Seven Months Young

It's been the happiest seven months of our lives. 

And apparently, they have been for Jack too. 

I'm sorry he's naked...again...it's just really, really hot out.

Jackson now: 

-- Dances while you sing.

-- Grabs for everything in sight.

-- Gives "open mouth" kisses

-- Says, "ba ba ba" & "ma ma ma"

-- Sits in a high chair by himself (he has officially grown out of the bumbo)

-- Sleeps through the night most nights. If not, the majority of nights he will put himself back to sleep.

-- Recognizes the same songs played. 

-- Rolls over all the time from tummy to back. 

-- Is not swaddled anymore for nap time or bed time!

-- Is drinking out of sippy cups at meal time.

-- Can sometimes drink out of a straw at dinner with the family. 

-- Eats anything you put in front of him. 

-- He has, once or twice, picked up a cheerio from his high chair and fed himself. 

Love you to the moon and back, sweet boy. So excited for what the next 7 months will bring!

Some Disney Magic

About a week ago, the stars aligned. 

I emailed my HR lady at work on Friday to see if it was at possible that Club 33 at Disneyland was available on Sunday for four. Looooong shot if you know anything about the exclusivity and reservations at this tiny restaurant at Club 33. Well, needless to say a 6:15 reservation happened to be open.

Thank God. 

My parents, Aaron, Jack and I made the trek to Disneyland at 10am. It was already at least 95 degrees outside, but we were determined to make it work. 

I forgot his hat at home (but managed to remember a thousand other things) so we had to buy him one.

He really is "not large but in charge".

We almost bought him this one, but it was a tad bit too warm, and possibly over the top.

We first went on the new Star Tours (just the adults), and fed Jack in line. It truly is so much fun when everyone works as a team together to keep the babes happy. We had a blast. Then, it was over to the new Cars Land to take a look at how much they have remodeled it. 

 My dad was on cloud nine. And I was too while watching it. I adored going there as a kid. Some of my happiest memories are with my family at Disney. I couldn't be more excited to make these memories for Jack. 

Proof we were there even though you can't see Jack's face. The new racing ride is AWESOME by the way. So is the whole place. It's Cars Land to a "T."

Me stuffing my face with a pretzel while Jack looked angelic. 

Side note: they have these amazing "Baby Centers" at both parks that I had NO idea about until this trip. It has high chairs, nursing rooms, changing tables, and baby items to purchase in case you forgot anything. On the plus, it was so nice and cool in there. Disney, you think of EVERYTHING.

Jackson now has his first crush, Ariel from the Little Mermaid. He was spellbound the entire ride. 

The carousel wasn't probably the best idea, he spit up a lot afterwards. 

After some more rides, off to Club 33!

The whole fam on the stairs at Club 33 right before dinner. It was such a great escape from the heat!

My mom took this picture, she was so hungry her hands were shaky, hence the blurriness. But I have to post!

The whole day was absolutely perfect. After an amazing dinner of awesome laughs and great conversation, it was off to Space Mountain and watching the fireworks. 

The little man these days is obsessed with the television show Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Especially the "Hot Dog" song. He is learning how to dance to the music. It is way too adorable. 

So I finish this "Ode to Disney" post with the little man dancing his way through the song.

Please excuse my creepy whispering throughout. 

Man, Disney rocks, and I guess Jack does too.

Schedule Nazi

I'm an account manager for a living. I love what I do. I manage timelines for a living. Before I had a child, I have always been big on schedules. Ask anyone who knows me well and you'll be told that I plan out my life to a "T."

So, I guess it's God's sense of humor to bless me with a child that I adore, that won't stay on a schedule for more than three days at a time, if that. (Okay, I now am slowly understanding that ALL children are like this.)

While I was pregnant, I read all sorts of books on how to keep a baby on a schedule and tips and tricks. So, when Jack came into the world, I really thought I had that part all figured out.

I'm slowly beginning to understand that my child is not a robot. (I'm not going to lie, at 3 in the morning, I wish he were...at least a little bit like one.)

God is teaching me to let go of the control. And I think it's because he wants me to give up more control to Him, which is something that I have struggled with all of my life.

Having Jackson come into our lives has not only taught me a love for my son and husband that was completely unimaginable before, but it has also taught me to love my Creator even more.

And now, I just have to realize this blessing at 1am, 2am, 3am, or 5:30am.

Love.

Colorado Trip...Round Two

I don't miss living in Colorado, but I sure do love to visit! We were absolutely blessed to be in our (second) favorite state for ten days. We had two weddings, one on Saturday the 21st, and one on Saturday the 28th. What a great way to have these bookends with wonderful times in between.

We started off in Colorado Springs, staying at the Broadmoor, where we were married almost 4 years to the date!

Ahh...I haven't laid by a pool in a long, long time. 

We also visited Aaron's folks. This boy is seriously blessed with some loving grandparents. 

Here is Jackson at Aaron's dad's house. He has become so interactive with toys and people. 

We then went up to Denver to spend time with my Nana and cousins at Lori's house. It was so wonderful to see the generations all together having an absolute blast. 

Kaylee holding Jackson. I just adore this photo. She's such a sweet little nanny! Although they're second cousins, I'm so excited that we are so close, that they will actually view each other as 1st cousins. Hopefully more babies will be coming soon. (Hint hint...you all know who you are!)

Jack has a new friend, by the way. His name is Ross. And he's a caterpillar. We're all jealous. It's his fav. 

Jackson went to his first theme park...Water World. He spent a lot of time with grammies, and we had so much fun!

I FINALLY got to meet Jessica's sweet little Jacob. While holding him it was astounding to me how little he was compared to Jack, and only 3 short months younger than him. It just makes you realize how fast this precious time is. 

I would say the person most excited to see sweet Jackson was his Aunt. I'm so sad that she doesn't live closer to see him on a more consistent basis. But, this boy will certainly know Auntie loves him. 

She, along with Aaron and my parents took Jack on his first hike up to Beaver Lake. I got to lay by the pool, sleep, and have a great workout. I can't tell you how wonderful and cherished that alone time was. 

Plus, I hate hiking. What can I say. 

I am so happy they had a good time. 

All in all, such a wonderful, and too short, trip.

Jackson got his 6 month shots today. Poor thing. I seriously don't feel like holding him down to endure that pain gets any easier. Especially now that he can seek comfort from me. Today was one of the first times I really felt like "mommy." He reached for me, and if he wasn't buried in my neck, he was crying. I let him lay there and just waited for the pain to subside. 

I would take away the pain if I could! 

Here's to the next six months sweet boy. We can't believe we ever lived a life without you!

The Last 6 months in Photos

Happy (belated) 6 months baby boy. 

I can't believe half of a year has already passed us by. 

You are our sunshine. 

3months vs 5months

I put these two side-by-side, and couldn't believe how much he's changed.

                     5 1/2 months                                                              3 1/2 months

Right before my eyes!

I feel like I can't even keep up with how many "firsts" we've encountered over the last few weeks! It's just been crazy.

I've heard from friends that once five months hit, the firsts just don't stop. Little man is growing to be a big boy!

Jackson loves to grab everything in sight now-a-days. Especially when he's eating. We joke that he needs a 5 foot radius around him of child proof items to pick up!

He especially loves $1.50 off coupons of baby food. Yummmm....

Speaking of baby food, this little man won't say no to anything I put in front of him, and for that I am grateful! He's graduated to three meals a day and eats all sorts of fruits and vegetables. Breast feeding has become more of snacks now, and right when he wakes up. This makes me so sad to know this phase is slowly weening. I am so blessed that I have been able to experience this with him. Although it was so hard when he was first born to get used to, I have not regretted it for one second. 

For the first weeks this little guy was eating foods, I pretty much insisted on being home when we fed him. One, because he needed a Bumbo, and two, well, look at that mess. Finally, I felt as if we were good to go outside of the house, and we had our first high chair experience at Cheesecake Factory with my parents. 

He did super awesome and really loved being a part of the group instead of stuck in his car seat. He could play with toys while we ate. It was wonderful to sit at a meal and actually eat without having to chow down quickly to take the baby back. 

Lately, it's been so hot here in SoCal. 80 degree days with no air conditioner can lead to this. 

He spends the majority of his days as "nakie baby."

I think he's alright with it. 

Any day he's going to start crawling, right? Ohhhh no. I hear that's a whole new ball game. 

I feel when we have number two these milestones won't astound me as much as they do with Jackson. It's amazing that just (almost) 6 short months ago, this little man was in my belly swimming around at less than 7 lbs. 

He's now sleeping through the night consistently! He is still tightly swaddled, but lays completely still until the morning, so I'm not complaining. I think in the next couple weeks we will transition one arm out and see how it rolls. 

He also is swaddled for nap time. I'm so so grateful for Kate, his day care provider two days a week. She showed me a great swaddling technique for naps while at home. Jack is on two 1.5 hour naps a day and goes down in about 5 minutes. I swear Kate's my angel! I'm so happy that "cry it out" has only been a resolution twice since he's been born. I have exhausted every other option I possibly can, and I am so happy that I have not had to resort to it. 

Our dear friends Lauren & Dave Miles came down from Valencia for Aaron's birthday this weekend. While Aaron and Dave went golfing, Lauren and I went to the pool at her hotel! I was so excited to bring little Jackson into the water for the first time. 

 

Stepping into the pool...Jack was very curious...

Ta-Da! A BIG bathtub!

We played around with him. Lauren laid him on his tummy so he could kick a bit and "swim" in the water. It was so adorable. He tried to grab the water as if it were a toy, it was so funny how he couldn't quite comprehend what it was. 

This exhausted him, and he quickly laid down for a nap and mommy was able to take a quick nap in the sun as well. SO grateful for any 10 minute nap I can take. 

I swear, every time I put this boy to sleep I wonder if I have loved him enough that day and cherished every second of his sweet little life as a 5 1/2 month old. I am so blessed. 

Aaron and I had our four year anniversary as well. We didn't do much on the day of because Aaron had class, and basically both of us forgot until the day before due to our busy schedules.

I came home from work to this. 

The little "XOX" package is a Sprinkles Red Velvet Cupcake. My man knows me too well. 

I ate my cupcake and enjoyed my flowers with the product of our love while Aaron was at class.

It's been...by far...the BEST four years of my entire life. 

God is so amazingly good, all the time.