Where do I even begin! Sorry it has been a while since I last blogged. Time really does fly by so quickly and Jackson changes so much everyday! Our last month has been full of firsts! Jackson was taken off of "house arrest" on March 12th!!! We started our day at the pediatrician's office getting our final part of the flu shot, then we stopped by daddy's office and interrupted his loan meeting because we were so excited to actually be able to go inside! Next we picked up daddy and went shoe shopping and got Jackson a pair of sandles and a pair of sperry's to match his dad's! I know that has to seem silly that his first real place he went after 6 months of being stuck inside was to a shoe store, but it was finally starting to get warm and I just couldn't bare to have him running around barefooted. Finally we finished the day with a late lunch- Jackson was a perfect angel! It really is hard to tell that he has been kept inside.
My 1st Trip to a Restaurant!

My New Shoes!


Aunt BB and Uncle Corey got married on March 13th- it was such a special day and Jackson was able to go to the church and take pictures with our family before the wedding! It was also a special day because he cut his first tooth! Jackson cut his second tooth a week later after his very first trip to the zoo! We went with Aunt Ellen and Harrison and had the best time! We had to take separate cars because Jackson still wasn't ready to be close to small children- we are so blessed to have such wonderful friends who will drop everything to spend the day with us no matter what they have to do!
What a fun day!

I love the zoo!

Me and my mom watching the polar bears!

My 1st trip to the zoo with Aunt Ellen and Harrison!



Size 3 Diapers!
Jackson is now wearing size 3 diapers- and if you can't tell he is a pro at sitting up by himself! We went to the doctor last week for Jackson's 9 month check-up and he weighed 16lbs 15oz and was 26 and a 1/2 inches long!

Getting ready to go for a walk with Mrs. Rebecca and Mrs. Lyndsey!
We have thoroughly enjoyed the spring weather and go for a stroll everytime the weather allows. We love it when our friends from the neighborhood can go with us! Jackson spent Monday afternoon flirting with Mrs. Rebecca and Mrs. Lyndsey!

Showing my family how much I love my pool!
Gigi put a tiny blow-up pool in Jackson's Easter basket- he absolutely loves water and would stay in there forever if we would let him! He had to try it out for everyone on Easter!

Hunting Easter Eggs!

Holding my Easter basket while my Pop holds me!

Easter with my Gigi and Pop!

My 1st Easter outfit!
We had such a blessed Easter! The pediatrician gave us permission on Thursday to take Jackson to church- no nursery- but he could sit in the congregation with us. He was wonderful! He never fussed and actually took a little nap until time for communion. He received his first blessing and it couldn't have been more fitting. The priest said something to the effect of, "Please bless this child to grow to be all that God has planned for him to be." I know that God has such a special plan for our little miracle and I cannot wait to watch him grow and fulfill God's wonderful plan!

Easter with Aunt BB and Uncle Corey!

I love the Easter bunny!

Playing in my pool my Gigi gave me!

Ready to Crawl!

I know Jackson wants me to give a huge thank you to his Aunt Jill who talked his mommy into giving him something to eat other than milk and baby food! He has now had crackers, ice cream, cheerios, cheese, a sweet pickle, and even a little banana pudding!
Crackers!

Banana!- I honestly think Jackson could live off of banana's!

Pickle!

Playing in the Tub!

Napping with my very best friend!

My 1st St. Paddy's Day!
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Helping mommy work!

Brushing my 2 teeth!

9 month pictures!

We had Jackson's 9 month pictures taken last week (I cannot believe he is already almost 9 months old:(). You can view them on Scott Burtons website at www.scottburtonphotography.com. Click on view main website then clients- our password is pressgrove. He is such a big boy now- he sat up all by himself and seemed to enjoy being the center of attention!!!

Weight Alert!

Jackson weighed 15lbs 10oz at the doctor this morning when we went to get his flu shot!!!! My mom actually asked if the doctor thought I might be feeding him too much!!!

Who Dat?/Carrots/Swine Flu!!!

I went to Fulton this afternoon for a shower for Brittany and Jason decided to get a little crafty while I was gone. He got one of Jackson's plain white onesies and made our little Saints fan his very on Saints gear! I have to admit I was very impressed with Jason's handy work! Jackson made it almost through the second quarter of the game before he gave into sleep- he was pretty sleepy when I snapped this picture of my two boys!


On another note- we have been super busy since our last post! Jackson has eaten and loved all of gerber's 1st foods vegetables and we only lack pears and prunes in the fruits! He is definitely a healthy eater!!! He loves everything- check out the picture below- I think he likes carrots more than applesauce!!!


Jackson is also doing his best to sit up all by himself! He is getting better at it each and every day! He isn't pulling up on things yet, but if I stand him up in front of his activity center he can hold himself up for quite some time! We have also decided that our house will never be quiet again- if he is awake he is either talking or laughing hysterically! Those are the best sounds in the world! We also went for Jackson's six month check-up (we are one month behind because he is seven months old, but really only four- anyway)- the doctor said Jackson is doing everything a perfectly healthy 6 month old would do!!! How wonderful to know that he is catching up at such a fast pace! He also weighed a whopping 14lbs 7oz!!!! He amazes us each and everyday!

Unbelieveable- I still have to pinch myself when I think about this one- after keeping practically everyone away from Jackson the entire five months we have been home from the hospital I finally went back to work part-time two weeks ago. We found an amazing lady from the church to come to our house to watch him. After keeping Jackson on Tuesday and Wednesday two weeks ago our precious nanny was diagnosed with H1N1. Seriously- what are the chances? I was definitely on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Luckily, she didn't start feeling bad until the Saturday after she kept him on Wednesday so our pediatrician said she probably contracted it sometime Thursday night or Friday morning. Jackson has been great and I know now more than ever that our little man has his very own guardian angel!

Texas Baby!

Jackson decided to give a shout out to his Texas roots today by wearing his "Texas Baby" onesie and cowboy boots given to him by his very precious nurse Nici from Baylor in Dallas. When she sent them to us they both looked so big that I couldn't even imagine him being able to fit into either, but I'm glad we put them on him today because the onesie definitely won't fit for much longer! Thanks Nici- you know you will always hold such a special place in our hearts!

"There's a Party in My Tummy!"

I feel like I must explain that the title of this post is a song from a show we watch on Nick Jr. called Yo Gabba Gabba. We sing this song all of the time while Jackson is eating- he thinks it is hillarious which in turn causes him to laugh and open his mouth wide enough for the spoon to fit inside (this comes in handy when he thinks he is finished eating and mommy thinks he isn't)! Anyway- After eating cereal for over a month and getting up to two tablespoons of cereal twice a day, our wonderful pediatrician told us it was time to start baby food! We are always walking a very thin line between the age Jackson really is and the age he should be so we try to just end up somewhere in the middle. For those of you who know me, you know I have always been a bit of a worrier, prior to even having a preemie. I have asked everyone I know who has a baby, has ever had a baby, and has ever known anyone who has a baby what baby food to start with, how often, how much, etc. My dear friend Jill even e-mailed me her sweet Ford's entire feeding schedule to give me an idea of how I can give him all of the nourishment he needs in a day and have him in bed at a decent time. I'm working to get him on a good schedule since I will be going back to work two days a week at the end of January so my auditor ways have kicked in and I am itching for a set schedule. The jury is still out on how our new routine is working-I'm waiting on him to wake up hungry at any minute! So back to the point of this post- drum roll please- Jackson ate GREEN BEANS for the first time yesterday!!! He really didn't seem to mind them a bit- poor Jason was a good enough sport to try them before I gave them to him- he said they tasted just like they smell- imagine that. For some reason this made me feel better about giving them to him- what a good daddy! I've added a few pictures of this joyous milestone! One thing I have learned is that plastic bibs are a must!



EXTRA'S:
This is a picture of my two favorite men!

Jackson has been working so hard to feed himself- he hasn't conquered his big bottle, but is a pro at holding his little bottle we put his vitamins in! He is growing up too fast:(

A little news about our other child! Oscar turned 5 on December 28th! We always have a themed party for him and this year it was Sponge Bob. I wouldn't have chosen this theme, but as much as I hate to admit it we didn't remember his birthday until two o'clock in the afternoon the day of so Jason ran to Target after work and got whatever they had. Oscar enjoyed his party and his cupcake- a tradition 5 years in the making! We promise we will make it up to him next year!

Merry Christmas- FINALLY!!!

Merry "Belated" Christmas Everyone! I realize this post is just a little overdue- Christmas was here and gone before we knew it! We had a very Merry Christmas! We spent Christmas eve baking gingerbread cookies for Santa and curled up on the couch watching a movie! We finished the night reading "The Night Before Christmas" and the story of Jesus's birth from the bible to Jackson-the first of many wonderful Christmas traditions! I think I was more excited about Santa Claus coming than anyone in the house! I was up at five and never went back to sleep! After waking Jason up because Oscar was up and ready to open his presents we both couldn't contain ourselves and we woke Jackson up around seven. Take a look at the picture below- you can tell he had no clue what was going on!


We spent Christmas day with all of our family at our house and the day after Christmas at Nona's. It was so nice to be with all of our family to celebrate such a special day!
This picture is of Jackson's Christmas outfit- I finally got to dress him in knee-high socks!

Family Christmas Pic!

The Most Precious Christmas Centerpiece Ever!

Jackson in his new winter hat!

Santa's Cookies and Milk!

Mommy's Reindeer!
This really might be our favorite picture of all time!

Favorite Christmas Toy!
Out of all of the presents Jackson got for Christmas this year his absolute favorite seems to be this rattle! Imagine that!

Smiling in his Christmas Jammies!