10-10-10

On October 10th, several friends of mine ran the Chicago Marathon. Meredith ran it last year for the first time and this year she ran it again along with our friend Kyle. A few other friends from Steeple Run ran it this year as well. It is always such a fun, but extremely long day.


We got on a train in Naperville somewhere around the 6:00 hour. Once the train got to the city, we headed to the 2 mile mark. We didn't get there in time to see Mere and Kyle though. It is also possible that we were there but missed them. This early in the race, it's hard to sort through people.
It is so motivating to see all the runners go by. Spirits are usually pretty high at this point in the race.

Jackson enjoyed it too. He hung out with Papa alot that day as Bryan was in charge of pictures and I was trying to spot Kyle and Mere.

Such a cool date the run this race.

This is the halfway point. Mere is in the pink shirt and Kyle is hiding behind her. We didn't know what side they would be on and luck wasn't on our side.

After the 13.1 mark we grabbed some lunch and headed to the finish line. It was and always is really crazy as 38,000 runners bring a lot of fans who all want to see the finish line.

We found them though. This is right as they can see the finish line. Mere did great and was Kyle's cheerleader. You can tell by his face that he was hurtin'!

After the race we stood around and waiting to see them. It was super hot for this time of year so Jackson spent most of the waiting time hiding out with Nana and Papa under a tree.

Here we are with the finishers! Bryan is planning to run next year. Yikes!

3 Months Old

On October 9th Jackson turned 3 months old. While time seemed to stand still in those first few weeks, it is flying by now! He is changing so quickly.

Jackson, at three months old you:

• are smiling like crazy. You are the most smiley in the mornings and right before bed when you are getting your pajamas on.
• are able to hold your head up really well during tummy time. If you aren't screaming, your head is all the way up and looking around.
• are kicking all the time. You do most of your playing with your feet instead of your hands.
• grab on to your toys but not intentionally. Sometimes you look confused if your hand is gripping a toy because you aren't sure how to let it go.
• are making progress on rolling over. You kick your legs but your arms are still getting in the way.
• go to bed with mostly no tears. You still wake up around 2:30am, 5:30am, and are usually up for the day around 7:30. Momma's getting tired buddy but you're doing better.
• take some of your naps in your crib and some in the swing or while we are out and about. You cry in your crib for a while before your naps and only sleep about a half hour. We are still working on helping you become a good sleeper.
• like to sit up in your bumbo seat. You only like it about five minutes and then your head gets heavy and you fuss a bit. I usually move you to your activity mat and you are happy for a while.
• love Baby Einstein videos. You stare at the tv for the whole video and then cry when the menu screen comes up at the end. You love all the bright colors and movement.
• are amazing and we love you!
  
  
  
  
  

Way Back When......

...Jackson and I went to Kansas City. I had a wedding shower on Saturday but it was great to be able to introduce Jackson to more family. I wanted him to meet my grandma, his Gma, right away. I think she was happy.
And so was he!

We had dinner with the Alexanders at Tim's Pizza. It was great to have a couple beers and spend some time with Katie and Teagan. She is 12 days younger than Jackson. Katie and I shared many late night/early morning chats during feedings.

Pana and Nana always enjoy time with the little man.

JJ did really well at the shower. He was so alert and was taking it all in. There were so many people for him to keep track of.

Uncle Mike was super with him too. I knew he would be though. I can't wait for Jackson to spend more time with him. Uncle Mike will help him be a little ornery...I don't think his daddy has any ornery genes in him.

It was a fantasic trip and was much needed for me. My mom watched JJ for two nights and I was able to sleep. I make sure to drug up so I wouldn't wake in the middle of the night and start worrying. My mom must be soothing because he slept great! So did I. It was the first time I had slept all night since early July. I came back in much better spirits. Family will do that to you!