A Day in the Life of Jackson Thomas...

And maybe a little bit about mom and dad's new life too! Jackson is growing and changing so much, it's hard to keep up!! He is awake and wants to play! We are working on a bedtime routine, and WORKING is the operative word! Some nights it goes great, he goes down between 10:30 and 11:00 and wakes up to feed between 2:00 and 3:00 and then wakes again for a little snack around 5:00 or 6:00 and after that, he usually comes to bed with mom and dad for another hour or two. This, unfortunately, results in mom and dad being awake (at least one of us), but Jackson sleeps like a dream! The nights that aren't so great...well they just don't go so smoothly, he cluster feeds (he eats small amounts frequently) or he just can't get comfortable (gas). Some nights he really wants to sleep in mom's arms or on dad's chest. As I'm sure I'll say again and again, it's hard those nights, but the bond I feel with him while he sleeps in my arms at 3am is incredible. In the morning, anywhere from 9:00 on, is his most alert and playful time. We usually lay on the floor and play and talk. I got out his monkey activity gym last week and he'll kick his legs in excitement for his "friends" and entertain himself for a good 15 minutes sometimes! The rest of our day is pretty unscheduled after "lunch" which comes about 1:00. From there on, some days he'll stay up in the late afternoon/evening and play and other days he's too tired and doesn't wake up until 7:00 or 8:00 in the evening and the cycle begins again. He's eating every three to four hours, which makes it easier on mom! Dad has even successfully given him a bottle a couple of times and he seems to do fine with that!

I think he definitely hit a growth spurt last week, he weighed in at 12 lbs.!!! Of course, I can only weigh him by weighing myself and then adding him on, so it's not too precise, but it gives us an idea. We'll get an accurate weight in two weeks when we go for his 2 month well check (((Oh my gosh!! He's two months old already!?!))) What happened to my little baby?! I guess we all know the answer to that--he's growing into a strong little boy! I love those beautiful smiles he gives me and all his new expressions as he explores his surroundings, but I do find myself wistfully remembering those itty-bitty days! I know daddy is very excited for this new stage of "playing."

As I mentioned above, Jackson's has become quite the expressive little man! He gave mommy the greatest present ever on her birthday when he very purposefully smiled at me for the first time. It was enough to make my heart melt!! He's definitely got the smiles down and loves to look up at you while you talk to him. He'll talk to you every now and then, I can tell he puts a lot of thought into what he says:) I have also realized he loves being in his crib and hanging out with his friends (the bed in his room and the mobile above). He'll lay in there for three or four wind-ups (I think each wind-up is ten minutes or something like that) and kick and talk and smile! I tried to get one of these play-dates on record, but of course as soon as I brought the video camera in he just looked at me like, "Mom, I'm not going to perform....geesh!"


So, a day in the life of JT, sleeping, eating and now, **playing** and a day in the life of Matt and Niki, still a little sleep deprived but loving every single moment with our little man!!