Spring is Here!

It seems like it has been forever since I last posted!  We have been really busy, and I keep putting blogging off! Spring is officially here even though it has been here in SC for a few weeks.  We have had record breaking temperatures (mid 80s), and I am loving it.  We did not really have winter here, so everything is blooming.  That also means that everything is covered in pollen.  We took a walk last night, and there was a yellow/green haze out.  That is how much pollen is out.  It was amazing how thick the air felt!  It did not seem to bother Jackson though.  He loves to be outside! We even went to a track meet the other night.  We will do anything to enjoy being outside!

We went to therapy again today.  Jackson is working on crawling and staying up on all 4.  He absolutely hates this!  He has been wearing his tot collar, but has already figured out how to take it off.  We are happy with wearing it an hour.

He has been really silly lately.  Everything is funny, and he loves to make noises.  What is it with boys and noises?  His latest noise sounds like Donald Duck.  He slept really late this morning. In fact, he was still asleep when we left this morning.  My mom said that he was looking for us when he woke up!  How sweet!

I am going to try to catch up on what we have been doing the past 2 weeks!

The Tot Collar

Jackson was being silly one morning.  He was so tired that he kept falling on the pillows!

Jackson has been trying lots of new foods.  This is him eating spaghetti for the first time.  He was unsure of the texture at first, but he loves it now.  Who doesn't love Noni's spaghetti sauce?  He also has had mashed potatoes (from Mama Penn's), peas, and bread.  The child loves bread!!!!

We went on Tuesday to get fitted for the Tot Collar.  Jackson was really good while we were there.  He is not crazy about the Tot Collar though.  We started out wearing it 5 minutes on Tuesday.  Then we went to see Mrs. Kelly on Wednesday, and he wore it for 15 minutes for her.  I am so proud of how hard he is working in therapy.  It is such a relief that he is not crying (screaming) anymore.  He is still working on crawling, going from a sitting position to a crawling position, and going from lying down to sitting up. On Thursday, we wore the Tot Collar for 20 minutes.  Tomorrow will be 25 minutes.  We have to work up to an hour by next Wednesday.  

Jackson can also wave bye bye now.  He doesn't always do it, but he showed off for Tu Tu on Wednesday.  I don't have a picture yet, but I will post one soon.

Jackson's 9 Month Check-Up

Jackson had his 9 month check-up today with Dr. Hart.  He is doing great and right on schedule for everything.  Dr. Hart said his head looks great and thinks the Tot Collar should fix the head tilt (which is only noticeable when he is sleep or mad)!  Jackson did have to get his finger pricked for the first time.  He did not cry.  However, he was fascinated by his band-aid and wanted to eat it.

Weight 22lbs 12 oz  (91st percentile)
Height 28.5 in (56th percentile)
Head 18.5 in (93rd percentile)

Showing off my band-aid!

When we got home, Jackson ate a a smashed banana for the first time from his tray.  He made a mess.  He had bananas on his head and in his hair.

Tim made a wonderful dinner!  I am so lucky that he cooks and takes care of me!

Jackson loves to ride around in his car.  These pictures were actually taken when he was upset.  However, he cheers up when you pull out the camera!

Papa J's Birthday

Besides Jackson turning 9 months old, today was also Papa J's birthday.  To celebrate, we went to eat at Fatz and then enjoyed cake at home.  Jackson loved the cheese grits at Fatz.  He also had his first French Fry!  He loved sitting with Papa J and eating puffs. Holly birdhouse cake was precious and delicious!  Papa J got a ticket to the practice rounds at the Master's, a new birdhouse with bird food, a canvas of Jackson, a new mini grill, flowers, and a giftcard.

Jackson-9 Months

Our little man is getting so big!

• Jackson can still wear some 9 months, but they are getting tight. We are moving towards 12 months.
• Now wears size 4 diapers.
• Loves to eat Puffs!  He is doing really well feeding himself.  He can pick up a Puff with his thumb and forefinger and get it into his mouth.
• He is eating more and more baby food.  He still eats cereal for breakfast, a veggie/meat combo for lunch, and a fruit for dinner.  He has tried apples, bananas, pears, peaches, and apricots.  He has also tried peas, sweet potatoes, carrots, summer veggies, green beans, chicken, beef, and rice.  He also loves yogurt. (He was not a fan of the green beans and rice, but he still ate it.) He has tried French toast, chicken, and he loves bread!
• He usually sleeps through the night even though we went through a week where he screamed through the night.
• He now has 8 teeth.  His front 2 are halfway broken through.  So he has 4 on top and 4 on bottom.
• We are rolling both ways!  Finally! He rolls all night long!
• Jackson can pull to standing position.  He loves to stand up and has tried to take some steps while holding onto fingers.  He can hold onto the coffee table and take a couple of steps around it.
• We are working on moving from a sitting to crawling position.  Jackson can turn around on his bottom and scoots across the floor.
• He loves to "talk".  He says "hi", and we are really working on MaMaMa and DaDaDa. 
• He plays Patty Cake all the time!  It is so cute.  He is so proud of himself!  We are working on "bye bye."
• He is generally in a happy mood.  He will let other people hold him and raises his arms to go to other people. He loves when Tu Tu comes to visit, because she lets him throw all the magazines on the floor.  He is fascinated by other kids.  He especially loved when Maria and Murphy played with him. He goes to church and plays with his friends.
• Jackson loves to play in the bath tub.  He loves it when you squirt water in his mouth.
• He loves to ride in his new car. 
• His favorite toys are his tool bench, remote control (toy and real), and the dragon at Noni's.
• He still loves reading especially his Llama Llama books.He also loves the Peek-a-Boo books.
• He usually wakes up around 6:30, eats, naps again around 9, eats, and naps around 1. Sometimes he takes a late afternoon nap too. He can hold his bottle when he wants to!

It is getting harder and harder to get these month pictures!  Someone does not always like to cooperate!

Jackson got to share with his 9 month birthday with Papa J!

February 29 = Leap Year

Our weeks seem to get more and more busy.  I have not been feeling well, so Tim has being taking care of a lot of stuff around the house including Jackson! I am so blessed to have such a wonderful husband!

We are loving our new van!  It is wonderful, and Jackson LOVES looking out the window.  He also loves the built-in sunshade!

We went on Monday to get Jackson measured for his tot collar.  This should help correct the head tilt.  We should get it in about a week, and then the real fun begins!  I am not looking forward to making Jackson wear it, but it needs to be done.  We went to therapy again today, and Jackson did great!  He did not cry even once!  It was so nice to sit there and watch him do his exercises and not get upset.  I always felt so guilty about his crying, but he loves Mrs. Kelly again! Now that we have mastered rolling, we working on going from a sitting position to a crawling position and then a crawling position to a sitting position.  The good thing is that Jackson is actually interested in moving now.

His front two teeth have finally broken though, and that makes everyone happy! Jackson also went to his first baseball game on Sunday.  We went to watch Briggs scrimmage.  Jackson also got to swing for the first time and loved it.  We left the park and went straight to buy a swing.  Tim has a new project for the weekend!

Tim also put together Jackson's car.  We bought it after Christmas when Little Tikes was having a huge sale.  Jackson loves it.  We drive it around and around the house.  My mom also learned that he likes to sit in it parked at the front door!  I think it is so funny that he knows how to turn the steering wheel and beep the horn.  It is too cute!