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!

Cradle Talk Friends

Every Wednesday we go to Cradle Talk. It's a group for new moms and it is awesome. There are a few moms that we meet up with every week for lunch and sometimes shopping trips. There are four babies and all are within a few weeks of each other. One baby wasn't here for the weekly picture this week so here are three of them.

This is Macy, Lucas, and Jackson. Tommy stayed home today.

We can't wait for next week!

Lately

Lately...

We've been watching Ice Truckers,

hanging out on mommy's lap,
smiling,

spending time with Daddy,

training for a half marathon

wearing Baby Legs,

looking at toys,

and just being CUTE!

It keeps us pretty busy.

Jackson is 2 Months Old

Jackson, I can't believe that you are two months old already. Time is flying by. At two months you are:

• smiling when people smile at you or talk to you
• making talking noises when you play in your bouncy seat or when someone talks to you
• spending more time on your tummy and holding your head up well
• holding all your body weight on your legs as you push against our laps
• crying very little when you go to bed even when you aren't asleep when we put you in your crib
• tracking people as they move throughout a room
• watching EVERYTHING. You don't want to miss a thing in a room full of people.

We love you little man!

Wisconsin

Our trip to Wisconsin was a great success. We were able to celebrate the life of Grandma Clark with family and we really enjoyed being together. Jackson was a great traveler! After our long drive we met Grandpa and Uncle Bob at the hotel. Grandpa was loving on Jackson the first second he saw him. We ended up going to dinner at a local place with Todd and Connie and Alvin and Kathy. They are Bryan's...cousins? They are Bryan's dad's counsins.
After the memorial service on Saturday, we hung out at Todd and Connie's. This is our four generation picture.

We also went on a walk to Uncle Elmer's farm to see his miniture horses. Jackson rode along in a stroller and was very alert.

He was teeny tiny in that big stroller. This is where the horses live on Uncle Elmer's farm.

There were three miniature horses.

Greta and Addie are pros at taking care of the horses. They put some hay in the trough for the horses.

There were several of these hanging around too. Yuck!

Walking back from the farm on the country roads.

By Sunday, Jackson was pooped. He slept through the lunch for family at the church.

Before we left, there were LOTS of pictures taken. These are two of Grandma's brothers and their wives, a wife of her older brother who has already passed, and Grandpa.

The trip was wonderful. Being reminded of so many things about Grandma really makes me want to be a better person! She was amazing!