Our Valentine

This week we had really great weather for a couple of days--sunshine, no rain, and just a little chilly--so Jackson and I went on some excursions to look for adventure and excitement in Merseyside.

Wednesday we went to Liverpool on the bus with a pitstop in Formby on the way.  We had lunch at Five Guys and Fries and Jackson attracted so much attention!  One of the employees came over three separate times to gush over him.  He really loves to show-off his smiles and although he doesn't realise yet just how big and smiley his eyes are, he seems to be using them to his advantage.  And then it felt like people were coming up to us left and right to stare at Jackson and talk to him.  He was a little star and made lots of people smile.

We met a lady on the bus who talked to us from Liverpool to Ainsdale and was very complimentary toward Jackson.  She said, very factually, that his "ears are a nice size and well-placed," he "is very observant," and she doesn't "take a liking to all babies, but he has a very cute face" which will "help him in the future--everyone will want to be mates with him."  It turns out that she is a retired pharmacist so maybe that explains the quick general assessment.

After we all went out to eat tonight at Nando's, we noticed Jackson's undeniable ability to attract attention from everyone with whom he makes eye contact.  He's quite the charmer and no matter how cute he gets, what I love best is when he nestles into the crux of my elbow to take a nap, smiles his toothless grin and reaches up to be hugged every morning, and tries new things, showing his eagerness to experience all life has to offer.

When he's older, I'm sure he'll have his special Valentine; but, he will always be our little Love, Angel, Sweets, Prince, our Valentine.

Looking up at his rolling coach

Having fun crinkling his foil blanket

Jumping wildly in his jumperoo

Making his new 'buzzing' noise

Developmental updates:  Jackson now weighs 17 pounds 11 ounces.  He got his last round of shots on Thursday and only cried for about a minute after all three were done.  (He's done with injections until he turns one.)  Last Sunday, Jackson started pursing his lips together and making a buzzing noise.  As far as rolling over goes, he still only rolls from being on his front to being on his back and is doing this quite easily, sometimes resting on his side half-way through a roll.  At playgroups with the other babies, Jackson has started reaching for the babies' hands and staring at them, as if waiting for them to talk to him.

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

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.

Paging Dr. Lee

No matter how careful I was with the antibacterial wipes, or avoiding door handles, or pressing crosswalk (zebra crossing) buttons only with my knuckles, I still contracted a nasty bug that knocked me out for nearly three days.  The sickness was a stomach flu of some sort and the worst one I can ever remember having.

Wednesday evening it all started and I thought it would go away throughout the night, like most sicknesses do, but I woke up on Thursday and could barely move.  Before Jackson, I would have had to call off of work, feeling guilty about not going in, but knowing I wouldn't have physically made it to Preston on the bus.  But now even though I'm on maternity leave, I felt really guilty because I had to ask Lee to stay home from work to look after Jackson and he's never called off of work for sickness.  I knew that I wouldn't be able to play with Jackson or do anything for him other than feed him, so it was completely necessary that someone stayed at the house with me that day.  Unfortunately, Lee had to stay off of work on Friday, too.  Of course on Monday, he has a review at work so I'm sure it doesn't look too great taking two days off; but I didn't want Jackson to just lay around all day and in the long-run, two unscheduled days away from work in a year isn't detrimental to the company (I hope).

I felt sorry that I practically missed two days of being with Jackson, but it was reassuring and very pleasing to hear him giggling and talking to his dad whom he usually only gets to see after six o'clock at night and on the weekends.

And I would like to mention that other than entertaining Jackson for hours on end without any breaks except for the feeds, Lee was a great doctor even throughout the wee hours of the night--bringing me medicine, ice water, ginger ale, crackers, soup (although I couldn't manage the soup until the second day).  He also did the baby's laundry, our laundry, the dishes, all of the diaper changes, put the grocery delivery away, and went to the store for more medicine.  Even when I needed something in the middle of the night, he never complained.

I know that missing work bothered Lee a little bit, but I was sure to let him know how thankful I was that he stayed home to look after Jackson and me.  I'm also very thankful that Jackson and Lee have not caught the bug and things are back to normal around here.

I am so lucky to have Lee and little Jackson!

Sweet little Jackson

Playing with his new toy:  foil survival blanket

Watching The Fox and The Hound rather intently

Stretching out after some "Rhyme Time"

Rocking in his dungarees

Developmental updates:  Jackson is talking non-stop now with so many new sounds in his 'vocabulary.'  He loves to grab his feet and stretch his legs into a V position, but oftentimes, he lets go of his feet and just keeps his legs in the air by stretching.  A couple of times, while I was sick, he would only eat for a minute or two, simulate sleeping (with his eyes open), and try to cuddle with me.  I'm not sure this is normal 'development,' but it was a cute way of trying to stay with his mom for awhile when it must have seemed to him that I went missing for two days.  He weighs 16 pounds 14 ounces as of January 25th.  He sucks on his hand a lot.  Jackson is rolling over more from his tummy to his back.  He lifts his bottom and tries to push himself backwards and he sits up straight with little support on the floor and in his high chair.  Jackson is proud that he grabs things with both hands or one-at-a-time, sticks our hands in his mouth, touches our mouths as we talk, deliberately throws toys on the floor, pushes buttons in his activity centre and on his talking puppy toy, and understands the purpose of particular toys.  As far as watching and listening go, Jackson has started to stare while I brush my hair and seems to recognise the beginnings of songs that he likes.  In the morning, he's started to stretch out his arms to be picked up from his playpen which is rewarding as a parent and a great way to start the day!

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