Day 109- lots of pictures

Jackson took 6 naps today. 4 of them were 1 hour and 2 were 30 minutes. That medicine is really wearing him out, I'm glad we only have to give it one more day! I'm going to let today's pictures with captions be my post because I was pretty happy with the expressions in the pictures today and I think they tell a pretty good story of our day when Jackson was actually awake.

Good morning Joe Dog

Let me tell you about my night

Please?

Mom, Joe won't play with me :(

I'll get him then!

What? I'm helping you with the diapers!

See I'm a good helper!

Haha- evil face

What? I'm innocent

Mom, Bernie won't play with me either :(

Please, Bernie- I'll be gentle!

He gave me a kiss when he went by

I know you're trying to entice me to crawl with puffs, but this sucks!

Jackson's dinner

Jackson's appetizer- yes he ate the entire can and I didn't get any fruit for dinner

Working on eating rice, though he wore a lot, he did eat quite a bit

Yummy hamburger :)

Day 59- Teething Monster

Jackson's been bit by the teething monster again. I really hope his top two teeth pop through soon, poor kid is in misery and covered in drool. I was able to make his fruits and veggies for the week tonight. He's got broccoli, asparagus, zucchini, sweet potato, cucumber, carrots, squash, pears, bananas, peaches, beets, apricots, and apples this week. I also introduced cheese today. He loved it and did really well.

Today's picture is of Jackson with his current favorite teether. It is a really soft latexy rubber and when he chews on it, it vibrates and massages his gums. http://www.diapers.com/product/productdetail.aspx?productid=25195&site=CI&src=gnew&cm_mmc=cse-_-googlebase-_-toys_books-_-LC-218&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=LC-218 He sat there for three minutes today, just clamped on. I can also officially say the RSV is gone. Digger the dog (his nebulizer) is getting put away in the am as it's been 24 hours since he's needed a breathing treatment, he doesn't have a runny nose anymore, and I've turned his humidifier back to low. I'm so glad it's gone- now if he can cut these two teeth I'll have my happy healthy little man back again!

Day 41- Last day as a 5 month old

Jackson's last day as a 5 month old ended early b/c he only slept 15 minutes at Miss Brenda's and by the time I got him home, he was beat! He went to bed early and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the fact that through the "No Cry Sleep Solution" and waiting until he was ready, I can put Jackson in his crib with his monkey blanket and seahorse wide awake and he will talk to himself, play with monkey, and then go to sleep on his own within 15 minutes.

Tomorrow is his 6 month appointment, I'm excited to see his new "stats" I'm also excited because I got his new Happy Heiny Diaper in the mail today. It has glow in the dark skulls on it- how cool is that. He will definitely be rocking that diaper for the pediatrician tomorrow!

Here are the very few pictures I could snap in the 40 minutes of awake time we had pre-bedtime routine.

He likes his roasted sweet potato.

A little playtime in the exersaucer before bed

I found out that I was selected to host a party for Philadelphia Cream Cheese. These are like taste tester parties. I hope a lot of you can come, anyone local is invited! If you come to the party you get the following coupons: Philadelphia cooking creme, home shopping network

You also get: cooking creme notepads, magnets, recipe books, and cooking spoons. Also if you are looking to get free stuff (I get 4 free Philly Cooking Cremes, a Greenpan stainless steel skillet, a pamphlet for that skillet and a Philly oven mitt just for hosting) go to www.houseparty.com and apply for one of the available parties!

We will provide some of the recipes from the book! The party is March 12th so clear your calendars (and for all of you who can still drink- you will get to help Russell clear out the beer fridge!) It's the day of the big east championship so come and watch on our big screen!

Finally, you see this new signature I have? I won it from a comment game on Penny Pinching Polly. I love doing comment games on facebook. While it might send some annoying stuff on walls- I've won over $100 in prizes doing these. All you have to do is like a page on FB and then comment on the prize. They then use random.org to pick. I've won things from "ouchie bags" to blog signatures, to diapers! This was created by Cutesie Blog designs. http://www.facebook.com/CutesieBlogDesign

Day 40- Quick Pics

I don't feel well and I'm headed to bed, so just some pictures of our day today.

This is how Jackson wakes up in the morning when he gets to sleep in.

I don't know why, but I just love these PJs (and he has on a matching diaper!)

Not a fan of green beans.

Not really sure about the nectarine either

But the boy sure loves his yogurt (tonight it was mixed with black raspberry preserves!)

Day 39- Snow Day :)

I love snow days! It was a good day to recharge. We also have a 2 hour delay for tomorrow so we can take our time getting ready in the morning. Since we were home, Jackson and I had breakfast and lunch together. However it was a late breakfast and a later lunch (3:30) so we skipped dinner. For breakfast Jackson had greek yogurt mixed with fruit preserves, toast with cream cheese on it, and watermelon. He loved it all and ate everything he could feed himself. The food pictures are from this morning. He's getting better with the spoon and continues to amaze me at how proficient he is becoming so quickly.

For lunch he had part of a whole grain English muffin with preserves on it, apricots, steamed apples, and steamed carrots. He loved the apples and carrots, didn't really care for the english muffin, and ate the apricots, but didn't love them. He loved the apples so much that he started to eat the pieces off of his bib.

I need to go shopping soon to get more baby friendly foods for Jackson. I think him eating with us will also make me make healthier choices because he wants what I have and it makes me think twice about what eating habits I am teaching him.

Yummy Breakfast!

I'm getting better with my spoon- no yogurt on my forehead today!

So tasty I'll eat it right off my bib.

All done mom- just finishing up the toppings on my thumb.

Also, he got a baby mohawk this morning. It wasn't on purpose, but after breakfast he had yogurt everywhere and got a quick bath. After I got him out of the tub I let him play in the crib while I cleaned up, but I forgot to brush his hair- thus the crazy baby mohawk. I have two pictures of him being his happy self :)

Jackson's favorite toy this week: http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-L5739-Chatters-Cookie-Monsters/dp/B00280MB48, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000W9PXFG/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_3?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B00280MB48&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1M5534VDV8J5SX5NSAWX Cookie Monster or Elmo chatters. You can see cookie monster in the pictures in his nursery. He'll shake him and make him talk and just crack up. He got them for Christmas and as much as they drive Russell and I crazy- they are awesome to have around. I didn't think he would like them for awhile, but they have been a big hit as of late.

mmmm....cookie monster

Crazy hair!

I love snow days with mom!

He has finally taken to Elmo as much as he has Murray. Here he was being fussy since he didn't get to watch TV (normally he watches as soon as I get home from work so I can unpack and get things ready for dinner) so I let him watch Sesame Street with me. I love watching him when Elmo or Murray comes on so here is a video.

Oh and I was totally the person swearing my kid wouldn't watch TV until he was two- well life hit. I'm home alone with him the majority of the week and the dogs need fed, out, attention, dinner needs cooked, I have to pump, I need to unpack from school, and all in all it takes about 30-40 minutes to get everything ready to go when I get home. I tried it without Sesame Street and every time he would start to cry halfway through pumping or right when the dogs needed in and it just wasn't working. So I decided one tv show a day and it had to be educational. So we DVR Sesame street and it's become a part of our routine. So I eat my words b/c ideally he would be TV free, but as we all know- life isn't always ideal. I don't think he will be forever damaged from an hour a day of Sesame Street.

That is all for tonight-I've got laundry to fold and dishes to put away. I'm going to try to make my 10:00 bedtime tonight. I've not been good with this and it's wearing on me!

Day 36- We love Saturdays

Jackson was asleep by 8 and had two decent naps today. Hopefully we are starting to get on some kind of schedule. He's still getting up to eat at night anywhere from 1-4 times a night, but he's getting better about napping and he's sleeping on his back in the crib- so I'll take it.

Today I have quite a few pictures because it's been a whole week since I got to spend the whole day with Jackson. Russell even played with Jackson for a couple of hours so I could get things done. Weather was crazy today, which made it a good afternoon/evening to stay in.

Jackson ate 3 whole meals today. The first was breakfast of watermelon, banana, apple, and yogurt. He ate almost the whole banana again, tried a piece of apple and a piece of watermelon. He did great with the yogurt. The first attempt with the spoon put some yogurt on his forehead, but from there on out he got in the vicinity of his mouth with every bite. He's doing really well and has a great appetite. Here is a picture of Jackson at the end of the meal.

Jackson lucked out with a second bath after this meal :) We played all morning. Here is a picture of Jackson in his Sustainablebabyish Longies. These are knit wool pants. These are "seconds" but I can't for the life of me figure out why. I try to have him wear his longies at least once a weekend. We use fitted diapers under the longies. The fitted diapers are diapers that are not waterproof and thus much more breathable. By doing this it helps to make sure that he doesn't get a rash.

Here is a picture of Jackson wearing one of my favorite patterns- Cat in the Hat. This fitted is a Dippee Dypee. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dippee-Dypees/154092501296597 This is not an overnight fitted, but is good for a 2 hour stretch. It has a snap in liner made of a very soft cotton material. This is a really soft diaper and can be folded for a boy or a girl. I would recommend it for a lower cost diaper that you will use during playtime. It probably would get soaked through during naptime if you have a heavy wetter, but if you are just looking for something cute to play around in, this is an excellent diaper.

Jackson had tomatoes and green peppers at Subway for lunch and then we came home for a nap. When Russell played with Jackson after that, I was able to start on some crafts for Jackson. I made him a Steeler tie shirt. I don't have a sewing machine, so I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. Altogether this cost me $3.50 to make. I am hoping to finish the other two tonight. There is a WVU one and one for him to wear for Valentine's Day.

Here is a picture of Jackson modeling the shirt I made him.

Last picture of the night is Jackson at dinner. Russell saw this morning and since we had a late dinner decided a diaper would be the perfect attire for Jackson for dinner. His high chair cover was in the dryer so we used this chair instead.

Tomorrow will be a very short post b/c it will be the Super bowl! Here we go Steelers, here we go!

Day 34- Long Day

What does extinct mean?

Student smells armpit and plugs nose saying "yuck"

Even though it's been a very long week, it's moments like these that remind me why I love my job. A hug and an independently completed paper from a student who was out of control moments previous, a laugh from a grouchy kid, and a semi verbal student greeting a friend. These were the definite highs of my day today.

http://www.mamisandpapis.blogspot.com/ Mami's and Papi's- one of my favorite FB fan pages, stores, and blogs issued this challenge for the month of February, be more positive. Make the best of every situation. So I will try to issue the best moments of each day-moments with Jackson and moments without. I'd love to hear your highs of each day as well!

Speaking of Mami's and Papi's, we just got Jackson's CJ's Carcass cleaner and lotion. They smell awesome, are 100% natural and so creamy. All of her products are cloth diaper safe. You can only get the lotion at Mami's and Papi's. I totally recommend these products and I'm thinking that if we get a little extra money I'll get the wool spray and all purpose cleaners too. I use the CJs BUTTer that we have on my dry skin as well as a diaper cream. It works so well on dry skin, I always have some with me. So baby or not- you'll find a scent you love and it's definitely worth it! http://www.cjsewingroom.com/?cat=5

Today's pictures are from dinner, which was short b/c Jackson was tired and also from afterwards when he was cleaned up and waiting for bath time. I also put a picture of Jackson with his cup. He's doing so well- he didn't spill on himself at all today, he spilled a little when he set the cup back on the tray, but he brought it to his mouth and successfully drank 3 times today!

Day 33- Night out

It's another super short one as I hope to be in bed by 10. Jackson and I went out to dinner with friends tonight. He tried the applesauce, which he really liked playing with and he ate a little too. He was an angel as usual and quite the ham. He cracks me up b/c he just eats up all the attention and will do anything he can to make sure that it stays on him. He fake laughs, fake coughs, and will yell to make sure all eyes are on him. You can't help but love it b/c as soon as he has your attention- he'll reward you with a smile that will melt your heart!

We went to dinner 2 blocks from home so we enjoyed a nice walk there and back. Tonight's picture is me and Jackson just after we got back. I love seeing him all bundled up!

Oh and I have to wear my glasses in the evenings now b/c my poor eyes are so tired :( However those are the free Nike glasses I got from coastal contacts- such and awesome deal!!

Day-32 2 Full days of work- ugh!

I'm pretty tired so it's another short one. Jackson was up at 4:50 and I didn't get back to bed after I got him back down and with school, basketball, and a very playful baby this evening- I'm beat. I do have to say today started much better than yesterday though. Jackson slept until 7:00 and woke up in a great mood. He's been pretty happy all day long and just full of himself. He's a riot to hang out with and it makes all the not so fun parts (like the bottle I spilled in the car this morning) much more bearable.

This is Jackson right after he got up. How can you not have a good day when you're greeted with this smile?

Jackson at dinner time- he went after the banana with a purpose. He ate almost the whole thing tonight.

Jackson successfully drank from his cup by himself without spilling (and set it back on the tray without spilling) twice tonight! Now there were probably more than 20 unsuccessful attempts, but he's learning so fast!

After dinner we're down to a diaper and sweatshirt b/c learning to eat and drink is a very messy venture! He's wearing the Thirsties Fab Fitted, which almost doesn't fit him anymore. I'm so sad because they don't make this diaper anymore and it's so trim and soft. It's one of my favorite around the house daytime fitteds.

This was Jackson at 9:15, almost 2 hours after his bedtime. He apparently didn't get the message that it was bedtime. Thankfully he gave in to those tired eyes about 20 minutes later!

Day 30- Food! Picture heavy!

We took baby led weaning to full swing today. Jackson had breakfast and dinner with us. I'm pretty sure that I will have a full day of school tomorrow (and maybe all week if that storm hits us a rain instead of ice or snow) so I will let the pictures and the captions do the talking today. So far it's been really successful and I'm really happy with our decision to do baby led weaning. Jackson enjoys it and has fun. He's adventurous and only eats what he wants. I keep trying the sippy cup, he gets so frustrated. I let him have the trainer, he gets wet, but drinks some- on his own and is one happy kid.

The hardest part I have with baby led weaning right now is not praising him or helping him out too much. They say don't praise because once they understand there is a right way to do it (pick it up get it in the mouth) they will understand that there is a wrong way and frustration can set in. My job is full of constant praise, so it's hard. So I've relegated myself to talking about the flavors, textures, and colors as we eat. It's also hard not to stare because I'm so amazed at his proficiency already, but again- no pressure. I know I don't like to eat with everyone staring, so I've got to try to make sure I'm looking during conversation and eating myself and not just watching him.

Jackson loves his new highchair- thanks Aunt Chris and Uncle Charlie!

Practicing with his food while I make our breakfast

Our breakfast is all ready. I get toast with peanut butter and oatmeal with oj, Jackson gets watermelon, a piece of dry toast, oatmeal and water

He heads right for the watermelon- yummy!

Well- I drink from a cup like this, so this must be how I get what's in the bowl

He did actually get a little to eat with this method

Oh- this stuff feels cool!

Ok- Mom uses a spoon, but I'm not sure how to get the food there. If I put the spoon in my mouth with one hand, I can put the food on the spoon with the other. Very creative method, he's a smart kid!

This eating thing is tough work!

Dinner time- bananas and avocado- he's munching on some avocado here. It was really hard to get a hold of, so slippery!

Banana time- he ate almost the whole thing! (well his piece)

Working hard to chew it all up!

I love dinner!!