December Update

So much for my goal of blogging every week on a more regular basis...Maybe once we get back home and don't have a traveling experience scheduled every other week! We are halfway through our Illinois visit and Jackson proves himself to be a seasoned traveler! We left our house last Saturday morning and made many stops. We stopped to see Jackson's Great-Grandma Jarvis. We went from there to the annual Smith family Christmas celebration. After that we spent the night at Great-Grandma Smith's house. Sunday morning we left Covington, VA for Indianapolis. That was the longest day of driving and Jackson did very well. It was amazing to feel the ridiculous decline in temperature when we stopped for gas in Indiana! We spent Sunday night with my best friend, Katie, and her family before finally arriving in Evanston at Mimi and Grandpa's house!

Jackson has been quite a charming house guest! He has been super smiley and has chatted up a storm with anyone who will listen! He has gotten to meet so many of his mommy and daddy's friends! He especially enjoyed time with Grandpa and Uncle Larry, who FINALLY got to meet Jackson!!! As exciting as this time of year is, Jackson slept through ALL holiday festivities. There was one night of Hanukkah during which he was awake so we could take the annual family picture. Otherwise he's missed it all! That doesn't mean that he didn't benefit from the holiday season. He has quite a few new outfits, toys, and some great books to add to his collection at home. Luckily, Mimi and Grandpa have a Christmas tree decorated so he can entertain himself during his awake times. He just LOVES Christmas trees!

Developmentally Jackson seems to be doing great! There are many times during the day when he will choose to suck on his hands instead of his pacifier. He has pretty good control over those fists these days. He is holding his head up really well and his thighs are SO strong (I guess all that chubbiness is good for something!). He loves standing up and looking around. Unfortunately, he is so curious in his surroundings that he doesn't always nap when he should. We've gotten to know a new cry: the "I'm overstimulated and super tired" cry. That one isn't so fun, but after a fair amount of jiggling, he usually ends up getting in a good nap.

We can't believe that Jackson will be three months old in a couple of weeks! We are desperately trying to slow down time, but in the meantime, we are enjoying every minute with our sweet little guy!