39 Weeks

Ok, now to play catch up after my little "holiday break". A lot happened in my short hiatus. Jackson had two weekly birthdays, one monthly birthday, his first Christmas, a trip to California, and then I have to do my 2012 end of year review and 2013 resolutions. Last year I tried to post each event as it happened. Funny how differently writing priorities are after a baby. I write when he is sleeping or occupied with another family member... which means these posts may all be updated today... or not for another week! 

Here goes post number 1: Jackson turned 39 Weeks old on December 24. This means he has doubled his entire lifespan! He was born at 38.5 weeks in my pregnancy. While I was loving every moment of pregnancy, I was so excited to meet my little one. I was very thankful he came early so I could hold him and he could meet his Daddy.

Now at 39 Weeks he has decided he wants to try standing and walking. He enjoys walking while holding hands with an adult, but thankfully he still likes crawling on his own too. He always pulls himself up on things to stand and is getting braver about sitting down from standing (sometimes face first) or moving from one object to another while standing/walking. 

Mommy had a Dentist appointment this week and Jackson stayed home with Grammy while she was away. He didn't cry at all the whole time! Mommy was so proud. Hopefully he is coming out of his separation anxiety stage. When he sees me he wants me to hold him, but when I am out of sight he is content playing with others. He does still love attention though. He is not one to play on his own. If you're sitting with him then he is fine, but if you expect him to sit and play on his own while you're a few feet off- then not so much. 

This entire week Jack had a runny nose. At first I thought it might be a cold, but he never developed any other symptoms. I think it may be related more to teething. We'll see if any teeth pop through. It is such a hassle having a baby with a runny nose. He gets all stuffed up so it's hard for him to breathe. Especially when he is nursing. He drinks a little, then has to release to breathe through his mouth. Not ideal for baby and makes a little mess since he has to continually unlatch. Jack hate hate hates the boogie bulb. He loves to play with it on his own, but if he sees me getting it out he immediately begins crying. It helps clear him up so much though. I just use it when he's super snotty. For only a booger or two I'll wipe with a boogie wipe or Yes To Baby Carrots wipe.

Momma and baby flew on another airplane this week! Well, three airplanes! I have been so blessed with a well behaved little traveler. He does so well in the car and on planes. We flew from Grand Rapids to Chicago, then to Phoenix, then to San Diego on Saturday. It was a long day that ended up being a 21 hour day for Mommy! Whew. It was so nice to be in sunny SoCal by the end of the day with my in-laws. 

Jack and Uncle Mark.

When we were in California Jack got his baths in my MILs amazing sink. This thing has a lot of space, perfect for bathing babies! Jack loves splashing (of course) and he was mesmerized by the faucet. He tried to grab the stream and couldn't understand why he couldn't get it. 

Sunday we went back out to San Diego (my in-laws live a little outside the city) to pick up Daddy! Jack looks like he fits right in with his Ray Ban-esque sunglasses! The baby iPhone he has is his first Christmas present from Momma and Daddy. I thought it would be good for him to use while we were on this trip. 

It was so nice having Daddy home! We picked him up and got ready for our two weeks of wonderfulness. It sure is nice that even if you're in training you still get Christmas break in the Army. Jack recognized his Daddy and was all smiles and jabbers for him. It is nice that Jack remembers Matt- definitely helps with him being away. Matt doesn't feel as bad that he's gone if Jack doesn't forget him. We're able to skype now while he's away so that certainly helps. 

Sunday evening we went to my in-laws Church for the Christmas service. Jack stayed with us and was well behaved through the service. He changed hands a few times to keep him occupied and he broke Grammie's necklace, but she was ok with that and we enjoyed the service without screaming or anyone needing to step out. I really enjoy the church my in-laws attend. I can certainly see Matt and I attending there if we lived in the area. 

Momma had been avoiding showing Jack the stairs at home... but the first night he was there Daddy taught Jack how to climb up stairs! Jack was curious about them at first and a little wobbly at first, but he got the hang of it in now time and by the next day he was crawling up them without any problem. Rut roh!

We loved having Daddy around to be able to read stories! Jack watches Daddy TV of recorded stories, but it's so much better in real life. The puppy Jack is holding was Matt's childhood friend. Matt loved that puppy and would consider giving him to Jack if he thought he could survive a second childhood! Puppy is well loved and is missing a bunch of fur. His limbs and tail had to be reattached a few times and his nose is all scrappy from Daddy having chewed on it lots! I hope Jack gets a friend as good as Puppy for his childhood. He has a few stuffed animals to choose from and so far has not settled on a favorite. 

I began letting Jack try some real food along with his baby food this week. I tried to have him eat baby food twice a day (lunch and dinner) and added bits of real food to these times. He has tried crackers, pickles, and some fruit. He loves pineapple broken up in bits. He still nurses regularly and I'm not anxious to ween him yet. I plan to nurse until he is one year old but we'll see how his tastes change. 

This week Jack developed a very cheesy, ridiculous smile. When he sees the camera he grins all big and his eyes get all squinty. He is just such a silly baby! His little personality continues to develop and it is so amazing to me that he already is such an individual. As his mobility increases, he gains more independent will. I hope to find a balance between encouraging his independence but also fostering respect for his elders. Oh the joys and trials of parenthood. Thankfully, Jack's existence so far has been mostly joys and very little trials. 

This series of photos was taken for our memory. We tried to take a nice family close up and on the second one I thought I was smiling like I was super excited. So Matt mimicked me. Then he and I couldn't stop laughing and Jack kept looking at us, moving his head rather quickly. We thought that was funny too. Then he smiled and we got a nice picture.

Jack just LOVED spending time with his Grammie, GrandPops, and Uncle Mark. He very quickly warmed up to them and they just loved his smiles. He got lots of snuggles, hugs, and loved all the attention. It is so nice for him to be able to spend time with them since they live far away. I wish he could see them more often. 

Christmas Eve Jack wore his Santa jammies. We all loved his little hat that came with it! 

Goober face.

Momma had to take some good pictures with the tree. But of course, he was more interested in the presents and touching the tree! 

We had a low key Christmas Eve. It was so nice to just relax at home with family.