Mommy & Me

It has been just Jackson and I for the weekend; David went to Matagorda Bay for some fishing. So Jackson and I went to the mall, went for walks, and went to Uncle Bruce's birthday party in South Shore Harbor. It wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be by myself. Jackson did wonderfully and even slept a little longer than normal. He had fun being outside at the Harbor and put up with the intense heat. I must admit, however, I don't know how single moms do this. I would be lost without David and greatly appreciate all that he does for his family.

2 Months Old!

Jackson is officially two months old! He is such a kind and peaceful baby. He is smiling, grabbing, rolling, cooing, and holding his own weight on his legs. He loves his Ollie, the music, being outside, visiting family, and being in his swing. We also went for our 2 month shots. He weighed 9lbs, 15 oz and was 21 1/2 inches tall. Big boy! He received his shots and didn't like them, but who does?

Just the Two of Us!

David and I finally took our first date away from Jackson. Gregg and Erin graciously offered to watch Jackson while David and I went to our friends' Adam and Lindsay's wedding. It was a wonderful occasion and a great excuse to get all dressed up again. It was nerve-racking to leave him behind, but I knew he was in good hands.

We were able to talk with friends (in between my texting to Erin to check on Jackson), laugh, dance, and enjoy the elegan evening. The wedding was breath-taking. Jackson seemed to also enjoy himself. He was rocked by Gregg, and even took a bottle from Erin (he still refuses to take one from me).

Okay, this is the good stuff!

My heart has never melted with love so much before today. Today Jackson made direct eye contact with David and I and let out the most precious smile and coo. It made the last two months of mastitis, pain, sleepless nights, pumping, diapering, and all else 100% worthwhile. It is amazing how God can reward us in just an instant.

Also as an update, Jackson has begun sleeping for 6-7 hours a night, and become much more "awake." He has also begun grabbing for his toys on his playmat and "talking" to his favorite toy, Ollie the Octopus.

Fingers!

I am terrified and gooshy at the same time. Jackson has discovered his fingers and wants to do nothing but slobber and put them in his mouth. Why be worried? Well, sigh, here it goes: I actually sucked my thumb until I was about 8 years old and I fear that little Jackson may fall into the same habit. It's sweet to watch him and refreshing to see him soothe himself, but I am pretty nervous he'll end up like me. It was a terrible habit to break. I have tried to "exchange" a pacifier for those fingers and he'll have nothing to do with it. Any suggestions for making this happen?

More Friends

Jackson met one of his future buddies today, Collin Ray Vann. Our friends Joe and Courtney had their little boy earlier this week and we went to meet him today. He was born a pound more than Jackson, and looked so incredibly tiny. It's hard to think that Jackson was ever smaller than that, but alas he was. sigh. He's growing too fast and I am afraid of losing these precious memories. I cannot wait until the boys get bigger and can really enjoy one another. We'll have lots of fun memories I am sure!

Tummy Time...YUCK

So we officially hate tummy time. Although I hate doing it to him, I know it's best. If I could only convince Jackson that it's good for him. I guess this it true of all things for children...green beans, broccoli, washing your face, and getting a good nights rest. The better it is for them the more they resist. Jackson does enjoy his mat, however. Thanks LJA for the great gift. He pulls on the toys and stares at the strange things dangling in front of him. I wish I knew what he was thinking...."Is this supposed to be your idea of fun mommy?"

Rollin'

Short blog today....Jackson rolled from his side to his back and back to his side! Pretty incredible if you ask me.


On another note, I think I am officially getting the hang of being a mom and a wife. I am 100% positive that I love this role, and it only took me 6 weeks to find this groove but it certainly fits. ha ha Like Jackson, I am rollin, rollin' rollin' (I have that western theme song playing in my head right now). I am balancing his needs, my needs, our homes' needs, and my families' needs. It is truly rewarding juggling act. But it's mine.

Sniff, sniff...

To say I cried like a baby is almost an understatement. I sobbed. Today we moved Jackson into his own room where he slept in his own crib. It was the best thing for him, but definitely one of my weaker moments. I hated not being near him to hear him stir or wake up. He, of course, did wonderful. I think deep down I may have wanted him to resist a little so I could convince David that he neeeeded to be back in our room. Little stinker ruined the whole plan.

I must say, however, kuddos to the makers of baby monitors. We have this great one that monitors movement of the baby with an alarm and picks up the softest of sounds. This is a blessing because Jackson doesn't really cry to let you know he's awake or hungry. He simply lies there softly grunting. Also the monitor has to be turned off immediately when he's picked up or the alarm goes off (no movement). This saves us from embarassing conversations being overheard by anyone on the other end of the sound frequency. :) Doesn't he look tiny in such a big bed?

Mother's Day & Baby Bible Day

Happy Mother's Day to me! Since I am an official member of the Mommy Club I finally get a holiday. Pretty cool! Today we went to church and Jackson had a special tribute as well. At our church, West Houston Church of Christ, they celebrate the birth of children by presenting them with their very own Bible. This is a symbol that we will raise him in a Christian home with the Word of God. We also wrote him a letter that he will get to read one day.

We celebrated mother's day throughout the weekend by visiting my mom and Grama and also by having David's mother join us at church. Daddy really impressed me with his excellent shopping. He bought me two nice shirts (in these pictures) and had 2 pieces of jewelry made for me. The first was a necklace and the other is a sterling bracelet with Jackson's picture in it (both in the pictures as well).

Playdates

I am slowly learning to be a better mommy and am finding myself mixed into the mommy world. Today Erin and her daughter Liz came over. Liz is 6 months old and it is amazing to see the difference between she and Jackson. They will actually be in the same Kindergarten class but the developmental differences now are huge. She was so sweet with Jackson and even tickled his toes while he chilled in his bouncy seat and stared and grunted at her. I made small pizzas for Erin and I while we talked about the Twilight series. *This is a whole other blog entry, but Erin got me hooked and I am seriously addicted. I read the books outloud to Jackson while we take our strolls in the neighborhood.* Okay, where was I...oh yes...playdates. I totally get why moms do them-for themselves of course! We need some time to talk in non baby talk mode. Overall it was a great experience and I look forward to lots more with lots of other moms.

Date Night with Jackson in Tow

Date night has been revived! For the last 4 years David and I have celebrated our marriage and life together with a traditional Thursday night date. It ranges from dinner out to a game night or rental movie in. We have done this in order to always have some noninterrupted time together to reflect on our week, our worries, our stresses, our concerns, our fears, and sometimes just to beat the other at a game of Monopoly. :)

Since Jackson was born date night has gone aside, and boy can we tell. It has really made a difference in our marriage. But I am proud to annonce that Date Night is Back! Tonight David, Jackson, and I all went to Shoguns for a nice dinner. It was last minute, so it was kind of late. This worked out wonderfully, however, because we didn't have to wait to be seated and there weren't lots of crowds. Jackson slept through most of the dinner (except for when the chef made flames on the grill...he woke up to see that). It was a nice dinner and I look forward to many more.

Visiting Nemo and Grama

For several weeks now Jackson and I have been going to see my mother, Nemo, and my grandmother, Grama. David and I feel it is important for him to know her, and since she has been unable to drive for months we go see her. As many of you know, my mom has been very very ill and unable to leave her home because she can no longer walk without assistance or a wheelchair. We feel blessed that mom is finally home and no longer in hospitals. (She's been in and out of hospitals since Thanksgiving). We wish her progress was better after all the surgeries and procedures mom has gone through. The problems go from her head/neck all the way to her feet, literally. However, we are praying God will heal mom and give her lots more time with us to create more memories. In the meantime, my Grama has moved here from Virginia to care for mom. What a saint. I pray that I will not ever have to do the same for my son. I can only imagine the hurt and concern she must feel to watch her daughter suffer.

One last thing...Nemo. 5 years ago when my neice, Ema, was born my mom decided she wanted to be called Memaw because of my grandmother (Vance side). Well, Ema could never quite say Memaw and "Nemo" is what came out. We tried to correct her for years but she was pretty adiment. So, Nemo it was. My mom has this ongoing joke about her name. She says, "Well at least it's better than Shamoo (the whale)."

Good Night's Rest

So there is nothing like a good night's rest. Jackson is now 5 weeks old and has officially gone 5 hours between his feeding times through the night. Can I get an "oh yeah!" Now, if I could just convice my brain to quit waking up every two hours in the middle of the night! Soon, he will move to his own room and I won't hear him squirm. I think that will help with me sleeping and not que my body to pop out of bed to nurse.

I was sitting here thinking of what it used to be like to go to bed around 11pm and sleep in until 9am the next morning. Ahhh...the longing for those days. And, what did I do with all of the spare time I had around the house? I can answer that with a short list of things that barely get done now: dusting baseboards, cleaning ceiling fans, scrapbooking, pulling weeds, cooking gourmet meals (can we say spaghetti now), and shaving my legs. he he Oh well, I don't think I'd trade a thing in the world for the precious moments I share with Jackson. All in all it's worth it!

Sick as a Dog

Okay, I experienced what seemed to be death this last couple of days....one word...Mastitis. Ladies, if you've ever had it I know you're groaning now. Men, imagine being kicked repeatedly in your most tender of places. Exactly. I thought I was done with everything...nursing, mommy'ing, living, etc. The pain was worse than labor itself.

So, apparently I have been battling mastitis for over a month, but have been able to "work out" the masses with the use of warm compresses and massage. This time the fever came on in about 2 hours and I was shaking uncontrollably. I literally had to put Jackson down and call for Erin. David was on his way, but there was no way I could make it another 30 minutes. Did I mention that Erin is my angel? She literally looked like she had wings when she came through my front door.

We made it to the doctor and I apparently had a really bad case. It took several days for "everything" to work out. Gross. In the interim, Jackson had his 1st babysitter (Erin and Gregg) and learned to take a bottle. Grammy came to help David while I rested in bed on some serious antibiotics and pain killers. Did I mention ouch yet? I am going to be taking these antibiotics for two weeks. Here's to a speedy recovery!

Thumbs Up!

Jackson found his thumb today. I wanted to cry as I took the picture. He was so stinking adorable and hungry (remember I have mastitis and that makes for little milk which equals a hungry baby).

I would prefer him to suck a pacifier only because it took me 7 years to break the habit of sucking my thumb. I fear he might do the same. However, there is something mightly convienent about having the thumb right there at your disposal even in the middle of the night. He doesn't suck it regularly. This was a one time event, however, time will tell.