Watch me sit up!

*I just need to not talk anymore during these videos. Do I really sound this annoying in real life? Ha! I hope not! :)

Starting solids

We gave Jackson his first taste of solid foods a few days ago. He is a little over 5 1/2 months old and has really shown signs of being ready lately. He loves to watch us eat and will stick his tongue out, make a chewing motion, and laugh when he is watching us. He is also constantly grabbing my water bottle and trying to drink it like a bottle. It is so funny! We started with rice cereal, and so far he seems to love it! He tries to grab the spoon/bowl and shove it in his mouth, so we have to make sure that the bowl is out of arms reach. He does great opening up wide for the spoon but then he tries to propel himself toward it. I guess he gets really excited! :) Starting solids is kinda sad to me, as this is the very first step in the weaning process. But we still have a while before I plan to wean him completely. I am shooting for a year of breastfeeding, so I am almost halfway there!

My sister in law recently made a post on her blog about breastfeeding her twins (for a whole year-you go girl!) and how difficult it was (emotionally) to eventually wean them. I think I am beginning to understand what she means. For me, breastfeeding has been a wonderful experience, despite its painful beginning. I think it's discouraging when people tell mothers-to-be that breastfeeding doesnt hurt-because it DOES...at first. When Jackson was born, I remember watching the clock and dreading when the third hour came because I knew he would need to feed. My toes would just curl up from the pain of Jackson latching and re-latching, just trying to get the hang of it. One time he had a bad latch which resulted in cracking...and well, you get the drift. The lactation consultant was great in giving me confidence that I would have a good supply and that it would get better. I dont know exactly when it clicked, but the first day home we were doing much better and after the first week, we had it down! They dont lie when they say it is truly a bonding experience and there is something so peaceful about nursing your baby and knowing that you are providing all that your baby needs to grow and thrive. It has been a bit of a sacrifice for me because I am still getting up in the middle of the night to pump. I dont even know if it's necessary, but I do it anyway to ensure that my supply stays high and to also have fresh bottles for the days while I am at work. I am also proud of my frozen stash-It has taken over our freezer! Also, I have cut out several things of my diet that have seemed to upset his immature digestive system in the past (i.e. ice cream , salads, onions, hot dogs, spicy foods, pickles, peanuts, etc). They may not bother him at all these days, but I dont want to chance it. A couple of nights with an unhappy baby are enough for me to eat turkey sandwiches for the rest of the year if I have to :) In addition, I have still not had ONE drop of alcohol since two weeks before he was conceived (Nov 08!). I know it's perfectly fine if I do, but I have gone this long so I might as well hold out until he is completely weaned. So all this, and I STILL wouldnt trade nursing him for the world. Because the good truly outweighs the small sacrifices! Exclusively breastfeeding Jackson for as long as possible was one of my biggest goals for his first year of life and I consider it a great accomplishment to be almost halfway there!!

The last week or so, Jackson has also learned how to sit up all by himself. Check out the video! He is SO proud of himself and he gets better at it every day. Also, naptime is getting more predictible as well. He normally wakes up at 7 AM and then naps from 10-12 and then 3-5. He goes to bed around 8:30 at night. Overall our nights are still going well, although we do have the occasional night waking still. For the most part, though he will sleep until about 4 AM, nurse, then go back to sleep until the morning. He is so cute in the mornings when we go to get him from his crib. When we begin to change his clothes for the day, he gets so tickled and laughs and laughs. He is just the happiest little guy!

Laughing Monkey

I just don't think that there is anything cuter in this world than this!! I was taking his onesie off last night to change him into jammies and he just busted out laughing. He is most ticklish under his double chin, but he has never laughed like this when I change him. I called for Justin to come look and he grabbed the camera. We did manage to catch the tail end of his little laugh session before he was over it!

I also put up a few pictures from my birthday. Jackson and Justin got me a beautiful bouquet of flowers, balloons, a beautiful cake (Thanks Lauren!), a massage, and a peridot (Jackson's birthstone) ring. We also went to dinner that night and Jackson slept through the whole thing, which meant Justin and I enjoyed a meal without switching off holding/entertaining him. It was a wonderful birthday!!

Playtime

What a cutie!

5 Months old!!

His new favorite thing is to grab and suck on his piggies (in case you couldnt tell :). It is SO cute! It makes changing his diaper a bit of a challenge because he curls up into a little ball to grab his feet as soon as we take his pants off. In the last few days, he has learned how to make this funny noise that is a mix between a squeal and a cough. He does it really loud when he gets excited. He also does it if he wants to get our attention. He is such a sweet boy and he loves to smile and laugh. He has started pulling up to a sitting position from laying on his back, but then he slumps over or to the side. He doesnt quite have the strength yet to stay sitting up.

He is also seeming to get a tiny bit of stranger anxiety. It seems to only be with men right now. They must just seem more threatening to him, since they are bigger than women and children. He just gets a big frown and lets out a cry and then he starts to warm up. He also does this to us if he is in a good nap and something wakes him up. His eyes will pop open suddenly and you can tell he is disoriented. He will cry for a few seconds until he gets realizes where he is and who he is with. I swear I have to capture that frown one day. He sticks his bottom lip out really far and it will break your heart every time. Im not sure who he gets this from, although Justin's mom says that Jackson's Aunt Brooke did this as a baby. When Jackson makes that face at me, he can pretty much get whatever he wants because I can't stand to see him look at me that way. Luckily its not very often, though!

Sleeping is going so much better. We havent had a bad night of sleep since he started sleeping in his crib. (knock on wood) He will sleep from 9:00 pm until about 4:30 or 5 AM. I feed him, and then he immediately goes back to sleep until about 7:30 AM. I am averaging about 7 1/2 hours, even though its broken up into three segments. I'm certainly not complaining at all, though!! Still, it will be nice when I dont have to wake up to pump anymore. I have noticed that if we wait too long to get him to sleep, he gets overtired and Mr. Grinch comes out. He will fuss and rub his eyes for awhile until he tires himself out, so it is always a challenge to determine when he is ready for sleep based on his last naptime. Naps are beginning to get more consistent, although it still varies between 2-3 naps per day. We need to start putting him in his crib for naps, because he is still napping in his swing. One thing at a time, though!

Bathtime is getting more fun for him too, and he loves to kick and splash in the water. Maybe he will like to swim like his daddy one day. We've already agreed that Justin gets to do swim lessons with him. The thought of my little baby in a big pool is enough to give me anxiety for days. If I had my way, I would have him tethered to me with his whole body covered in flotation devices, so he would have no risk of going under water. But he would never learn to swim that way! I know in a few months he will start becoming more mobile and he will start getting his first boo boos. I am mentally preparing myself not to freak out when that happens. I dont want to raise Jackson like a bubble boy, but I just want to protect him from every getting hurt. I guess that's every parent's dilemma! I am so glad that he hasn't had his first illness yet. I think a big part of that is that Justin and I have been psychos about bathing anyone who touches him in antibacterial gel. I know the first sickness is inevitable, but every day that he gets older (and fatter) makes me feel better that he can fight off an infection if need be. Speaking of fatter, our scale says Jackson is hovering mighty close to 17 lbs now!! Justin says he is going to put bbq sauce on Jackson's chubby thighs and eat them...haha!

Anywho, thats all that has been going on here lately. My birthday is next week and I will be celebrating the last year of my 20's. It is strange to me that my birthday after this one will be 30! I can still remember when my mom turned thirty...I was already 8 yrs old at the time! Crazy! 2010 is now in full swing and the last decade brought so many changes and blessings. I am excited to see what the next one holds for us, and every new day is more wonderful with Jackson in it.

*I got some great news from a good friend lately and I am so excited/happy and I cant think of a more deserving person..you know who you are! "For every storm a rainbow....For every problem life sends, a faithful friend to share. For every sigh a sweet song, an answer to each prayer."

More on sleep training

Tues-Slept from 8:30-4:30, fed, slept 4:45-6:30, fed, slept 6:45-7:45

Wed-Slept from 8:45-3:30, fussed for 15 minutes, slept 3:45-6:00, fed, slept 6:15-7:15

Thurs-Slept from 9:15-4:30, fussed for 5 minutes, slept 4:35-6:00, fed, slept 6:15-7:00

Fri-Slept from 9:00-6:00, fed, slept 6:15-7:15

We are ecstatic that his first 4 nights in his crib have gone so well. It's as if the reason he was waking up so frequently at night was because he was still in our room. The doctor said he could sense our presence and that could be part of the problem. Here I was thinking he would be so sad and lonely in his crib/nursery away from us, but it looks like SO FAR he is doing just fine!! He has been able to fuss himself back to sleep peacefully. No screams, thank goodness. Fingers crossed that it continues! I feel like a new woman now that I am getting some good sleep again. Plus it is nice not to have to tiptoe all of the time while getting in and out of bed at night, especially to pump. THANK YOU Jackson! Mommy and Daddy are SO proud of you! :)