Jackson Weighs In

By the way, I weighed Jackson today and he came in at 15 pounds, 13 ounces! This means he has gained 1 pound, 9 ounces since being weighed at the doctor's office almost three weeks ago. Yea!!!

Almost...

Jackson is almost crawling. He gets on his hands and knees and rocks back and forth. To encourage this, I made a little came out of it. I put him on his hands and knees and put my hands around his middle and rock with him while singing, "Rock, rock, rock!" I know that sounds silly, but he absolutely loves it!Jackson, making the transition from sitting up to being on his hands and knees...what a big boy!

Jackson was really "hamming it up" for the camera today...

Weekend in Ridgecrest

Troy, Jackson, and I went up to Ridgecrest this past weekend. Ridgecrest is known for their hot weather this time of year, but we were blessed with a cool, cloudy Saturday with some sprinkles and for the remainder of the weekend, clear, beautiful weather! Troy played in a soccer tournament up there with a few friends. After soccer, we stayed with our friends for a couple nights. They took us off-roading in the hills in the back of their house. It was beautiful...it looked similar to Joshua Tree, but it was higher up, so the view was magnificent! It was great fun to spend time with this family after four years of intending to visit them!

Here are some pictures from the soccer tournament:

Jackson doesn't seem to be too happy in this picture...perhaps he was approaching nap time!

Beautiful blue eyes!

Jackson enjoyed watching his daddy play soccer...one day, he too, will play!

Winners! (Out of 3 games...2 wins, 1 tie)If Powerade is looking for models...they're your guys!

Troy and I...I love this man!

Tiffany and I in our Galaxy jerseys ...actually, I am wearing Troy's (I want my own...his a bit big on me...but sooooo comfortable!)

We got a new car!

Jackson and our new 2009 Toyota Camry!

Bath Time!

Jackson's Favorite Toy

This is Jackson's favorite toy (at the moment). He loves to look into it for some reason. The last picture is just a cute picture of him, having nothing to do with the toy.

Ricky's Hat

Noah and Ricky stopped by the other day and Ricky let Jackson wear his hat. He wore it well!

Infant Online Games

Another thing I recommend for mothers of infants is Fisher-Price's online games for infants. Jackson loves to "type" on the keyboard, so I just go to Fisher-Price's website to the infant "Laugh and Play Peek-a-Boo" game and he has a blast! Every time a key is pressed on the keyboard, a character pops out of a shape on the screen and says "Peek-a-boo!" It is great for learning cause and effect...the infant presses a key and something happens!

Gripe Water

I just realized that I needed to share this wonderful stuff called Gripe Water with all the moms of infants who read this blog. Some of you may use it already. This stuff is great! When Jackson was a newborn, we used it for gas and just plain fussiness and it worked almost every time. My favorite thing to use it for, though, is hiccups. If I catch Jackson on the third or forth hiccup, and I give him a dose of Gripe Water, it completely takes away the hiccups every time! It is quite amazing. So, I just thought I would share this product with you. In the stores, it cost around 12 or 13 dollars, however, you can get it online at Drugstore.com for $7.99. We always purchase the Baby's Bliss brand (pictured above).

Jackson's First Picnic

Jackson went on his first picnic today. We went to the California Citrus State Historic Park for our annual church picnic. He loved being outside, of course, but it did get hot! So, we all jumped in the pool afterward. It was Jackson's first time in, and , after getting used to the temperature of the water, he absolutely loved it! He wore his swim hat (pictured) and a matching swim shirt with a swim diaper...he looked so cute! We got him a crab floaty with a sunshade and a water play area on it. That sounds weird, I know, but he had so much fun in it. I only regret that we didn't take any pictures of the first time in the pool. We did, however, get the special moments on video.

Jackson Weighs In

I decided to weigh Jackson accurately this morning. I usually just weigh myself on my scale, then weigh both of us, and subtract my weight from the total. I got my postal scale out this morning to weigh Jackson to the exact ounce. I'm going to keep close tabs on his weight for a little while. I put him a small basket and weighed him, and he really enjoyed the process! He had so much fun getting weighed in the basket, I decided to let him play in it! It made for some adorable pictures! By the way, Jackson weighed in at (minus the weight of the basket and his onesie) 15 pounds 4 ounces! This means that he has gained 14 ounces in less than one week! I suppose if I was able to loose 3 lbs in under a week, he can gain that much! I can tell he is getting fuller in his thighs and face. Yea...my little boy is growing! :)

Cute Boy!

Our little guy has gained 7 ounces since Monday! Yea! That is almost the amount he grew in the last two months!

Yea!

For those of you who haven't read my weight-loss blog, Witness My Fitness, I have joined Weight Watchers. They have a special program for nursing mothers. Turns out, I wasn't eating enough. So, in the last week I have been eating more on the program. I weighed myself this morning to find out that I lost nearly 3 lbs! YEA!

Jackson's 6-Month Check-up

Today Jackson went in for his 6-month check up. It went well except for one major thing. From 2 months to 4 months, Jackson went from being in the 75th percentile in his height and 50th in his weight to 30th percentile in both. Now, at 6 months, he isn't even on the chart. His growth has almost halted. He only gained 10 ounces since his 4 month check up. He is now 14.6 pounds and 25 inches long. Small...I know.

This makes me very sad. He eats a ton of solids, and nurses 5 times a day. He loves to eat. I told the doctor I didn't understand why he isn't growing, and he said that he may not be getting enough milk from me and/or that he is burning a lot of calories (he observed that Jackson seems to be ahead in motor skills, and is very active as well). So, my desire of nursing him with no formula in his diet is out the window. It bums me out, but I want to do what is best for Jackson. He obviously isn't getting enough protein, and I am his source of protein. The doctor said to start feeding him a little meat, too. We gave him some chicken tonight and, of course, he loved it! The doctor admitted that this was a bit early to give him meat, but under the circumstances, it wouldn't hurt to try. He needs the protein.

Other than that, Jackson is happy, healthy, and normal- praise God! I just need to give him some extra help to grow!

Video

I just realized that the sound on video below isn't working...sorry! At least you can still watch him laugh!

Jackson is 6 months old!

Yesterday, Jackson turned half a year old! I can't believe it! My baby is growing up! He is getting around now, but not crawling yet. He moves across the floor, somehow, though! He is laughing more (cracking up, actually) and he is showing independence for the first time. I was trying to teach him how to use his sippy cup for the first time today, but he got mad when I tried to help. He wanted to do it himself...and he did! Jackson is also talking a whole lot. He likes to use multiple syllables. Instead of ga-ga-ga, for example, he says gle-gla-ga. It is so cute! Here are some 6-month old pictures of him and even a video! Enjoy!

Mud Bath

Michael and I knew the value of a mud bath early on...

In Review: Glen Ivy Hot Springs Day Spa

On Saturday, my sister, a couple of friends, and I took a trip to Glen Ivy Hot Springs Day Spa. We had a great time lounging in the pools, mineral baths, spa, sauna, and slapping mud on ourselves. It was a bit pricey ($48 for weekends/holidays and $35 for weekdays), but there is a variety of relaxing things to do there. It is worth the bucks every now and then if you need some relaxation! I recommend the mud bath! The mud exfoliates your skin and makes it really, really soft! The spa also fas several services you can pay extra to get. My sister got a massage. You can also get salon services there. They pretty much have everything there! Visit www.glenivy.com to see for yourself!

Why?

Why do people care so much about the happenings of famous people? Why do they care if Britney Spears is talking is an English accent? Why do they care if Kirsty Alley has cankles? Why do they care if Lindsay Lohan takes a swig of wine? Why to they care if Paris Hilton has a new boyfriend? Why do people care if Nicole Richie is starving herself? Why do they care if Paula Abdul messes up while judging on American Idol? It is all very sad, I'm sure. Not to be insensitive here, but it is just because they are famous. And people like to gossip. That is it. I have to admit, I was watching TMZ the other night (just because it came on TV when Troy and I were on the couch...not because we regularly watch it). We were convicted pretty quickly to turn it off as soon as we saw the clip of Kirsty Alley's cankles. My heart goes out to these suffering people. If their faults weren't in the spotlight so much, would they be so bad off? Even though some of them thrive on this attention, weather it is negative or positive, I think those TMZ folks should leave the famous people alone! I mean, what ever happened to the classy kind of Hollywood?

More Joshua Tree Pictures!

Me and Jenni!

A rarity: A picture of Jackson with me (I'm usually behind the camera!).

Man...he is so cute!

Ditto.

Jackson's first play date with Mercy...he is starting to love being around other kids!

JT in Joshua Tree

Jackson Thomas went camping for the first time in Joshua Tree and absolutely loved it! He is our little camper! Here are some photos from our trip. Enjoy!"Ahhhhgooooo."

Translation: I love hiking!

Jackson and his daddy!

Jackson loved looking at everything outside...the rocks, the sky, the trees, and the beautiful flowers.

Jackson Thomas: the adventure/rock climber. Apparently, it runs in the family!

Now that is cute. That is all I have to say!

Yea!

Eating on the road...is so much fun!

"Mommy, can I see?"

The family in Joshua Tree.

Jackson and his daddy sure do make a good pair!