Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Memorial Day Weekend









We spent Memorial Day in Houston with my parents. Jackson loves being there because there is never any shortage of people to hold him. Jackson really makes you work when you hold him. Don't even think of sitting down unless it's in a rocking chair or glider. He prefers to view the world at waist or shoulder level. If he tires out mom, dad, and grandpa, grandma is there to be the human swing. She has amazing endurance.

I got the best gift ever today. My dad gave me his awesome camera and upgraded to a new one. No more 5 second delay with my old digital camera. I'm so happy! By the way, the wonderful black and white pictures I posted were taken by a friend and photographer named Julie Robles.

Tomorrow morning we head to Middle School Camp Houston in Palacios, TX. The camp is for our old church - the one I grew up in, got married in, and where Curt worked for two years. I can't wait! I'm planning on taking Jackson in the pool for the first time. To me, summer equals water. I hope he likes this more than he likes shopping.

Friday, May 26, 2006

Three Months In






It's been a really long time since I posted anything. I got so discouraged about the pictures not working that I just gave up. Well, I am trying again. So much has changed since mid-March! Jackson has been sleeping throught the night since 8 weeks and that has totally changed my life. He has doubled his birthweight and is now, as my mom says, big enough to beat on. His formerly tiny legs and arms have filled out. His cheeks (both sets) are thoroughly pinchable. The two things people say to me over and over are: "He looks exactly like his dad!" and "He has such pretty blue eyes!"

One of the best parts of our week is meeting with my friends Sunni and Janelle and their babies, Ava and Ella. We have the best time just sitting around talking, laughing about the crazy parts of motherhood, and nursing our babies (with our super chic "hooter hiders"). Today Curt and I went down to Freebirds on Greenville (I'm still full!) for lunch and went shopping at Mockingbird Station. I had Jackson in his hotsling and all the hippies at Urban Outfitters thought it was great. The only bad thing is you cannot try on clothes with your baby in a sling! Jackson cried every time I picked up a shirt to look at it. I don't think he's going to be much for shopping.

I am dying to cut my hair. Before Jackson was born I made my hairstylist promise not to cut my hair short no matter how much I begged. I do not want the mommy cut! And hormones can make you do weird, impulsive things. So I had to protect myself in advance. Thankfully, all I'm yearning for is to get it trimmed and given some shape. In all my pictures at the end of the pregnancy and after the birth my hair looks amazing. (During pregnancy your hair stops falling out, so it's really thick and healthy looking.) Now it's dull, it's falling out (like 10 strands at a time!), and it looks like poo. Sisters, this should not be!

Well, they tell you not to let a baby sleep on his tummy to avoid sids. So being the freak that I am, I've been to afraid to let him have much tummy time. Tummy time keeps their heads from getting flat and it develops a lot of their muscles. I recently saw a 4 month old who could push himself up off the floor and had amazing head control. He was so strong, he was basically about to start crawling any second. So I've been inspired to do tummy time with Jackson, even though he screams uncontrollably after 5 minutes. Being persistent for the last week is finally paying off. He's holding his head up so much better and raising up really high on his elbows. I've been putting him on his side and letting him roll backward and forward so he can get used to that movement. We've also been doing the exersaucer and the jumper a little bit, so I think that has helped his neck muscles. I have to stuff blankets around him so he'll fit there. Today he got a bumbo seat from his Grandma Cozy. He's so cute in it! Hopefully I'll post that picture soon.

My favorite update is that yesterday Jackson laughed - a real laugh instead of a coo laugh - for the first time. It was so awesome! I can't wait for him to do it again. He changes every day and gets more and more fun. To all pregnant ladies and brand new moms, the third month is a dream!