Jogger Premier`

We weren't sure if it was time to graduate to the jogger, but considering his strollers weak shade during this time of day, I decided to try it out!If you take a good look, the strap by his ear - that strap should be across his chest. So turns out it's still WAY too big for him, but he seemed to love it so much, he went right to sleep. It was a pretty cozy ride - nice shocks! Thanks Arrietta 5+1 & Kim, Kathy & Leah!!!

The Humiliation Continues

I forgot to add a more recent story to my blog below...

Yesterday at school, in a different pair of heals, my Christmas gift from Wes a few years ago, decided to break as I was walking across campus to 1st period. I thought I had stepped into a hole, and then another one, and then I thought, "weird I don't see any holes", and so - lo and behold, my heal had snapped. I had no choice but to then break the other one because walking around my classroom with tape holding on my heel, didn't seem to be working. I realized this when I got back to my desk and didn't have a heel, it was in the middle of the classroom. What's next???????

De Ja Vu

A few months ago, when I was seven or eight months pregnant, I was sitting in front of one of my freshman classes when I went to get off my directors chair and address the class. Just then the canvas below me split right in half leaving my to truly slide on down and make a fool of myself in front of everyone. No worries right, I had a good excuse, I was way prego.

Well, no longer pregnant, I went to slide off my directors chair in front of a room full of parents at Back-to-School night and BAM, it happened again!!! The worst part about this story is that I wore my heals, my TALL heals, all day long. Then that night I had no relief - I was doomed to standing the entire night. 14 HOURS later, I returned home and was able to take off my shoes and get a brief foot rub.

Moral of the story: Pier 1 Imports has new covers - SO DON"T THROW AWAY the chair even if it is about 15 years old!!!!!

Wes & Paige

We are so excited.... Within the hour, Wes is going to propose to his girlfriend Paige!! She is amazing and we can't wait for them to join the married world!! Wes we are thinking of you and wishing you luck and we can't wait to see you guys in three days :) *But even more so, I can't wait to see the ring in person!!

Rock Email

I'm told that there is a huge rock near a gravel pit on Hwy.25 in rural Iowa. For generations, kids have painted slogans, names, and obscenities on this rock, changing its character many times. A few months back, the rock received its late st paint job, and since then it has been left completely undisturbed. It's quite an impressive sight.

The Long Stretch

We did it - Last night we put Jackson to bed in HIS crib in HIS room. Normally he sleeps in his room from 7pm until 10pm. Then I feed him and Andrew changes him, and then he goes to sleep in his bassinett beside our bed. I LOVED this because I got to watch him fall asleep and talk up a storm right before he dozed off. But now, being FOUR months old, it was time. He did really well. I fed him at 10:20pm and then put him right to bed in his crib. I did not hear a peep out of him until 5:30am. At that time he grunted a bit for three minutes, then he did the same thing at 6am. Then at 6:50am, when he began to cry, we got him and I fed him!!!! Now I can't wait until I can sleep through the night. I automatically woke up through the night and I am not very happy about that. That I am sure will take time - but we are on the right track :)

J's Amusing Events

Jackson amazes us everyday - he's such a blast!! There are so many little things and I thought I would share just a few with you.

1- Before Jackson, Andrew and I would sing the famous Palisades Nursery song:

"Little ducky duddle, was swimming in a puddle, a puddle, a puddle quite small.

He said, 'It doesn't matter, how much I splish and splatter, I'm only, a ducky after all... Moooo' No!!!"

Anyway, you repeat the song over and over until you decide to use the proper animal noise. Well the other day we were driving home from somewhere and Andrew and I began to sing the song. After I said, "Moooo", Jackson laughed and laughed. It was right on key. Coincidence - probably! But it was classic and we loved it :)

2- Today on our way to NY & Co. I looked back to see Jackson in his mirror and he was sitting there, with his book opened to the middle, right side up and he was starring at it for some time. If this boy could read, you would think that was EXACTLY what he was doing. It was so amusing to me.

3- Jackson has been showing his independent side (wonder where he gets that from??). When his dummy falls out, it is his goal to get it back in his mouth. He studies it, hold it and aims. A couple random times we have seen him get it in his mouth only to then instantly yank it out. But yesterday Andrew saw him hold it in there and suck it for a while, even though it was upside down!! Today I too saw this - three times. Jena once wrote me saying, "Today Hudson dropped his pacifier, picked it up, looked at it and put it in his mouth. I wanted that for you." This was shortly after her visit here and she experienced first hand the dummy retrieval game. Anyway, we are getting there Jena, he just has to figure out which way it goes in!

Well that's all for now because I have a load of laundry waiting for me. I'll leave you with our version of "Blue Man Group".

Woo Hoo

I am so stoked right now - I just got back from New York & Company and I saved $55.66. I am so stoked because I have a closet full of clothes I can't wear and now I have some great staple items and they were SO cheap! Everything was 50% off or more!!!!!! Can you tell I am pretty darn excited?

Cereal & Harley

So yesterday Jackson tried riding a Harley and eating cereal.... such a big day for the little man. Okay you are right, he wasn't on the Harley, but he did eat cereal!!!

As for the Harley, he just likes to pretend he's as cool as his Great Uncle Sam. Andrew thought Jackson should sport his 12 mo. attire today!! Will this boys growth ever slow down!?!?!?

Tummy Time

Our Four Month

Angel!

Movin' & Eatin'

Jackson is a blast to watch on his mat! He starts here:

And ends up here:

Then at sushi Saturday, Andrew gave Jackson his first taste of food:

Not bad for a first meal... It should have been spicy tuna!!! YUM! :)

This last picture is just a little bonus for Jena:

Collage End

I don't even know where to begin. Our life has been anywhere but home since last week. We got a few of the events on "film", so I will start with the most recent and move our way back. There aren't any explanations, just titles, so I hope you can follow :) We are all too tired here to be a narrator. Jackson is the most exhausted I think - he's been asleep since 4:45 (although he did wake up for fifteen minutes to eat). Crazy boy!

Angels Tuesday Night

This isn't the full version of it because we stayed with mi abuelos after the game and Jackson acutally stayed with them through the game - so apparently there are photos from that and once I get them - so will you!!

Collage Cont.

Sunday at the Anderson's

Random

Collage

Fireman Picnic

Saturday at the Arrietta's

Self Soother

Jackson has found his two best friends and thanks to Dayna, I can show you!!! What a photographer she is!

A Reason to Celebrate

Happy Birthday Mom!!! We hope you had a great day and we hope you have a wonderful year!! Thanks for all you do - here's to another 44 years!

Our Favorite Bisabuelos

This is why...

Hours of Fun

That's what the playmat package said on the outside of it and until today, I NEVER BELIEVED IT! Jackson would last maybe five minutes on the mat until today.... Today it was an hour. Yesterday he started (well I noticed) to grab his toes and hold on to the them. So on the mat he was grabbing his toes and then trying to roll over. The hour ended when mommy helped him complete the roll process and Jackson became very mad he was on his belly with his arm folded under him and his butt way up in the air!!!!

Crying Out Works!!

I have been thinking a lot about this sleep issue and came to the conclusion today that during his noon nap, I would let him cry it out. It began with tears when I put him down, but they only lasted 5 minutes and then he was out! Normally I would have gone in there and given him his dummy when he cried. Then after the typical 45 minutes, I heard whimpering and grunting on the baby monitor. I didn't go in there and about three minutes later, there was silence. So I stuck my head in his room and he was out. He is still asleep and it's been 1 hour and 35 minutes. IT'S AMAZING! He hasn't done this for so long (without being held!!). So we will see.... tomorrow is another day and this could be a fluke - you never know with an infant!

A White Speck

It is there - a little white speck on Jackson's bottom gums!!!

THE REAL No Flash Magic

**If you have not read the blog below - read it before you read this one!!
Okay we are back without the flash now. Oh wait - there was one more picture I wanted to show you. It demonstrates how desperate I was to try to get a good picture... I forgot I was holding the water over his head:
After this tragedy, the flash went off and the magic began!

No Flash Magic

As you all know, Jackson hates the flash on my camera.... actually I am not sure if he hates so much as he looks like he's trying to figure it out. Even when I have the camera out, he is analyzing it with his eyebrows crunched in. So today when I got home from work and after his nap, I set up the camera so I wasn't holding it. I just kept clicking the shutter in hopes to catch something. He was in the swing and this was the best I could get:

After jumping it was time to eat which was then followed by a bath. He was looking SO CUTE in there, I had to try again. At first I tried with the flash:
To Be Continued...

Office View

I was a little late in getting the picture - it was much more vibrant earlier, but anyway... it's always nice to see a good sunset, especially when it's from your own house!

Camera Success

Jackson is amazed at the sight of the camera which is why all of his pictures having the same facial expression. Well today as I was folding the laundry, I had Jackson sitting up against the bobby. Thanks to his father, he has become very interested in the television, so I went to capture that picture. I think this is why I was able to get the slightest smirk from him... he was distracted by "A Baby Story" on TLC. I can't wait for the day I can get his full smile!!!!

Sleeping Advice

So here's the deal. Up until a few weeks ago, Jackson would have a morning nap around 9am, for about an hour. Then he would go down again at noon until 2pm. NOT ANYMORE. He still goes down around noon, but he will sleep for 45 minutes max, before he wakes up screaming. Then he won't get settled again in his crib (well rarely). He is still so exhausted and if you take him out and put him to sleep, he is out till 2pm, but NOT IN HIS CRIB. What is his deal?????

My First Week

So it was a week I really can't complain about! As you know, I had a tough time Monday and then Wednesday because those were "firsts". Monday I was leaving Jackson for the first time and Wednesday was the first time I was leaving him with someone other than Andrew (for work). But it all turned out nicely. My students are pretty cool, I have one Eng. II, a class of 36, and I have two Eng. III's. My second Eng. III needs a little more repetition than the first, but they seem fun. It was interesting because it was nice being out and about again, but as soon as 1:30/2pm rolls around, I am anxious to get home to Jackson. So we will see how it goes from here, but so far so good. I just have to thank our mom's though, without them there is no way I would be able to work!!!!!!!

As for Jackson, he is now 3 1/2 months old and we were SO off about his weight. We thought for sure he was over 16 pounds because he FEELS so heavy, and he was 14+ at his two-month check-up. Well last night Andrew weighed him and he's only 14lbs 14oz!! He is still cuter than ever - we are having so much fun with him. The other day I asked him for a kiss and he gave me three, he LOVES to copy everything you do, he is obsessed with jumping, he is talking ALL the time, his smiles are to die for.... life is great with a baby! :)