Playing Outside

We have played outside a lot this week. Now that it is a little bit cooler we have been playing on the deck and Jackson loves exploring! So most of the pictures this week are from our outdoor fun!

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Jackson is practicing his walking skills A LOT! He stands up...takes off walking...falls and does it all over again! I haven't caught it on video, but hope to this next week! He also really loves the "lift the flap" books...is that what they are called? And he loves chewing on wash rags...wet or dry. In the bath tub, he sucks the water out of the wash rag. If I try to squeeze it out, he just dips it in the water again! A little bit gross, but I hear this is normal! He is definitely signing the word "more". As mentioned last week, his technique isn't correct...he basically just claps, but he "claps" very adamently when he wants more food or wants you to read the book again :)

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Jackson playing with a leaf

He is getting so big!

Sweet face!

More outdoor fun!

Not sure if you can tell, but his face is dirty :)

Standing up playing with a stick...I know, I know...he is not supposed to play with sticks :)

Look, momma!

Chilling out & eating a snack

Planting flowers & getting dirty with Daddy

Love this pic!

Jackson walking to his Daddy...yes, I realize I should have been on the other side so I could get his face...rookie mistake!

I mentioned last week that Jackson would crawl under the dining room chairs and get stuck. Well, he has mastered the art of crawling in and around and under the chairs as evidenced by this video. He also walks a little bit at the end if you make it that far...it is a long video :)

Feeling Better...Again!

Jackson is feeling better this week and took his last dose of steroids on Monday...thank goodness! They made him wake up 2-3 times at night and get up at 5AM! He is almost 100%! However, he is teething...he has 2 more teeth coming in on top!

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This week Jackson has started standing from a sitting position! We also think he is signing "more", but it is really just clapping. So although not technically correct it is helpful if I am fixing the rest of his food...I hear the clapping and I know he wants more of whatever he is eating! He might have waved "all done" a few times, but we aren't certain. But he is starting to wave "bye bye"...just not very consistently :) If you ask Jackson if he wants to read a book...he crawls (practically dives) into your lap! He has been doing that for awhile now, but I think it is so sweet! It seems like every week he is doing more things!

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As you can see...we still have yet to put this edging around the fireplace...Jackson doesn't seem to mind!

I took this picture to show the curls at the back of Jackson's hair. We were in the store the other day and I heard someone laughing...they said...look at his hair...it's straight in the front and curly in the back!
Jackson loves it when you throw pillows at him...guess who came up with that game...Walt, of course!
Look mom...one leg!

I know this picture is fuzzy...but it shows the pure joy on his face!
Jackson loves playing with the rings you use to attach toys to things.
Jackson also loves crawling underneath our dining room chairs. He will throw things under the chair and then crawl under the chair and get it. Then he throws it back out, but hasn't successfully figured out how to consistently crawl back out. So I "rescue" him a lot!

Love his sweet face!

Jackson likes playing with his phone!

Jackson also loves sitting on his Daddy's shoulders!

I hate that this picture isn't more clear!

Good times!

Last week I told ya'll about Walt's project to make a wood Texas flag. Here is the finished product! I love it! Walt did a great job!

Up close

It even matches our adirondack chairs!

Jackson is getting really good on the walker. He will stop and let go and start walking on his own, but he usually trips on the wheels.

Jackson is such a loving and sweet little boy. He gives lots of kisses to Walt and I, stuffed animals, books, himself in the mirror...and apparently even blankets!

Jackson caught in action! He is now crawling under the gate just because he wants to. Walt got this video, but now we are telling him no. I feel like we have turned a corner this week and that the word "no" is becoming much more frequent! I hate it! A few times this week I sternly told him no and his whole face crumpled up and he started crying! It broke my heart! But no worries...I know it must be done, but he is still my baby and it hurts my heart, but I know that in the long run it is good for him. But disciplining is hard...especially in public! But it's all part of being a parent...but since we are rookies...we are trying to figure it out! Just don't tell Jackson that!

9 Months & a few steps!

Jackson had his 9 month appointment on Monday. The doctor said he was doing great!

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His stats were as follows:

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Height: 28inches (50th percentile)

Weight: 19lbs 3oz (30th percentile)

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Unfortunately, it seems that Jackson picked up croup while we were at the doctor's office :( Poor guy! All I knew is that his cough sounded like a dog barking! It was horrible! I had no idea what it was though...somehow I missed the parenting 101 class that said if your child's cough sounds like a dog barking / seal...then they have croup!

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Apparently Jackson's case was pretty bad, but the steroids the doctor prescribed are working great! I think they are messing with his sleep at night, but that will sort itself out once he gets off the medicine. Jackson is feeling so much better now!

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BIG NEWS! Jackson took a few steps this week TWICE! I am sure that it will still be awhile before he is walking for good, but I wanted to document his first steps on the blog!

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We have a tv in the playroom, but have yet to find the right piece of furniture to put it on.

Obviously, this isn't working! Although Jackson seems to like it!
Supposedly this "thing" helps babies transition into using a toothbrush. We'll see about that...seems like just one more thing for him to put in his mouth :)
Playing in the kitchen
Even though Jackson was pretty sick...he had some happy moments :)
Our sweet boy

On this particular day, Jackson was NOT feeling good. So I pulled the high chair into the playroom, turned on his praise DVD, gave him some Cheerio's and a sippy cup and one of his stuffed animals "Billy". Yes, Walt and I have named a few of his stuffed animals for simplicity sake. For example, he has 2 monkeys and we needed to be able to distinguish between the two...their names are Billy & Dougie :) I am sure Jackson will rename them once he gets older :)

Obviously our babyproofing could be improved :) Yes, he crawled under the gate and he is getting pretty fast at it! I will admit, I knew that Jackson "could" crawl under the gate when Walt installed it, but it wasn't feasible to put it any lower because of the moulding. I really didn't think that he "would" do it because although he fits...he has to do a lot of contorting to get through. Fortunately, he only does it when he drops something on the other side and wants it. So most of the time the gate serves its purpose :)

Love this picture! We were outside just for a little bit, but long enough for him to sweat and get this awesome hairstyle! Oh, and yes, that is a scratch on his nose...he was constantly scratching / rubbing his nose last week from the runny nose that he had with his cold.

I love the progression of these pictures.

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Jackson: "What is this?"

Jackson: "Uh oh, I'm probably not supposed to be doing this!"

Jackson: "Who me? I am innocent! I'm not doing anything!"

Jackson: "Ok...I admit it! But I am super cute so it must be ok, right?"

Walt was hard at work this weekend! He did the yard, trimmed some trees, rented a jack hammer to bust up some concrete around this pole we wanted to get rid of...he even bought some wood & paint and is working on making a wood Texas flag for our deck. When he is done, I'll take a picture! Oh, and by the way, Jackson was fascinated with the jack hammer!

Yes, this is one of those bulb things for a baby's nose. No, we never used it for that purpose. Yes, we cleaned it anyways. Yes, Jackson loves chewing on it, but then again, he isn't that picky!

Look...no hands!

This is Jackson's other stuffed animal...name TBD. Walt & I haven't agreed on a name yet. Aunt Meredith & Aunt Michelle gave it to him before he was born! He loves stuffed animals. He kisses them a lot and loves on them. It is so sweet!

I have attached 2 videos. One is super long...I have got to get better at editing, but the 2nd video is short and super cute! So watch that one for sure!

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Question: How long does it take to eat a Cheerio?

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Answer: A long time! Usually Jackson attacks the Cheerio's, but he was more interested in getting his hands on the video camera.

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Spoiler Alert: Yes, he does eventually eat not just one, but two Cheerio's!

Love this video! This is always Jackson's reaction to Daddy coming home from work! How could this not make your day?!?