Friday, 11th June, 2004
An auspicious day at Jackson's house
Jackson is six months old today! He's very excited about it, as are his mommy and daddy. He's really growing into a strong, healthy boy and we're very proud of every little thing that he does.
What's he doing, did you say? Well, thanks for asking! He's smiling and laughing and cooing and jabbering and playing with toys and sleeping all night and cutting teeth and eating baby food and rolling over and lifting himself on his hands and spinning around and generally pleasing his parents to no end. Every day seems to bring something new, as he continues to learn and absorb and develop. Parenting is truly a more amazing experience than we'd ever imagined.
Also on this date... Christie moved to Nashville to take a job at the Gospel Advocate after graduating from Harding University. We met the next night at Antioch Church of Christ and the rest, as they say, is history.
Monday, 14th June, 2004
A mother's reflection
Jackson is growing so fast and becoming more aware of his surroundings. While we were stopped at a red light in the minivan, an 18-wheeler pulled up beside us, and Jackson watched it the whole time. He also really enjoys watching Maggie (our 7-year-old Maltese/Poodle mix dog); I think he would really like to grab her, but Maggie is too quick for him. Maggie seems to appreciate that she can flee the scene when Jackson is approaching.
Jackson has been trying all types of baby foods; he seems to really like pears. With the first bite of food, he almost always wrinkles and squints his eyes, uncertain of what is being placed in his mouth. However, he seems to enjoy the second and all the following spoonfuls.
Another fun Jackson pastime is giggling. We play "I'm gonna get you." He begins giggling even before I plant a kiss on his cheek or tickle his tummy. He also likes to play "near" and "far." As I bring him close to my face, saying,"near," Jackson begins to laugh. Jackson's laugh is the sweetest, most innocent sound that I've ever heard; it would brighten even the darkest day.
Jackson's Megasaucer has provided many hours of learning fun, a few minutes at a time. We say Jackson is "working in the lab" when he is playing in the megasaucer.
While lying on the floor, Jackson enjoys rolling onto his stomach and scooting about by pushing his feet and pulling with his hands. This also enables him to spin around. One morning, I woke to check on Jackson, and he had totally flipped from the position he had been when he was placed in his baby bed the night before.
Jackson truly is a good baby and rarely cries. He even awakes in a happy mood. I usually wake up to Jackson cooing and laughing, not crying. It's a nice way to wake up. I usually find him rolled on his stomach and examining his sheets.
We are so blessed to have Jackson as our son. He is healthy and happy--we could not ask for anything more!
Thursday, 17th June, 2004
Jackson's six-month checkup, new pictures
Jackson had his six-month checkup yesterday, and he's doing great. He's 25½" tall, weighs 16 pounds 10 ounces, and his little punkin head is 45½ centimeters around. His responses were all normal, and the doctor said that she could tell Christie has really been working with him, helping him to grow and develop.
We've got lots of pictures of Jackson that I haven't posted yet, but they'll come soon. In the meantime, we have some professionally done photos for you to see. Isn't he the cutest?
Tuesday, 22nd June, 2004
Precious moments
While I was away from my desk this afternoon, I received an instant message from Christie:
Christie: note from Jackson
By the time I'd returned to my desk, the next line had appeared...
Christie: ,miommkjn iolnjkm,uinn
...and Christie and Jackson had signed off.
I know it must sound sappy, but I probably spent a full minute tracing the path from [,] to [m] to [i] to [o] and on through the message, imagining Jackson in Christie's lap, his tiny hand feeling its way across her computer keyboard.
Suddenly, a day that had seemed pretty lousy turned out to be not so bad after all. Having a family will do that, you know.
Thursday, 24th June, 2004
Drool, Drool, Drool
Jackson is drooling a lot, but he doesn't have any sweet baby teeth yet. He is sitting on my lap as I type. He really likes the computer, and we usually have a bit of drool to clean off of it when we're finished.
We joined a Rutherford county play group, and we went to our first play date yesterday at McDonald's. It was nice to meet other stay-at-home moms; they are a nice group of women and their kids are adorable. There are a few boys around Jackson's age, and one boy who actually shares Jackson's birth date.
The bouncing seat is too little..........Today, I noticed Jackson reaching for the base of his bouncer, trying to pull himself out and onto the floor. However, his efforts were defeated when I took him out of the seat before he could make his escape. For a little guy, he is really strong!
Friday, 25th June, 2004
Jackson's first journal entry!
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