Baby's First Christmas

Drew's first Christmas was tons of fun. Of course, he had to be up a little earlier than usual because of his overly excited sisters, but he adjusted well. We spent the morning opening gifts and just let Drew work at his own pace. Many of his gifts were so much bigger than the ones for the girls because of what they were...a ride-on Fire Truck, the Little People Airport, a Jungle Treehouse with animals, and mommy's favorite...the Busy Ball Popper. Drew was very happy to finally be allowed to rip open paper and not get pulled away from it...a daily activity we do here with Mommy's magazines. After we ripped through presents here, we went to spend some time with Uncle Stefan, Aunt Jackie, Ava and Ian. We opened more presents there and got a super cool train that makes noises and it carries blocks. By nap time he was ready to sleep and get away from all the noise of Christmas morning. We spent the afternoon at Grandma and Grandpa's house where we got to see Great Grandpa John. Great Grandpa John got Drew a wobbly, blow-up Penguin with balls in side and it makes noise when you push it over. Drew wasn't so keen on it at first because he didn't like that it popped back up at him after he knocked it over, but by the end of the day it was one of his favorites. Our little guy was ready for bed by the time 7:00 rolled around and he went right to sleep while visions of sugar plums danced in his head...or at least visions of that silly penguin.

Santa Baby

When we headed to do the family pictures for Christmas this year, I had them take Drew's 9 month picture. And...I couldn't resist posting it. He's my little Santa Baby!!!

Doctor Business

On Thursday the 3rd, Drew had his 9 month appointment. And, as we had expected, it went very well. He's hitting all of his milestones...babbling, crawling, sitting up, pulling up...and growing to be quite the busy boy.
He weighed in at a full 22 lbs. and 6 oz. He was 27.5 inches tall. The doctor checked his ears first since they seemed to be the hot topic for the month of November and she said they both looked clear. So, that was fabulous news. The antibiotic is still working a number on his system, but that should be through within the week, we hope. She checked out the little red bump on his face and confirmed that it is in deed a hemangioma. She was surprised at how late in his first year it has surfaced. Typically, they appear very shortly after birth. But, she thinks it may have been there under the skin and was so small it couldn't pop up until now. She doesn't expect that it will get much bigger and that it will go away on it's own with in the next few months or so. Until it goes away, we keep an eye on it for growth. Should it continue to get larger, there are options to have it surgically removed, but she's thinking we won't need that option.
And, that's all from the MD...a clean bill of health...which is worth it's weight in gold to us!!! So blessed to have a happy healthy baby boy!!
I'm 9 months old!!!

I'm Nine Months Old!!

Drew turned 9 months old today. So, he has officially been on this earth longer than he cooked in my belly. For some reason, that always feels like an eternity and his being here has flown by. We have our 9 month well check on Thursday, so I will be sure to post his new height and weight as soon as I get them.

For now though, Drew continues to grow big and strong. He has lots of new tricks this month and seems to have put it all together quickly. For starters, our newest, endearing trick is to clap...especially when we are eating food. And, while that seems fun, it often ends up in him wearing more than he has eaten. He has begun crawling, but it's mostly the commando style crawl that all babies start with. For now, it gets him where he needs to go...which is typically mommy's magazine basket so that he can tear up all the pages. And, once he figured out how to sit up from a crawling position, that opened a whole new world. Because now we can get where we want to go and get to sitting and reach things that are higher up. We are especially fond of mommy's vinyl rolls and scrapbooking supplies right now. All of this to say that he is well on his way to getting in to things and it is time to baby proof this house. I'm sure in just a few weeks he'll kick it in to high gear with real crawling and the pulling up won't be far along.

Drew has finally taken to saying one word...mama. And that's only because it's easy when he's humming during feeding times. it just comes naturally. But, we work on dada too. He loves to babble and finds that people will laugh at him when he screams. So, it's hard to get him quiet once he starts his little squeals because he thinks he's entertaining.

Below are some pictures of our last month. Enjoy!!


My sisters like to dress me up...

Drew can clap...

I should be sleeping. But now that I can get up and sit on my own, I like to skip nap and play with my aquarium.

Forget baby food...these mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving are WAY BETTER!!!

8 Months Old

Happy 8 Months Buddy!!! It has gone by so fast and it has been tons of fun!!!
No news to report on Drew's height or weight for another month yet. But, he continues to grow big and strong. Drew's first 2 teeth popped through (finally!!) this month. It's funny to watch him rub his tongue over top of them as if to say, "Hey...this feels weird. What are these things??" The constant drooling and drippy nose, however, has led to another ear infection. It's his 2nd one since birth, but nothing to be concerned about. I forgot from the first ear infection when he was just 5 weeks old how badly the antibiotics tear up his little belly. The poor boy gets a full teaspoon of Amoxil, twice a day. They base it on weight and we all know he has tons of that. So, he's been quite cranky these few days. I'm hoping it's the antibiotics making him feel yucky and not because they aren't working. We'll see how he is after the 10 days are up, I suppose. Otherwise, there isn't much new to report. Drew continues to get better at sitting and he's even started rocking on all fours if you put him up on all fours. He hasn't figure out how to get up on all fours on his own. So, it won't be long until this blog has a post about him crawling all over the place and wreaking havoc on everything here.

Enjoy some pics from the last month...
I'm 8 months old!!

Me and my puppy, Peanut.
My first tooth...
Sweet, sleepy, baby!!

Me and My Sissies

I loved watching evey minute that Ally spent with Kelsey as a baby. Being a sister myself, I was so excited about what the future held for these 2 girls as sisters. It was probably the biggest reason we had them so close in age. And now that Ally and Kelsey are actually old enough to know and remember Drew as a baby, it is even more fun watching them be big sisters together.
Ally adores everything about Drew. Her day is not complete unless she can hold him and hug him and kiss him and love him endlessly. She gets so excited to see him laugh and smile. And she loves when he does new things for her like rolling over or sitting up to play with her. Her favorite part is "watching Drew" when I have something I need to get done. It makes her feel so grown up. And she really is quite good at it...even if Drew is fussy.
Kelsey took a little longer to like Drew. But, now that she does, she enjoys all of the things that Ally does. She loves to play with him and make him smile. She is super excited that he sits beside her in the car. And, she has become quite the helper while Ally is away at school. She knows what he likes and does her very best to keep him smiling all day long.
It has been such a blessing to watch the three of them grown in to brother and sisters. And it's going to be even more fun to watch them as they grow older together.
The Big Sis

The Bigger Sis

We Have Our First Tooth!!

After months of waiting and waiting and wondering and wondering...we finally have a small tooth that has popped through the gums!!!! It's still coming through, so I imagine we are in for a few more days of fussing and snotting and drooling, but at least the initial part of the tooth is through. Maybe we'll be singing "All I Want for Christmas is my 2 Front Teeth" for Christmas!!

Times...they are a changin'

And I mean that literally...not figuratively!! Drew started a new schedule today. We'll see how it goes. He's been such a good sleeper that I haven't ever taken him off of the 3 naps a day he's been on since shortly after birth. Both girls were the same way, but gave up the 3rd nap right around 6 months. Drew hit 7 months last week and would probably still take all 3 naps a day if I let him. But, the naps themselves are getting much shorter. So, instead of fighting him, I am changing his nap schedule to 2 longer ones a day now. Unfortunately, that means a few months with no break in the day for me. Drew will sleep from 10-12 and be up from 12-2...when all of my other kids are sleeping. Then, he'll go down for a long afternoon nap just when all the others are starting to get up. This probably means I'll be instituting the mid-day coffee break just to keep going. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, though it means my baby boy is getting bigger. Only a few months of this routine and he'll be down to one nap a day. And that just blows my mind!!!

7 Whole Months

Wittle Guy turned 7 months old today. But, he is hardly a little guy!! We don't get any weight checks now until 9 months, but my guess is that he's really pushing the weight limit on some of his toys. It seems he grows by pounds everyday. And he is such a load to carry around.
What did we do this month??? We are getting much better at sitting...although some would say it's just rolls piled up on one another that hold Drew up. He can reach for toys and not fall over, so he's definitely improving. We still love the swing and the jumper, but I'm not sure we have much time left in either. Drew sits up straight in the swing and I just wait for the momentum of him and the swing to cause it to fall over. And the jumper....let's just hope this house was made of quality materials. I am waiting for the door frame to come crashing down around us. He loves to jump around in it, but I'm not so sure the door jam will hold his weight much longer.
Drew had a lot of first trips this month. First, we did our annual apple picking trip to the North Georgia Mountains. It's hard to believe last year at this time we were still waiting to see what was brewing inside me. Drew also enjoyed his first trip to the beach this month in Navarre, Florida. And, as we expected, he loved the pool, he loved the ocean, and even enjoyed relaxing in a baby pool on the sand. Thankfully we did not try to eat any of it.
Speaking of eating...we are very well in to our routine of new foods. We have tried all the veggies and are still working on the fruits. He only gets 4 days of a new fruit and then we switch back to veggies for a couple days so we don't get so used to the sweet stuff. He is most happiest in his chair when he knows food is on the way!!
Finally...we spent a whole weekend away from mom and dad this past month. We headed to Gainesville for a Gator game and Drew stayed with his sisters and cousins at Aunt Jackie and Uncle Stefan's house. And, to our knowledge, he managed with a smile on his face. Although, I doubt, Jackie would tell us any different.

Enjoy some pics from the last month...
7 months old!!

Daddy and Drew working on a project.

I Love Eating!!!

Drew's Baptism

Today was a special day for the Jackson family and baby Drew. Lots of family and friends came out to celebrate our little boy. Pastor Dave did a great job with the baptism and Drew was a good boy...not one tear until it was time for nap. Thanks to everyone who shared in our special day with Drew.

Click on the link below to see the full set of pictures. Thanks to Darby Rose Photography for most of the pictures taken in the church. We love you Darby!!
http://therealjacksonfive.shutterfly.com/

6 Month Well Check

Well...it's official...our son is the size of a Thanksgiving Turkey. Had the big well check today and sweet "little" Drew clocked in at a whopping 20 lbs. even. That's the 90th percentile for weight. He's 27 inches long...we had a growth spurt these past 2 months. He jumped from the 50th to the 75th percentile in height.

The doctor was very please with his progress and says that Drew is right on track. He is hitting all of his developmental milestones and has nothing for us to be concerned about. The doctor checked the bump on his head again and seems to think it was a bug bite for sure, quite possibly a spider. She says the bumps can last for weeks and weeks so not to be alarmed unless it gets red and puffy or starts to fill up with some sort of fluid again. Otherwise, just leave it alone and it should go away on it's own. Drew got 6 vaccines today...yes SIX!! He had his usual cocktail to fight rotavirus, 4 booster shots for all the childhood illnesses, and the ever dreaded flu shot. With swine flu and RSV season knocking at the door, I have to say I am glad he has gotten the shot. We have to go back in 1 month for the flu booster, but after that we are good.

I still haven't taken his six month picture on the couch, but I'll be sure to do that tomorrow and post it here. Check back when you can!!

Look what I can Do...

Drew is getting to be such a big boy!!! Today I put him on the floor to play with some toys and he started rolling all over the place to get the things he wanted. Since I was there playing, I thought maybe we should try sitting up for a few minutes...mostly because I got his cute Halloween costume yesterday and I'd love for him to be able to sit for a picture in a few weeks. So, why not practice??? Lo and behold, I sat him up and there he sat...literally. All by himself. Never tried it before and wouldn't have today had I not been thinking about the costume. So...I learned today that sitting up at 6 months is more about the fat rolls that hold you up than it is about balance. Way to go buddy!!!

Happy Half Birthday!!

Drew turns six months old today!!! We head to the doctor's on Thursday for his well check and I'll post a new blog about the visit after we get home. Should be an interesting appointment...weight and height check, shots and a flu vaccine. Plus, we should find out a little more about the bump on his head. Poor little guy has some really bad bug bite or spider bite on his head. It has reduced in size a lot over the last couple of days, but now it is VERY HARD...which leads me to believe it is a spider bite. But, we'll see...

This month has been a fun month with Drew. Both girls went back to school this August, so we've had some time together without the girls around and that has been nice. He's getting so big so fast and he gets stronger every day, but he's still quite a baby. He hasn't really started doing anything new this month other than foods. We have started trying out all the veggies. So far we have tried carrots, sweet potatoes and peas. The carrots are, by far, the favorite. He hasn't made any significant moves to try sitting up or crawling. He's not even able to roll from his back to his belly yet, although he can do it the other way around quite proficiently. I remember this age with Kelsey and, like her, he is quite content with what he is doing so there's no need to push him along. Plus, it takes too much energy to move all this chunk around, so for now, we just play and coo.

Check the blog some time after Thursday for the doctor updates. For now, enjoy the pictures of the past month and sing half of the happy birthday song!!

Tummy time on the surf board.

I love carrots!!

Peas...not so much...although you'd never know it from this picture.

Mommy says I'm a good boy and that makes me smile!!

I love my big sisters and they love me!!

5 Month Pictures

Finally!! I just picked up the pictures last night and had to post them. Enjoy!!

So cute...

So, this post has absolutely no other reason than because I love this picture of Drew. And, because I didn't post the 5 month picture with his 5 month blog. We had pictures done a few days ago and I will post those as soon as I get them. One of them is super cute...it might just be the new picture for the blog. Stay tuned!!

5 months old

My cutie!!

5 Whole Months

Drew is 5 months old already. And he's getting so big. He has to be close to 20 pounds by now and he is such a load to carry around. There is no doctor check-up this month, so we'll have to wait another few weeks to see how much he has actually gained. He's rolling over from his belly to his back which has proved challenging at night when he sleeps, wakes up, rolls over, and can't get back to his belly to sleep. He's like a beetle with legs kicking and screaming...quite a sight, actually. His head is pretty strong and I have resisted until this month to pull out the jumper and the exersaucer. He enjoys his swing and playmat so much that I wanted to hold off on these things until he absolutely had to have new entertainment. He still enjoys those things, but for shorter periods of time now. So, the jumper and the exersaucer are something new for him to enjoy. This is also the month where we realized we had a voice and we could change how loud or soft it is. Plus, we learned about pitch and we love to make lots of different noises too. He loves to talk to his mirror in the car. I think he thinks it's a friend. Bath time is still one of our favorite times and he anjoys being in the big tub. It gives him room to splash and move around.

We are getting in to that very fun and playful age. Drew is such a smiley, happy, go-with-the-flow kind of baby and it makes life so easy when hectic situations arise. I know we can take him where ever and he'll adjust to it. Enjoy the pics!!

Drew's First Baby Einstein - Neptune. We're a big fan!!

Chillin' in cousin Ian's jumper.

First bath in the tub...lovin' it!!

Jumpin Jack Flash

Playing with my big sister, Ally.

Going...going...gone!

4 Month Pictures

When the girls were little, I made it a point to have their pictures done every month, beginning at 3 months old. Being who I am, I try to do the same for all my kids, so I have started taking Drew to get his pictures done monthly. Here are the pictures from 4 months old. Enjoy!!