Running Partner

So, my lovely husband, whom I love dearly, decided it would be a good idea for us to start running. I stupidly followed along. What was I thinking? Actually, I'm quite enjoying myself! Imagine that! I definitely would have considered myself a runner for a while in college, but have had no interest since then and figured my running days were over. I am that person that sits on the beach, comfy with my book, thinking, "Running is for suckers," whenever runners go by. Huh.

The first night I went out, it was great! I remember telling my dad that it was so nice to truly go out by myself. No dog. No baby. No stuff. Since we are responsible parents, we have to take turns running so one person is always home while Jackson sleeps. Josh has been working late recently and I want to stick to my schedule so I thought I'd try taking Jackson with me. I am kicking myself now because we had been handed down a FREE jogging stroller when I was pregnant. Before Jackson was born, we were freaking out over lack of space and all of the stuff this kid required. Since the brakes didn't work on the stroller, out to the curb it went. Can I rewind and get it back?! The regular stroller works ok, but a jogging stroller would be so nice!

Anyways, I've now run twice with J-Man and it's kind of fun. It's definitely a lot harder since you lose your arm momentum, but tonight was a notch less hard. Describing tonight's run as a notch easier, seems too generous... ;) It has been nice to share something I "like" to do with Jackson. Nice to add one more thing to the list of Mommy and Jackson Activities :)

Best Husband Ever: 3 Baby Gates: 0

While we appreciate that it's good physical activity for Jackson to climb the stairs, we had to put a stop to the constant activity it was becoming...all day...every day... On the plus side, we have beautiful banisters on all THREE levels of our home. On the negative side, they weren't really designed with baby gates in mind. The first gate we tried was: http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2265784 We DO NOT recommend it! The second gate I brought home was: http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2909941 and we LOVE it! Josh installed it pretty easily on the main level by the going-down-stairs. So, I should have been able to go purchase two more and we could have been done, right? Not so fast... No commercially produced gate fits on the main level by the going-up-stairs. Grrr... Josh ingeniously tried installing a series of bars (the ones you can put on a sliding door to keep it from opening). That worked great for now, but Jackson's friend, Rachel, tested it out and it became apparent that it might not keep exploring little people off of the stairs as time goes on. After a trip to the hardware store, Josh was able to recycle the gate we used to train Pax to stay out of the kitchen. It's not the prettiest gate, but boy does his concoction do the job! I'm over the aesthetic aspect! I think we can now consider ourselves "childproofed." I'm sure something will come up to prove me wrong, but I'll enjoy this moment in time :)

Awesome August

Showing off THE cutest hand-me-down outfit :)

Just a normal Jackson and James day!

Using team work with Rachel to move the chair to a "better" location...

Kisses

We have actually been home for three weeks in a row! While we love traveling, it has been nice to stay on a more normal schedule :) Since life has slowed down, I've really gotten to think about how grateful I am that I get to stay home with my little man during the days. I love hanging out with him so much! I get to be the one watching him crawl under the dining room table and use chairs as tunnels. I get to listen to his new play list of sounds: churling like a tiger, growling like a lion, and clicking like a click beetle (ummm, we've been to the zoo and reading Eric Carle)! I love that I get to watch his face when he tries new foods. He's doing really well with everything we've tried. He even made himself mini-toast-banana sandwiches yesterday for breakfast :)

He's had some play dates and loves playing with people his own size :) He has gotten to congratulate his Auntie Em on her engagement to soon-to-be Uncle Josh! And, yesterday he helped welcome a new friends: Alexis Kate. He was so excited for her big sister, Paige, that he clapped for her long-distance! Such a sweet boy, if I do say so myself!

Bug and Dog the Second

We are in the midst of a longer dog sitting experience for some good friends. Dutchess has been here before, but this time is different because it's for much longer. It's nice because Jackson is really getting used to having her around. They are just the sweetest pair! Don't get me wrong, Jackson still loves Paxton, but Dutchess is smaller and more playful--right up his alley! Since Dutchess and Jackson have struck up such a good friendship, I thought I would blog about our temporary 5th family member :)

Dutchess picked up right away on the excitement of Jackson Meal Time! It's an event not to be missed! Jackson LOVES having an audience! The other morning he was holding out a hand over each side of his seat and one dog was licking each hand. Adorable! He is a pretty good sharer, both in dropping food or letting the dogs lick his piece to get a taste before eating it himself.

Jackson loves playing with Dutchess. Josh said they were playing tug of war the other day with a dog toy, but Dutchess was being extra gentle because she knew who her opponent was. Jackson was showing off his rattles this morning to a very captive audience :) I'm not sure if it is just a coincidence, or the fact that Dutchess is here and it's the only time Pax's dog toys get used, but Jackson has discovered the dog toy basket! Oh my! What a fun thing to empty during the day. Lots of the toys have squeakers too...


Not that Paxton doesn't love Jackson, but Dutchess comes running when she hears Jackson crying. Very sweet! I was giving Jackson a bath last night and Dutchess poked her head into the bathroom and peeked into the tub. I said, "Hi Girl," and I swear Jackson repeated it! How cute would that have been! I think a lot of what he's doing is imitating our tone and sounds, but that counts!

I can't wait to see what other fun adventures these two have in the next few days...

Storm Chaser?

We got a pretty big thunder storm this afternoon and I was a little nervous about how Jackson would react. He was either too little to notice or asleep when they've happened before. He crawled right over to the patio door and sat there and watched for a while. He must have liked what he saw :)

A Lovey? Finally...?

I have been trying SO hard to get Jackson attached to a stuffed animal or a blanket. He has this super cute elephant blankie thing that is the perfect size AND I know where to get more so we could have back-ups (that is key!). While he seems to like the couple of things in his crib, he could take them or leave them. I tried a soft blanket. I tried bringing things onto my lap when I cuddle him and feed him. I tried making the elephant smell like me. Nothing appears to be working. Until the other day. Jackson has always been fond of his paci (he plays just fine during the day without it, but really likes it to sleep), and now he likes to have TWO pacis in bed with him. He has one in his mouth and then he holds onto the other one and cuddles it all night long. In the morning he'll often wake up and stand at the end of his crib with one in his mouth and bang the other one on his crib. It's like the chain gang...I mean crib gang... So, it doesn't really help with the very distant goal of getting rid of pacis all together, but if that's what makes him feel comfortable and safe right now, he is more than welcome to two pacis :)

Moose Man Mutterings and Musings

I am so excited with Jackson's new pajamas! One of the hardest things in this whole getting older thing was realizing he was too big for this season's cute footie pajamas. Luckily, Walmart's run big and we were just able to fit into this pair of pjs!

Jackson has been testing out his words a lot lately! Lucky for us, his favorites are "mamamamama" and "dadadadadada!" He is definitely saying them more intentionally now and we love hearing those words :) While I was sleeping in on Saturday, Josh was in the kitchen with Jackson when his grandma walked in. She announced that she was going to go take a shower and she and Josh both heard Jackson say, "Okay!" I'll believe them!

Another sweet Meemaw moment was that same morning when she was sitting in her recliner. Her hand was dangling over the side and Jackson crawled over and laid his head in her hand! Needless to say she LOVED it!

One of my favorite new things is that when I take the tray off of Jackson's booster, he reaches out with both hands and grabs my shirt. I'm not sure if he's just super anxious to get out, or really wants to be with me. I'm going with the latter ;)

I am happy to report that Jackson is still a cuddler whenever he can slow down enough! He likes to be fed in his room and as soon as I sit down in the glider with him on my lap, he turns his head towards me and just cuddles up. I hope that lasts forever!

Hungry, Hungry Hippo

We have quite the eater on our hands! It has been my goal for the last month or so to really get better about offering Jackson finger foods that he can feed himself. We want him to get used to what "regular" food tastes like, and become more self-sufficient in eating. I was having major issues worrying about him choking and told the doctor last month that I probably would be packing Gerber tubs of fruits and veggies in his lunchbox for Kindergarten! I am pleased to say I have made great progress :) Last week I spent quite a bit of time one afternoon chopping fruits and veggies into tiny pieces and divvying them up into empty baby food tubs I had saved. So far Jackson has had carrots, grapes, mandarin oranges, green beans, toast, and some chicken.

Last night was my first attempt at a totally solid dinner and he started out feeding himself green bean bites, but got tired of that. I started feeding him pieces of mandarin oranges on a fork and he LOVED those! Part way through, he just started eating the green beans again! Between him feeding himself and me feeding him (he LOVES eating off of a fork) he ate half a tub of green beans and a whole tub of oranges! That made mommy very happy :)

This morning he surpassed my expectations again by eating his normal breakfast (a full tub of fruit and 4T of oatmeal) along with a piece of toast! He did share some of it with Pax... :) Lunch went equally as well as I added half a container of Yo-Baby, which he LOVED! The green beans weren't going over as well for dinner so I did feed him a tub of squash, but then he picked up on the green beans again. Josh and I took turns feeding him mouthfuls, but between all of us, he polished off that half a tub. Unfortunately he was not nearly as hungry by the time our dinner was ready and missed out on trying some of the chicken we had for dinner. Luckily there's plenty left and he can try that tomorrow! In the midst of all this new food, he drank like a champ today! He's pretty unpredictable with his drinking and he was just awesome today! WOO HOO!!!