Mother's Day

Tomorrow will be my first Mother's Day as a mom.  In the US, this holiday is in May which seems a bit more sensible--we just had Valentine's Day, we're in the middle of Lent, and St. Patrick's Day is right around the corner.  Plus, May is devoted to Mary, the ultimate mom who raised our Saviour.

At the beginning (on October 4th), I didn't feel worthy of the 'mom' title since I really had no experience in mothering.  Now I feel comfortable with the name and somewhat worthy of the title; although I feel there are definitely 'degrees of motherhood.'  For instance, raising one baby for five months is much different than taking care of five children, sending them to daycare and school, and helping them navigate their way through their own lives.  Whichever end of the spectrum they fall, I'm sure that all moms are trying to give their children the best of themselves and everything that life has to offer.

To one little guy, I know the only title he'll know me by for the next few years is "mommy."  It's amazing how much I instantly loved him.  For any other person in life, it takes time to get to know them and rarely would a friendship reach the 'love' level.  And rarely would that person be able to constantly wake me up in the middle of the night, spit-up on me, or punch me in the face and still have that same love.  But I've loved Jackson from first sight and my love for him grows every day.

Happy Mother's Day to all of my friends with babies (young and old) here in England!

And I probably don't have the authority to do this, but here goes nothing:  Happy Bonus Mother's Day to my mom and all of my mom-friends back in the States--you deserve it!

Having fun exercising in his jumperoo

Reaching for and tapping the parrot for the first time

Bundled and ready for the park

Jackson loved his first time on the swings

Sitting by himself on the exact day he turned five-months-old

Developmental updates:  On Friday, Jackson turned five-months-old.  After getting help sitting in an upright position, Jackson can stay sitting up without any help for a short period of time.  He's talking more and more and Lee and I thought we heard him respond with "hi" a couple of times when we said "hello" or "hi" first.  Jackson seems to enjoy making people smile and recognises that he has the power to make others smile if he shows his gummy grin.  He went swinging in the park for the first time this week and got to spend time with his little friends Thomas, Ralph, and Penelope.  Jackson's big toe found his mouth this week (or vice versa) and with his teething, it has become a chewing option.  He is still on level two of his jumperoo, but this week he reached up to touch the dangling parrot above his head.  It depends on the angle, but close-up, Jackson's eyes are still a blueish grey colour.  

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

Choosing a Nursery

This week was a lot of fun because Lee took the week off from work and we got to get out of the house every day.  Jackson and I are usually restricted by the buses and trains which aren't the most convenient for travelling around with a baby.  But this week, we were free to roam the land in an actual car as a family.

The highlights of the week were trying new restaurants which included an American-themed steak house; touring Acorn Farm; visiting great-grandpa Don, Aunt Jane, and Uncle Rick; stopping by SMSB so all of my co-workers could meet Jackson; and touring possible nurseries for Jackson to go to when I return to work.

Our top choice of five nurseries was also the one we went to first.  We were so pleasantly surprised and knew that Jackson would have many opportunities at this particular daycare for the first four years of his life that we cancelled the last two tours we had on our list.  Out of curiosity, we went to our second and third choice of nurseries but they didn't really measure-up to the one we chose for Jackson.

Luckily, the nursery we like has openings for September.  We have to fill-out an application, send a deposit, attach a copy of his birth certificate, and then meet with the person who will be assigned to be his 'key worker' after the paperwork is completed.  (This seems to be the protocol at all of the nurseries in the area.)

Once I go back to work, I know it will be really hard to leave Jackson with new people, but Lee and I are both looking forward to Jackson making 'friends' with the other babies and being able to use his engaging social skills with the teachers at nursery.  He will also learn so much because there are 11 acres of land to explore--which includes woodlands, grassy areas, and a meadow.  Within this acreage, the children get to grow their own vegetables; look after rabbits and guinea pigs; visit goats, donkeys, chickens, and sheep; play in tree houses; spend time relaxing in an orchard; play on climbing equipment; and learn soccer (football) skills from professional players!  Inside the nursery, the children have their own chef to make the snacks and meals during the day.  There are also many teachers who work alongside the nursery nurses to plan activities for the children every day.  Lee and I both got a very good feeling walking around the building and it seemed like a very bright, cheerful place to send Jackson with thoughtful attention to detail spent on designing the baby and toddler areas.

When September 5th rolls around, I will be incredibly heartbroken to drop-off Jackson at nursery, but I know I'm in the majority with so many other moms who have to go back to work.  I do feel lucky that I get to have so much time off--much more than if I was teaching in the U.S.  During these remaining months, I will continue to do as much with Jackson as I can.  Now that we've found a nursery that far exceeds anything we could've imagined though, I will feel a little bit better about the big transition that is looming.

Wearing his Indians jersey and sporting a smile

Jackson's hopeful that it could be Cleveland's year to win the World Series

Bundled-up for the farm adventure!

The meerkats were his favourite to watch because they were zipping around their habitat so quickly

All of the piglets were hiding in their shelter until Jackson got out of his stroller and then about 20 of them appeared and walked up to the gate

Time to leave Acorn Farm for another day

Developmental updates:  Jackson loves to play peek-a-boo and he laughs every time we peek from behind a wall or blanket even if this happens 50 times in a row!  He has also developed a hearty laugh.  Whenever we make a funny face or dance around trying to amuse him, he rewards us by laughing at the appropriate time.  To fall asleep during the day for a nap, Jackson likes to be sung to and his current favourites are Twinkle, Twinkle and She'll Be Comin' 'Round the Mountain.  Jackson is really close to being able to sit on his own without any props or parents holding him in place.  This week, he started choosing which toys he wants to play with and also grabbing toys out of our hands if he wants to play with those instead.  Today, I reached out my hand to get his pacifier from him, but he reached out his hand that didn't have the pacifier and held onto my hand--either in an attempt to be loving and melt my heart or block me from taking away his pacifier.  Either way, it was very sweet.  He weighs 18 pounds 9.5 ounces now and he has almost outgrown all of his 6-9 month outfits.

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

Jackson!

Jackson now knows his name and responds to it with a smile.  According to our baby milestones book, name recognition happens in the 19th week so we're right on schedule.

The last few years, Lee has always planned our Valentine's Day festivities.  The first year, when we were scraping by, he made reservations at a restaurant in Preston.  When we were doing better financially the next year, we ate out again but at a slightly better restaurant in Birkdale.  The third year, Lee planned a surprise getaway weekend in the Lake District.  And last year, we had a spa break in Kirkham.

This year we went to Play Town and crawled around in the ball pit.

Neither of us are ready for the babysitter stage yet, so a lot of our outings are no longer than two hours and mostly during the early afternoons.  Play Town has a really good cafe with restaurant-quality food so we even had a meal out on 'the town.'  Jackson got to experience a slide for the first time and, well, you can see the results below this post.

Valentine's Day this year was also nice because we managed to get to church on time which hasn't happened a lot lately.  Jackson was alert and happy during the hymns and then slept through the entire sermon--and he wasn't the only one we saw do this!  All of the people were very complimentary of Jackson again and most of those who sat on the opposite side of the sanctuary couldn't believe that there was a baby present when they spotted him at the end of the service.

Thursday, we had our first play date at our friend's house in Ainsdale.  It was very cute because the other two babies are a few months older than Jackson and they reached for his hand and wanted to touch his face to greet him.  Wouldn't it be amazing to know what these babies are thinking?

Something I've noticed this week and am treasuring is that Jackson is so excited to be awake in the morning that he's started talking to himself and making his happy noises.  Then when I peek into his bed and let him know that I'm awake and ready to pick him up, he is just as excited to see that I'm there to start his day with him.  What a wonderful feeling!

Having fun with Daddy on his first time down a slide

The second time down wasn't as successful

Opening Valentine's Day cards from the Carpenters

American clothes and books from the bayou from Uncle Scott and Aunt Kirsten

Pretending to be an astronaut

Developmental updates:  Jackson might be in the teething process.  There are no teeth peeking through, yet; but, they may be making an appearance soon.  He's been crying more than usual and needs more cuddles and attention so our guess is that his teeth may be pushing their way upward.  Today we tried swimming again and Jackson managed to kick his feet and splash his arms at the same time, so he seemed to be understanding the technique that's required.  When he sees a toy he wants, he will lean forward so far that he practically folds in half, reach for, grab, and bring the toy he wants towards him.  Jackson likes to be a part of the action so he enjoys sitting in his highchair while we're cooking, washing dishes, or cleaning in the kitchen.  The monotony of the kitchen tasks even lulled him to sleep once this week!  He has been laughing more frequently and has also started fake coughing to see how we'll react.  Jackson is quite the character!

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