40 Weeks

Jackson turned 40 Weeks old on December 31. He no longer enjoys sitting on the couch nice and pretty for his weekly pictures. All the pictures are him wiggling (while smiling, of course) or a blur from him moving so quickly! So, from now on his pictures will be of his current "tricks". For now, he is standing tall and strong! 

He can use that walker to walk all around the room without any other support. My parents' carpet is a little thicker so it helps slow down the walker some. He keeps up with it pretty well though. 

This week Jack was able to swing for the first time! He L-O-V-E-D it! GrandPops set up their swing outside. Jack was all smiles and giggles right from the start. 

We went for a walk to the park and he was able to swing there too. So much joy from this little boy in the swing. Once it warms up a bit outside in Michigan we'll probably go to the park often for walks and some good swinging! 

Even though part of his face is cut off, this is probably one of my favorite pictures of him so far. He just looks so happy. 

Baby is still super snuggly. It will be quite the feat to get him into his own crib full time. I know, I've been saying that for months. But by the time he is 1 year old he sleeping in Momma's bed will NOT be an option. So generally he scootches over to me to snuggle in the bed. Well, I got up to get ready for the day and came back into the room and saw that he had reoriented himself so his head was against DaDa! He just loves human contact. 

Remember when I said last week that he developed a cheesy grin? Well, here it is! When he sees the camera or my phone he grins all big and squinty-like. Silly boy. I'm trying to teach him that "cheese" means to smile... but what about when I give him cheese to eat? So confusing for a learning baby! 

It was so nice having a real high chair to be able to plop him into. I could go around the kitchen and not worry about what he was getting into. Give him some puffs or small pieces of food and he's good to go! 

Baby constantly crawls over to me and pulls himself up by my pants. He often accompanies this with a little whine and "Mum-mum" for me to pick him up. I've been trying to teach him to walk along with my by holding onto my leg/pants. We aren't so good with this new skill yet, but it's a work in progress! A few times Jack let go of me all on his own and stood! Learning learning learning!

The toy options never cease! We gave him a plastic cup and he was so content playing with it for about a half hour! Who would've thought? 

He chewed on the cup, chased it around, threw it. Jack has also learned to drink from a big person cup too. I have to hold it for him, but he loves drinking water out of it.

Jackson also began trying to crawl over and under things. He has learned to push with his legs and pull with his arms alternatively. He can maneuver himself around most obstacles... including between DaDa's legs! 

Time with DaDa is so priceless. DaDa plays so many things that Momma doesn't really play...

... like wrestling! 

I just love watching them interact. Jackson sure loves his DaDa. While Jack likes being around people, I can certainly tell that he knows his DaDa and knows that he is a very important person in his life. 

Jack loves apples and pineapple. I mix this in with most of his meals now. 

Matt and I are true parents now. We both have apps on our phone specifically for Jack to use. Jack is learning about playing with our phones and not chewing on them. Such a smart little baby already! Most of the apps are music based since Jack loves music so much. 

While we were at Grammie and GrandPops' house Jack loved their puppy, Cobie. Unfortunately, Cobie doesn't like most people. A little person who screeches and crawls isn't exactly Cobie's idea of a good time. But Jack sure tried to get her! 

At the end of the week, we had more flights for Jack. He did well once again, which was no surprise. It was nice having an extra set of hands to hold him. On our long flight (Phoenix to Chicago) there was an empty seat between DaDa and Momma. Jack sat in his own seat for a little while and played. It's so nice that I can cinch up the seatbelt so he can't fall out. 

We get one more whole week with DaDa! What a great Christmas break!

[edit]

Forgot to mention: Jack's second bottom tooth is through and his first top tooth! He looks so cute with toofers! He is working on learning to chew more foods. He does have fussy days every once in awhile for his teeth, but a dose of Motrin and he's set to go! I love seeing those pearly whites!