One Step at a Time

Sometimes it's hard to remember how young Jackson is because he is advancing through his milestones with ease--and because he is as tall as many 12-month-olds.  Because of this, I thought he was ready for his Little Tikes 4-in-1 Tricycle.  I bundled him in his coat and a hat and my plan was to push him to the park around the corner and then put him in the baby swing.  After I strapped him in, he started to whimper, but I thought we could just push through the initial tears and he would find some enjoyment in the trike ride.

Well, we didn't make it past the kitchen.  I quickly unstrapped him, took his coat off, and tried to settle him down with the distraction of books and toys.  This was a reality check for me that my little baby is only four-months-old (as of Thursday) and he doesn't need to do something new every day.  His routine may seem stale to me sometimes, but I need to remember just how little he is and enjoy his quiet activities while they still keep his interest.

Having said that, I've heard that many of the other moms have enrolled their babies in swimming lessons and that Formby has the "warmest water" for babies in their learner pool.  Before committing to lessons, I wanted to see if Jackson actually liked being in the pool so we went to Formby today to 'test the waters.'

Jackson seemed to be concentrating very hard on kicking his legs and looking at the water--sometimes putting his face right in it!  He had one breakdown but that happened when I spun him in his swimming chair and he couldn't see Lee or me for a second.  After we calmed him down, Jackson spent the next half hour happily 'swimming' out of the safety of his flotation chair and he took the time to smile at a few of the other kids in the pool.  So sociable!  Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take pictures in the pool area to commemorate his first swim.

Soon enough, Jackson will be trying new foods, crawling, and talking; I need to remember to appreciate these young baby days and let him grow and learn in his own time.

This little superstar isn't used to the flash, yet

Four-month-old photo session

Much happier without the flash

Reading and holding onto his pup

Singing rhymes

Settling down after the tricycle attempt

Developmental updates:  I haven't noticed many new physical developments this week, but Jackson has started talking more and more.  He makes a new noise almost every day and he punctuates his coughs and sneezes with hearty sighs which makes us laugh.  Jackson is also reaching for our faces more and holding our lips when we talk to him or sing to him sometimes.  Something that is very rewarding for me is that he cries until I sing to him--someone finally likes my singing voice!  (Thank you, Jackson!)

If you see Sammie Miles Davis, Jr. and Bella, give them my love.