Jackson is 4 months old!

I really can't believe he's already four months old. I can tell this first year is going to fly by! He really wasn't in the mood to smile for this month's shoot but you can tell he's getting bigger. I forgot that I fed him right before these pictures and didn't think about it being a bad idea to put him on his belly. Notice the picture of the spit up mess. Ooops.

I love, love, love those baby rolls!

Jackson, at fourth months you are:

• 15 pounds (50th %).
• 26 inches long (75th%).
• rolling over...sometimes.
• getting many comments about your crazy hair.
• dazzling people with your big blue eyes.
• talking alot. Daddy always asks if all babies are as loud as you.
• teasing mommy and daddy with your sleep. You went for a whole week sleeping around 10 hours a night. It was short lived though.
• sucking on your hands all the time. Sometimes your fingers gag you.
• taking better naps in your crib.
• reaching out for toys and putting them in your mouth.
• love watching football with Daddy. For some reason it seems to calm you when you are fussy.
• a great running partner. You don't even cry in the stroller on the long runs. You rode for 11 miles with no tears.
• are very, very loved!

You are amazing sweet boy!

Rolling Over!!!

Jackson is rolling over! He rolled from tummy to back on Wednesday, October 20th. Bryan was home to see it too! We thought it was a fluke so we turned him back over and he did it again. He has done it a few more times since then but it is definitely not a regularly occuring event yet.
Then, on Wednesday, November 3rd, he rolled from his back to his tummy. This one he hasn't done since and his arm is still kind of stuck underneath him. I'm not sure if I should count it as an official back to tummy roll. What do you think?

He looks a little perplexed by his new skills.

Cradle Talk Friends

This is Macy, Lukas, Jackson, and Molly. They are Cradle Talk friends. We had a play date, mostly for the mommies, at our house last week. The four babies had a good time and all the moms enjoyed some conversation.
Jackson was trying to make the moves on Molly!

I think this is Molly politely declining.

The next day was our Cradle Talk Halloween party! Jackson was a monkey. I couldn't get a picture without his hands in his mouth.

Everyone brought a treat to share. We had quite the spread.

Here are Macy, Lukas, Jackson, and Molly all dress up. Macy was a lamb, Lukas a dragon, and Molly was a bear.

Tommy, the giraffe, showed up a little later.

This is all the three to six month old babies dressed up for the party.

The Cradle Talk nurses are not very strict about when you have to stop coming so there are some babies who are closer to 8 months. I bet we will try to go as long as possible too. We love it!

Pumpkin Patch

Sonny Acres Farm is a great pumpkin patch fairly close to home. It is such a fun place to go and it will be even better, and definitely more expensive, when Jackson gets older. Here is our first Sonny Acres family picture.

Everyone was looking at me for propping my baby up for this picture. I guess they thought the corn stalks didn't look very comfortable. Jackson was really excited. Can't you tell?

This is my favorite part! Every year when we go back we will be able to pose in front of this to see how big he is getting!

Meredith and Kyle came along for the fun too. That night they watched Jackson while Bryan and I went to Hugo's for my birthday.

All the action was enough to wipe the boy out.

I can't wait to go back next year!

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!