Jackson's Professional Newborn Pictures

Jackson's newborn baby pictures are here! We have had them forever but it took awhile to pick out our favorites. They were taken by Brooke Images who were also our wedding photographers. It was so much fun! He was just 11 days old.

7 weeks!

7 Weeks: Tears! I can't believe it's been 7 weeks. Since I know that in 6 short weeks I will be going back to work I've been cherishing all of our snuggle time. And just enjoying each day! 

Weight:  9.7+ pounds

Sleep: Sleeping all night in the rock n play. He’s now getting up around 1 or 2 and then 5. We still keep trying to get him to go back to sleep after the 5am feeding but he’s always up with in an hour. 

Clothes: He is now in 0-3! I almost cried packing up the newborn clothes :(

Visitors:  Jackson went to meet the ladies from work, like usual he slept through the whole thing. And he met his great mimi!! Great mimi flew in all the way from Indiana to snuggle with him, he has loved every minute of course.

Out and About: The usual lunches and errands. BUT we did go to target and bought groceries not just a few but all of them. This was quite the challenge because his carseat takes up the whole cart but I was determined. So I had food in the seat of the cart and underneath. I felt pretty accomplish after this.. hahah next time I want to use our baby Bjorn so we can get more groceries. Oh and he did get meet the doctor who delivered him (tear)! I was pretty nervous he would start crying mid exam and there was nothing I could do but he was an angel- awake the whole time but happy.

Baby Gear Love:  
Aden and Anais Burp rags: LOVE these. They are very thick and soft so they are perfect for spit up. You can also use them for bibs but I haven't yet. I wish I had more!

Crying:  

He is doing so much better- less crying everyday. I contribute this to him feeling better, we are somewhat of a routine, and we are just getting the hang of things. Jamie is still learning well I think they are learning together. Jackson isn’t giving daddy a break. Tsk Tsk Jackson

Milestones:  
I think he is officially “cooing”. He was quite the little talker Saturday morning. He did push up on his arms and lift his head (while screaming) during tummy time. He is also picking his head up off my chest and looking at me..really freaking cute! Lots of smiles!!

Postpartum: I am cleared!! I went running and spinning this week. My first run I smiled like a fool the whole way. I was really nervous about taking a spinning class but I made it! And I was going all out the whole time.

Goals:
This week he had a nap in the crib 1x a day ranging from 15 mins to an hour. We have a routine everyday I would say- times vary. The feeding schedule was awesome until Friday and then he was all off but this could have been his growth spurt. We have been doing tummy time at least 5x’s a day but it never lasts too long. We have somewhat of a bedtime routine I would just really like to move the time up and add reading a story but.. one day. 

This week- Keep working on everything from last week.

Oscar loves the giraffe 

Let's take naps! 

Sleepy boys

Happy Halloween!

It's officially fall and almost Halloween time! My favorite time of year!!! You can look at last year's post to see how much I love fall. This is year is completely different because I don't have a whole lot of extra time to make decorations and food but I also have to make it extra special since it is Jackson's first Halloween! I spent hours finding the perfect costume for him~ which will not be shown until Halloween. And since he can't have candy here is what was in his Halloween "bag":

1. His "First Halloween" shirt for Halloween Day

2. Two Halloween Pajamas

3. Halloween books of course! 

This was such an easy Halloween recipe I did manage to make it when Jackson napped one day.

Recipe: Pretzels,  Hershey Kisses, Candy Corn

1. Put kisses on pretzels bake at 350 for 5-6 minutes

2. Put candy corn on top

3. Eat YUM!

Very addicting I might add.

I was going to wait to post this one until I made more recipes but that might not happen so just in case...

6 weeks

Playing in the jungle

*I give up on weekly pictures- who has time for this?! I swear I have been attempting to get things done all week and I can never finish them. Also if you haven't received a thank you card for me I apologize I've have completely lost track of who we have written and who we haven't. And if I haven't returned your calls it's because I've lost my mind :)

6 Weeks~ Aw 6 weeks already?! I might post that every week. This was a great week- we started the reflux meds and he started eating every three hours awesome! He is smiling more and more all the time and just being awake more during the day is great. I made the mistake of introducing diary back in his diet like the doctor told me too.. we are paying for it today. So maybe diary is the culprit. Very frustrating. 

Weight:  9.7+ pounds

Sleep: Sleeping all night in the rock n play. He’s still getting up every 3-4 hours.

Clothes: Goodbye Preemie! Newborn onesies are getting snug!

Visitors:  Jackson went to his first birthday party so he met lots of new people then. He did great and slept through the whole thing.

Out and About: The usual- Daddy’s office, Target, lunch with mimi and some errands. We went to a birthday party and got pumpkins with no problems. Whew! We still are only taking him out for max 3 hours at a time.

Pumpkin Time!

This one is small like me!

Baby Gear Love:  
Nothing new this week but def. using all the previous items listed.

Crying:  Crying if he’s hungry, doing tummy time, or if he needs a change in positions. He also will scream at you if you happen to bump him when he’s hanging out in the K’Tan..this is really awesome because his face is right near my ear. But his little (loud) cries are so pathetic and cute I don’t mind them. I feel like I’m getting the hang of things or the “touch” to calm him down now. 

Milestones:  
Kinda started cooing a bit or a least making new sounds that aren’t grunts. Tracking objects. Sorta swatting at toys but really unintentional. He does look at them when he’s swatting. 

Postpartum: I might have lost 1 pound this week. I have officially retired 95% of maternity clothes because they are just huge! I still keep some small maternity pants to wear- I have squeezed into my old jeans but they were too uncomfortable. I go for my 6 week PP visit this week. I am very ready for my old body!! 

Goals:
We somehow managed a eating schedule (which wasn’t was I was working on but hey whatever) every three hours. LOVE this! It’s easy to predict when he needs to eat and how to plan our day. We still haven’t managed a nap/play routine so I gota keep working on that this week. Bath time routine didn’t really happen this week...I know I know oops. 

This week- keep working on the nap/play schedule, possible bedtime routine, more tummy time, and hopefully a nap in the big boy crib. 

Going to the football themed birthday party

FSU family!

Birth Prediction Results

Remember our birth predictions? 

Well here they are and what really happened:

Danielle:

Jackson's birthday:  August 22nd.
-Wrong! September 2nd

How long will labor take? 8 hours in the hospital

-Right! Or really close 8.5 hours

How long will it take Danielle to get an epidural? 7 cm

-So close! I got the epidural 6cm but by the time I got the epidural I was 7cm.

Time of birth? 7am

-Totally wrong 11:58 pm

Weight of baby? 8 pounds 9 oz

-Really wrong! 6 pound 6 oz

Length of baby? 22 inches

-Close 21 inches

Jamie:

Jackson's birthday: August 30th. He is convinced he is coming in August.

-Close

How long will labor take? 8 hours in the hospital

-Right

How long will it take Danielle to get an epidural? First he said 8cm then he said 4.. he's not sure

-Eh how do I answer this one? I wanted one at 4! haha

Time of birth? 2:30pm

-Wrong!

Weight of baby? 7 and 1/2 pounds

-Closer than I was

Length of baby? 18 inches

-Really wrong

So the winner was me!! Mother's intuition :)

5 weeks old

On our walk today~it was actually chilly outside

*Sorry this is a little late! We had a busy weekend. And I didn't take a five week picture :/ 

5 Weeks
I can’t believe Jackson is 5 weeks old! It makes me sad to think how fast time is going. It seems like we were just bringing him home. He has changed so much in 5 weeks its crazy. This week he started smiling!! It is probably the cutest smile in the world. He has been awake more and more which is fun because you can interact with him instead of just snuggling (which I love too). This week was so much fun!

Weight:  9.7 pounds!!  YAY!

Sleep: He is now sleeping in the Rock N Play all night!!! He doesn’t need me to hold him to sleep - sometimes he does need the occasional snuggle to get the fussy out but after that back in the Rock N Play. This was my main concern or goal last week and we accomplished it! I just hope he continues this.

Clothes: Premies are finally too tight. Newborn onesies fit really well and are getting a little snug. 0-3 is still huge. His Halloween clothes are 0-3 (because that’s all they had) so I’m hoping he will put on a couple more pounds before then!

Visitors:  Mimi and Poppi of course! Jackson met his Aunt Allie this weekend. He spent two days snuggling and playing with her.

Out and About: We made our usual errands to Target and daddy’s office! We also spent a day with Mimi running errands and going to lunch which was so much fun! We are getting better and better at being out and about. He did go hysterical in Joseph A Banks (and we were only there for maybe 10 mins) of course the lady who worked there was giving me the “Omg how old is he is is so tiny” bit.. which is annoying, I know he looks like he is a couple days old but he’s not... anyways so that was a bit embarrassing but it just gives us more practice. I still have yet to change a diaper in public. I’m not looking forward to that. We are still taking walks probably every other day. 

Baby Gear Love:  
Vaseline- If you are having a little boy buy the squirt vaseline you will need it! Every time I think we are done with the vaseline we need it for something else.When I was pregnant that was on the list of "needs" so I bought a jar not really sure what it was used for... but I soon figured that out at the hospital and I realized the squirt kind is the way to go. 

Rock N Play- LIFE SAVER! I freakin love this thing! Totally worth the money which really it wasn't too $$. I love it because it is reclined which is great for the reflux, it is snug which is great for those of you with snuggle bunnies who like to be held, and it rocks back in forth which is KEY for Jackson because he has decided swinging side to side is like torture. And it folds up so you can take it on vacation or whatever. I think this is great because I am highly doubting he will sleep in the pack n play. I can't say enough great things about it. 

Rock n play and how cute is it?!

Bouncer- This sit on the floor, it sits more upright than the Rock N Play, vibrates, plays music, and you can bounce it. I also move it around the house so I can see him- this is awesome for when you need a shower. We use this everyday!

Bouncer- Fisher Price. And when you take pictures of your baby in it it gives the baby sweet bunny ears!

Crying:  Getting so much better! We went to the doctor this week for his 1 month check up and to discuss the milk intolerance. After telling her everything that was going on she said- we need to start Zantac to help with the reflux and his stomach issues. With the issues he is having he presents like a Colic baby which I had been thinking the whole time but she confirmed it. I was relieved because I was not about to start another elimination diet wasting another 2 weeks of him feeling bad. Hopefully the medication works! He is right on track for everything else, she said he looks great! 

Funny story- The Pediatrician took Jackson from me so she could check him out and he immediately went hysterical. She was like oh a demanding baby huh? I was like uh YEA. We seriously say this all the time at home. Then she goes on to say his personality must be be like your husbands because you seem so calm and relaxed. Your husband seems a little hyper. HAHAHA LOL I am still laughing about this one. One I am NOT calm and relaxed although she is not the first person to say this- I must fake it well. And two Jamie IS really hyper compared to me. 

Milestones:  
Smiling!!! He is holding and turning his head more on his tummy. He is holding rattles for a really long time- if we put them in his hand. He is focusing more with his eyes. He had a major explosion on the changing table (and mommy)... Mommy and daddy went out for 3 hours and left him with mimi and poppi- that was hard but I know we need to keep spending time without the baby too. 

Looks like he's lifting a dumb bell!

Postpartum: Still at 25 pounds lost. The weight loss has stopped but I have my appointment next week so hopefully I can start working out again. 

Goals this week- start a bedtime routine and a schedule. I've been reading that most people have bedtime routines at 4 weeks oops. I did realize this weekend we pretty much have a schedule it’s just not the exact time everyday. We also do kinda have a bedtime routine but we need to start it at the same time every night. This is hard because I want Jamie to be involved but he never gets home the same time so then dinner time changes which leads to the schedule getting off. We will see how this goes!

Bear butt!

One Month!

One Month
This was by far the hardest week we have had. Monday we found out Jackson has a milk intolerance meaning absolutely no diary of any kind (including soy) for mama! I feel so bad for his little tummy. And to make matters worse it takes 7-10 days for the diary to get out of my system. On Wednesday I started feeling bad and woke up in the middle of the night with a fever, really awful aches and pains (I thought I had the flu), spent two hours (shivering) at the doctor’s office to find out I have mastitis..fantastic. Thursday was terrible I felt awful all day. Luckily Jamie was able to stay home and help out. This whole week has also been Jackson’s growth spurt week which means he is a starving Somalian every 1-2 hours. If he makes it to two and half hours I would get a little giddy. We had one terrible night somewhere between Monday and Wednesday where he was up every 1-2 hours STARVING. And sweet boy is loosing his hair like a balding old man- from the front going to the middle but leaving hair on the sides. YIKES! Here’s to hoping next week is better..

Weight:  7+ pounds 

Sleep: See above

Clothes: Premie and Carter’s newborn onesies everything is fitting better!

Visitors:  Mimi and Poppi. And our neighbors who also have a newborn came over to watch the Jaguars game on Sunday. Jackson had no idea another newborn was even in the house but little Raleigh would cry every time Jackson would cry!

Out and About: We were home bound most of the week- read above. But we did manage a couple walks. Friday we went to the Vet (to pick up cat food), Publix (to try to find diary/soy free cheese hey that doesn’t exist), and Starbucks (for a Pumpkin Latte which surprise has milk in it oops) but he did great and slept the whole time! Saturday I was demanding we get out of the house so we went to Barnes and Nobles to return some books and right about the time I was picking them out Jackson starting crying like we hadn’t feed him in weeks. I shoved the books at Jamie, took Jackson to a table, and sat down the feed him... the bottle exploded everywhere while he is still screaming and some stupid person decides they should try to talk to me.. uh hello we are in crisis mode here! But after he ate we manage to make it to Dick’s (for some FSU gear) and Firehouse. Whew. 

Baby Gear Love:  
Hooded Towels: I'm obsessed with these! It makes bath time that much easier- you just throw the hooded part on his head and wrap him up and your done! Plus he looks so freakin cute I can hardly stand it. We got ours at pottery barn kids- lion and the hippo and we also have the gingham one that is sooooo soft and has his name on it LOVE!  I just noticed there are new ones that we may need to purchase...

Beverly Hills 90210- Soap network: Life saver. hehe lets get real you are at home all day long and most of the time our baby wants to be held or you just feel like cuddling him or maybe you are exhausted but can't sleep.. get the soap network! It's addicting. I am hooked on 902010 to the point I pause or tape it if Jackson gets fussy or needs to be feed. Plus it's mindless so your exhausted brain can rest but be entertained. I look forward to it everyday! 

Baby K'Tan wrap- BUY IT NOW! This thing is awesome. Jackson can cuddle up in his favorite spot- my chest and I can still get things done. He's still a little to small where I don't trust letting go of his head but it still gives me more freedom them carrying him myself.  He's in it right now and I can type away!

Crying:  Oh boy! If he’s hungry, trying to poop, or what wait I’m not being held?! Add being naked, diaper changes.. pretty much all the time unless he is being feed or held. Baby K'tan wrap has solved this problem :)

Milestones:  
He was able to hold onto his little football toy! With the right and left hand. Pooping on mommy and his cute lion towel...

Go COLTS!! I  mean JAGS :)

Postpartum: Lost 25 pounds total- 9 more to go! Counting down the days when I can go for runs, can’t wait!