5 Months

OK, just stop it. 5 months, really?!

New this month:

·         When you sneeze, you smile, every time, without fail. You love to sneeze!

·         You are finally diggin’ your jumper. Those chunky little legs of yours finally got the memo- you can jump up and down!

·         Speaking of getting the memo- your hand-eye coordination is beginning to come together. You seem relieved that finally, you can grab those toys you’ve been eyeing, and move them directly to your mouth. Woohoo!

·         You are scooting. Every morning I wake up and find you in a different corner of the crib.

·         You’re eyeing our food. You know something good is going on, and you want in.

·         You love bedtime. You get cranky around 8 every night without fail. We take you upstairs, and as soon as you know it’s bath time, you’re all smiles. You get a bottle, we snuggle, and then you put yourself right to sleep in your crib.

·         You struggle to sleep during the day. You fight it, and when you do fall asleep it’s for short amounts of time, then you wake up cranky.  (If I could, I would take your naps for you… but I can’t.  For everyone’s sanity, take your naps bud!)

·         You’re making new faces and sounds every day, and it’s so.much.fun.

You're a pretty cool kid, and we’re so lucky you’re ours. You continue to amaze us day in, day out. We wouldn’t have it any other way!

 

(this is the standard 'fighting sleep' look)

 

 

This Dog

This dog. I love her. She has adjusted ridiculously well to mister J. I was worried- and if you know Kahla, you know why. She barks - a lot, she is needy, she is easily excited, she has tons of energy, and, did I mention, she barks. A LOT.

We have made it a point to give her plenty of attention. And by that, I mean Tyler has made it his personal conviction that she will not go unnoticed in our home – and I fully agree. Too many dogs get the cold shoulder once baby arrives, and we don’t want that to happen to Miss K. Tyler takes her for an hour long walk every single day, rain, snow, or shine. They have both come home soaking wet on more than one occasion (thanks Ohio). Beyond that, our spoiled animal gets treats and tons of loving attention. She even gets the (very) occasional spot on our bed. She has a special blanket that protects our comforter, and boy, when that thing comes out, you’d think it was Christmas!

You can imagine then why I was concerned to how she might react to a little, screaming, vomiting, smelly creature that takes our attention away from her. She’s been nothing short of amazing. At first she was very curious, and I was very nervous. It wasn’t long before I could see that A) the smelly tiny human doesn’t upset her and B) she might even like him.

This animal known to have no boundaries or manners, is surprisingly gentle with Jackson. She sneaks kisses whenever she can- and knows that feet and hands are fair game, however face kisses are OFF limits. She knows this, and yet she goes for it every time we turn away.

Recently, Jackson has become very aware of Kahla's presence. He is so intrigued by her, and her obnoxious wet kisses make him grin.

Oh Miss Kahla Just wait- it won’t be long before Jackson is chasing you around, you poor thing. Someday though, you’ll be best friends, I just know it. In the mean time, thanks for being a trooper.

 

Meeting the Horners

These Horner’s are a rowdy bunch I tell you. Upon our 10:30 a.m. arrival to Sunbury, Ohio, this group had already managed some serious damage to a jug of wine - but we knew this would be a fun weekend.

We arrived to the tiny farm town Saturday morning and navigated our way along the dirt roads to a beautiful home plopped smack dab in the center of five wooded acres. In the back - a clearing with a beautiful pond and swimming pool.

Here’s the painful irony- it poured almost all.day.long. Goodbye pool time!

Somehow, it ended up being just as good, dare I say even more fun?! We learned so much about Tyler’s grandma’s family. We watched videos from their childhood and listened to stories about growing up on an Ohio farm. The videos… oh the videos. I would have gone just for that. We watched the little boys driving tractors, “what?! He’s like, 5!!” and “the girls are playing in dresses!” and “look at them playing in that pond!”. Today a 5 year-old driving a tractor would make the news, and we’d be told not to ruin that dress, and there’s God-knows-what in that pond, get out!

There was something so magically simple about these silent videos. Moments from a different time, a different, more simple world, captured.

Scattered across the US and now in their 70s and 80s, it is so wonderful these siblings make it a priority to still see each other. This time, we were honored to be a part of it all.

This group is rowdy, and they’ve earned the right to be just as rowdy as they want. The Horner’s sure know how to show a little family from the city a good time!

Surprise!

Why do I react like a blubbering fool when surprised?! My amazing sister surprised me last week- and once again, I was totally caught off guard. How do I never have even the littlest inkling that something is going on, that something is coming?

My parents and Tyler, heck probably everyone BUT me, knew that Katilin was coming to surprise me for my birthday and, more importantly, meet Jackson for the first time. There have been texts and calls, and even a slip up by my mom, and I suspected nothing. Either this family is dang good at planning surprises, I am super non-observant, or a combination of the two.

Dangit, they get me every time!

Thanks for the best birthday surprise ever Kaitlin and gang. This was one for the record books J

We've Gone Country

Country Concert 13. We went. We conquered. We survived.

This concert was the real deal. Hicks from every nook and cranny of ‘merica travelled far and wide. Thousands ascended on farm town USA: Ft. Loramie, Ohio. They set up their tents, their campers, and their baby pools. They pulled out their coolers, their cowboy hats, their boots, and their belts.

We had FUN. We set up camp between two families (all with grown children), and settled in. We spent the day listening to country, people watching, and attempting to beat the heat. It was hot. Stupid hot. Jackson was such a trooper. He ended up in only a diaper and we tried to keep him cool by spraying him down with a water bottle regularly. Eventually, Tyler and my dad took him back to the car to cool him down in the air conditioning. It was THAT hot.

Jackson was the center of attention, as he tends to be. I don’t know if there were any other babies there (responsible parenting?), but plenty of strangers approached us, asking politely if they could snap a photo of Jackson in his cowboy hat, exclaiming things like, “so cute!” and “good for you!”. I’m sure everyone has their own opinions of taking a baby to a concert, but I assure you, we took all necessary precautions (protective earphones anyone?!), we had a blast, and look, he survived!

We left before Brad Paisley finished and the concert ended- I’m just pretty certain the mass chaos of people who have been drinking all day in the staggering temperatures leaving a concert is not something we want Jackson to be anywhere near. So we safely made our way out well in advance, and Jackson’s first concert was a total success.

I guess we all have a hillbilly bone down deep inside, huh?

 

 

The Most Important Thing

Family really is the most important thing. Family can certainly mean different things for different people, but the people who love you unconditionally, who would do anything for you, who will be there no matter what; those are the ones we must treasure. We must hang on tight.

My family visited this week, and it was wonderful. It was wonderful to spend precious time with them and even better- seeing them with Jackson. My parents have always been incredible parents. Their example of love, commitment, hard work, and dedication has molded me into the person I am today. They have always been there. I know they always will be. To see them as grandparents fills my heart – we are so lucky to have such love in our lives.

Jackson is already surrounded by people who love him endlessly. He has a support system that extends well beyond Tyler and I, and I know that wherever he turns in this life, whatever road he wanders, he’ll be met with open and loving arms.

As always, living in a different state means our time with family is much too short. We try to savor every last moment, and take in as much as we can.

To the people who keep us firmly grounded and never waiver in their love, we owe everything.

 

4 Months

Some exciting stuff happened in month 4, Mr. J! You smile SO much. When you wake up, after you eat, when we change your diaper, when you’re in your swing, when you’re in your carseat, when you see our faces… you love to smile, and it absolutely melts us, over and over again.

Other equally exciting and big accomplishments we’ve seen this month include rolling from front to back, rotating on your play mat or in your crib, and grabbing at things. I think they call this the beginning of the end. Before we know it, we’ll be following you everywhere, and attempting to keep things out of reach and out of your mouth.

You’re also super-duper observant. If we hold a colorful book or magazine up, you’ll stare at it for a long time. Mobiles and fans are also captivating right now. I can’t help but wonder what’s going through that little head of yours. You have also noticed how awesome the TV/iPad/iPhone are. Lights? Colors? Sound? You’re in. We try to focus your little eyes elsewhere, and you’ll settle on books, toys, or even our faces.

You’re cooing and oohing and aweing all the time. You flirt with a bunny on your swing. You are in love with that little bunny, and I’m pretty confident you sit there and tell her all about your day.

We are in awe of the way you have flipped our lives inside out and upside down in the most incredible way. You’re teaching us so much about love and life, and we’re cherishing every moment.