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!