First road trip

Jackson with his grandma Timmons on Thanksgiving day

Tailgating with grandma Reid for the Florida game

Jackson sleeping in his carrier, where he spent most of the day

Last Wednesday we spent the day packing for Jackson's first road trip. We were going to Gainesville for Thanksgiving and staying through the weekend for the big FL/FSU game. We decided that it would probably be best to drive in the middle of the night for two reasons....1. to avoid Thanksgiving traffic and 2. for the hope that Jackson would sleep the whole time. We left Charlotte at 9 pm on Wednesday and arrived in Gainesville around 3 am. I did most of the driving since Toby worked all day. Jackson slept the entire way without a peep!! We were amazed. When we arrived we transitioned him into the pack and play where he slept until about 8:30 a.m. We stayed at the Gainesville house with grandma and grandpa Reid. They had been down there for about 2 weeks already just hanging out and enjoying the Florida sunshine. Grandma and grandpa Timmons as well as Aunt Jane also came into town for the holiday and game.

On Thursday we had a Thanksgiving dinner catered from Publix since everyone was away from home and really didnt feel like cooking the big feast. It turned out to be pretty good. Jackson got to meet so many friends and relatives during this trip starting with Aunt Jane on Thanksgiving Day. That night Dennis and Bess who live in Gainesville stopped by to meet Jack.

On Friday we had lunch did some shopping for Gator gear to get ready for the big game. After that we took Jack to meet Dianne, Kyle, and baby Ryland who is 6 months old.

Saturday was the big gameday. We packed up the car and diaper bag then we were off for Jacks first tailgate. Once again he amazed us with his great behavior. We tailgated and then watched the game so were out from about 11 am until 8 pm. At times he got a bit fussy but other than that he was a perfect baby. He got to meet Amy and Tyler at their tailgate although he slept through the whole thing!!

Sunday, our last day there, we went out to breakfast with everybody before grandma and grandpa Timmons and Jane departed. After breakfast we took a walk around campus where Jack got to meet Warren, Stephanie, and Krista as they were driving through town. After our walk we had our last meal in Gainesville. Before leaving town we made one last stop to meet Ruben, Zach and Katies baby who is only about 10 days older than Jackson. While we were there Jackson also got to meet Mary and Aaron. Wow, that was a lot of people to meet in one weekend!!

We departed Sunday night and again Jackson did great!! Actually he was a great baby the entire weekend. He slept well and really only got fussy a few times. We are so lucky to have such a good baby. The first road trip proved to be very successful. Hopefully there will be many more in the future!

Meeting Aunt Kara

Jackson with Aunt Kara

I realize I have some catching up to do. We have had a fun and busy past week and a half. Aunt Kara arrived last Saturday, the 21st. She came up to visit and meet Jackson for the very first time. We had such a fun time but it sure did go by fast like most good times do. Saturday evening we grilled out and watched football. Aunt Mary and Kelly even came down for a little while from Boone. They had never met Jackson either. Unfortunately I did not get any pics of them with him though:( On Sunday daddy watched Jack so Kara and I could go to lunch, do some shopping, and get our nails done. We had a good time. It was very cold and rainy that day so it was good that Jackson stayed in. On Monday Jack and I took Kara up to Concord Mills, one of our favorite places to shop. We were probably out for about 6 hours total by the time we drove up there, shopped, and then met Toby for dinner. Jackson was such a good boy. He never really got fussy. Tuesday we just laid low and hung around the house until it was time to drop off Kara at the airport. Im so glad Jackson finally got to meet his Aunt Kara. I'm pretty sure she enjoyed meeting him too.

While Kara was here we noticed Jackson reaching for and batting at his car seat toys. He is becoming so aware of his surroundings. He is also alot more vocal these days!

Visitors

Grandpa Timmons feeding Jackson a bottle before bed

Jackson in his "future Gator" shirt all ready to watch the Gators play South Carolina.

Jackson meeting Brian and Jessie when they stopped through town on Sunday

afternoon.

This weekend was busy with visitors, fun times, and gorgeous weather!! After a gloomy, rain filled and windy week the sunshine and 75 degree temps were a welcome change. Friday evening grandpa Timmons flew into town. Jackson sure was happy to see him again!! We did miss grandma though. Friday we had a nice dinner at Bonefish. Gotta love that Bang Bang shrimp Columbia, SC to watch the Gators play!! I bet Toby cant wat til Jackson is old enough to go to aappetizer. As usual Jackson was such a good boy! He pretty much slept in the carseat next to me the entire time. Saturday morning daddy and grandpa left for game. Jack has so many fun times ahead of him. After they left Jack and I did a little bit of shopping before heading over to Erin and Todds to watch the game with her and Jacks best little buddy, Cameron. The Gators had another victory. Yay!! Sunday morning we went to mass and breakfast with grandpa then it was time to drop him off at the airport for his flight home. Shortly after we got home Brian and Jessie came over for an afternoon visit on their way to the airport from Chapel Hill, where they had been visiting for the weekend. It was their first time meeting Jackson and they just adored him!! Now Jack and I are looking forward to a very lazy and relaxing week at home together, just the two of us. Aunt Kara arrives Saturday so we will be looking forward to that. Only a little over two more weeks of maternity leave left :( I wish time would stand still for just awhile, or at least slow down a bit!

Two month check up

We went for Jackson's two month check up this morning. He is exactly two months old today. I cant believe it! He had another great check up today. He weighed in at 10 pounds 8.4 ounces (25th percentile), length was 22 3/4 inches (50th percentile), and head circumference was 15 1/2 inches (25-50th percentile) The doctor said he is growing very well!!! He commented on his hair, as people usually do! At the end of the check up he got the dreaded two month vaccinations. He was so happy and playful throughout the whole visit. Little did he know what was coming. Poor baby!! It turned out to be 3 shots and one oral vaccination (rotavirus). He did very well!! He only cried a little bit and stopped after I picked him up. I'm so proud of him for handling it so well. Its now been a couple hours and he doesnt seem to be bothered by them but I will keep giving him Tylenol today to prevent soreness in those little legs. Now he doesnt have to go back until January, for a 4 month visit with the same shots all over again.

Also, for an update on Jack's sleep habits....he is still sleeping through the night! yay! Now instead of fussing in the middle of the night multiple times for his pacifier, the last few nights he has only done that once, if at all. I think we may also be able to start putting him down earlier too rather than 10:30 or 11 pm. The last two nights Toby said he had to wake him up to feed and then he has fallen asleep during the bottle (around 9:30 pm). He has forced him to take all of it and then put him down in the pack and play. After that Jack has only woken once in the night just for the pacifier and then has gone right back to sleep until about 7:45 a.m. How wonderful is that? For a long time Toby was having such a hard time putting Jack down at night. It was sometimes taking up to 2 hours after his bottle to get him comfortable where he would sleep. Maybe, just maybe, those days are over! We will keep our fingers crossed.

First mass

Jackson all ready for his first mass. This is one of the first shirts I bought after I found
out I was having a boy. I just love it!


We took Jackson to church for the first time this past Sunday. We put him in his Sunday best and off we went!! He was such a good boy the entire time. He basically slept in his carseat during the whole service. He looked so handsome too. His dress up clothes make him look about 6 months older than he really is. After church we went to grandma and grandpas for corn chowder. It was perfect for such a chilly night.

Jackson's First Halloween

What a fun Halloween weekend we are having! It started Friday with a yummy breakfast at Flying Biscuit with grandma and grandpa. Following breakfast we stopped by Target for a few things, one of them being a pumpkin carving kit. We then went back to grandma and grandpas to carve our pumpkins (we had three total), roast pumpkin seeds, and bake Halloween cupcakes. It was a chilly and gloomy day, perfect for these kind of indoor activities. Our pumpkins turned out really cute, courtesy of grandpa because he did all of the carving. Jackson sure did love sitting in his carseat by grandpa and watching him work. Grandma cleaned out the pumpkin guts and roasted the seeds, and I baked the cupcakes. Later that night after Toby got out of work he came over and we talked grandpa into carving the last pumpkin (the first two became quite time consuming and somewhat frustrating). We carved the word Gators into the last pumpkin and it turned out so well! Perfect for the upcoming gameday. Saturday, Halloween, turned out to be a warm but gloomy day as well. We started out the morning with a Fall photo shoot on grandma and grandpas back deck. It was the perfect setting with all the trees and fallen leaves that they have out there. We took a ton of pictures of Jackson in one of his cute Halloween outfits and also in his giraffe costume. After all those pictures he was pretty worn out. Later that afternoon we headed over to Erin and Todds to watch the Florida-Georgia football game. We took Jack over in his giraffe costume. Erin and Todd's little boy, Cameron, had the cutest monkey costume. It was very difficult to get a picture of Jackson and Cameron together because Cameron, being 9 months, is always on the move! We ate barbeque sandwiches with cupckes for dessert. The Gators had an incredible win over the Bulldogs!! After all that Halloween fun, today is turning out to be a lazy day. The gloomy and cold weather (55 degrees) isnt helping! Now that Halloween is over time to prepare for Thanksgiving fun in Gainesville, Florida! I cant believe its already November. Only 30 days of maternity leave are left :(