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!