43 Weeks

Baby is 43 Weeks. I think, I think (hope I'm not jinxing it!) we're finally getting into a regular schedule! Yes, this is definitely something different I will do with baby number 2, but it has been so nice being so relaxed with Jack. Letting him eat and sleep whenever he wants has worked for us up to this point. But now that's he's older it's time to get him scheduled.

This week Jack got some new shoes! Momma can't believe how expensive baby shoes are! We got him some stride rites to help him walk. It does keep his ankles straighter so he's learning how to walk properly. We don't wear them all day though, when he's crawling around they tend to get in the way. We've been practicing walking so that maybe, just maybe he'll be able to walk over to DaDa then next time we see him. That may be pushing it, but we'll certainly try! 

Baby has been getting so much better at standing on his own! I've been trying to get pictures, but he usually falls over to grabs onto something when he notices me watching him or the camera. Stinker pants! But he is so smart. He knows what the camera does and that I'm trying to catch him being a big boy. Nope, he says. I'm still a little baby! 

Finally caught him standing on his own!

Momma has been trying to do more reading of her own throughout the day. Baby has been learning to play by himself at intervals. Thankfully, he doesn't hate the play yard so much. When we move I plan to put the yard in our main living room and then hopefully get gates for the other rooms of the house he may play in. Hopefully we'll have space for an actual play room for him where he can roam free. Who knows what our home will look like though? 

Anyways, Momma has been taking advantage of his self play (or self reading- he loves his board books) to do some reading of her own. 

 Jack still loves bath time. This week we've held to his bedtime routine every night. I'll feed him Gerber baby food that includes some grain (rice cereal, oats, oatmeal) to help fill him up around 7:30, bath time at 8 until he's ready to get out, read his baby Bible and pray, I let him look through his Bible while I sing to him, then nurse him to sleep and put him in his crib. 

Love his little baby buns! He really doesn't have that much chub on him.

It's been under 20* several days this past week (and looks like we have more of that weather this week). When we've gone out Momma wore gloves herself, so she had to make sure Jack's hands were covered. He used to wear mittens everywhere, but he didn't like not having access to his fingers. His coat sleeves were long enough to cover his hands and keep them warm. He's grown though and his sleeves end at his wrists. So, Momma put some gloves on him. They are the typical toddlers gloves so a little big on him. He wasn't too excited about them at first, but he got used to them and was so interested in the individual finger slots. 

This week Momma has had a cold. Thankfully, it hasn't been the terrible cold and flu that's been going around. It's just a typical cold that makes Momma want to stay on the couch in her pjs all day. Jack got a runny nose, but that may be more to do with his teeth than a cold. He's been a champ and so well behaved while Momma has been out of commission. 

He's gotten to watch a lot more TV than normal. We've had Disney Junior on most of the day. It gives Momma something to watch and Jack only pays attention for a couple minutes at a time. Then he goes back to playing. So I don't feel too guilty. It's also nice to watch some of Momma's favorite childhood movies that play on Disney.

Jack hasn't seemed to latch onto any of his stuffed animals he already has. He likes to play with them, but doesn't like to snuggle with them at night. Momma bought Jack a Cloud B music giraffe. He played with one at a friends house and seems to like giraffes out of all his other toys. This one has four different music modes, including a sleep white noise mode. So far, he likes playing with this giraffe during the day and snuggles with it at night. 

I started putting the giraffe in the corner of his crib so that he doesn't associate it with Momma being away, but does associate it with sleep. He's moved closer to it throughout the nights when he's had it, so that's good! He has been learning to adjust himself when he gets uncomfortable without waking up. That is so nice. He used to wake up and need to be snuggled back to sleep.

Last night he slept in his crib for the entire night (with two wake ups)! This was the first time he's stayed in his crib for the entire night! Success! He went to sleep around 8:40 in his crib, woke up at around 12:40 and nursed and went back to sleep in his crib, woke up again around 3:30 and nursed and went back to sleep in his crib, then woke up without crying for the day at 7 am. That is the best night we've ever had! 

The better sleep schedule has sure helped Momma feel better. Instead of setting Jack up watching Finding Nemo on my phone or putting toys in his crib for him to entertain himself with, Momma woke up with Jack and we had breakfast (Eggos) together. Momma's cold is starting to go away (just a little tickle in her throat) too. So Momma was able to take a shower, get dressed and put on makeup while baby played. Momma hasn't worn real clothes all week! She has changed into "comfy clothes" all week so she isn't literally in her pjs, but getting made up today has made Momma feel like she's really better. 

This week Jack's second top tooth officially popped through! Now you can see all four of Jack's teeth instead of just being able to see the raised bump on his gums. He still has done fine nursing so we'll definitely keep it up until he's a year old. Momma has been letting him try more food and bigger pieces of food for him to learn to chew it up. He hasn't choked on anything yet. The only food he has turned away has been a piece of banana. He likes banana baby food, but Aunt CC (my sister, Christine) gave him a little chunk of her banana and the first piece he made a face but chewed it up. The second piece she gave him he spit out onto his hand, then he began frantically crying looking at it! She tried to calm him but he just got more worked up so I wiped it off and snuggled him. He started yipping (what I call his sobs, he doesn't really yip- but he does raggedly cry, it's quite sad) and it took a little while to calm him down. So maybe we'll stick with apples, cucumbers, and grapes for now. 

Throughout the day we take a lot of selfies to send to DaDa. This was one. As soon as I flipped the camera and he saw himself on my phone he grinned so big!

 During the taking of his weekly picture. Superman! 

 My sis-in-law pointed out that we're in the single digit weeks until he is 1-year-old! I thought about that last week when it was 10 weeks away. Both sad and excited at the same time. It's so exciting for him to be growing, learning, and to be able to try new foods etc. It will be nice to be able for him to drink milk and eat regular table food. But, of course, he's my little baby boy! I want him to stay my snuggly baby- but know he needs to grow up. Honestly, if my husband wasn't on board for baby number two ASAP then I'd be much more broken up about Jack growing up. When I think about Jack I honestly know I could be completely happy with him as my only child. He is such a perfect little baby. But, I think the life of an only child, especially being an Army brat, would be too lonely. Plus, siblings build character- anyone with them can attest to this. So, since we want Jack to have siblings (at least two) we figure better to have them relatively close together than space them out. 

So, Baby Jackson--- you are the sunshine of my life. You are my happiness. You will always be Momma's little turtle and Momma's love. You have made Momma's transition into motherhood so simple and easy. I thank you for being such a well behaved, loving, snuggly baby boy. I love you, Boogey.