TEETH and other nonsensicals

and so it begins..

2 little teeth that change everything

 the drooling.. the fevers... the sleepless nights (*wait who am i fooling that part was already happening.. )  i cant believe this little munchkin has 'cut' his teeth.. and being the stubborn little nugget he is,  he decided to do BOTH teeth at the same time.. 

Well, I say that and i DONT state the obvious :

1. i have been severly absent from my blog

2. i have really, really, really not posted in a long time (*insert catholic ol-fashioned-knuckle- rappin here)

3. I have let lots of memories slip on by (eep)

4. I have been realllllly busy with this little shaver that i cant beat myself up about it.. 

 So that being said, what is a snap shot of today?

Today little Jack had a full day of simultaneously being SOOO excited to try to pull himself up on things, and then soo defeated when he ultimately had gravity pulling him back down (and with his haunches, gravity didn't have to work too hard)

He is big enough to ride around in shopping carts without the car seat, and he got to go along on my hubbie and I's '50% off thrift store adventure' yesterday.. Which is so funny, cause all i do is look for toys and clothes for the Jack-man.  Lucky scores? Found a bubble blowing toy lawn mower that most definately will be used in the future, as well as some clothes .. I almost splurged on a cute little Gap-like wool vest and pants combo that had Christmas family pictures" just dying to be taken.. but.. as this little tyke keeps growing, I am afraid by Christmas- picture- time the vest buttons would pop off like a christmas ham and go flying into the bushes.. so ,, the wool suit was sadly placed back onto the shelves for another thrifty-mother.. **BUT did i mention it had cute little plaid showing when you rolled up the sleeve cuffs up.. oh sigh .. sigh.. **

in other news.. we are spending some much needed family time for the 4th of july, and WHOLLY expect this child to be a water-baby.. we splurged on a little blow up saucer like contraption that should have him paddling around like a golden retriever in no time whatso-eva~! He will be garbed in:
a. a fully covering hat - WITH flaps
b. a spandexy- spanx- like water shirt (*Where can i get one)
c. a life vest
d. some sort of waterdiaper/or shorts if we-can-squeeze-his-buns in something
e. covered in sunscreen from button nose to pea shaped toes
f. possibly water shoes, though i MAY have to draw the line somewhere.. 

at this point he will be a buoy with eyes ..
all that to say, I am excited for his first time splashing about in a real body of water.. Bath times at our house are a reggggggular Olympic event.. so I cannot wait to introduce my deep love of minnesota lakes to him. 
as for me: Smores are most certainly on the agenda, as a much needed chitchat with one of my oldest friends, some bonfires, pontoon rides and some overdue sunsets.  . . cannot wait.  (*all this sprinkled with the shrill awakenings of a baby at 4 in the morning much to the chagrin of the other visitors..  "WHATTTTTT you heard him crying? I dont believe you, that is only his fire engine impression.."

and with that.. i will try not to let 2 months pass by again.. (
~H

daddy and me

movin' and a shakin'

{daily}

 

we do a lot of this.. workin on our tummy time.. falling over on pillows when sitting

 

gurgles

 Sometimes..

 My favorite part of the day is spent on the changing table..
 watching him try to hold both of his feet.. smile, bubble, and coo..

he seems to be quite content gurgling along ...
this is when he is the most vocal..
little baby music and feet kicking to the rhythm...

kissing cousins {?}

well,
 she went in for the kill.. 

I THINK Jackson may have had his first kiss from a peer...  a 2nd cousin at that~! uh oh.

Kissing Cousins.. oh my~! watch out..

it was rather funny to watch:

two babies... rolling around on the floor.  (*or rather.. Jackson just laid there arms outstretched and Mya  rolled around him and plucked for his eyes-  Haahahah.. )

 I always enjoy seeing how babies ahead of him are developing.. Mya is 2 months older and she is rolling, crawling and much more mobile.. i have my work cut out for me soon enough..

 but for now.. he only can sit on his tummy and get frustrated that he cant move forward.. bobbing around  and kicking his feet.. but staying in one place

my little treefrog will learn how to leap soon enough..

As for today,

Jackson has been working on his sitting.. I make sure there are plenty of pillows as he mostly just falls backwards. He is craning his neck now , he WANTS to be sitting.. not just laying..
Of course, as usual, in order to get any sort of smiling picture of my little bummbadoo, I have to pull my face AWAY from the camera and bark like a puppy and hope that i ACTUALLY got him in focus as I cant actually look into the viewfinder without him being scowly that i am pointing a big black thing at him.

BUT.. if barking like a dog gets these kind of smiles..

 Ill do  it. 

you best believe ill do most anything to get smiles..

Aside from that: things he has been doing lately?:
-making more noises, and shrills
-gagging himself by placing his index finger down his throat, and then repeating it again two seconds later
-enjoying swaying around on the johnny jump up
-meeting great grandpa and relatives
-SMILING more , (*yeah~!)
-Laughing during Peek-a-boo~! (double yeah~!)
-being fascinated by the cat's tail.. (*watch out cat)
-battling a really bad cold/cough (bronchitis? I hope not.. )
-he enjoys trying to swipe at your mouth when you talk to him..
-his fingers twitching just so when he is concentrating really hard
 oh.. and scratching himself in the face.. no matter how HARD i try to cut those fingernails.. he is a little swiper~!

everyday he . is. growing. . . .

a new sheriff in town

well, ive always thought of the name Jackson Wesley having a twinge of the wild west in his name.. and i have toyed around with the idea of his first birthday party being a western theme.. (*that is yet to be determined)..

but .. just in case, i had this hat on hold for the future.. and as i cannot resist my 'baby in hats', on went the cowboy hat this afternoon:

my own little naked sheriff~!

someday i can imagine his nursery turning from nautical blue and boats, to a little boy room with cowboys and indians.. a vintage cowboy theme.  Bucking bronco's and a little cowboy lamp... it t'would be so dang cute.. but i am getting ahead of myself..

but i mean really ?: how can you say no to a cowboy birthday party? all the horses all in a row?

 

http://pinterest.com/pin/155233518378305936/

I think he would fit rightttt in , dont you?:

*altho, he does already have a FEW cowboys and indians in his room already.. from a flea market we went to last year : 

 

takes a village..

i find the house is a little extra quiet this week.. my in laws came for a visit for almost a whole week.. thus no blogging for me as we were running errands all over town in blessed busy-ness~!  

"Ikea?', no problem,

'Costco ?': Yes please~! 

'Thrift stores?' ~! OF COURSE~!

it .....was ....delightful.

*i am lucky to say that a visit from the "in laws" is not a dreaded agenda, but rather it filled our house with three F's: good food, family and fellowship~!

 

  I am one of those blessed people that has a mother in law that i not only like, but LOOOVVVEEE.. and she is always bringing something splendid for little Jackson..  this time , she crocheted a giraffe~! 

 

 

I mean, if wonder woman existed, she would be my modern day mother in law, ( who can not only cook, sew, plan events, and THRIFT with the best of them., she also has a heart o' gold. ) She is always looking for jadeite on the sly for me, along with any other collection that I have going at any given moment.. and most of all, she has this inner knack to remember the things you like and shower you with holiday cheer.. i mean, i try not to brag to my girlfriends, but really... i mean really.. i have the best MOL evaaa!~

And my father in law.. he entertained Jackson by quacking like donald duck sooo long, i am afraid he may have bruised some vocal chords.. ALTHOUGH- He did procure quittttteee a few giggles if I may say so ~ *jealous*

  Jackson woke up today, and instead of getting bundled downstairs to the warm arms of grandmummy-  (and this mommy getting a much coveted MORNING shower..)

 

 instead.. it was quiet..., and a brightness was gone.. I suppose this is why, it "takes a village" to raise a child...Unfortunately for them -they had to brave a snow storm in April, whilst grass was growing where they live.. Ahh ... land of ice and snow.- i was tempted to hop in the car with them and say goodbye to the Hubs for a coupla' weeks.

needless to say, I am going to have to go back to quiet days and nights again.. it was a wonderful "stay-cation" for me, and refreshed me with laughter and good company.. My Hubs being a guy that needs alone time, doesn't understand how this re-winds my inner clock and makes me come alive.. 

 

Now if only this weather would straighten out and I could get back to the stroller.  (*altho: both Jack and i are suffering from colds.. and i am hacking along the way..so the stroller might be on a temporary hiatus )

as for Jackson, he is pirouetting with the best of them in his Johnny Jump Up.. he tries so hard to stand  but ends up swaying around with his feet dusting the floor.. HA. Today i was able to entertain him with an animal cracker bag for almost 15 minutes.. *As the Hubs said: "should i be worried our child is entertained by garbage?" .. but 15 minutes, is still 15 minutes, SO ill TAKE IT~! 

He also is truly fascinated by eyeballs, .. but unfortunately that fascination is synonymous with wanting to scratch at said eyeballs.. Now on a stuffed elephant it's one thing, but i have truly had to wrangle his little hands away from plucking out my own blue's like a pecking little crow. If he could put my whole face IN his mouth-he would be even more satisfied, but as this will not suffice, nor is it possible (*even though he has on occasion sucked on my chin, dont judge me~! )...., he is obsessed with chewing away at slightly wet washcloths  (A fair trade if i do say so myself).


We spent most of our Saturday indoors today, .. little flakes of snow were swirling down, and it was not idyllic, or pretty, or romantic: so do not try to convince me. Christmas is over, even March *(my most hated month) is over, and still the snow keeps coming. . Now, I am just a frustrated mommy wanting her baby to see the blue sky and put his little toes in the grass: IS THAT SO MUCH to ASK>?

so .. spring, if you hear me: "Come out, come out wherever you are.. ~!"

tummers

well the dreaded tummy time is beginning to pay off.. he still doesnt like it.. but instead of looking just like a floppy fish.. he is at least keeping that head up .

 i know he is closer to crawling than i want to admit. Admitting it, means admitting that he is getting older too quickly. 
once he crawls than i am going to have to baby-proof this house.. ~! not nearly even close.
but he still yowls anytime he is on his belly, so for now, i am safe.


but pretty soon, he will be a baby -godzilla, attacking all the lowest shelves with ferocity~!

4 months and countin...

here is my month 4 of the "baby growing in a laundry basket update"

have to say:

 kinda like the out takes as well :) 

april 4 | 3:05 pm | not happy being swaddled

april 4   | 3:05 pm | not happy being swaddled


I am baby Houdini..

"you can never CONTAIN ME!!"

year in the making (*literally)

a year ago today i found out i was pregnant.

a single millisecond of information changed the course of my life and my history. .

it makes today so much more sweet and tender, as i think back on that moment. all the thoughts that were running through my head, my excitement mixed with fear, my trembling fingers and racing heartbeat.. how all of a sudden, i found out:

i was a mother.  . . 

 

its not something you can put into words, .   . .

 it makes me kiss my little boy all the more today -as i once again feel so blessed by his health, his rosy cheeks, his chubby fingers that still grip mine.

i was afraid then, afraid of what the future held, afraid of not being strong enough -or wise enough.. but if i have learned anything these last 4  months, it is that you become a mother.. because you love your child.

• You learn what makes him smile (*and thus bark like a puppy just to see his lips curl upwards)
• you learn what makes him cry (loud noises - being over tired)
• you learn when he is content (with his little feet kicking about)
• and when he is frustrated (his furrowed brow) ..

 

it is all these little moments you spend together, that makes you understand your own child.. and its the patience and dedication that make you a mother ...

a little excerpt from the day i found out, one year ago :

"and yet.. there is you, you are in there somewhere.. down deep inside like a whisper.. a soul formed, a twinkle sparkling, a whole history and lifeline starting to shimmer.  I keep imagining Jonathan's big bright eyes lighting up your face.. our curly hair topping your head in little soft waves. your little lips.. your tiny ears. "

i love you- my sweet jackson.

jumpin' jack

cannot believe our little stinker is almost turning 4 months..

today he has been teething and i swear sometimes he is growling at me..
 sometimes his mouth hurts so much that he chomps on my knuckle, or even tries to chomp my chin..
he has grown leaps and bounds just in the last two weeks.. he has learned to hold on to my hands to sit up , as well as his neck is much stronger and he is liking less and less to lay on my legs and relax.. he is starting to fight being just on his back:

 Last week we broke out the Johnny Jump up, we decided it was due time to get the little feller moving those legs.. thus far he only slides along.. and has not realized the cause and effect .. but when he does.. he will take to it like a fish to water. 

 

speaking of water.. .he is enjoying his baths more.. he likes to streeeeeetch out his legs and the 'infant tub' is starting to make him look so big. He also has graduated to an excer-saucer, and it almost makes me sad to see him sitting up banging his fists against toys.. he is an infant no longer, and barely even seems like a baby..

little biddy baby no more.

*(PS: our house is taken over by toys.. its like the living room has become a plethora of primary colors and plastic. UG.) it breaks my decorating heart.

easter

 Happy Easter. He HAS RISEN~!

Our little smoosh looked 'oh so cute' with a little $1 Target bowtie and some random high-pantsuit outfit i found at a thrift store..

i kept laughing at how much more bald he looks in a suit :) ha..
 like a little 1900's candy confection salesman .. all he needs is a twirly moustache..
  Sadly, Easter ended with me getting sick, throwing up and having chills and Hubs taking over ..
but all in all , this little guy was just TOOO cute

baby blue

 * things i dont want to forget of late: * 

 

. . . . . cause he is already growing up so fast. . .

•  the way when something surprises him his eyes get really big, or his hands pop out like a flying eagle
• how he enjoys sucking on wash clothes and will suddenly BITE DOWN HARD with his 'no teethers' and then get confused
• how he is ticklish behind his neck folds (*funny how you never can see a baby's neck- they are like turtles)
• how his smile always starts out a bit lopsided

• how hard he tries to fit two fists in his mouth at the same time, or hold two hands and one foot
• how he looks like he has shaky sea legs whenever he is trying to stand up
• how he is learning to shrill/scream, and it is either a sign of deep happiness - or extreme fussiness

 

• how his father and i find it funny that he is such a 'serious chap' , he always stares at us soo hard and taps his fingers when he is concentrating , what could be going on in that little mind of his.. ?

• how he is starting to recognize me when i come to get him in the morning and his pure gummy -baby- smile -of -happiness melts my heart even though i am exhausted
• how he gives a sort of 'shiver of happiness' when he is particularly excited
• how he blows bubbles and says 'bb bbb bbb bubb bubbb" when he is tired at night

• how still the safest place for him to be in perched on my shoulder  like a tree frog
• how he likes to grab my hair and be tickled by it on the changing table (*i am going bald as a result)
• how funny his face looked when the March wind blew on his face for the first time in a stroller ride

even the bad things,

 

 like how his WHOLE face turns upside down- and  he pinches me when he is upset.. 

WOOF> now that is a baby saying: 

"i -dont-care-if-you-havent- gotten -outside- since- November , I DO NOOOOOT want to wear this hoodie.. i am dying.  ahhhhh somebody help me, my mother is torturing me with hoodies~!!!!!!!!"

  ahh yes , baby boy.. momma loves you.. this i do.

yawns.

Like father, like son. 

( Nuf' said. )

Alligator Sundays

sunday mornings use to be so simple.. 

 

sleep in.. make muffins.. slather muffins with butter.. check email, start getting ready.. slowly make our way out the door.. walk in, sit down, listen, laugh, soak, and leave to do errands afterwards til whenever we wanted to come home..

 not so anymore.

 Now, if it is a Sunday, I am already planning my attack:

1. hope baby wakes up on schedule

2. try to keep baby entertained while eating cereal

3. try to get dressed in 15 minute time slot.. *of course no shower.

4. try to keep baby awake til we can put him in car seat where hopefully he will then fall asleep  for entirety of car ride, worship service annnnnnnd sermon .. ACK!

 

  (*last service we were at, had him on my knee, but a rather loud belch sent me running out the door..)

try as we might, we have yet to have a successful sunday service.  (well except Christmas eve when he was a month old. )

Let's just say i now know the quickest exit to the parent and child room, also known as where a baby can scream in soundproof room with other crying babies while we all try to listen to a sermon over the tears~! :)

Needless to say, there has been quite a few snowy Sunday mornings we have decided to watch sermons online instead of arriving at church- only to feel like we need to leave  5 minutes in.

But this Sunday it was going to be different. 

it was Palm Sunday, which is one of my favorites, and i was determined.. and when a momma is determined, she is determined.

Alas..baby seems to have a sixth sense for when the stakes are high..

  our llittle Jackie boy  had a full out 'palm sunday blow out'.. and we were reduced to running around lighting candles and taking him naked -bottomed -immediately -downstairs into the bath for a full soak~!!!  ha..

but, as usual, God knows our hearts and he speaks to us no matter where we are. Hubs and I ended watching a parenting sermon online by Andy Stanley, and  i felt like i gained so much insight ,.. it was just what i needed to feel refreshed and revived. He knows.

So, alas, there was no palm- branch -waving -palm- Sunday, BUT, i did have a Sunday with a little boy in suds, with an alligator hat on.. and that made it all worth it in the end..

 NOW for Easter Sunday,,, dun dun dun .. 

and i mean really, who can resist a baby with an alligator hat?

 ( i think HE is trying to resist, but alas  he is a helpless babe:)

but , it really does look like he is a little crocodileeeeeee: goin to eat YOU UP~!

a good mix if i do say so myself~

A glimpse into the future:

Snips and snail and puppy dog tails~!

  Mister muscles .. love it~!

 seriously.. my Hubs was such a cutie.. still is..

Jackson already has this scrunchy smile.. just makes me melt...

 

Soccer~! woo hooo..there we go~!

then you add a dash of this :

 (*by the way my mom never lets me forget she had these PROFESSIONALLY done.. and so .. i must be grateful ;) yes mom i know, i know..

and we will WONT add a dash of this, cause no matter what you say: I am not letting the little tyke parade in highheels and tutu's . nope.. not a chance. . . he can still do cowboy hats and indian feathers.. or whatever comic book item/outfit Hubs has on hand ~!