I recently saw a story on Facebook about a mother who creates beautiful dreamland scenes around her sleeping baby during naptime.
Although she is obviously very, very talented, I'm not gonna lie -- my first thought was "what the heck is she thinking???" Doesn't she realize that she is running the risk of waking that sleeping babe up at any given moment? And second, doesn't she know that she could be doing more important things like showering, eating, picking up the house, and doing laundry? She obviously must be a very smelly, skinny lady that wears dirty clothes and lives in a pig sty because there is NO WAY that she is that on top of everything. It's just not possible.
Jackson takes two naps these days. I spend the first one getting ready for the day and eating lunch, and I spend I second one picking up around the house and {sometimes} getting something ready for dinner, too. And just like that, those naps are over! I love my life, and although I wouldn't change a thing, if I had my way, I would definitely add more hours to the day. I could get so much more done, and then maybe I'd even have time to actually update my blog. And possibly create beautiful scenes around Jackson as he sleeps. ;)
November has been such a fun month. Here's just some of what we've been up to.
We forgot to bring our stroller to Stroller Strides one morning, so we ran errands instead. Jackson wasn't thrilled with the idea, but thankfully, I was able to keep him happy with snacks. And for that reason alone, he is most definitely related to his Aunt Holly.
I try to only get a few toys out at a time, but a certain little boy is only satisfied if they're all out.
Sweet baby face.
We set up a family photo session, so that we could get 9-month pictures of Jackson and a family picture for our Christmas card. Unfortunately, Jackson is now at the age where he is slightly stingy with his smiles when it comes to strangers, but thankfully, she was still able to get some good ones. These are just the ones that Ben snapped beforehand of me and my favorite guy.
Twins!
I love this one -- the picture and the boy. :)
Why smile when you can growl instead? ;)
Breakfast at the Omelettry. Bottoms up!
This is what the table looks like when you go out to eat with a baby.
Walking home from breakfast and having fun with dad.
Opa and {Jackson's Great} Grandma came to visit. It was such a beautiful day, so we hung outside for a little bit...
...and then went inside so Jackson could crawl around. Jackson loved Grandma's cane.
And thankfully she was nice enough to share. ;)
Waking up in the middle of the night is such a rarity these days that we both went in to see our sweet boy and make sure everything was okay. I'm pretty sure teething was the culprit, so after some Tylenol and some milk, our sweet little boy was back in bed.
Chicken, carrots, and corn -- yum, yum.
My mom and I took Jackson to the Arboretum to feed the ducks {and the geese and fish}.
We've been bathing Jackson in the same bath seat since he was a tiny baby, and just recently, he's shown an interest in sitting up. After trying a new type of bath chair that was too tight on his legs, we ended up buying a simple nonskid mat.
He loves crawling around the tub on his belly...
...and he really wishes he was able to reach the whale.
A bedtime picture for dad.
While I'm at work, Jackson loves playing with his Mimi and with all of mine and Holly's childhood play food. This particular week, he found the miniature beer bottle shaped salt and pepper shakers. Nothing says high class like a naked baby with a beer bottle in his mouth. Haha -- I love it!
Ben has gotten into the habit of flying Jackson around the room every night after putting on his PJ's. They have so much fun, and I absolutely love watching the two of them together.
Such a big boy learning how to sit up in his crib.
A cold front came through, but thankfully Stroller Strides was inside that day.
My little {relatively speaking, of course} model.
A walk in the hood.
A Happy Boy + A Free Afternoon = An Impromptu Photo Shoot
Ben and I were invited to the Boys & Girls Club Black & White Gala. It was at the Four Seasons Hotel again this year, and it was a very fun kid-free night out.
I really wish that the photographer hadn't posed my arm so awkwardly, but it's still better than the selfie that we snapped in the elevator on the way home.
Ben went out for breakfast tacos one Saturday morning and came back with a beautiful bouquet of flowers "just because".
Jackson was just as thrilled as I was.
I think he thought they were for him. ;)
Charlie and Rory celebrated their 3rd and 1st birthdays with a party, but unfortunately, they were both feeling a little under-the-weather, and since we didn't want Jackson to catch it, I went by myself. Jackson and Ben had a great time while I was gone though. They built forts in the living room...
...and Jackson loved the party favors that I brought home.
Baby's 1st balloon.
And baby's 1st toy car.
Although I love our new house, I hate that we don't live next door to Jason and Cheryl anymore. Getting together is not nearly as it used to be, so I was so excited when Cheryl stopped by with the kids for a surprise visit. Jackson was too busy playing with his tongue to smile, but Avery was totally hamming it up!
Miles is still the sweetest kid ever. Jackson followed him around all over the house, and when we would point out to Miles how much Jackson loves him, he would say "yeah, Jackson loves me" and bend over a kiss him. So, so cute!
That evening, Holly and Nelson came over. Jackson was, of course, super excited to see them. We did lots of playing and even practiced brushing our teeth a little. We've been wiping them down with a washcloth for awhile now, but apparently using an actual toothbrush is way more fun.
Somebody definitely loves their Aunt Holly {and Uncle Nelson}!
Ben and I got in the habit of running as a family for a couple of weeks and even ran to Lowe's one afternoon, which was about a 5-mile round trip.
Jackson's was absolutely mesmerized by all of the Christmas decorations - especially the inflatable helicopter hanging from the ceiling.
I promise my son does wear pants, but sometimes they're more hassle than they're worth. Plus, why hide such good looking legs? ;)
Seriously, his face looked like this almost the entire time that we were in the store. He was in absolute awe of everything -- the people, the ceiling fans, EVERYTHING.
After our stop at Lowe's, Ben talked me into picking up chocolate shakes and walking home instead of running, but I'm not going to lie -- it didn't take much convincing. Jackson was lucky enough to score a couple of plastic spoons to chew on while on the walk back, too.
I love my sweet little family.
Monkey See and Monkey Do.
I wanted to get a picture of Jackson in his Marine Corp onesie to send Sam on Veteran's Day, but after a long day of playing at Mimi's house while I worked, this was the best we could do. I'm not sure what's up with his hair or why I didn't think to comb it before snapping a few pictures, but it's a good thing he's cute -- haha.
I wasn't expecting to find this when I walked in to get him up from his nap.
Not yet pulling up but definitely thinking about it.
He's still not a huge fan of food, but he's always more than willing to down some Cheerios.
He is not satisfied until he's pulled each and every one of his toys out of the credenza.
A perfect little swirl.
A bat in his mouth and laying on his "sit-to-stand" toy -- this kid has gifted and talented written all over him!
Please notice the baby gate and blurred arm. He's army crawling all over the house, and he is FAST.
He's also figured out how to pull himself up onto his knees but drops to his belly as soon as he wants to move forward.
He looks so sweet and calm here...
...but bathing him these days is very similar to sitting front row at the Shamu show.
Taking a breather, but check out that wave pool!
"Am I ready to get out? Really? Am I ever ready to get out?"
This happens so rarely, so when it does, I definitely soak it up.
If it were an option, I would have stayed there forever.
He loves to open these drawers and take everything out.
Work it, Jackson.
Just in case anyone was thinking that my life was all fun and games. ;)
Jackson's pumpkin is still going strong despite all of the rolling that it's done around the house...
...and all of the chewing it has endured, too {gross, I know!}.
On my mom's birthday, she came over and spent the day with us. We took her to lunch at Russell's Bakery, and in addition to feeding himself, Jackson also had a great time smashing pieces of watermelon and feeding the pieces that he didn't want to Mimi.
"Happy Birthday, Mimi. Here's a piece of smashed watermelon for you."
Two of my very favorite people.
That evening, we invited Holly and Nelson over for dinner, and I made a couple of G's recipes -- swiss steak and chocolate pie filling, which we ate as pudding.
Thankfully, both recipes turned out great, and although it made me miss G even more than I already did, I'm so thankful for the legacy that she left behind -- her recipes included.
A beautiful morning at Stroller Strides in Zilker Park.
My favorite lunch date.
And my very favorite baby bird. ;)
Since it was such a beautiful day, Jackson and I decided to walk to HEB, and I'm so glad that we did. It was such a nice walk, and somehow I still managed to bring home $50+ worth of groceries -- beer, eggs, and bread included.
The weekend of F1, Ben went to the races with some guys from work, and Jackson and I met up with some girls from my running group and ran from our house to Lady Bird Lake. But not before a little pre-run stretching...
"Let's do this, mom!"
The socks only lasted a couple of blocks.
The run was about 6 miles, and Jackson loved it. He kicked his legs and "talked" to us almost the entire, and when I handed him a bowl of Cheerios about half way through, he was in Heaven.
That afternoon, we met my dad, Patty, and her family for lunch at Z Tejas.
Unfortunately, I didn't get pictures of anyone except Jackson, but the picture below pretty much sums up how lunch went. As soon as our lunch came out, Jackson was ready to get out of the highchair, and soon after that, it was time for him to go down for his afternoon nap, so he quickly started falling apart. My dad tried to entertain him while I finished my lunch, but I ended up getting the rest of it to-go and had to drive the entire 10+ minutes home with a baby screaming in the backseat. Needless to say, I think it will be awhile before I plan any more lunch outings!
"My dad with to the F1 races, and all I got was this lousy VIP badge."
That evening, Ben's parents came over to watch Jackson so that Ben and I could go to Fleming's for dinner with a bunch of guys from his work and their wives.
Another day of playing with Jackson -- the toys come out, and he goes in!
My friend Kim wanted to get together for lunch, and because Jackson naps over lunch, she was sweet enough to bring lunch over to us. We had a great time eating and catching up while Jackson slept, and then he woke up just in time to see her for a few minutes before she had to head back to work.
Again with his fascination of lips. ;)
We will be so glad when Ben is done with class and doesn't have to be in College Station every Tuesday night.
A little nighttime fun with Big Momma {and Pops}!
That next morning, I woke up to see my sweet baby staring right at me -- haha.
On our way to Stroller Strides. And, yes -- the brush came with us!
This is just a guess, but I think someone is a little excited that they're done and getting out of the highchair. ;)
A breakfast picture for Dada.
Ben wanted one of me, too, and believe it or not, I actually sent it. No make-up, no shower -- we keep it real in this house. ;)
A cold front came through that night, but Jackson and I braved the weather and went to the grocery store anyway. I forgot all of my green bags in the car {ugh!} and didn't want to take Jackson back out in the cold to get them. Thankfully Jackson remembered his itty bitty Sephora bag {he always to have SOMETHING in his hand}, but unfortunately, as you can see from his grip, he wasn't about to share. ;)
What our new back windows look like after a cold front comes through. Kind of a bummer.
This guy loves it though.
Hamming it up for Mimi...
...and horsing around with Dada.
Bath time with Big Momma is so much fun! Who else would even think to blow bubbles out of a washcloth?
"Check it out, Pops. Bubbles!"
Jackson still wakes up in the middle of the night every now and then.
I do my best to stay very serious and not get him worked up...
...and he does his best to get me to smile.
Ben picked up breakfast one morning from Russell's Bakery. He wasn't sure what I'd want so he got me a blueberry muffin, a cinnamon roll, AND a pumpkin muffin. What can I say, I am a lucky girl!
Lounging on a Saturday morning -- with no sheets {they were in the wash} and no clothes {we had just changed his diaper}. Excuses, excuses. ;)
Learning to pull up.
Uhhhh....now what???
Baby's 1st spaghetti, and he loved it!
Especially the garlic bread. He is definitely his father's son!
One of Jackson and Dada's favorite games -- pass the fish back and forth. It's amazing the things that you come up with when you're trying to entertain a baby!
I'm not sure where he picked this trick up, but thankfully it only lasted a couple of days -- haha.
So many toys, and he'd rather play with a big kitchen spoon.
Again with the tongue.
Jackson was doing a little exploring in the kitchen while I was cleaning up from breakfast when all of a sudden, he started to cry. He was right under my feet, and when I bent down to see what was wrong, I realized he was stuck under the table. Poor baby! His little pouty face was just too adorable to not snap a picture of being coming to his rescue.
A baby cookie to cheer him up.
I did a little singing, too, but obviously he was not feeling it -- haha!
My little water baby.
He quickly goes from this...
...to this!
Just me and my boy up in the middle of the night while the rest of the world is sleeping. So sweet and oh so tiring, too.
A trip to Mister Carwash with dad.
Blueberries are most definitely his favorite food of all.
Jackson occasionally falls asleep during/after his nighttime feed.
Ben always wants me to try to pass him off to him so that he can get a little rocking action in, too, but we've never been successful {not lately anyway} until this one night.
Words can't even begin to describe how excited Ben was. I practically had to peel Jackson from his arms to put him in bed -- haha.
Be still, my heart.
That next day was Thanksgiving, and while I made G's famous chocolate pie...
...the boys worked on Jackson's throw. Ben's parents recently bought him a bunch of those light-up bouncy balls. He loves throwing them across the room and is surprisingly a pretty good throw with both hands. Definitely not a talent that he gets from his mom. ;)
That afternoon, we went to Aunt Lisa and Uncle Jack's house, and my mom met us over there, too.
My poor baby is so neglected. He has absolutely no toys...
...and doesn't get any attention. ;)
He wasn't a huge fan of the Thanksgiving meal {although we weren't really shocked}, but he did have fun being the center of attention.
This baby is so loved, and I am so incredibly thankful for him and Ben and the rest of our wonderful family.
When we got home that evening, Jackson was in the best mood. We had so much playing with him. He crawled in and out of the credenza...
...and we even did a little bit of "magic".
Balancing shapes on his forehead. :)
Jackson was just a little excited about getting to nap with his stuffed dog.
His favorite way to sleep.
The day after Thanksgiving, my mom had us over for dinner to celebrate G's birthday, which actually fell on Thanksgiving this year. She made creamed chip beef on toast, which is another one of G's recipes, and it was so good.
I also brought the rest of the chocolate pie from Thanksgiving so that Holly could have a piece. She started crying as soon as she took her first bite, and when we asked if it was because she missed G, she said that it was because the pie tasted so good -- haha. It was such a funny response, and we all started laughing, but we knew exactly what she meant. That pie was always a part of such wonderful memories, and tasting it
That sister of mine is just so talented. ;)
This baby takes his Cheerio eating very seriously.
One of Ben's goals over Thanksgiving break was to get the proposal for his professional paper written, so in order to give him a little bit of peace and quiet, I took Jackson outside with me to rake leaves. We definitely had our work cut out for us.
Jackson wasn't too into crawling around in the grass/leaves at first...
...but after awhile, he was all over that yard -- following me from one side of the yard to the other!
Thankfully, Ben's parents came over to help and brought their blower, too. 19 {yes, 19!!!} bags later, our yard was {mostly} leaf-free!
Ben's parents also brought over a new toy for Jackson -- his first car!
That evening, Holly and Nelson came over to babysit.
Someone was just a little excited.
Obviously. ;)
Ben and I went to dinner at Ruth's Chris Steak House for dinner and then walked over to the Paramount for the Wheeler Brothers' concert.
The concert was awesome, and they did such a great job. I loved hearing all of their new songs, and it was so fun seeing them at a venue with such history. The Paramount is so different than their usual venues, so I couldn't help but wonder what the staff thought when the audience rushed the stage. ;)
Holly texted me this picture while we were out, and it was so nice to know that he was not only in good hands but that he was having just as much fun as we were.
The month of November really was so good to us, and we have SO much to be thankful for.
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