Smiles

Jackson laying on his changing table the morning before we left to go to Florida. He
loves laying there as you can see by the smiles.

Bath time with grandma! He loves his bath too.

Getting ready to watch the Florida game with TJ and grandma.

Playing in the bubbles!

At grandmas in the pack and play. I LOVE this pic

All fresh in my Gator gear after my bath.

This past weekend was very bittersweet for me. I got to reunite with 5 of my best friends from back home for a wonderful wedding celebration but we decided to leave Jackson at home. He was with his grandma Reid so he was in great hands but three nights was a lot to be away from him. Grandpa is in California so she was on her own with him. My heart was breaking when we dropped him off but I survived. It was so fun coming home and seeing him again. Grandma gave us good reports every time we talked to her on the phone. Never a complaint. He ate great, slept well, and smiled a lot!! In fact his smiles started Thursday morning before we left. I finally caught one on camera. Grandma caught MANY smiles on camera while we were gone. They had a good time together going for walks back and forth between our houses, playing on his playmat, and best of all watching the Gaators play. Ever since we have been back he has been so vocal and smiley. I'm glad he was such a good boy for grandma. He makes me proud to be his mommy!

Happy Birthday Dad/Grandpa!!

Last night we celebrated dads birthday. His birthday really isnt until Friday but he left to go to California today so we had an early celebration. We went to Kabuto's, a Japanese steakhouse in town. Dad loves that kind of food and he has been talking about it a lot lately so we decided to take him there for his birthday dinner. I dressed up Jackson in the cutest little overalls that are still a bit big and the adorable shoes that grandpa picked out for him the weekend we found out we were having a boy. Once again Jackson was such an angel at dinner. He slept the whole time!! After we got home Toby and I gave him a bath before his bedtime bottle. Guess what?! He slept through the night again!!!

Progress

Watching football with dad and Sugar before Stellas first birthday party

Sugar watching over Jack while he naps in his crib.

We have experienced a lot of progression in the past couple weeks. Jackson started smiling and cooing. It usually occurs after a meal and diaper change. If you talk to him and smile at him he will try to mimic you back except his form of talking is quite different than ours. He makes movements with his mouth and looks like he is trying soooo hard to make sound then he lets out the cutest little coo you have ever heard! I have yet to capture one of his smiles on camera. I will try hard though. Jackson also started taking naps in his crib occasionally. The other day while he was napping we peaked in and saw Sugar laying by his crib. Its like she was watching over him for us. She is such a good dog around him. Now heres the big one.......... Jackson is sleeping through the night!!! He did once or twice in the past couple weeks but now he is doing it consistantly. So far its been 4 nights in a row. Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. We have been putting him down between 10:45 and midnight, depending on what we have going on, and he is sleeping until 6:30 or 7 a.m.!! What a good boy!! Lets hope this pattern continues.

Weekend Fun

This past weekend was a pretty busy one for us. Friday night Toby, Jack, and I went to Brixx for dinner with grandma and grandpa Reid. We had a yummy meal, good company, and a very well behaved baby, who could ask for more! On Saturday morning daddy ran some errands while Jackson and I relaxed at the house. That afternoon Jackson and I went over to Leah and Jeff's for Stellas first birthday party. Unfortunately I did not get any pics because I was there without Toby and Jackson ended up being quite a handful by myself. We couldnt stay long though because we had visitors waiting for us at grandma and grandpas. Uncle Bob, Aunt Chris, and Katie came from Virginia to meet Jackson for the first time. We had a nice chili dinner with cream puffs for dessert. Yum! Sunday the girls went shopping while the boys stayed home to watch football and babysit Jackson. I think everyone had a good time that day. That night we had a cookout at grandma and grandpa Reid's followed by a campfire. Monday morning Jackson and I made an early stop at grandma and grandpas so everyone could see Jackson before they headed back to Virginia. We had a very enjoyable visit with our company. I know Jackson enjoyed meeting more of his family!!

One month check up

Jackson had his one month check up today, although he is actually 6 weeks old. This was the soonest appointment we could get with the doctor that we wanted to see. He checked out well! He weighs 9 lbs 14 ounces(50%), his length was 21.5 inches(50%), and his head was 15 1/4 inches(50%). Our little guy is just perfect:) Toby was able to come with us to the appointment which is always nice. The doctor gave us some tips on how to help Jackson sleep through the night. He thinks it will happen soon considering how well he has been doing all along. His next appointment is in a few weeks. He will get all his two month shots then:( Not looking forward to it. Today is an unusually cold day, low 50's and drizzly, so we had to get Jackson all bundled up for the first time. He has been sleeping very soundly all morning. I think he likes the cozy warm clothes.

Over the River and Through the Woods.....

Jackson sleeping on grandpas lap before bed

Laying with grandma and TJ

Sleeping in the pack and play at grandmas for his first sleepover.

Jack had his first sleepover and night away from mom and dad this past Tuesday. Grandma and grandpa Reid every so kindly offered to have him over for the night so that we could get some rest. After a trip to the mall with grandma and grandpa, Jack and I came home to say hi to daddy, eat, and get ready for the big sleepover. Jack went over to their house around 9:30 p.m. and didnt come home until about 8:30 the next morning. Overall he did pretty well. He only gave grandma a hard time after she fed him at 11 p.m. She said he got fussy and fidgety and wouldnt go back to sleep until around 1 a.m. After that he didnt wake up again until about 6:45 a.m. Not too bad! They said they would be happy to do it again. In fact at one point I heard grandma say that she could have him over once a week! Not so sure how serious she was or if she even remembers saying it. We may have to take her up on the offer again. I dont know about once a week though. I would miss him! I wasnt sure how I would do with our little one gone for the night but it ended up being fine. Toby and I got to spend some time together and with Sugar before bed. Sugar was sniffing around the house, esp the pack and play and nursery, looking for baby Jack. I slept pretty well except I did wake up at 3:30 am out of no where. That is normally when Jack feeds in the middle of the night. My body must be on a schedule by now. When I realized I didnt have to feed Jack I went right back to sleep. This one night away was a just a small taste of what next weekend will be like when we leave hime for 3 nights to go to Laura and Robb's wedding. Its gonna be hard to be away from him especially for mommy.

Wow, how time flies!

I'm new to this blogging stuff so bear with me until I get more comfortable with it. I've never in my life been the type of person to keep a journal so I never thought I would be one to start and keep a blog. Now that I am a mother I feel it is necessary though. Without this blog I am afraid I will forget the simple little moments in Jackson's life such as his first smile, doctors visits, and holidays. As I look back on the 5 weeks of his life thus far I find myself forgetting some of the small yet important details and its very sad and frustrating to me. I have always been told that "they grow up so fast" well, now I am experiencing it for myself. I cant believe Jackson has been in this world for 5 weeks already and that I only have 7 weeks of maternity leave left! The last couple months of my pregnancy seemed to creep along but the moment Jackson was born things have moved full speed ahead. I wish I would have started this blog the moment I found out I was pregnant but I didn't so here's to many documented memories from here on out!