New Toys, New Outfit, New Friend...

Jackson had a fun week. Since he is getting older, he is losing interest in some of the toys he usually plays with. So we got him a couple of 6 month plus toys to see what his interests are.

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Based on this picture, apparently he is interested in boxes!

Guess I didn't need to buy any toys...just get him a couple of boxes :)
Yes, Jackson is playing in a pool inside. And yes, there is a reason! I initially got him the pool for the typical reason of filling it with water and playing outside on a hot summer day. But after Walt blew it up, we put Jackson in it just for kicks. I quickly realized that it was good to have inside since Jackson isn't crawling yet. It enables him to move around within the pool and all of his toys stay within his reach.

Here is Jackson playing with his new toy.

Apparently I am hilarious :)

Jackson is such a sweet boy!

Yes, Jackson actually wears clothes besides pajamas :)

I love this expression! We think he is teething!

Jackson was watching his praise DVD. "Mom, not now please. I'm busy!"

Impressive, if I do say so myself :)

Jackson has some growing to do to catch up with his Daddy:)

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On a side note, we are turning our "formal" living room into a playroom. We aren't done yet, but we have started with the floor tile.

Jackson loves his Daddy! He always gets so excited when he sees him!

Jackson got this outfit from Nonni. As usual, Jackson did not want to cooperate with the photo shoot.

Jackson & I

This is Jackson's inquisitive look.

Jackson got to meet his new friend, Sutton. Isn't he precious!!!! Sutton's parents moved to North Carolina around the same time as Walt & I. Ben, Sutton's dad, and Walt went to high school together. And I love his wife, Andrea! I feel like I have known her forever! Even though we don't live that close to each other, it has been so nice having someone going through similar experiences.

Ben, Andrea, & Jackson

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Although you can't necessarily tell from this picture, Jackson LOVES Andrea! He wishes we lived closer to them, too!

Jackson laughing at his mommy!

Here is Jackson playing with his new toy. He caught on quick!

Jackson playing in his exersaucer

Prayer Request Update:

1. Sleep training - thank you so much for the prayers! We have had more successes lately. My sister, Meredith, suggested that we try transitioning to 2 naps / day vs. 3 naps. That has worked out really well! Jackson still has days where he takes 3 naps, but since he is such an active boy this seems to work better for him. We still have some kinks to work out, but we have made a lot of progress by the grace of God!!!

2. Jackson's eating has also improved! My mom suggested introducing fruit. We started with apple sauce and he gagged initially so I began mixing it with his oatmeal to see if he would eat it. He has been eating the apple sauce / oatmeal combination and he is doing great. And yesterday we introduced bananas. He made a face, but didn't gag. So that is definite progress!!!

3. We went to church today and left Jackson in the nursery. I prayed a lot about it ahead of time and tried to explain the situation to the nursery workers. Once again, he didn't cry when we left, but I decided to go back at 10 minutes to make sure he wasn't crying. I wasn't going to look in because I didn't want him to see me and get upset. So I stood by the door and no crying!!! They didn't call us, but I left the service as soon as the sermon was over. Apparently, he did cry and was crying when I stopped by at 10 minutes, but they had taken him outside to try and distract him! So much for my great idea to check on him! They were about to call me when he stopped crying. The lady was still holding him when we got there! So Jackson was that child that all nursery workers dread :( My poor baby and the poor nursery worker! She was really nice about it though and said that it is normal and that he will do better each time!

4. Jackson is truly the sweetest, happiest little boy! But...he is showing that he is also quite capable of throwing a fit! The nursery lady even said that she wasn't sure if it was the red hair, but that when he gets mad, it happens quick! I obviously realize that he is really young, but I also realize that soon the "real" parenting responsibilities begin! And that is daunting! I so desparately want to teach him to become a strong man of God who truly loves the Lord with all of his heart! So please pray that God would help Walt and I grow stronger in Him so that we can be good examples for Jackson and also be well equipped to teach Jackson about God and to discipline him to be a sweet & loving boy but at the same time preserving all the wonderful qualities that make Jackson unique and a fun, active little boy! In the meantime, I will keep telling him that we don't act that way...who knows when he will actually understand what I am saying :)

Just another week in the life of my sweet boy!

I know I say this every week, but we are so thankful for Jackson! He truly brings us such happiness & joy...and I cannot even begin to describe the love we feel for him!
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Walt's mom got Jackson this outfit.

This is how Jackson felt about the photo op!
Playing with the toy he got from Walt's parents
This is what happens to all of his toys these days!

Going on a walk...he now takes off his hat...maybe he wants everyone to see his red hair :)

I was able to capture it on him for a second :)

Jackson is getting better at sitting up

Our sweet boy

Jackson started putting his feet in his mouth this week

Hanging out with Daddy

Daddy is so much fun (I love this pic!)

Such a sweet face!

We got Jackson a swing this weekend. He loves it!

Sitting on Daddy's shoulders...so much fun!

Jackson has a "Johnny Jump Up" but has not been able to figure it out. But he loves jumping! We won't be able to do this when he gets older because parents are supposed to teach their kids NOT to jump on the bed.

Jackson has recently taking a liking to his pacifier again. He uses it more as a teething toy than a pacifier.

Here is video of Jackson swinging. It's not very clear :( Note to self...it is hard to video someone swinging!

Here are my prayer requests for Jackson this week:

* Wisdom & guidance for sleep training. Thank you for the prayers last week. We had some good days and some bad days, but I definitely feel like we are moving in the right direction.

* Wisdom & guidance on how & when to start introducing foods. I know babies are ready at different times and I don't want to create a negative experience for him. Thankfully he is back to doing great with his oatmeal.

* I tried to go to MOPS this week and it was a disaster. Jackson has only been without Walt and / or I once in his life. Sad I know, but that's what happens when you move somewhere and don't know hardly anyone! Needless to say he did not like being left in the "daycare". He didn't cry initially when I left. I think he wasn't sure what was going on. But once he figured it out he started crying...or maybe screaming is the better word. Thankfully they got me and we went home. I couldn't get out of there fast enough. He was so upset and therefore of course I was upset. It broke my heart!!!! So we didn't go to church this weekend. Obviously that is not the answer. I just needed more time to pray about it and figure out how best to proceed. I know this is the time for separation anxiety and I am sure it is only amplified by his not being around other people ever. So please pray that we figure out how best to address this.

6 Months

Wow...it is hard to believe that our baby boy is 6 months old! We thank God daily for the blessing of Jackson! He is such a joy and we are so grateful to be his parents!

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Jackson is finally starting to feel better from the cold / ear infection he picked up while in Texas. So we will be starting our "sleep training" this week to get back on track with his naps. I hate "sleep training"! Please say a prayer for both Jackson and I this week. Please pray that God gives me wisdom & guidance to do what's best for Jackson.

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Jackson had his 6 month appointment on Thursday. The doctor says Jackson is doing great!!!!

Here are his stats:

* Weight - 16lbs 8oz (50th percentile)

* Length - 26.75 inches (50th percentile)

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The doctor also suggested we start vegetables. As you can tell, Jackson was not very happy about it. See video at bottom of blog post. We started with green beans. He did ok at first. He would just make a face. But then he started gagging. So we waited a few days and tried squash. He went straight to gagging. So we mixed the vegetables with rice cereal (as suggested by the doctor)...again...gagging. So we are going to wait a week and try again. If anyone has suggestions, please feel free to pass them along!

Jackson's cousin, Addie, had a birthday party. Jackson & I missed most of the party because Jackson was asleep in the car, but he woke up at the end to make an appearance. Addie was dressed like a beautiful princess!
Jackson with his Aunt Alex who also has red hair!

Jackson pushing up

Jackson sitting up

Jackson loves being outside. So we go on lots of walks. I put this hat on him to protect him from the sun. He actually wore it, but has now caught on to the fact that he can take it off :(

Quite the outfit...Jackson didn't seem to mind :)

So this is how I found Jackson! I had left the room momentarily and was in the adjacent room unloading the dishwasher. I realized it had gotten quiet and went to check on him. Needless to say I ran to him and discovered that he was secure enough to take a quick picture, but not secure enough to warrant unsupervised play time in his bouncy seat in the future! But on another note, we had to fill out a questionnaire for his 6 month appointment to assess his development. As indicated here, he did well in problem solving :)

Since Jackson was still not feeling 100% this week (i.e. recovering from ear infection and had to get his 6 month shots), he watched a lot of his praise dvd's!

Crazy "post nap" hair!

Here is part 2 of the outfit he got from his aunt Kate. Sleeveless onesies on babies crack me up! Since Jackson is so hot natured though...it was perfect!

He loves his fingers! He occasionally sucks on his thumb!

I should have seen this picture for what it was...foreshadowing! After this picture was taken, Jackson was watching one of his praise dvd's and once again, I was in the adjacent room putting up the laundry. I had assessed his surroundings and thought it was completely baby proof. Of course, I still peek in on him every couple of minutes and during one of my checks I notice him chewing on something!!! I am not sure if you can tell in this picture, but Jackson is looking at the bandaids on his legs from his shots. And yes, you guessed it. He had pulled it off and was chewing on it! Let's forget about the fact that it was a choking hazard...super disgusting!

Jackson still loves his lizard!

As I mentioned, Jackson loves being outside. So sometimes we will take a blanket and lay it in the yard. Fortunately, our trees provide pretty good shade! So we were sitting out in the yard playing while Daddy worked in the yard. It was great family time! See video below.

Our sweet boy

Walt got me these beautiful flowers for Mother's Day!

As most of you know, we have not been to church since Jackson was really little because the pediatrician recommend we wait to leave him in the nursery until after flu season. Well, flu season is over...but we went to Texas...then he was sick...and then this weekend...I guess we forgot to tell Jackson that we had church this morning! He went down for his morning nap and as most of you know he is famous for his 30 minute naps. As you might have guessed, Walt and I were dressed and ready to go and Jackson kept sleeping and sleeping...there was no way I was going to wake him up! It was awesome, but we missed church...AGAIN. Hopefully next week!!!! Maybe we will try the earlier service. But here is the picture Walt took of me with my sweet little boy! I am so thankful that I get to be his mother!

Here is Jackson's first taste of green beans. In this video, he doesn't seem thrilled, but he is eating it. So I was considering it a success...until you see the second video :)

Yes...Jackson is gagging...this is what he does when I try to feed him green beans or squash...even when I mix it with rice cereal. Then if I switch back to just the rice cereal...he still gags until he finally figures out that I am feeding him something different...but sometimes he shuts down and quits eating. So I have decided to try again in a week because I don't want to push the issue and create negative experiences for him. Please feel free to offer any suggestions!

Jackson dancing / jumping...can't you tell he is about to go to bed :)

Jackson playing outside

Jackson sitting up