Apple Cup 2011

As crazy as it may seem, I've never been to Apple Cup and Corey and I have never actually been to a Husky football game together. So when our friends Alex and Jen invited us to partake in their Apple Cup tailgating and party bus they'd lined up, we snagged some cheap tickets so we could join them.

Joan and Curtis were able to watch Jackson, and with him in good hands, we were able to enjoy an afternoon and evening out on the town.  We had a great time at the game, especially since the Huskies won 38-21 (yay!) and we were even able to stay dry as the rain held off until after the game.

Hopefully we'll be able to attend some more UW games together next season!

If you're happy and you know it...

...clap your hands!!

Disregard the layout, my awful voice and J's jumping that makes it seem like I'm violently shaking him and your heart will melt as much as mine does every time I watch this.

Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving!  We wish you a fabulous day full of delicious food, lots of fun and plenty quality time with family and friends.

In honor of Thanksgiving, it seemed appropriate to share a few of the things I'm thankful for, so here goes:

• A happy, healthy baby boy.  Jackson is truly one of the best things that has every happened to me and I absolutely love being his mom.  I love my little munchkin to pieces.
• A supportive, loving, generous, and caring husband.  Three years of marriage under our belt and it's been the best three years of my life.  Corey is a fabulous husband and an even more amazing daddy.
• A wonderful family - both my own and my in-laws.  They're all so very supportive and willing to help out, and we're able to see them almost any time we want. And not everybody can say they love their in-laws, but mine are fabulous (and I'm not just saying this because they will likely read this)!
• A great job.  I am on a team I love and have a boss I adore.  I couldn't really ask for much more.

I absolutely love kissing this adorable face a million times a day.

7 Months

Baby J is 7 months old today! 

These photos are getting harder to take every month - he is quite the squirmer lately and we had to grab him several times during this shoot so he didn't face plant off the chair or climb over the sides.

It's very true what all other parents say --- that each month gets more and more fun.  Jackson is changing daily and it's so fun to watch and to interact with him more and more. 

Here some recent highlights:

• Reaching and army crawling towards things he wants that are just out of his reach --- we've caught him going after his toy box several times lately.  Speaking of army crawling, he can't really make it too far forward; however, he can scoot pretty far backwards.
• Clapping!  He won't clap along with us and stops clapping when we start clapping along with him or say 'yay!' when he's clapping, but he started while playing over the past weekend and we've been catching him clapping several times a day since.  This morning, I left him on the floor of his room to play while I went to grab something and when I returned, he was clapping with his back to me so I was able to just watch him.  So adorable.
• Taking more and more long naps (1.5-2 hours) and sometimes, if it's been a good nap day, only needs two naps --- one in the a.m. and one in the early afternoon.
• Loves Mum Mums, Cheerios and bananas.  The kid can polish off an entire banana in one sitting, it's amazing.  He doesn't love too many other solids (fruits are better than veggies and yogurt seems to be okay), though we continue to force bites in 2-3 times a day.
• Continues to love being out and about, especially when we go out for dinner.  He's an angel baby the evenings we eat out.
• Reaching up/out to be picked up when you're near.
• Enjoys playing with more interactive toys and especially loves his pop-up toy --- we open all the doors and he loves to shut them all.
• Is quite the chatterbox - he's constantly "talking" and is using more and more vowel sounds every day.  His favorite thing to say is 'ba ba' over and over.  No clue what it means, but it's very cute.
• Still loves flipping over to sleep on his tummy.  He also loves rolling around and shimmying to all sides of his crib.  A few weeks ago, we caved and bought a video monitor and we love being able to check on him, especially as he's moving all around before falling asleep.
• Is now in a big boy car seat (i.e. it stays in the car and he can't be carried around in it) -- he was getting way too heavy and way too long for the portable one.
• Most of his 9 months clothes are getting small (or are already too small) and he's in all 12 month PJs thanks to those long legs of his.

It's crazy to think that at 7 months, he's closer to his 1st birthday than he is to being born.

Fall Favorites

I typically do not like fall as it means winter is right around the corner, which, around here, means months of cold, gloomy weather and going to and from work in the dark and/or rain.  All that aside, there are a few things that have made me appreciate this fall a little more than usual as we say goodbye to warm, sunny days and many hours of daylight.

• The smell of fall/holiday scented candles. I have so many yummy candles, yet I never think to light them; however, I've been more on top of it lately and love the delicious smells that overtake our condo after lighting a candle or two.
• With more time spent indoors and without as many plans, I've had a bit more free time to enjoy some good reads.  From novels like Water for Elephants, to trashy magazines like US Weekly, I've been addicted to reading.  And thanks to Lisa and Natalie, much of my free time in the last week has been spent flying through Hunger Games, and now Catching Fire (the sequel).
• The beautiful colors of the leaves, both in the trees and on the ground, that I get to admire on a daily basis on walks with Jackson and/or Roxy.  Nearly every street around here is lined with trees, and this time of the year, that means colorful leaves, too.

• Cold weather means hot baths --- one of my all time favorite fall/winter activities to warm up and relax after a long day at work.  Add a good-smelling candle, a book, and, let's be honest, a glass of wine as well, and I'm a happy camper.
• Looking forward to the upcoming holidays.  This means time with family and friends, lots of delicious food, and extra time away from work---what's not to love about that?

I hope you are enjoying fall as much as I have!

From Jackson

(My mommy made my daddy take this picture of me after I ate Mum Mums for the first time.  They were all over me and got stuck to my face when she changed me before my bath.  I wouldn't have been as happy here had I known I had stuff on my face, though!)

Hi!

My daddy is always taking pictures of me and my mommy is always doing the blogging, so I thought I'd take over some of that responsibility for once.

I am 6-1/2 months old and am loving life!  My favorite thing is to chew (and drool) on anything that comes near my hands or mouth.  I especially like to chew on my book in the bath that my great grandma got me.  I love to watch my sister Roxy play fetch - it really makes me laugh sometimes.  I like playing in my Exersaucer, doing art at daycare and taking baths, too.  I especially love to be out and about on walks or out at social functions - there are so many fun things to see!

I've led my parents to believe that I don't really like baby food (I really make great horrified faces), but I actually don't mind the taste since it has lots more flavor than my bottles; however, I really just like to blow raspberries when I eat because it's funny to spit food on my mom and to hear her scream in surprise.  My favorite thing to eat is Mum Mums -- YUM YUM!  They fed me a few Cheerios at daycare the other day, and those are yummy and fun, too.

I am really good at sitting and I'm good at rolling from my back to my tummy, which I often do while sleeping now.  Sometimes though, I wake up in the middle of the night on my tummy and wish I was on my back, but I am just too heavy and can't seem to roll back onto my back, so I have to cry to wake mommy and daddy up so that they know to come help me out.  But, once they turn me over, I usually wish I was back on my tummy, so I flip right back over after they leave the room.

Well, I am supposed to be sleeping now.  I'll try to steal my mommy's computer again soon.

Sending you slobbery kisses and lots of raspberries,

-Jackson

Happy Halloween!

Our little dragon.

Several of J's school friends - Gray (Tootsie Roll), Kai (who's starting school this week), and Maggie (bumble bee).

My co-workers' kiddos --- Adam (Superman), Wes (skeleton) and Liam (shark).

Jackson's first Halloween was an absolute blast!  We had a super busy, but very fun, day and he was such a cute (and very scary) dragon.

It kicked off at daycare with the infant room's 'First Harvest Festival' which consisted of costume wearing, pumpkin decorating and lots of photo opps.  Grandma Joan was able to join Corey and I for the celebration. 

After leaving daycare, we headed to Corey's work to enjoy a delicious Halloween potluck (I always seem to get invited to the office on days where they have yummy food lined up!) and mingle with his co-workers a bit before heading to my work.  My co-workers Stacy and Stephanie brought their munchkins in at the same time we stopped by so it was quite the zoo but so much fun.

I truly think J is an extrovert - he slept only a few minutes in the car between his morning nap ending at 10:30 and us arriving back home at 3 but was such a great mood and seemed to be really enjoying himself at my work, being around lots of other people. Once we got home, he went right to playing by himself for an HOUR (he normally only lasts 15-20 minutes), happily bouncing around and babbling in his Exersaucer while I caught up on some work. 

\Tonight, we met up with Auntie Sara to walk around Market and see all the cute kids and dogs in costume, and of course, we had to dress J up as a dragon one last time before retiring the costume. 

Can't wait to see what costume we come up with next year to top the dragon!

Stats Are In

Jackson and I went to his six month check-up today and it was confirmed that he is one big, healthy kid!

He weighed in at a whopping 20 lbs, 14.5 oz (give or take a few ounces, considering he'd just finished a bottle) and was 29" in length.  This puts him in the 90th and 99th percentile, respectively.  Not only is it impressive that he grew two inches in length in as many months, but he's now the average height of an ELEVEN month old.  It's no wonder his pants seem to keep shrinking.  His head is getting a bit bigger and measured 44.5 cm (90th percentile) - if I didn't know better, I'd think it was because of all that hair that continues to grow and fill out.

He was very happy throughout our time there and did great.  He did have a bit too much fun with the paper they lay on the table, so I ended up moving him to my lap to hang out while we waited for the doctor.  J had to get an oral and four shots and he did great.  He didn't even realize they'd given him the first shot but for the next three he screamed; however, as soon as I picked him up, he calmed down and even smiled at the nurse who had done the damage.

The doctor was very pleased with all of Jackson's progress in the last two months and said he's extremely healthy and is totally on track developmentally.  He was even super impressed with how stable and strong Jackson was when sitting. 

Hooray for big boys!

6 Months

I know I say this every month, but I truly cannot believe another month has gone by and that baby J is six months old - halfway to his first birthday. WOW!

Every month continues to get more and more fun as he becomes more social and can interact more with us.

His six month check-up isn't until Wednesday, so no height and weight updates to share; however, here are a few of the key notables from the past month.

Jackson...

• Is quite the little sitter.  I love sitting him down with some toys and just watching him play.
• Can (sometimes) roll over.
• Was a great sleeper this past month.  Most nights he was in bed between 7:45 and 8 p.m., and slept until 6:30 or 6:45 a.m.
• Is enjoying solids more and more each day.  He especially likes fruit, carrots and sweet potatoes.
• Has been taking at least one long nap (1.5-2 hours) almost every day.
• Is no longer swaddled with either arm in when sleeping.
• Loves to be outside.
• Loves to laugh (see video below).
• Is constantly "talking"....while playing, when waking up in the a.m., when in the car.
• Loves bath time and being able to splash.
• Seems to like sleeping on his tummy occasionally.
• Has officially outgrown his swing (he tries to push himself out of it, and the shifting of his weight and change in balance makes the swing stop swinging).  Hilarious.
• Has almost outgrown his bouncer.
• Typically only takes three naps per day now --- around 8:30 a.m., around 12 or 12:30 p.m. and around 4 or 5 p.m.
• Continues to drink five bottles per day, each between 7 and 9 oz.
• Continues to drool like there's no tomorrow --- we have to change him at least 3+ times / day.
• Likes being out and about.  In the evenings, he's tired and it typically tends to be his fussy time but on Friday night, we went out to Azteca and he had a blast.  He sat in a high chair for the first time and loved smacking the table and trying to eat the placemats, napkins and plastic container our waiter brought him.  He also loved looking at the little boy seated near us.  He didn't fuss one time the entire time we were there.  Apparently, we have a social butterfly on our hands.

Looking forward to the next month!

(Sorry for the bad video skills --- I was laughing and making faces to get Jackson to laugh, and wasn't paying much attention to the camera.)

Five Fall Goals

I was tagged by my friend Natalie to do a blog post on five of my goals for fall.  Seems like it should be easy, but I had the hardest time coming up with five goals to accomplish over the next couple months - I guess I've been too caught up in the moment lately to plan ahead.  After much thought and deliberation, here are my goals:

1.  Partake in some girlie pampering.  I'd kill for a mani, pedi, brow wax and massage right now.  Seriously.  The last time I had any of those professionally done was over six months ago...or 'pre-J'.  I've had a gift card to get a mani/pedi in my purse nearly six months and I think it's just about burned a hole in my wallet.

2.  Set aside more time for reading. I enjoyed reading a few good girlie books that Natalie loaned me recently and just started reading Water for Elephants.  I'd love to finish that and read The Help so I can see both movies.  (And, I really should have already finished Water for Elephants, considering a bunch of us started a book club and our first date is tomorrow and this book was up first.  Oops.) 

3.  Tone up.  I've got about five of the ~40 pounds I gained during pregnancy left to lose and LOTS of toning up to do, so I joined the Fitness 19 that recently opened right below us.  In addition to my gym membership, I signed up for a personal training package and this was my first full week of my new work out regimen.  It feels so good to get back into working out, aside from the extreme soreness I'm feeling from the leg workout I did yesterday.  I've been waddling around all day like I did when I was nine months pregnant and have to sit down and stand up VERY slowly. Hope I feel less sore before tomorrow morning's appointment!

4.  Family day.  We've been so busy lately and have had so many plans and commitments every weekend, we haven't had much time to relax and enjoy time together as a family, just the three of us.  Don't get me wrong - it's all been very fun, it's just that it doesn't help life feel any less hectic.  I'd love to have a whole weekend day with no plans - no chores and no commitments allowed.  With fall officially arriving in Seattle, and lots of football on tap, I'm sure the boys won't mind spending a day at home, in sweats and cuddling on the couch together.

5.  Plan a tropical vacation.  I'm kind of cheating, because we actually just finished planning our Hawaiian vacation for February, but it was something we'd been talking about for ages, so it's a big accomplishment and something we've been looking forward to for a long time.  The last time we enjoyed any truly hot weather was in Vegas last summer, so we can't wait to pack up and head to Kona in February with my mom and dad.  It'll be Jackson's first plane trip and first tropical vacation and we are so looking forward to a week in paradise.

And now, let's see if my friend Jen at A is for Adalyn is willing to share her five goals for fall...