing pad. Haha!  Anytime we lay him on it, before diaper changes or after his bath, he starts smiling, looking around, kicking, squirming, and laughing…it’s the strangest thing ever!

- Dislikes: I can honestly say, there aren’t many dislikes I can come up with!  Jackson still hates diaper changes during the night and we’ve discovered he really dislikes being startled. 

 

It is so precious to see Jackson grow and change and I am looking forward to watching him continue to learn and develop!!

Look at that ornery face! Pure trouble!

Ready for the Race for the Cure!

So serious...

 

Practicing sitting up!

 

2 Months

Jackson turned 2 months old on Friday, September 6th!  This date also marked the end of my first week back to work, which wasn't as awful as I was afraid it would be.  Although I would have much rather been home loving on my sweet boy, knowing he was at home with his grandma Shirley (as well as getting to go home and love on him during lunch) made the transition back MUCH easier!  I'm so thankful for her willingness to watch him for the first two weeks after I went back to work.  Dropping him off at daycare this morning...well that is a completely different story!!  Let's just say, I'm hoping this new transition gets easier for Eric, Jackson, and I.  :)  Here are Jackson's 2 month highlights!!

Such a big boy!

 

 

- At his two month checkup last Thursday, Jackson weighed 13 pounds 9.6 ounces (84^th percentile), was 24.5 inches long (91^st percentile), and his head circumference was 16 inches (61^st percentile).  It is so hard to believe he has gained almost 6 pounds and grown 4 inches in two months!  He is such a big boy!  While at the doctor, Jackson got his two month immunizations, which were awful!  Probably more so for his mama than for him…  J  He was a little fussy and ran a fever that evening and was more tired than usual on Friday.  Luckily, he was back to his normal, happy self on Saturday. 

- I have about ten size 1 diapers left and then we will be moving Jackson up to size 2.  Although he can still fit into a few of his 0-3 month outfits, he is mostly wearing 3 month outfits, mainly due to his length.

- Jackson is eating 4 ounces of formula (Alimentum) with 2 teaspoons of rice cereal every 3 to 3 ½ hours during the day and every 5-6 hours at night.  Jackson is still fighting naps during the day, but is sleeping amazingly well at night!  He usually gets a bottle between 8:00-8:30 pm and immediately goes to bed.  He wakes up sometime between 1:30-3 am for a bottle and will go right back to sleep.   Although there have been a few mornings where he has slept until 6, he usually gets up for the day between 5:00-5:30. 

 - It’s amazing how much Jackson has grown and changed since my last blog (just two weeks ago!!).  His colic has greatly reduced and he has become a much happier baby.  Don’t get me wrong!  He can still be fussy and have some downright cranky moments, but overall he is doing SO much better.  He is much more content and smiles often.  While in town this weekend to help my sister and brother-in-law move, my dad was able to get Jackson to outright laugh.  It was the sweetest sound ever!  On Saturday, we helped Hayley and Dunn get moved into their new house.  Even though it was a long day and Jackson was moved back and forth between their apartment, their new house, the car, and stores, he maintained a good mood and just chilled!

- We are still having some trouble with his acid reflux.  Due to insurance requirements, we are only able to get his medicine (Prevacid) if it is compounded.  Due to being compounded, the medicine doesn’t maintain it’s effectiveness, decreasing throughout the month.  This causes his symptoms to decrease at the beginning of the month and then become worse as the month passes.  We are praying he outgrows these issues as he gets older.  At his appointment last week, his doctor said she plans to try taking him off the medicine when he turns 6 months old.

- Over the past two weeks, Jackson’s ability to focus has continued to develop.  He has really started watching our faces when we hold and talk to him and will mimic some of our actions, such as smiling when we smile or laugh at him.  He is still obsessed with staring at artwork we have hanging on the walls, no matter what room he is in.  His ability to grip objects is also continuing to developing.  He still grabs our clothes, including my necklaces, and has recently discovered my hair.  He has started holding on to his Wubbanub and LOVES holding on to blankets laid against the side of his face when napping.  Although he will tentatively hold on to toys that are put next to him, he hasn’t started actively reaching for and grabbing them.  Jackson has suddenly decided he doesn’t care for tummy time, but we are working through that. J  Jackson has become more “talkative” over the past two weeks.  He has discovered his tongue and it’s hilarious watching him stick is tongue in and out and move it around trying to make noises.  Also, except for occasional bobbing, Jackson is doing extremely well with holding his head up.

- Likes:  Jackson still loves his stroller and riding in the car.  He still loves taking baths and is content to lay in the water for as long as we will let him.  Jackson LOVES being outside.  I’m really hoping we are able to spend a lot of time outdoors this fall.  He is growing slightly more attached to his paci.  Although he only wants it when tired or fussy, he has stopped getting mad and spitting it out when given to him.  Jackson has also recently developed a love for music.  When he is upset or fussy, he will usually calm down if I turn music on.  We try and do at least a little music time with him every day because we love watching him smile, move his arms, and kick his legs while we listen to music and sing. 

- Dislikes:  Although Jackson is doing better with diaper changes during the day, he hates having his diaper changed during the night.  Also, he is doing a little better with lotion, but still becomes fussy unless I’m able to distract him.  Jackson remains very impatient when hungry.  When he decides he wants a bottle, it is only a short amount of time before he gets very angry. J

It is amazing to watch this sweet little boy grow and learn and we can’t wait to see what the coming months hold!

Labor Day Weekend

For the holiday weekend, Eric and I decided to travel for the first time with Jackson.  My parents, sister, and brother-in-law camped on the White River and, although we didn't feel quite ready to embrace the whole camping experience with Jackson yet, we decided to come home and spend the weekend at my parents' house.  We left right after work on Friday and, since Jackson loves being in the car, he did really good!  He only starting to get fussy when he got hungry about 15 minutes from my parents' house.  We spent Saturday and Sunday at the White River with my family, hanging out, fishing, and, of course, cooking out!  It was SO hot Saturday that Jackson and I spent more time in the camper than out, but luckily it cooled off on Sunday so we were able to enjoy being outside more.  Jackson LOVES being outside!  We got up and came home Monday morning so I could spend the afternoon loving on my sweet boy before having to return to work on Tuesday.  He did sooo good on his first trip to Mimi and Poppy's...we were so proud of him!

Flirting with his Mimi :)

Hanging out with Uncle Dunn

 

He kept pulling the grass...

and putting it in his mouth.  A boy through and through!

 

Such a happy boy!