Merry Christmas 2009!

Christmas was a fun filled day of great presents, yummy food, & lots of family time! Isabella was excited to come see what Santa brought in the morning & luckily for us she doesn't yet have the ability to purposefully wake up early so we got enough sleep. I think Jackson was awake before her!

Isabella got a train set for Christmas which was on her wish list. Jackson got a bunch of toys he can chew on! Isabella got Jackson a toy drum to beat on which plays music & lights up. Jackson got Isabella a dog chase (pictured above with the red slides & white stairs). She had been wanting a toy similar to this with penguins so she was excited to get a dog one. Lots of other fun toys were received like a princess swan castle, craft supplies, a hand-held video game, play-doh, hi-ho cherry-o, an apron & hot mits, & cute clothes for Isabella. A ball popper, a rolling ball, a walking toy, a baby swing for the swingset, animals, a soldier bowling set & cute clothes for Jackson.

I was pretty spoiled this year with a new macbook computer, an air popcorn popper, a mandolin, a gift card to the aveda spa for a massage (from Isabella & Jackson), clothes, & few other cooking gadgets. Mike had gotten his iPhone as an early Christmas present & then he got an Xbox game, boots, a sweater, & some other small things. (Can you tell who over spent their gift giving budget??)

We had a yummy breakfast of chocolate croissants, bacon, eggs, & some freshly made grapefruit juice. Yum! We skipped lunch (after our large breakfast) & then had dinner at my mom & dad's where we had yummy rolls, roasted vegetables, deviled eggs, & ham. Delish!

We purchased a fontanini kid-friendly nativity set this year and Isabella enjoyed learning about the story of the birth of Jesus and playing with the nativity. I put away the baby Jesus so that we could put him in the manger on Christmas & Isabella was very distraught when she found out he was missing & wouldn't really take my explanation as a good reason for his disapearance. So she was happy to be able to put him back on Christmas day.

Christmas Eve

Our house was full of excitement on Christmas eve. Isabella & Jackson opened their Christmas pajama gift and their two Christmas eve books- Silent Night (which played the song & a star around baby Jesus lit up) & a fun Christmas activity book with lots to do inside. We experienced our first blizzard in Oklahoma & stayed at home all day. We didn't have our Christmas eve get together as planned nor did we go over to my grandparents house for theirs. So we just had a nice relaxing day at home and stayed warm! It took Isabella a little while to go to sleep (partly because of her nap & partly because of all the excitement!) but she finally did and Santa was able to come. (Jackson didn't even realize there was anything special going on!)

A few weeks before Christmas Isabella was sitting eating when she all of a sudden said, "Uh oh Mommy!  1.......2.......3!  Only 3 stockin's!"  I had hung our stockings on the mantel even though we didn't have enough & Isabella realized that we were going to be in trouble when Santa came!  So I explained to her that mommy had found some really cute stockings that will have all our names on them & they would be arriving soon.  (And can I say that I LOVE our new stockings!  They are so cute!)

Jackson is 8 months!

It's hard to believe that in 4 short months Jackson will be one year! Where has the time gone??? This past month has been a busy one with the holidays but lots of fun. Jackson is gaining stregnth in his legs and he will bounce forward & then backwards while sitting. Still no crawling yet, but I think he is gearing up for it. He has managed to figure out how to move around on our wood floors in a sitting position. I'm not quite sure exactly how he does it yet... but I think he is doing more of his bouncing to inch around.

Eating is going really well. We're on our third week of solids & third food. After avocado we tried banana and now we're on sweet potato. I discovered after the first round of banana that he prefers his food cubed rather than mashed so we've been doing it that way ever since. He is doing really great with food & enjoys it. He has even started saying, "mmmmmm" when he sees that I have his bowl of food or when he is ready for another bite. So cute! He got a sippy cup for Christmas & has really been having fun drinking some water with dinner. He figured it out really quickly and wants to drink from it a lot.

Sleep has taken a step in the right direction. Right around when we started food, I came up with a plan to eliminate his night time feedings. I gradually pushed back the 2 nursing times by 15 mintues every night until we eliminated one & we are nearly ready to eliminate the other. Mike also swapped out the rocking chair in his room with the chair that converts into a bed from Isabella's. So now I have a place to sleep when I'm in his room at night. Some times he will wake up & go back to sleep several times in one hour so the bed is nice to sleep in so I don't have to go very far inbetween soothing him back to sleep (or popping in his pacifier). Some nights I sleep in there more than others... but my time in there is definately decreasing so that is a good thing (although I kinda think that room is set up for better sleep... it's darker, it has a nice noise eliminating fan, & soft lullaby music- so sometimes I have to motivate myself to get back to my bed!). The other night he slept from 730p til 615am! That was a nice night!! I'm looking forward to when that becomes more common. He has started rolling in his swaddle blanket which I think could be a dangerous thing if he gets stuck on his belly without having his arms out... so we'll be working on getting rid of his swaddle blanket soon. Not looking forward to that challenge, but I'll be glad when he can sleep without it!

Jackson finally managed to kick his ear infections after a 2nd round of a different antibiotic. I was glad that he was finally able to breath again and I'm sure he was glad to be feeling better. We went back in to see the PA yesterday & she said his ears were no longer infected but did still have some fluid. So hopefully he doesn't get another cold anytime soon or else we might have another ear infection. He weighed in at 19lbs+ so he is a big boy!

Jackson loves to watch Simon play fetch with his squeaky ball & is very interested in petting the puppies when they come near. He has been licked in the mouth a time or two by Bailey & will open his mouth whenever one of the dogs come near his face. We keep getting on to Bailey but so far she hasn't stopped. I seem to remember having the same issue when Isabella was an infant. I guess she lived through it. He also likes to chew on anything & everything as well as grab at anything within reach. I've had many spilled drinks from him grabbing them when I turn the other way.

We're looking forward to seeing what changes Jackson goes through in the new year!

Christmas Eve Dance

The other thing Isabella loves is dancing! She dances every night before bed and has come up with some good moves! You'll see her doing her "I got the booey booey" dance in this video which is totally her creation. One day she called Jackson a booey booey (hoping that is a good thing!) & since then it has stuck & she uses the word in all sorts of ways & it now has a dance to go with it. Ahhh... life with a 3 year old is always so exciting!

Isabella singing Jingle Bells

Isabella loves to sing & she loves to make up her own songs. So this holiday season, she once again loves Jingle Bells but now has combined her own lyrics to the song with some from the original...

video of starting solids

And the videos...

First Food- Avocado @ 7.5 months

(click on collage to see pics bigger)

When Jackson got over his cold, we decided he was ready to start solids. He has all the readiness signs the La Leche League suggests (sitting up, pincher grasp, loss of tongue thrust reflex, etc) so we went for it. Again, as we did with Isabella, we started with Avocado. The La Leche League suggests starting with banana, sweet potato, or avocado as those are the foods that are most similar to breast milk and offer the most nutrition in a single food. So no bland, nutrient-lacking rice cereal over here. :) I'm also finding that since we waited til 7.5 months I don't have to mix in breast milk with the food to make it liquidy... I just smash a bit w/ the spoon & it's good to go.

He was very interested in trying it... and then he made the usual "what the heck is that?" face and then the "what are you doing to me?" face. I'm sure in time he'll grow to love it just as his big sister has. Next up- bananas.

Thanksgiving card

Didn't upload this for tday... but emailed it to everyone.  So here is our thanksgiving card a little late. :)

Isabella's 3.25 yr update

Isabella turned 3 1/4 year old on Nov 6th (again, slow to update our blog!). We had her in for her 3 year well check up at the doctor mid October. She weighed in at 41 lbs and was 40". She is in the 95% for both her height & weight... so a big girl. :)

Many days Isabella amazes us with her intelligence... it is so hard to remember all the great things she comes up with! But she tries out new words all the time- the other day she came to me and said, "Mommy, I'm sorry I frustrated you." Awwww!

She asks questions all the time & many are hard to answer! How do you explain to a three year old what happens to you when you die? These are the questions I get when we're driving down the road! And explaining things just brings about more hard to answer questions.

Isabella is a very opinionated little girl and will tell you all about it. We hear almost daily, "I'm not going to..." or "if you don't let me do this, I'll..." One thing she says is that she is going to run away. (thanks Lil Critter & the Runaway Bunny!) One night, she says this while getting ready for bed. Mike walks her to the front door, opens it & says, "see ya!" Now it's a pretty chilly night & she had yet to get her socks on. Mike goes to close the door & she asks, "but when will I see you again?" We tell her when she is ready to come inside, she can knock on the door. Well after shutting the door it takes about 2 seconds before she is knocking. So I guess she really didn't want to run away after all. A couple weeks after this she tells me she wants to run away but will come back to eat. ;) We have our challenges with Isabella but there is a lot of comic relief!

In the picture above where Isabella has flowers on her forehead is another good example of how opinionated she is. We went to a local food picnic (which was very cold!) & Isabella wanted flowers painted on her face. She came up with this all on her own & didn't want what all the other kids were getting. The lady asked her what her favorite color was & she said blue (really??). So the lady painted blue flowers on her face then showed them to her in the mirror. I could see she wasn't happy & Isabella started to complain as I got her down from the chair & we said our thank yous. As soon as we were out the door, tears started flowing & Isabella was saying how she didn't like her flowers. She had wanted a large flower all over her face- not a bunch of little ones on her forehead. :( Poor girl.

Isabella loves to play games like candy land and enjoys imaginative play.  She said the other day she wished she could go inside the snow globe with the snowman. :)  She has fun entertaining her brother... for a few minutes at a time, and he enjoys being entertained by her.  She is a girl that is always on the go and always wants to go somewhere.  Nearly every morning she asks, "where are we going today?"  And if we're not going anywhere, she isn't too happy about it!

We are looking forward to Christmas... Isabella is excited about all our Christmas time traditions and so are we!

Jackson is 7 months!

I'm a couple weeks late on this... but Jackson turned 7 months on the 30th of November. He is now out of the baby tub and in his bath seat in the big tub. Some nights he takes a bath on his own but other nights Isabella enjoys taking a bath with him. We have to remind her not to take all his toys but they both have a lot of fun splashing around.

Jackson is sitting up really well and doesn't fall too much. He's been sitting on the floor a lot more and he can lunge really far out to reach a toy (see picture in the bottom right corner as example) and does this a lot. He's pretty strong & pulls himself right back up. Although we've learned not to leave him sitting on the sofa alone... he did his lunging & tumbled right off the sofa onto the hard floor. He was upset & I felt really bad!

A couple times at granny & grandpa's, Jackson lunged far forward & onto his knees... but so far, his knees are not quite strong enough to support his lower half- so no crawling yet. I'm sure he needs more tummy time for practicing but it's hard to get him down there a lot because he's not too crazy about it. And with our hard floors, he probably needs to not have pants or socks on so he can gain traction & the winter is a bit cold for that.

Jackson got his first cold and has had a yucky snotty nose for what seems like forever. And boy does he hate the nose suction! I hate doing it too... but sometimes I have just felt so bad for him not being able to breath, I've had to break it out!

We're still at 2 teeth & thankfully we haven't had teething pain along with the cold! Sleep is still a struggle at night... maybe when he is feeling better he'll sleep better. We can only hope!

Granny & Grandpa Abla's - Thanksgiving 2009

We took the road trip over to visit granny & grandpa Abla for the Thanksgiving holiday. It is about a 7 hour drive with our stops. Jackson is a trooper & does much better in the car than Isabella ever did... he doesn't cry the whole time he is awake! But he doesn't sleep much either. I think he must have only taken a 45 min nap the whole way there (after taking his morning nap before we left the house) which is not near enough sleep for him! So by the time we're nearing the end of our journey, the crying starts & doesn't stop until we get out of the car. On the way there it was about 30 min & on the way back it was about 1 hr 15 min (yikes!) before he passed out & slept for 15 min before we got home. So overall, really good car trip. We had a fun time visiting Granny & Grandpa... eating lots of yummy food, playing, & visiting. Jackson & I both had yucky colds but still had a fun time.

Jackson is 6 months!

We can hardly believe that Jackson is 1/2 a year already! It won't be long before a year has passed & he is no longer a baby. :( He had his 4 month check up at about 5.5 months... he weighed in at 17lb 15oz (50-75 percentile) & was 27" long (75-90 percentile). Jackson started sitting up on his own at 5.5 months. He is pretty strong and does well sitting up for long legnths of time. He falls when his attention goes to something else (like if he looks up too far for example). We have limited opportunities to practice with our hard floors but we try to let him sit on beds & couches as much as possible. He is also reaching out for things while sitting (like a toy a little bit beyond his reach) and he will also reach out for you to pick him up. He loves to play patty-cake & the wheels on the bus (doing the motions w/ his feet!). He shoes great interest in watching Isabella run around... we're sure it will only be a matter of time before he is chasing after her!

Sleep is still a work in progress... he continues to fall asleep well for his naps & at bed time. He takes 3 naps a day & is usually up for 1.5hrs inbetween his naps. Our trouble lies in the night when he wakes around 1-2am & is difficult to get back to sleep (cries/screams). I still nurse him before I go to bed (usually around 1030/11p) & then again around 330/4a so this additional awake time at 1am is not fun! I'm hoping he will discontinue this practice soon!

We won't be starting solids with Jackson at 6 months like we did with Isabella. I've decided to hold out until he shows all the readiness signs recommended by la leche league instead of just going on a age. The readiness signs they recommend are:
-he can sit up without any support
-he continues to be hungry despite more frequent nursing which is unrelated to illness or teething
-he has lost the tongue-thrusting reflex and does not push solids out of his mouth
-he can pick up things with his finger and thumb (pincer grasp)

Lastly, just 2 days after his 1/2 birthday I felt in Jackson's mouth & what do I find? A tooth! He has a bottom tooth that has cut through. No wonder he has been in such a fussy mood today!!! I don't feel any more yet... but I'm sure it won't be long before we see more popping through.

Beach Vacation

We decided to take a fall vacation this year since Jackson was so little during the summer months and the beach is better when it isn't super hot anyway. So we headed on down to Port Aransas, TX which is about 20 miles or so outside of Corpus Christi, TX & a little ways north of South Padre Island. We rented a nice little studio condo that was right on the beach (well a walk down the trail & then you were on the beach). Isabella is on the patio of our condo in the picture where she is in her PJs. It was nice to be so close to the beach so that Jackson could nap while Isabella played on the beach. We were also able to cook our own meals in the condo so we ate breakfast & lunch there & then just ate out for dinner. So we saved money & ate a bit healthier this way! The weather was perfect (mostly upper 70's) & the water was warm enough to swim in. Isabella had a blast playing in the waves & the sand & Jackson really didn't even seem to notice!

While in Port Aransas we took a dolphin watch boat trip out to view the dolphins & other sea life. We saw lots of dophins but couldn't quite get them in the pictures! Isabella got to hold a sting ray (see above) & some other sea life. It was a fun little trip.

We took one day to go into Corpus Christi to visit the TX State Aquarium. They had lots of fun things to see & do, we all had a nice visit.

Camping Trip

We took a camping trip to Red Rock Canyon, OK the 2nd weekend in October. It was my nephew, Brendan's 14th birthday & Mike was doing a rappell group for his birthday. This was Jackson's first camping trip! Isabella had him beat going for her first trip at 3 months... but he wasn't too far behind her at 5.5 months. The weather was a bit chilly for our liking... especially while sleeping (into the 40's!). Surprisingly, Isabella slept really well just waking long enough to ask if it was time to get up and then quickly going back to sleep. I think Mike had to get her arms back in her bag a time or two b/c she likes to sleep with them above her head. Jackson & I didn't sleep quite so well. It was a tight fit with him in my mummy bag & he just wanted to nurse all night long being so close to me... so that meant not too much sleep for me. But Isabella had a blast during the day playing in the dirt as you can see & Jackson didn't seem to mind the cooler temps. I figured out he napped best in his carrier inside of Jennifer's car. It was warmer & the noise level was lower. I think Brendan had a fun birthday & we all enjoyed the time out doors. We're looking forward to going when the weather is a bit warmer!

Halloween 2009

Jackson's Birth Story

I don't think I ever posted.... so here it is!

4/30/09

I awoke around 6a feeling some contractions when I was 1 week & 1 day shy of my due date. I tried to get back to sleep thinking they would fade out. Well they didn’t so I got up around 6:40a & got a glass of water & got in the tub figuring I would try my hardest to get them to stop so I didn't have to endure it if it wasn't really labor. They were about 8-10 min apart when I got up. Mike went off to work a little after 7a & I was still in the tub. The contractions were not letting up in the tub & after drinking the water. I got out around 720a or so & timed the contractions. They ranged from 6-8 min apart & were pretty intense so I called Mike around 740a & said he should probably come back home. He'd just been at work for about 10 min. When he answered he knew it was it & he made some comment about how he'd just been telling his co-worker that he might have to leave shortly if I was really in labor. So it was a short call & he said he was on his way back. I then called my midwife, Margarett, to let her know what was going on. I asked if there was anything else to try that might stop labor if it isn't the real deal. She suggested I try to eat & then see what happens. I got a bowl of cereal & tried to eat some of it. It wasn't easy. I was stopping to concentrate during the contractions. I then called my midwife back & said I thought it might be the real thing but wasn't sure. I didn't want her to come all the way out & it not be but I was panting a bit when talking & I told her I was having to concentrate during the contractions so I thought it could be it & I’d like her to come check. She said she'd come on out after taking her kids to school (she was on her way to drop them off right then). I then got back into the tub & started listing to my hypnobabies on the ipod. The contractions were intense & I was worried about the ipod falling into the tub & I couldn't make myself concentrate on it anyway so I put it away. While I was in the tub I felt a large movement from Jackson in my tummy & then I heard a pop. At that point I had no idea what was going on, I thought he'd just moved in a funny way & caused a weird noise. But later I was leaking clear fluids when walking around & Anne noticed vernix in the water (little flecks of white stuff). But I didn't ever really gush so it was just a leaky tear in the bag of waters.

Thankfully all during this time Isabella is still asleep & I don't have to tend to her while in labor & home alone! Mike gets home relatively quickly (about 20 min later) & comes in to check on me. He is excited & says something about meeting the baby today but I am too busy to even get excited! Mike tries to call my sister Lyndsey to see if she can come stay with Isabella but she doesn't answer so he calls my other sister Jennifer. She is able to come & heads our way. (We talked about having Isabella present for the birth but wanted to play it by ear... this labor was a lot of work for me so I decided to keep her out- I wouldn't have been able to reassure Isabella that I was okay b/c I had difficulty talking. Shortly after this my midwife Anne arrives & she checks on the baby's heart rate (which was good) then Margarett comes soon after that. She offers to check my dilation to see what is going on & I say yes. She checks & I am a 5. (Wow! I was a 6 when I was first checked with Isabella after many many hours of labor.) So of course my midwives stayed. I rotated through various things (the shower, the tub, the bed, the toilet) trying anything & everything in hopes of it helping to reduce the intensity of the contractions. But there was none of that, only a slight distraction. Isabella woke close to 9a & Mike went to tend to her. While he was changing her diaper my sister arrived so she took over watching her (she got to play with her cousins so it was a fun morning for her!).

Mike was really helpful with getting hot water for the tub & getting a cold wash cloth for my forehead. My midwives faded in & out... helping when they could & staying in the background when Mike was helping. Anne did this really nice soft finger tracing on my back which was helpful. She also helped me to take big cleansing breaths (learned these in prenatal yoga as well) after the contraction was over to let go of it (I tend to hold on to them & make them longer than they should be). Prenatal yoga also helped me with my breathing... doing a soft humming breath during the contractions was helpful.

At one point the contractions came right on top of each other (guessing transition). I think I was on the bed on my side at this point. Then they slowed & I guess that is when I was nearly fully dilated. I felt kinda pushy when I sat on the toilet to pee on my next contractions & the toilet was not at all comfortable although my midwives encouraged me that it was a good place to be to get baby to come down. Then I got in the tub hoping to feel better. I had one contraction in the tub & it didn't feel better! I just wanted the baby out!!! So my midwives asked if I wanted to get on the birthing stool & they said he'd be born quickly if I got on there. I said yes I did want that but then another contraction came before I could get up so I had to stay. And it was during this contraction that Jackson was born at 1139am! He crowned for a looooong time (well 2 min Mike says) to help everything stretch so I wouldn't tear & that was torture! Margarett was very helpful during this part- very encouraging but also helping to protect from tears! I did tear a very small bit & didn't even need stitches b/c it was so minor... so that is better than last time (needed stitches w/ Isabella). I only pushed for about 10 min (where I pushed for 2 hrs w/ Isabella) so that was a very nice change! But pushing was more intense... I felt every contraction where with Isabella I never knew when I was having a contraction, I had feel my stomach to see when it went hard to know I was having one! So I have experienced 2 very different labor & deliveries!

After Jackson came out he was put up on my chest for me to hold. His cord was in a knot which was kind of neat (doesn't cause any problems). Mike then ran & got Isabella for her to come & meet her brother (still in the tub at this point). Then after she got to meet him, the cord was cut, placenta came out & Mike got to hold him while I got cleaned up & out. We then all got into our bed (Isabella came back again too) & relaxed. My wonderful midwife made me an egg & toast & I ate that in bed. Later Jackson was weighed & measured... 7lb 10oz, 20". He latched on good & nursed well.

From start to finish, this labor was only 5hrs & 40 min. A nice change from Isabella's several day slow going labor but a lot more intense. Loved being at home to have baby Jackson!

zoo trip

We met up with some friends at the zoo & had a nice time seeing the new baby chimp & zebra! The weather was nice & we had a fun picnic too!

Jackson is 5 months!

I was sitting in the rocking chair in Jackson's room the other day & it suddenly occured to me that Jackson was going to be 6 months in just a few short weeks & then I immediately thought- oh no! Not time for real food! But thank goodness for a recent breastfeeding class where I learned that it can be so much easier if you wait past 6 months to introduce solid foods. So I think that is what we shall do!

Jackson is growing up so fast. This past month I have transitioned him into his crib from sleeping in his swing. I was really nervous about the transition & thought I'd be up all night (I was planning on camping out in his room to avoid having to go very far!) but he surprised me & was pretty easy to transition. Now we're dealing with swaddle issues... he is breaking out of his swaddle blankets & his arms are knocking his pacifier out of his mouth which causes him to wake up & yell out for me to come fix it for him. So now we either have to find bigger swaddle blankets or transition him out of the swaddle (I think the first option might be easier!).

We got out Isabella's old exersaucer & Jackson is enjoying that. From the minute I put him in it he knew how to spin around to each of the various toys on it. And then there are the times that Isabella helps him by whirling him around on the hard floors.

Jackson continues to chew on his fingers & slobber all over the place but no teeth in sight yet. He is getting a stronger core but so far does not have the balance to sit up on his own. I'm a little nervous for that with our new hard flooring!

We are all really enjoying this little boy & have lots of fun making him smile & laugh. Next up- our first camping trip with Jackson & our first vacation to the beach! Stay tuned for more pics to come. :)

Disney on Ice 2009

Isabella & I had a mommy/daughter outing while Jackson & Daddy hung out together at home (or actually Jackson napped for nearly 4 hrs & then took a bottle like a pro). We got discounted tickets through Mike's work so we couldn't pass up this opportunity to see princesses & fairies! We thoroughly enjoyed the show & Isabella had lots of opportunities to ask for all the junk food they parade around in the stands. ;) She just didn't understand how it could be bad for her if all those other kids were eating it! We did indulge in some frozen yogurt which was a good distraction from the $12 snow cones she thought she needed. The performances were fun & the little mermaid brought back fun memories for mommy. :)

Big Sis, Lil Bro

Isabella loves her little brother & she sure makes him smile. :) It's so sweet to see how they look at each other. Lets hope the sweetness lasts a looooong time!

Birthday Swing Set

Isabella's swing set that we got her for her birthday is finally finished & she is now able to play on it! Yay! It took us long enough & we're glad to have it complete. Isabella has had a blast climbing up the ladder, sliding down the slide & swinging on the swings. I've also included pic of a grasshopper she had a fun time holding. :)

Isabella's 3rd hair cut

We decided this year to go ahead & cut Isabella's hair pretty drastically. She had been having a tough time keeping it out of her way & we hear a lot of complaining from her. We asked her if she wanted her hair short & she said she did so we got Tina to cut it to her shoulders right before her 3rd birthday party. It's a cute cut & we might just try to grow it out again when she gets a little bit older. :)

Jackson is 4 months!

Where does the time go??? I am so sad to see my little baby boy not so little anymore! But on the flip side, we're having lots of fun getting Jackson to laugh and Isabella is enjoying the fact that he is starting to grab on to toys that she offers him.

Jackson is finally starting to grow back his hair... but it is slow going. Not sure what color it will be- sometimes it looks like it might be a darker brown then sometimes (if the light is right) it looks like it has a red tint to it. Who knows!

I weighed Jackson today & he is at 17lbs! Wow- he's a big boy!! He is 26" in legnth. (At 4 months & 2 weeks Isabella was 16lb 9oz & 27".)

We've started our bedtime routine with Jackson (nursing, bath, lotion, books, songs, bed) & his favorite part (besides the nursing!) is the bath. He gets his little legs kicking & his arms flapping, splashing water everywhere!

Jackson has started knawing on his fingers this month... not sure if he is teething or just discovering his hands. We shall see.

The Just Between Friends consignment sale that we love was just this past week. I love to shop early & have to volunteer in order to do so. That means Daddy has had the task of taking care of the 2 kiddos while mommy has been away on her two 3-hour shifts & 1 4.5-hour shopping trip. Jackson did well taking his bottle of breast milk (yay! something Isabella never would do!) & Daddy survived without me (& did a good job managing both of them!). And I was able to get a lot of great deals on some super cute clothes for the fall/winter season for both Jackson & Isabella.

Next up- getting Jackson to sleep in his crib instead of the swing. Wish us (or me) luck!

Me & my babies!

Jackson is 3 months!

Jackson turned 3 months on July 30th! I can hardly believe how fast the time has gone & how big he is! He is no longer my little baby! :( I weighed him on our scale at home & he is 16lbs at 3 months! He has more than doubled his birth weight!!!! So I don't really need to state that he is eating well. He eats so well that mommy's sleep suffers. ;) He has gone 3-4 hrs without nursing but often times he wants to nurse after just 2 hrs.

Jackson can hold his head up really well now & sit up when propped up against something. He loves to smile & laugh. As you can see in the pics, he has found his hands & likes to knaw on them. He lost all his hair to craddle cap but I'm hoping all the new hair I see growing will come in fast!

Sleeping isn't ideal- he sleeps pretty well but most of it is in the swing & the rest is in the bed with me! I tried to get him to sleep in the crib shortly after he turned 3 months & he slept there for 2 hours but then would not go back to sleep so he went back into his swing. One of these days we'll transition!

Isabella still loves being a big sister & always asks me to pump so she can feed him out of a bottle. But then when I finally do she gets tired of feeding him after about a minute. (And in that minute Jackson isn't getting much milk b/c she does not have very good aim with the bottle!) But she is full of smiles & kisses for him & is anxious for the day he can play with her. Won't be long...

Isabella took swimming classes this summer. A friend told us about a lady (Jennifer) who teaches swim classes out of her home pool. Isabella was a couple weeks shy of three but Jennifer let her be in her level one class (beginner class) instead of the mommy & me class. She teaches the class without floaties in the shallow end of her pool. Isabella was not tall enough to touch the ground in the pool so she stayed on the stairs when waiting for her turn to practice the swimming technique. At first I wondered if Isabella would want to come back because she was quite nervous & the teacher was pushing her to do things that I knew she wouldn't have done for us. But she did them & without tears! She was also in this class with kids up to age 5 or 6! We were so proud of what a big girl she was in the class! (Mommy was a bit sad, but happy at the same time!) When we got home the first night Isabella was very excited about the class & was anxious to go back the next day. We'll definately do these classes next summer!

Isabella's 3rd Birthday - A Fairy Princess Party

Isabella had so much fun at her fairy princess party. A real fairy princess visited her on her special day. She played games, went on a scavenger hunt, and then painted faces. What fun! Grandma made a really special fairy princess cake that was a huge hit! Jackson slept through the whole party but made a late appearance in his "little prince" shirt. My baby girl is 3!

Isabella is 3 years old TODAY!

Hard to believe it has been 3 years!


Getting ready to head to the hospital after laboring at home for a.long.time!






















Yay. she's finally arrived!
8.6.06 @ 8:04am
8lb 10oz
21inches
















few hours old





















Daddy w/ Bella next day






































hospital photo - 1 day old




































1st Birthday




































2nd birthday

3rd birthday pics to come...