Jump Jump

Since Rob is sick, I took Jackson outside onto the trampoline tonight for the first time. It was right at dusk. We talked about the dogs (he is fascinated by Ruffles and Schuley) and looked at the trees (he is also fascinated by trees). He did not like it when I jumped on the trampoline while holding him, but he did enjoying lying down with me and looking up at the sky. He also liked crawling around on it and trying to eat the pine needles. Here are some pictures.

He looks a little dazed in this picture to me.

YEA!

If you zoom in one this picture, you can see Jackson's crazy top (side) teeth.

Hold on. Hold on. Did you say, it's bedtime?

Hehehe. We'll see about that. I think I have different plans for tonight.After our little trampoline adventure, Jackson threw his biggest fit ever at bedtime. Who would guess this sweet little face would be capable of the fit he threw...

I Wear My Sunglasses ...

While I worked on reorganizing Jackson's closet, he tore his room apart. In the process, we came across these sunglasses. They were a favor from Violet's 2nd birthday party. I think Jackson likes them.

Day at the Park

We took Jackson down to the park nearest to our street today. I took him a few days ago and he loved it. He kept waving and pointing to the trees and he loved the swing. I only let him swing a couple of times because I started feeling guilty about the fact that Rob wasn't there for his first swing. So, I took him out and we went home. Today Grandma and Granddad MacGregor joined us for the adventure.

Bye Bye Bumper

About a month ago, a mother told me she couldn't wait for her baby to be Jackson's age so she could just put him in the crib and he'd fall asleep. I laughed and said, oh Jackson doesn't do that. Then, she went on to tell me how last time she was there, they put Jackson in his crib and he just fell asleep. Interesting...

Now that Jackson is in the "Cuddler" Room at daycare his naps have been more consistent. Although he rarely napped for us for more than 45 mins over the Winter Break, at daycare he seems to nap at least 3 hours a day. Generally he goes down from 9:30-11:00 and then 1:30-3:00. Well, since he seems to do it at daycare without any issues, I decided that this weekend I was going to put him down at those times and just leave him and hope for the best.

Saturday at 9:30. We put Jackson down. He babbles to himself for about five minutes and then there's silence. I go in and check a bit later and he's asleep. He slept for about 55 minutes.

Saturday at 1:30. We put Jackson down. He cries and cries for a few minutes. I go in and reassure him. He goes to sleep minutes later. He slept for about two hours!

What a relief!

Sunday at 9:30. We put Jackson down. We never heard anything from him. I check on him a few minutes later and he's asleep. 30 minutes later Jackson wakes up coughing. Then, he starts crying. I go in there and he's wide awake. I tell him it's time to go back to sleep. I roll him over (he's crawling around his crib) and put him back down. I leave him. Rob asks if he's going to go back to sleep and I laugh and say, "I don't think so. He's wide awake." But, then.... there's silence. We hear nothing. I'm shocked and amazed. Wow. We really have this figured out now. This is amazing. Rob goes in there a few minutes later to check on his. This is what we found...

Bye bye bumpers.

Happy 3rd Birthday Kings!

Happy birthday Kings! You are such a sweet, fun, adorable little girl! We love getting to spend time with you and can't believe how grown up you are! Jackson, Rob, and Noelle hope that you have a wonderful birthday weekend!

Uncle Stephen and Sleep

1. Jackson loves his Uncle Stephen
2. I am not a morning person. I do not like waking up early and I do not like someone else waking me up. I need sleep or I become less pleasant. For the past few weeks, Jackson has been waking up at 4am. This does not work for me. But, what choice do I have. This morning, Jackson woke up at 5:45. While the average person might scoff at this and think it's way to early...for me...it was sleeping in for almost an extra two hours. It was amazing. Fingers crossed for tomorrow...

Wii Loves Jackson (and so does Schuley)

Rob got a Wii Fit for Christmas. Although it is supposed to be motivating, it told me I'm fat. It also said I had bad balance and asked me if I trip over myself when I walk. I'm sure it meant it in the nicest way possible. I'll have to post a picture of our fat "Miis" later. However, I do love the obstacle course. It's like being in a Super Mario game. Below is a screenshot I grabbed off the internet.When we turned around, Jackson tried to get in on the action.

Jackson Goes Back to School

Taking Jackson back to school was sad all over again. When we got there, all of Jackson's friends had been moved up from the "Snuggler" Room to the "Cuddler" Room. The babies left in there with him can't even sit up. But, Jackson was still happy - probably because it meant he got to see someone besides Mommy and Daddy.

When I went to feed him at lunch today, someone from the office approached me about transitioning Jackson up to the next room. Despite our apprehension because we don't know the teachers in the next room well, and we love his current teachers, at least his friends are already in there. We took him in there for a bit when we picked him up today and he was laughing and playing with his little friends. Very cute.

You know what's not cute? Over the break, we were LUCKY is all of Jackson's naps in the day TOTALED two hours. I don't know if that happened more than a couple of times. Today, Jackson's THIRD nap of the day was over two hours! Nice. Thanks little J.

Happy 8 Month Birthday!

Dear Jackson –

Today you are 8 months old. You are becoming such a big boy and are ready to be treated like one. You now prefer to sit in high chairs at restaurants and inside grocery carts at stores. You think you might miss something if you are in your car seat instead.

This month was very special. Not only was it the first time to experience Mommy’s birthday, Christmas, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day, etc, but we also got to spend two straight weeks with you. No school for you or for us! Of course your routines are all off. You barely nap with us and you have decided 4am seems like a great time to wake up, but it’s worth it. Hopefully, you will get back into your routines soon.

You now weigh over 21 pounds. We haven’t weighed you in a while, so we don’t know how much exactly. You are also extremely long for your age. Last time we measured, your length was 30 inches. Aunt Penny and Uncle Stephen were generous enough to let us use William and Neil’s car seat that goes up to 30 pounds so that we can keep you contained a little longer. Although we have a while before you max it out as far as the weight goes, we realized yesterday you’re looking a little long in it. Unfortunately, it’s only safe for babies up to 32 inches. Now we really need to measure you. We’re also growing through your pjs with feet like crazy because of your height.

You are pulling yourself up on some things, especially the ball pit at school. On the ball pit you like to let go, but you haven’t really tried that one at home yet. You also like crawling everywhere. If we turn around for one minute you are suddenly in the kitchen crawling to the dog food or headed down the hallway. Also, in the mornings, you like to let the dogs out of their home. Oh yes, and you still love to smile and laugh all the time. Our living room now looks like a toy store exploded in here and about 75% of the toys make noise. Although you love those toys, you can also still entertain yourself for half an hour by banging shapes or cups together.

Jackson, you are the highlight of our days. Even though December contained some tough days, you were always able to make us smile. We love you more and more every day.

Jackson gets a visit from Janeen

Janeen and her sister, Mariel, came out to visit Jackson for the first time. Although Rob and I both taught Janeen, she really helped me out a lot last year as my unofficial office worker. Jackson was mesmerized by her. Since Janeen talks a lot, we are guessing he remembered her voice from when he was in the womb. :) As you can see below, he can't take his eyes off her.

Jackson Visits Violet and Will

We went over to the Calonicos house tonight and Jackson got to spend some time with Will and Violet.

Will and Violet made some cupcakes. Between each cupcake, Will sneaked a lick.

Will attempts to play with Jackson. Next he threw the ball across the room and told Jackson to "go get it".

Here's "Pregnant Will".

Arrrrggg

It seems we were actually able to pick out two gifts that the kiddos liked, Dora Roller Skates for Violet, and a moving Batman Car for Will.

Violet - Please don't hurt yourself!

Will helps Violet out.

"No hands!"

Somebody is NOT amused.

Forced hug.

Jackson wants to be a dentist when he grows up.
Worst picture.I don't think a single person is actually looking. I'm not sure what Will's pose is all about, but I love it!

Funny Face Jackson