Patiently Waiting...

I have gone two weeks without picking up my baby boy. It has been very hard. I have two more weeks to go. The days are going by very slow. Lord, please give me patience.

Jackson's Best Friend

Gary and Carolyn bought this dog puppet for Jackson back in June when we were in Cambria. Jackson smiled at it, but then ignored it at first. Now he absolutely loves it! He hugs it, bites it (that is a sign of affection, I guess...), sleeps with it, and plays with it. Since we have discovered that he liked to sleep with it, he has been sleeping through the night!!! Yes!!!!!! Who knew that the secret to sleeping through the night was a stuffed dog puppet?!? So, in honor of Jackson's Doggy and their companionship, here are some pictures...

9 Month Check-up

Jackson had his 9 month check-up on Monday. He came in at 19lbs and about 27.5 inches long! He is now in the 35th percentile for his weight! I am overjoyed! All that hard work paid off! Jackson doesn't have any teeth yet, but the doctor said that the time when your infant's teethe come in is hereditary. I got my first tooth at 14 months (right, Mom?), so he may get that from me.

Oh, and if you look closely at these pictures, you will notice that Jackson isn't the only one with his shirt off. This is because Jackson peed on Troy's shirt! Thankfully, Timmy was with us and had an extra shirt in the car!

Hanging with Uncle Noah

The Cutest Little Angel Fan

Need I say more?

Starbucks Mishap

After the prayer meeting tonight, Troy and I joined our friends Alistair and Lizette at the Starbucks next to our church. We had just ordered and recieved our drinks when somehow Lizette's hot coffee spilled on her and on Jackson. Somewhat due to our reaction, and to the hot temperature of the coffee on his skin, Jackson let out a loud shrill. He began to cry. Troy and I rushed him to the counter and asked for napkins and ice. When the Starbucks employees saw what happened, they gave us a damp, cool towel and ice. After we calmed Jackson down and saw that his foot was okay, we sat back down. Just as I was trying to put my straw through the lid of my Passion Tea Lemonade, the whole cup tipped over, opened, and spilled all over Lizette. "You have got to be kidding me!" I yelled out, and we all just started cracking up, except for Jackson. He was still sensitive from the hot coffee incident, so he started to cry again. I waited to get my drink replaced and we all ended up leaving, exhausted from the series of spills and shrills. The Starbucks employees were very nice about cleaning the mess, and didn't charge me for the second drink. However, I still think I may take a break from Starbucks for a few weeks. Perhaps a month. Oh, and next time, I will just order my normal drink....water. It doesn't leave any stickiness when spilled, and, for some reason, Starbucks water really does taste good!

Little Swimmer

Jackson loves the pool, but I haven't had the opportunity to get many pictures of him with his swim gear on because I am usually the one holding him, and not the camera. Penny came over today to help me with Jackson and she took Jackson in the pool for me. I got a few good pictures from it!

Happy Birthday, Troy!

Troy turned 36 years young this week...and I didn't post any pictures! Due to the fact that my surgery was the day before his birthday, we didn't do much. We all took a great nap that day and I gave him a few gifts...a USC mug and a Tossimo storage thingy...oh yeah and I made blueberry muffins and peaches and cream for his birthday breakfast (how I had the energy to do that is beyond me). We ended his birthday with a delicious dinner of chicken kabobs, corn-on-th-cob, salad, and red cake, so thoughtfully provided by a couple in our church.
So without further ado, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TROY! I love you so much!!! And, I promise, next year, I won't schedule surgery the day before your birthday!!! :)

Couch Cuddles

Well, I can't pick up Jackson right now, so this is the next best thing....By the way, the surgery went well, even though the incision was a bit sloppier than I prefer. They tell me I will get my belly button back as soon as the swelling goes down. I sure hope so! I saw the surgeon today and he checked out the incision and said it was healing up okay. He sort of apologized for the sloppy incision, but not really. He kind of had a big head about it all. Oh-well....I can't do anything about that. He told me I would hardly see a scar after a year. Let's hope! :)

Yea! Surgery! Finally!

Well, I am going under the knife today. I am finally getting this umbilical hernia fixed. To some degree, I am somewhat excited to get it over with. I want to get on with normal life, not having to worry if I am lifting too much. I want these next few weeks to go by really fast so I can pick up Jackson again (I can't do that for 30 days after the surgery, they are telling me). I will be needing help every week day to take care of Jackson for at least 3-4 weeks, so if you would like to help, please email me or call me. I could use all the help I can get! I appreciate everyone's prayers. Thank you!

Blueberry Morning

Jackson ate blueberries for the first time this morning. He absolutely enjoyed the whole experience, including the bath he got afterward. I loved the bite-sized convenience of them! I knew you all would enjoy these photos, so here they are!

Fantastic Find!

On Saturday, Robyn and I went to a bunch of garage sales. I found some great deals, but the best deal of all is pictured above. The highchair Jackson is sitting in I got for 1 dollar. Thats right! 1 buck! I checked the prices online and they run for about 56 dollars new! I thought they were more than that, but hey, I still got 55 dollars off! We had a really cheap high chair that I couldn't stand because it didn't adjust very easily, so we are making use of this great find!

Superimposing

I recently learned how to superimpose in Photoshop. I had to learn for some photos Troy needed for Vacation Bible Club. Here are some samples...

Jackson is 9 months!

Last week, Jackson turned 9 months old! He is 3 quarters of a year old! I can't believe that! He is still crawling, but he is always pulling himself up, walking around furniture, and letting go of things and standing briefly. He still isn't on a good sleeping pattern. Naps are even extremely hard now, even though they are on schedule. He is showing himself to be very outgoing, happy, and active. I now see why the term "bouncing baby boy" was coined! Troy and I grow to love him more and more each day. We still can't believe that God blessed us with such a wonderful gift!

Arnica

Since Jackson had his first fall (into the coffee table), he's had several more. I've heard from experienced parents that this is completely normal. All you can do is watch them close and try to baby-proof your house as much as possible. I've learned though, that bumps and bruises can't be entirely prevented. In the case that Jackson bumps his head, I immediately put ARNICA on the area. It either prevents the bruise from showing at all or makes it almost disappear. Its quite amazing! Seriously...if you have an infant that is crawling, pulling up on furnature, or learning to walk, you NEED this! It is available at health stores such as Clark's in Riverside. You can also find it in some drug stores, or on websites such as Drugstore.com and Walgreens.com.