My Favorite Things (said in true Oprah style!)

Not to say I'm the go to mom for baby stuff nor do I think there's nothing superior to what I have, but of my vast collection of baby stuff I've found a few things I couldn't live without and most certainly recommend to all my mommy friends and mommies-to-be.

Jackson and the Daddy!

Six Month Pictures

We have a Crawler!!

This pretty much happened overnight! Chris got home this evening and I was in the kitchen making dinner and he said "Oh my gosh, he's crawling!" I said, oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you, he's crawling! We absolutley can't believe it.  This is really early and I'm really not that ready for it. Most babies don't crawl until they are around 8 months old. I'd rather him be getting teeth than be mobile...ha!

Six Months

Wowza has this baby gone from a baby to a little boy this month. Just thinking about Jackson when he turned 5 months old and all the things he could do, I never imagined all the things he would accomplish in the four weeks following. I can't believe my baby is already six months old. How has this time flown by so fast?? I feel like he's always been with us. I really even don't remember being pregnant!

For the past few months I have been saying that all I want is for Jackson to sit! Instead, he has taken an interest in learning how to crawl. By the 17^th, he really started to get the hang of the army crawl. I really didn't think he would be on the move this fast. I was hoping he would crawl at 9 months and walk around a year or so. But no such luck here. I'm already chasing him around and he technically isn't quite full on crawling yet. Woe is me!!

On the 18^th, I started babysitting for Julie, a college friend of mine; we’ve been friends 7 years come June which is hard to believe! She has two sweet boys; Bryson is 3 1/2 years old and Ryder is only 6 days older than Jackson. It’s been fun watching the babies and how different they are in personality, mobility and even in their sleep patterns. I hope this continues to work out as I really enjoy the kids and I like that Jackson has a buddy to play with twice a week.

By the 26^th, Jackson was starting to rock back and forth on his hands and knees. He would go from army crawl to rocking and then really started lunging across the room. It's crazy to think just a few weeks before his primary mode of transportation was rolling! Now I’m convinced he’ll be crawling sooner than later.

Jackson also got to have his first taste of water this month and he loved it! I remember watching Dylan drink water from a straw that Toni held in his mouth and I thought it was too cute. So while at dinner one evening, in an attempt to keep Jackson from unrest, we tried it out. I think he was a bit shocked at how cold it was!

It’s so funny how he seems to go through phases with his mouth. He started blowing raspberries again around May 3^rd. Of course, everything goes in his mouth but every few weeks, he becomes interested in the sounds his mouth can make. I’m still waiting for him to make some baba-ish noises though.

The 8^th was my first Mother’s Day which we spent with family in Tulsa. I love being Jackson’s mommy and look forward to this special day of celebrating a mother’s love for many years to come. And maybe next year, we'll get a picture of me and my baby boy on Mother's Day...how did I mess that one up? This year, Jackson got me a JuJuBe wallet, stroller clips and a paci pod. What a sweet kid, and how did he know!! And then the next day he sat up for about 10 minutes all by himself. Someone tell this kid to stop with this growing up business!

On Jackson's six month birthday {5.10.11}, we fed him his first "solid" meal. I say solid in quotations because it was NOT very solid! We mixed Brown Rice Cereal with breast milk and it was pretty, well, milky! Nevertheless, he rather enjoyed his first meal. I wasn’t quick enough for him and he may have been a bit too hungry to start with. I am not feeding him for nutritional value rather to just teach him how to eat. I am more interested in feeding him food off my plate. I do not plan to give him any jarred baby food. Arlynda gave us a Beaba BabyCook food maker so I hope to make  my own purees. Plus, with the steam option, I can steam chunks of food for him to munch on once he learns how to eat properly.

I know I say it every month, but I can't believe all the things he's accomplished the last 4 weeks and can't imagine what the next 4 will hold. I'm sure we'll be crawling and pulling up and my luck maybe we'll be walking (I'll hold my breath for that one!).

I will post Jackson's six month pictures we took at Will Rogers Park, the same place we had our maternity pictures taken. It was crazy to be back there toting a baby around!

Weight: 17 lbs, 1 oz (41st percentile)

Length: 25 7/8 inches (18th percentile)

Head: 16.5 inches (12th percentile)

Happy 6 Months Jackson!

{5.10.11}

A Month in Pictures

Zoo Date with Amy&Barret and Heather&Adley {4.12.11}

Papa came to play {4.15.11}

Red/White Game {4.16.11}

Red/White Game {4.16.11}

Easter 2011

Ryder and Jackson {4.28.11}

Giving himself a bottle {5.5.11}

Sweet Feet {5.7.11}

Playing with Grandpa Felix {5.8.11}

Happy 6 Months {5.10.11}

What a big boy! {5.10.11}

First "solids" {5.10.11}

What a mess! {5.10.11}

4 Years and Counting

Today is our 4th wedding anniversary. It's hard to believe we've been married that long but we have been together for almost 10 years now so I guess it's not too farfetched. This anniversary is so special since we now have a sweet little boy to love on. Graham came down to babysit while Chris and I got to enjoy a baby free dinner. It was so strange not having him there. We've been out several times with our friends without him but being alone was very different. We almost didn't know what to do because our hands were idle!! No baby to hang on to or clean up after. Don't get me wrong, I certainly missed the little guy but it was really nice to have a date on our own. We went to Paseo Grill, a fabulous restaurant "located in the middle of Oklahoma's historic Paseo Arts District in OKC featuring Classic American Cuisine with an International Flair". We've been there for a few birthdays plus last year for our anniversary and we've always sat at the same table, lucky number 13! For our first anniversary we were at the lake and our second anniversary we braved the Cinco de Mayo crowds and ate Mexican so since Paseo isn't Mexican it's not as much of a hassle to get in and enjoy. This place is a.ma.zing; from the atmosphere to the wait staff to the food!! I was very excited to go so I could get a well cooked steak for once! And the couple at the table behind us were there celebrating their 10th anniversary so that was really cool.

We started with Edamame for an appetizer, which is far better than Pei Wei's and we both ordered the filet with mushrooms, mashed potatoes and glazed carrots for dinner. The steaks were cooked to perfection, his medium rare and mine medium. We didn't talk much during dinner because it was SO good. And let me tell you about these carrots. I could go there and only eat these carrots and be happy!! They tell us the secret is they are blanched in sugar water before they are cooked and then they add the yummy glaze. They are so tender and delicious!! You must try them for yourself. After dinner, we got a little dessert in a cup compliments of the chef (no we're not special, they always do that so don't order dessert because this is all you need!). There are strawberries, and homemade whip cream as well as a one blueberry at the very bottom. Yum! Have I mentioned how much I like this place?

After dinner we headed home completely stuffed. It was still light out so I felt totally old and motherly! Jackson was in the tub when we got home and Graham figured we'd be gone longer than we were which made me feel even older!! After AJ was all clean ready for bed we took some pictures and then I nursed him to sleep. Once again, the best way to end such a lovely evening. He's the best thing to come out of a loving marriage and it wouldn't be the same without him.

About those presents! The 4th year gifts are either appliances (traditional) and flowers and fruit (modern). SO!! We have a few options to choose from and considering appliances are expensive, we didn't get each other separate gifts this year. We could get a new washer and dryer or a new dishwasher (I would love either). Then I got to thinking, a TV can be considered an appliance right?!?! The TV in our bedroom has a screw loose (easy way of saying there's something wrong that must be fixed although it still works but the picture isn't great) so we could get a new TV rather than trying to fix this one. This is what I was leaning towards until Chris offered another appealing option...an SLR camera!! Yeah, think I like that option a lot! To have really crisp pictures of AJ as he grows up would be fantastic. We're still talking about it all so I'm not sure what we'll end up doing but whatever we chose I will be more than happy with.

We had a wonderful anniversary together and the best part was coming home to our son. I’m even more excited for our anniversaries to come.

Past, Present and Future

Engagement Pictures

May 5, 2007

May 5, 2008

May 5, 2011