"We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures. "
Thornton Wilder
I wished I looked this cute so early in the morning... My little Valentine was up at 4am to celebrate his last, first holiday (I don't think President's Day really counts as a holiday). He was obviously excited to see what Valentine's Day is all about! Here's hoping that such an early wake up will lead to an early bedtime, so that I can have a little alone time with the other man in my life. I hope everyone is able to take a minute to enjoy their "treasures" today, whoever they may be.
Happy Valentine's Day!
P.S. Jax's pic was featured on my friend's blog today. Check it out here!
How is it possible that we will be celebrating your first birthday a month from now?! Everyone has been commenting about how big you are getting and how much older you look. In fact, you had quite a growth spurt this month. You were 22.8 pounds when they weighed you at the doctor last week!! That's almost 3 pounds more than last month! You've also grown about an inch- you're around 31 inches (it's very hard to accurately measure a squirmy baby). Please, slow down my sweet little man!
It has been a quiet month- partly from that mid-winter, post-holiday limbo and partly because you've been sick practically all month. A cold, turned into a nasty cough, which lead to a high fever, and double ear infection.
After several calls to the nurse line and a couple trips to the doctor, you were put on your first round of antibiotics. Unfortunately, the antibiotics caused you to get an "upset tummy" which caused your first diaper rash. Your firsts this month weren't as fun as your firsts last month... You just had your final dose of medicine last night and I think you're almost back to your old self!
Despite not feeling your best this month, you continued to refine your crawling and cruising skills. You're not yet walking on your own, but can get around very effectively with the aid of various pieces of furniture and the walls. You also figured out how to climb up the basement stairs! It's amazing how quickly you can get up them. You are constantly busy exploring your surroundings, so daddy and I have been busy baby-proofing. However, along the way, we have learned that "baby-proof" doesn't necessarily mean "Jax-proof." For example, in anticipation of you getting your helmet off, I decided to put some corner cushions on the sharp edges of our coffee table. I knew that if you saw me put them on, you would immediately try to get them off so I waited until you were napping (aren't I sneaky?). After your nap we went downstairs to play and, as soon as you pulled yourself up on the table, you noticed the new addition. (They are clear and don't stand out very much at all, so I was shocked!) You picked and prodded at it until you figured out how to get it off. Then, you proceeded to walk around the table pulling each one off along the way. I guess you get the last laugh...
Other new skills include:
waving
sticking out your tongue (Grandma White taught you that...)
and drinking from a straw.
I thought that your teething had slowed down this month, but then I noticed a little white peak sticking out on the lower right, in the back. It looks like you already have a molar coming in! Lord help us! Maybe that explains why you started chewing on your crib rails like a little beaver! At least the rail guards I installed have proven to be Jax-proof (so far).
KG continues to be your greatest source of amusement. You are constantly pulling his hair, poking him in various places, tackling him, and taking his toys away. His patience with you has amazed us! Maybe it's because you also play fetch with him and feed him your treats...
Other highlights from the past month include:
A trip to the MN Zoo with Grandma White and Aunt Nicole.
Another reunion with our friends from "New Mamas."
Dinner at Rice Paper (you had the Soupe Tonkinoise- Vietnamese chicken noodle soup).
Amazingly, it has even been warm enough to squeeze in a few walks around Lake of the Isles!
I have also been busy planning the details of your first birthday party and cannot wait to celebrate that milestone with you!
Jackson's helmet and head mold now serve as a "unique" (and expensive) accent on his dresser.
After 5 months, Jackson is finally done with his helmet! I am so, so happy!! And so is Jackson! In the last couple of weeks, he seemed to be getting pretty sick of it and even figured out how to unvelcro the strap (he probably would have figured out how to take it off before too long). Best of all, his measurements all ended up in the normal range! Woo hoo!! Here's a before and after look at his noggin'.
BEFORE:
AFTER:
I guess it's kind of hard to see the difference with all of Jackson's hair, but this printout from the orthotist clearly shows the progress Jackson made. The inner (somewhat lopsided) circle is what his head looked like before the helmet and the outer circle is what it looks like today.
Isn't that amazing?! The whole process was easier than I imagined at the beginning, mostly because Jackson adjusted to it so well. That being said, I am still over the moon that we can put this "stage" behind us. No more daily helmet washing and no more fear of getting a black eye or tooth knocked out from a blast to the face with it. I am also looking forward to kissing that sweet little head whenever I want (and without it smelling like a dirty sock). I'm also relieved that we won't be met with stares and sad faces and from strangers wherever we go. Although, it was somewhat amusing to hear what people assumed the helmet was for:
"Oh, did he crack his skull?"
"Did he have brain surgery?"
"Did you guys ride your bike here?" (ummm... no it's the middle of winter...)
"Does he have epilepsy?"
After several questions like these I began to understand why people would look at Jax and I with such pity. I also became increasingly thankful that the helmet was not for any of those reasons- it definitely put things in perspective. Some of my favorite comments were from kids. Many of them were curious and would ask me (or their parents) why "that baby" was wearing a helmet. Even more of them were jealous and would say things like-"look at his cool helmet!" or "I want a helmet like that!" While cruising around Uptown one evening, a young woman approached us and told us how she had to wear a helmet when she was a baby and proceeded to show us how round her head is now. (Although, she said her dad still calls her "block head"). She said that he'd thank us one day. I also appreciated all the mothers and grandmas that would stop me and tell the stories of their kids or grandkids that had to wear helmets. They would all reassure me that we made the right choice and that it made a huge difference for their loved one... You've got to love the camaraderie of mothers! Especially when articles like these were coming out in the midst of everything. All in all, I am definitely happy that we decided to put him in a helmet and am very pleased with the results! Bring on the cute winter hats!!
I've been wanting to do a gallery wall above our couch for quite sometime. While I love my hubby's artwork, our current ledge situation is in need of an upgrade! (Notice KG's favorite napping spot- how fitting that he will soon have his very own picture on the wall behind him).
Santa brought me some beautiful frames and I've been scouring pinterest for ideas. Today, I decided on a layout and the artwork for one of the six frames that will be included in the gallery. Baby steps...
I was inspired by this DIY dog silhouette on glitter guide, which was inspired by artwork from Anthropologie (my all-time favorite store). Following their guide would have made this project ridiculously simple, but I wanted the silhouette to be of our beloved KG (not some random greyhound). The project is still very quick and easy (the hardest part was finding a good picture of KG). Plus, I had all of the necessary supplies around the house. And, most importantly, you can customize the pattern and colors of the dog silhouette and background to match your decor! Here are my directions to make a silhouette of your own pet!
Supplies:
frame (I used the espresso wood gallery frame from Pottery Barn)
scrapbook paper
cream card stock
scissors
sharpie
pencil
glue stick
tape
Steps:
find (or take) a profile picture of your favorite pet
edit the photo, as needed (I zoomed in on his profile so it filled the picture and printed a 4X6 size. The silhouette worked perfect for my 5X7 frame.)
print silhouette (I just printed a fast draft on regular computer paper.)
outline your dog's silhouette with a sharpie (it makes the next step easier)
cut out silhouette
trace silhouette onto card stock and cut out (as you can see, I traced the silhouette onto the back so the pencil marks wouldn't show on the front)
trim a piece of scrapbook paper, in the pattern of your choosing, to fit your frame
glue silhouette to the corner of the scrapbook paper
insert paper into frame
Voila!
Stay tuned for the completed gallery wall (don't hold your breath, though, this could take awhile)!
Happy New Year my love! We have had a crazy busy, but fun-filled month. (I think that just about sums up every year around the holidays, though). Either I was a bit off on your measurements last month, or you've shrunk. At your doctor appointment last week you were 20 pounds and 30 inches long. Still, right around the 50th percentile for weight and the 88th percentile for height. Your nurse predicted that you would be taller than her by your fourth birthday. We were happy to confirm that you are perfectly healthy and doing well developmentally. Woo hoo!
We did have one disappointment this month. You didn't get your helmet off, as expected... When we went to (what I thought was going to be) your last orthotist appointment, your measurements weren't quite where they want them to be. They also determined that you still have a tiny bit of growing room left in your helmet. So, six more weeks it is (well now it's only another 4 weeks). I've actually been pretty thankful for the helmet due to all your new mobility. It has definitely saved you from some bumps and bruises!
You have made some big strides this month! One day after your 9-month birthday, you started crawling-crawling (as opposed to army-crawling). Right around this time you also started to pull yourself up on EVERYTHING.
You are now practicing walking along the furniture and often try to go from one piece of furniture to the next (which usually ends in you falling). You don't let this deter you, though, and are back up and at it the next second. I don't know why, but you love to pull yourself up on something and then fall back onto your bottom. It cracks you up every time, which of course makes us laugh. You make us laugh a lot, actually! You are developing a very silly little personality.
In other development news, you are working on teeth 6, 7, and 8 (two more on top and one more on bottom). They haven't quite poked through yet, but it should happen any day now (judging from all of your drooling). Your eating and sleeping routine hasn't changed much since last month, however we have been offering you more finger foods. I even made a baby meatloaf recipe with ground turkey, apple sauce, wheat bran, and carrots. I was very proud of it! That was until you had your first taste and made this face:
It is the first thing you've ever disliked (go figure). And you didn't just dislike it, you flat out refused to eat it! I was determined to get you to like it, but to no avail. You would swat the spoon away and make the above face, accompanied by gagging sounds, when I managed to get some in your mouth. I guess I don't need to feel guilty about not making more homemade food. It seems as though you much prefer the store bought stuff...
Much to KG's delight, you have figured out how to throw his ball (albeit only a few inches)! You think this is the best game ever and giggle when KG brings the ball back to you. He has finally met his match! He actually tires of this game before you do. You constantly hold balls out for him in an offer to play. It's adorable!
The first big event of the month was your baptism. On December 11, you were baptized surrounded by your grandparents, great-grandmas, aunt Nicole (your godmother), and uncle Sam (your godfather). Even your great-aunt Nancy and Alex came. It was a very special day!
The Christmas season was just as wonderful as I'd hoped. It was such a joy to experience Christmas through your eyes, pass on family traditions, and start new traditions. We celebrated with the extended Hacker family in mid-December. On Christmas Eve, we went to church in the afternoon. We didn't bring you to the nursery and you made it through the service surprisingly well. You sang along to all the Christmas carols and made friends with a little girl in the pew in front of us! That evening we went to the Thompson's for dinner. You opened your stocking and all of the presents Santa brought you on Christmas morning and then we went to grandma Hacker's for a delicious brunch. That afternoon we went to grandma and grandpa White's for an amazing dinner. And I, of course, took hundreds of pictures along the way to document your first Christmas. Here are some of the highlights:
Being the only baby on both sides of the family, you were spoiled rotten! You have so many new toys that you can hardly decide which one to play with- you jump from one to the next and the next...
Daddy was off the week between Christmas and New Year's (so mommy got a little time off, too)! I had a list of projects (such as making a playroom to house all of your new toys) that I wanted to get done with all of the extra time I thought we'd have, but not much got accomplished. I didn't even take our tree down until today! Instead, we just kind-of bummed around and enjoyed some low-key family time, as well as your first zoo experience. We received memberships to the Minnesota Zoo and Sea Life Aquarium and were very excited to take advantage of them. You loved looking at the animals and fish! I think your favorites were the otters because they stood up and barked at you- you barked right back! I'm not sure what you were talking about... You also really liked the penguins and monkeys.
New Years Eve was, not surprisingly, extremely low-key. In fact, I am the only one who even made it up until midnight.
Looking back on the year, I am astonished by how much we've accomplished as a family. I couldn't be more proud of 2011 and am even a little sad to see it go. It was the most life altering year for me, thus far- the year that I gave birth to my beautiful, baby boy and became a mother. The year I experienced a deeper love than I knew was even possible...
