7 months with Baby Jax

This is crazy.  I'm writing my little guy's 7 month post.  Well, I feel like this past month has been a month of "almosts."  Jax is "almost" sitting up on his own (he is pretty good at it until he becomes a bit too overzealous in reaching for his Sophie giraffe),  he is "almost" army crawling (he can go in a circle, but hasn't figured out how to go forward), and he "almost" has a full head of hair again (the peach fuzz is starting to fill in the bald spots).  I keep telling everyone it gets more and more fun each day.  He is learning in leaps and bounds and it's so fun to watch this first hand.  The Lord has truly blessed our little family of three.

Here are your monthly highlights, Bubby:

• At your 6-month appointment on May 12th you weighed 17.1 lbs (50th percentile) and measured 27 inches (75th percentile).  Doc said you looked great.
• You are now wearing 6-9month clothes and some 12 month outfits.
• Your hair is finally starting to grow back in (slowly but surely), and the new hair seems to be very light.  There is still a reddish tint in your hair.
• Sleeping at night has been going much better.  You go to bed around 7:30pm and wake up twice during the night to eat.  You start your day around 7:30 in the morning.  Napping is going great! You usually take one long (2 hour nap) and two shorter (30-45min) power naps.  For naps, I simply lay you down and you put yourself to sleep.  I have noticed you like to put things over your face, so I have to watch on the monitor to make sure you don't pull your blanket completely over your head.
• You are still perfecting sitting up on your own, and you can army crawl in a circle very well.  This month we also started having you sit in shopping carts.  Not having to carry the carseat everywhere has made it so much easier!  You love to people watch while you are in the cart.
• You eat some solid food about once a day now.  You are really good about eating almost anything, but we tried sweet potatoes for the second time and you turned your nose up to that.  Broccoli wouldn't be your preference, but you love avocado and banana together.
• Everyone comments on how you are such a good baby.  You are really laid back and don't mind being passed around to family and friends.  

6 months with Baby Jax

I really can't believe I am typing this post.  My baby is halfway to a year old!?!  This past month, Jaxson's personality has really blossomed.  He is such a happy and laid back baby (most of the time), and if we can get the sleeping-through-the-night thing down, well, we will just be one "big happy family."  Really we already are a "big happy family," with little Jax a part of it.

Here are your monthly highlights, Baby Boy:

• We have your 6-month appointment coming up, where we will get your exact height and weight, but I think you are at least 18lbs by now.
• You are in between 3-6 and 6-9 month clothes.  It just depends upon the brand.
• You are pretty much bald on each side and the back of your head, but you have a nice little tuft of hair on the top.  You're just hipster with a nice pompadour.  It is still light, and I am wondering what color it will be when it all grows back in.  
• Sleeping has been the biggest issue.  The past two weeks you have decided to wake up every hour and a half.  Mama and Daddy knew we had to do something.  The past few days we started a new plan of attack action, and now you are just waking up at midnight and 4am to eat.  Mama's a much nicer person when I get a bit more sleep.
• You are working on sitting up.  Probably within the next month you will be able to sit up on your own with ease.
• This month, we started introducing a few solid foods.  So far you have tried sweet potato, banana, avocado, and some cantaloupe.  I wouldn't say you really have a favorite, but you definitely enjoy trying things and are very interested in whatever Mama and Daddy are eating.  
• You have finally figured out how to use your jumper, and that is by far your favorite toy right now.
• Sticking out your tongue is your newest trick, and sometimes you will even blow raspberries.
• Mama and Daddy love to see more of your personality coming out.  We can now tell when you are sad, upset, happy, excited, or just being whiney.  

Every day gets more fun with you Baby Jax.  We love you!

5 months with Baby Jax

Can we please slow down time, just a bit!?  I have no idea how my baby boy is already 5 months.  It really is going too fast.

Drew and I are amazed every day at how Jaxson's is literally learning before our eyes.  With all of the interaction and responses to sensory, raising him definitely gets more fun with each passing day.  He is no longer a tiny newborn, sleeping 90% of the time and eating the other 10%.  We can now make him laugh, have him grab things (like mama's hair and daddy's beard!), and he "talks" to us throughout the day.  We love having him around.

Here are your monthly highlights, little man:

• At your 4-month check-up (March 12th, 2014) you were 15.2 lbs (50th percentile) and 25.5in long (50th-75th percentile).  Currently you have no wrists or ankles.  We simply cannot wait for you to have some little tan lines from your baby rolls.
• You can still fit in some 3-6 month clothes, but mama went ahead and pulled out the 6-9 month stuff and it is just a tad loose on you.
• Your hair is still getting lighter and your eyes are a pretty slate blue.
• Sleep.  Ah, sleep.  One day, mama hopes you will figure it out.  You were consistent for a while with waking up at midnight and then 5am, which was perfectly fine with mama.  Lately though, you have wanted to wake up every 2 hours, not to eat, but just be soothed.  We are not really sure what is going on.  What makes up for it is, you are so good about going down for naps and bedtime (around 8pm).
• You love to grab anything that is put in front of you.  With the warmer weather, you have also enjoyed going for runs in the jogger with mama.
• We can tell you are getting stronger and trying to sit up on your own.  Probably a few more weeks and you will be there.
• You love to smile and laugh.  You are very ticklish too.
• Your personality is really starting to emerge.  You started a new thing where you will shriek when you are doing something you really don't want to do.  Mama has also noticed you are much more well-behaved around anyone besides your parents.  Little stinker.
• Food has become quite interesting to you as well, and you love to watch mama and daddy eat.  We are trying to wait a little bit longer before actually introducing some avocado or sweet potato, but we did give you a piece of celery to gnaw on at dinner time.  You loved it!  Hopefully this means you will enjoy all vegetables.  

4 months with Baby Jax

Here is our monthly post again.  4 months with our baby boy and I'm realizing more and more each day that when people say "it goes by fast," they are right.  It goes by so fast.  I'm really trying to learn to savor every moment; even the moments of waking up at 2am because baby boy is hungry.  He is only going to be this little once.

So today, March 4th, we are actually celebrating two things.  Of course, Jaxson is turning 4 months, but also one year and one day ago, we found out about our little guy with a positive test.  A year ago, we were overwhelmed with gratefulness to the Lord for blessing us yet again with a baby, and couldn't stop imaging what our life would be like when he/she arrived.  Well, now we are still overwhelmed with that same gratefulness, and thank the Lord that we get to live every day with our baby boy as a part of our family.

Here's to 4 months Bubby!

Your monthly highlights:

• You have a doctor's appointment coming up where we will find out your exact height and weight, but I'm thinking you are at least 15 pounds by now.  I just love your chunky thighs and your belly rolls.
• Your wardrobe is all 3-6 month stuff, but I have noticed some of the 6 month sleepers are getting a bit too short.
• Continuing to lighten up, your hair is almost the same color as mama's, and your eyes are such a pretty blue.
• As far as sleeping through the night, you are not doing so well.  But that's ok.  You give us about one 4-5 hour stretch and then wake up every 2-3 hours to eat or be soothed.  You have gotten very good at going to bed and taking naps, so that makes up for your 2am wake-ups.  We usually start your bedtime routine around 8pm, and then you go to sleep by 8:30pm. You still love to sleep on your side.
• The floor gym at our house is becoming kind of boring to you, but you love the new one that Mi-mi bought you.  You have started grabbing things, so now you can hold toys and love to put them in your mouth.
• You enjoy tummy time much more now and can easily roll from tummy to back.  You have been trying hard to roll from back to tummy, and can do it with a little help.  Standing up, with help, is definitely one of your favorite things to do.
• You are still a little chatter box, although we have noticed it takes you a little while to warm up around new people and places.  Once you feel comfortable you start talking up a storm.
• We love seeing you smile and love hearing your little laugh, which has become a more regular occurrence.

Jaxson, it has been so fun to see your personality blossoming.  You are really laid back, just like your mama, and definitely a night owl, just like your daddy.  We are grateful to have you a part of our family.

3 months with Baby Jax

Another month down.  Seems my blogging is following a monthly post trend.  It may be like that for a while, because the only "project" we are working on right now is Baby Jax.  I do have a few house projects on the horizon, so once we start those I will have something else to blog about ;)

Can't believe you are already 3 months sweet boy.  I really do believe every month gets better with having you a part of our family.  You already bring us so much joy and we can't get over this feeling of just wanting to squish you (can other parents relate?).

Here are your monthly highlights:

• At your 2 month check-up on January 13th, you weighed in at 12.4 lbs.  This put you between the 25th and 50th percentile for weight.  You are in the 75th percentile for height at 23 1/4 inches long.
• You are wearing all 3-6 months clothes now and some of the 3 month onsies are getting snug.
• Everyone keeps noticing how you hair is getting lighter and lighter.  Your eyes are still such a pretty gray-blue.
• Sometime mid-January you began consistently sleeping 8 hours at night.  Mama was so excited you were finally in that routine.  Unfortunately you decided we shouldn't get too comfortable with that schedule and have started waking up again in the middle of the night.  I'm hoping you are just going through a growth spurt.
• You still love you floor gym and will play there independently for a long time.  
• Another first for you: your first snows. We spent a few minutes outside and you simply thought it was too bright and too cold on your face.
• On January 18th, you gave mama and daddy quite a scare.  You weren't eating well and just wanted to sleep all day.  When you woke up from your nap laughing hysterically we definitely knew something was not right.  Your temperature was 101.4 (a high-temp for your age and size). Per doctor's orders we had to take you to the ER where you went through several tests (like a champ!) and they decided you were fighting something viral.  You ran a low-grade fever for a couple days, but quickly returned to your usual self.  We are praising God for restoring your health.
• You have become quite the talker.  We are convinced you can say "I love you," which we practice every day. 
• You really love to be around a lot of activity and still don't mind being passed around at parties and other events.
• Your hands and feet have just recently become very interesting to you.  

Jaxson you are such a sweet, patient, and happy (as long as you have a full tummy!) baby, and we are so thankful for you.  You are truly a blessing to our family.

2 months with Baby Jax

Babies sure do take up a lot of time.  But really, I don't mind at all.  I could spend all day staring at my little guy.  So when I'm not staring at Baby Jax, doing laundry, grocery shopping, cleaning, cooking, or learning how to be a wife and a mom, I'm finding a little time to write a blog post (but only once a month, it seems).
*update: this post has taken me almost 3 days to write

Baby Jax we love you more and more every day.  You are truly a gift from the Lord.  A small part of me wants you to grow up, because experiencing all your "firsts" is just so fun; but a very big part of me desperately wants your growing up to slow down because I know your sweet baby coos, chunky thighs, and gummy smiles will be gone before I know it.  It is so amazing to watch you grow and learn, and I am trying to savor all of it.

You have certainly been busy during your second month of life outside the womb.  Here is bit of what you have been up to:

• We recently weighed you at home and the scale read close to 11.5 lbs.  You seem to be getting really long too.  We will know for sure how much you have grown at your upcoming 2 month appointment.
• There is no way I can squeeze you into your newborn clothes anymore.  My heart ached just a bit when I put you in a 6 month sleeper and it didn't swallow you whole.
• Your hair seems to be lightening up.  We are wondering if someday soon we might have a blue-eyed blondie.
• You are doing better with sleeping at night, usually waking up every 4 hours to eat.  One night you gave us a 6 hour stretch.  I keep hoping that will become more regular :)
• You now sleep in your own room at night.  Some of your naps are in your crib or in the mamaRoo, which you love.
• Your new favorite toy is your floor gym.  You will happily play there for at nearly 15 minutes at a time.
• Just the other day you laughed when Mama was tickling you.  You have definitely become more interactive this month and love to "chat" and smile with Mama and Daddy while laying on your changing pad.
• Your grandparents have already started spoiling you, and even though you didn't really know what was going on, you received tons of gifts for your very first Christmas.

Baby Jax, we love you and have absolutely loved this second month with you in our lives.

1 month with Baby Jax

People aren't lying when they say how fast time flies with a baby.  I really can't believe an entire month has gone by since Jaxson joined our family.  It has certainly been a life-changing, tiring, and sometimes stressful but overall truly amazing month with our little guy.  We just can't stop staring at him and marveling that he is ours.  He is truly a good gift from the Lord and we fall more in love with him every day.

Here is a little bit of what you have been up to lately, Baby Jax:

• At your two week appointment you weighed 7lbs 13oz.  You have continued to chub up and we think you are closer to 8.5lbs now.
• You have outgrown some of your newborn clothes, but some 0-3 months is still too big.  I'm sure it won't be long before you fill those out!
• You love to eat (a lot!!).
• You have TONS of light brown hair and dark blue eyes.
• As far as sleeping at night goes, you have good days and bad days.  More recently you have started to give us a few 5 hour stretches at night.
• You still sleep in the cradle at night, but have started taking naps during the day in your crib.
• You are very vocal and like to squeak and grunt.
• You enjoy being held.  We can pass you around at family gatherings without ever waking you up.
• Car rides are a guaranteed way to get you to sleep.
• Your first outing was to the doctor, but since then you have been to church, the grocery store, the mall, a couple restaurants, and your grandparents' houses.
• You have certainly had a lot of "firsts" this month, but some of the most memorable might be your First Thanksgiving and your first Christmas tree shopping trip.
• Ever since you were 6 days old you have proved to be super strong, by lifting up your head while laying on Daddy's chest.   You is still a bit wobbly, but definitely getting more control.
• At 3 weeks daddy laid your tummy on the bed, and you rolled over to your back.  You did it 3 times in a row!
• You smile a lot during your sleep.  We like to think you are smiling at us.

We love you Jaxson and are so glad God decided to let us be your parents.  We couldn't imagine life without you!  Happy one month baby boy!