The road that never ends…

Jackson and I went to visit Grammy and Grandpa today at their new house in Ellijay. I have not been there since they moved in. Plus Grammy has really been missing us. (Even though we just saw them yesterday :) )

To start the day Jackson had some Tummy Time on our bed while watching his baby channel. He entertained himself while Mommy got ready. He first saw the baby channel at his friend Katelyn’s house and he loved it. So, of course Mommy had to get it for him!

Then he had enough of tummy time and wanted to sit up. Any time he lies back, he tries to sit up. He is such a big boy. Even in his car seat he tries to sit up and get out.

We hit the road to go to Grammy’s house and it took us forever to get there. First we had to stop in Canton at the scrub store so I could get a pair of pants for work. Then we stopped in Jasper for gas. Then we stopped in Ellijay for Chick-fil-A. Then it was past time for Jackson to eat and he started to get a little fussy. I am really trying to keep him on a schedule so I decided to stop at the orchard that is on the way. He wouldn’t drink his bottle cold, so we had to go in and get some hot water to heat it. He drank his bottle, but was too busy looking around to drink all of it. We got some peaches for Grammy and Grandma Pat. I hope they like them! Then we headed on again…. on the longest road ever. There is this one road on the way that goes on forever. We call it the road that never ends.

Finally, we got to the driveway/road up to the house. It is extremely steep and narrow. Really you should have a 4x4 to get up, but we just drive like mad and make it up. Well, I started off driving and praying we would make it all the way up when I saw a big truck coming down. Crap! What now! I had to stop and back very slowly down the road. Not fun! I was so scared! We ended up making it up in one piece. I hope that never happens again.

Grammy was really glad to see us.

Jackson has ears!

Monday Jackson started messing with his right ear. I just watched him over the next couple days. Well today he was still messing with just that one ear, so I make an appointment with the pediatrician to see if he had an ear infection. He didn’t have a fever or anything.  I also thought this would be a good opportunity to try out a new pediatrician. I haven't been happy with our current one. My friend Alison recommended her doctor and I have been wanting to try her. So I called the office this morning and they were able to see Jackson this morning.  I really liked the pediatrician. I felt like she cared about Jackson and wanted to get to know him. She also spent lots of time with us and allowed me to ask lots of question, something the other doctor never did. I was impressed with all the attention, especially since we were just there for an ear infection check. It turned out he didn’t have an infection. Yay!  I guess he just figured out that he has an ear! The new doctors office is going to get his old records from the other pediatrician. I’m happy I won’t have to break up with them personally. I know, I am such a baby.

Last night Jackson fell asleep while Matt was holding him. We brought him upstairs to put him in his swaddle. He looked so dang cute I couldn’t resist taking pictures.

After our doctors appointment we met Grammy and Grandpa. They came in town to get new tires on the truck. We picked them up at the tire place and we went to lunch at The Right Wing Tavern. Jackson liked seeing his Grammy!

And I know Grammy ( and even Grandpa!) enjoyed seeing Jackson. We already miss you!

The Cash Boys

Today Jackson and I met Daddy, Nan Nan and Uncle Josh for lunch at Henry’s. It is Daddy’s favorite restaurant. It is also the first restaurant Jackson had ever been to. He was about 6 weeks old. Time sure does go by quickly!

Then we came home and Jackson played in his bumbo seat. He hasn’t used it too much so far. I think he liked it today.

This is his scary baby look.

I love how his toes are spread apart! So cute! He did that when he was first born too! He gets that from Grammy!

Then he decided no more toy and pushed it off the tray!

After all his playing he fell asleep in his bouncy seat while I made dinner. He looked so cute, but it freaks me out when he sleeps with his hands folded like that!

Catch up…

Tuesday we had our monthly get together for our wine club. This month we tasted merlot. Each month we select a different variety of wine to taste. Everyone brings a bottle and the host provides light appetizers. We have a great time trying different wines and talking. We can get a bit rowdy, especially after the first few wines :) This month we met at our house. I really like that we get to try lots of different wines without spending a fortune. (Except that we started the wine club when I was pregnant, so no wine then. And now I am breastfeeding, so still no wine. I usually do at least taste the winner though!)  Matthew is acting goofy posing in the first few pictures.

 

 

Jackson did great even though it was way past his bedtime. He was smiling and talking to everyone. He loves being the center of attention! Hmm, I wonder where he gets that from?! He did fall asleep on Grandma Pat. He looked so cute and peaceful.

Then on Wednesday, Jackson and I went up to Ellijay with Grammy. They are moving this weekend and we brought a load of stuff up to the house. We are really going to miss Grammy and Grandpa! But, we’ll come visit all the time.

This is the view from the front porch. I would just hate having to look at that everyday (j/k)!

Jackson played on the floor while we carried the stuff in from the car. He practiced rolling from his back onto his stomach. He is so close to doing it!

Grammy and Jackson took a break to play while Mommy put stuff away.

Yes, that is a patio set in the dinning room. The furniture is not moved up yet and we needed a place to sit when we had my 30th birthday party there.

This picture is a bit blurry, but I still love it.

This week I have been feeding Jackson a bottle during the day and nursing at bedtime. My hope is to make the transition between being home with me during the week and daddy on the weekend easier. He has done so good! I really didn’t expect him to do so well. He is such a good boy. He continually surprises me. I think it has been harder on me, I miss our time together nursing. But, I want what is best for my little man cub. He is so picky about where he nurses. He only likes to eat in his room, in the rocking chair, with the boppy. He also tends to fall asleep after a few minutes of nursing and I was concerned he wasn’t eating enough. Nursing while we are out usually does not go well either. Even though I have to pump alot more I like knowing I can give him a bottle anywhere. I have backed off on feeding him solids too. We just do cereal before bedtime. Twice a day was too much, he wasn’t drinking well. This works much better for us. I am not in a hurry to feed him solids. I would much rather he drink well, and continue to get most of his nutrition that way.  We will gradually start eating more as he gets closer to six months.

Our first photo shoot

Yay! My new camera finally came! I am so excited to get it. Now I just have to learn to use it! I didn’ t think I would be able to play with it until this week since I had to work over the weekend. But, I was able to come home a few hours early on Saturday. So, we used that time to take some pictures. We wanted to go to  the Woodstock park, but we were running out of daylight. We ended up going to the lake in our neighborhood instead. I am pretty happy with the shots we got. They are not bad for the first time using the new camera.  (Warning- This is a long post because I could not decide on which pictures to post. There were lots more!)

After our pictures we went to The Right Wing Tavern to celebrate Father’s Day early. Poor Matthew had to spend his first Father’s Day away from Jackson. He went to his mom’s to help her fix her house. My dad was alone on his first Father’s Day as a grandpa too. My mom watched Jackson while I was at work. But, then when I came home I brought dinner and my dad came over to eat.  We love you Daddy, Grandpa and Nan Nan!

Poor little cubby

Jackson had his 4 month checkup today. His appointments are always bittersweet for me because I can't wait to see how big he is getting, but he also has to get his shots. Today he weighed in at 14 lbs 3.5 oz and 25 1/4 in long and head circumference of 16 1/2 in. He is in the 25th % for weight and 50th% for height and head. I am a little upset he didn't gain more weight. I really thought he has been getting heavy these last few days. He has always been in the 50th% for everything, so I was surprised he dropped. The pediatrician didn't seem concerned though. So, I guess it's ok. We just need to work on eating more. She wants him eating three times a day- breakfast, lunch and dinner. Cereal for breakfast and 1 fruit and 1 vegetable for each lunch and dinner. Then breastfeed after eating and in between for snacks. That seems like way too much food to me. If he eats that much he will never want to breastfeed and that worries me. I don't think she wants him eating that much because of his weight, I think that is just what she recommends to do at 4 months. I think I will just do my own thing and start with cereal 2 times a day and go from there. Oh gosh, I really sound like one of those crazy moms who think they know everything. But, I do like to think I know a little about babies after 7 years at SR, and I talk to friends to see what they do. I can always run it past one of the docs at work too.

Jackson did pretty good with his shots. Poor little thing had no idea what was coming. He thought he was just looking at mommy and smiling, then WHAM! Shot in one leg then WHAM! shot in the other leg. He was ok for the first shot, but the second one really made him upset. His whole head turned red and he cried a cry I have never heard before. Poor little man cub! He was fine though by time I put him back in his car seat. He was a bit more fussy today than usual, especially for nap time. No fever though. Which is good because he ran a fever for 24 hours after his 2 month shots. I did spoil him a little though and let him take a nap with me in our bed after two failed attempts to put him in his crib. He sleeps great that way because I can nurse him to sleep. So it lets me know he ate well and slept well. Win, win in my book. And I love to snuggle with my little cubby! I know he won't want to snuggle for too much longer so I grab every chance I can now.

It's a good thing Daddy wasn't there today, he would have really been upset that they hurt his man cub. He would have had to get that mean ole nurse!

No pics again today. I need to get better about that. But in my defense, my new camera is still not here. :(

B-A-N-A-N-A-S

Yes, today Jackson ate bananas for the first time. I stopped giving him rice cereal because I think it was making him constipated. (I really hope I dont turn into one of those mothers obsessed with their child's pooping!) At first he didn't know what to think. After his first bite, he gave this look like "What in the world did you just put in my mouth mom!" But, then after a few bites he really liked it. He smiled and "talked" the whole time he ate. He even ate everything I made for him. And yes, I did make his food. While I was pregnant I decided I would make my own baby food. I wanted to control what he was eating and not worry about him eating too much sugar or having weird ingredients in his food. I also wanted him to like fruits and vegetables. So, what could be better than eating the real thing? I hardly think jarred food tastes like what its supposed too. Anyway, I wanted to stick to at least a few of my idealistic mommy ideas that I had while pregnant. I've done pretty good so far I think. I have exclusively breastfed so far and that was a big one for me. I also said I wanted to cloth diaper. That so did not happen! I do feel bad for all the diapers that end up in landfills because of us though. I'm just not ready or willing to deal with the poo!
So, we'll see how this homemade babyfood thing turns out. I think it should be fairly easy. I may be completely wrong!

In other Jackson news, he has started squeeling. I don't know where this came from, but he loves to just squeel. He woke me up yesterday morning doing that and I though something was wrong. But he was in his crib just smiling and squeeling.

Today is Matt and my 2nd anniversary! I can't believe it has been two whole years! In some ways though it feels like we've been together forever. I mean that in a good way. Like this is where we were meant to be.

Sorry no pictures today.