The Evolution of Bath

It's amazing how fast the last months have gone by. Nothing demonstrates this more than how "bath time" as evolved over the last months. It seems like just yesterday that I was able to hold my little boy with one hand while washing his hair under the kitchen sink faucet.

NOT ANY MORE! WOW...

8 Months

8 Months Ago today...Jackson came into our lives. Our sweet sweet boy who brings a smile to our face with his quick laugh, his expressive huge brown eyes and his personality that just lights up any room. Proud mom? You bet. I will be the first to say that Jackson is the most amazing blessing to us and to watch him grow continues to bring such amazing joy to our life. You are loved kid.

Height: 27"

Weight: 18.5 lbs.

Sleeping: 9-10 hours a night.

Eating: Totally digging the solid foods! Cereal/fruit for breakfast. Veggies for dinner. Mom has not braved the "mixed dinners" yet. The smell is too intimidating. ;)

Mobility: Army crawler expert! In the past couple days, he's up on his knees a lot more, taking 1-2 shuffles before resorting back to his fatigues. Give him something to pull up on and you'll see those thigh muscles at work.

Talking: Apparently he thinks he is a bird. "Ooo! Aaaaaa!" <- Now just repeat this at a high pitch rating and you've got the Jackson lingo down.

Despite my horrible consistency with posting on our family blog, I have been keeping up with Jackson's blog! 1 for 3. I'm getting there... ;)

http://bickermunchkin.tumblr.com

17 Weeks Old

I never truly understood the meaning of "Time Flies" until our little guy joined our household. Honestly, there is this weird time dynamic now that everything gets filtered through. On one hand, Jackson has grown and changed so much that I can't believe how fast time has surged by. But on the other hand, even though it was 17 weeks ago, it seems like just yesterday that I was holding him for the first time.

For me, one of the most amazing things to watch is Jackson's mental growth. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE seeing his cheeks chub up and his thighs get those little rolls on them. But there is a different level of pride when he reaches his hands out and grabs on to his Mr. Owl and pulls it down from the Velcro holding it in place. Or as he jabbers away in the backseat talking and smiling at everything that comes across his line of sight.

He's growing up so fast and its very bittersweet. I miss my little guy who squeaked and loved to lay right on your chest nuzzled into your chin. But I love my big boy who would rather stand on your legs and poke you in the eye with his finger as he attempts to grab your hair, your earrings or your nose all the while smiling and cooing in amusement. Being a mom is the greatest job I could ever have. I feel so blessed to have the beautiful boy that I do. Priceless.

Test

Test number 2 and still nothing to see here! Except a random picture!

2 Months Later

Well it happened. We fell off the blog bandwagon...again! At least this time our reason for slacking off is much more impressive than "we forgot" or "nothing exciting has happened." Does "WE HAD A BABY?" work as an excuse?! :)

December 14th...Dana had been on maternity leave for 2 1/2 weeks and had been having Braxton-Hicks contractions throughout her time off but was feeling really good! Her official due date was the 20th and boy were we ready to meet this little person! We headed out that night to meet our small group and watch the Niner's game! With a Niner's win, Munch decided that the time had come. :) Contractions began that night at 11:11pm and the scene was intense from the get-go. Only 8 minutes between contractions that were 45 seconds-1 minute long.

December 15th...Dana's goal was to be home laboring for as long as she could and so we waited. Taking each contraction one at a time, we worked through them together and we can both honestly say that the experience was incredible. I (Dana) remember looking at the clock at 4:00am and being in shock how fast the time had gone. At that point the contractions were around 5 minutes apart and at least 1 minute long. Things started to pick up noticeably around 5am and Ryan started making the phone calls to the "grandparents." After Ryan's mom (our doula) got to the house, the decision was made that we needed to get to the hospital. We left the house around 6 am.

Ryan can testify that the drive to Walnut Creek Kaiser from our house in Dublin is the longest drive ever! Dana at that point was able to "sleep" during the contraction breaks and thankfully does not remember how long she was actually in the car for. :)

We showed up at the hospital around 6:30am and after going through all the admission hoops, we got the news that Dana was 8 cm and Munch was almost here!!!! Barely having time to finish paperwork, the midwife and nurses getting the room ready and after only 30 minutes of pushing...

Mr. Jackson Trey Bicker was born at 8:01am weighing in at a beautiful 6 lbs. 12 oz., 19 1/2 inches long, healthy, awake and alert!!! Our beautiful baby boy was here!




December 17th - We were finally able to come home and Savanna got to meet the new addition to the family. Welcome home Jackson...You are loved more than you know.

Munch's Room

As Munch's birthday draws closer we have been working hard to get his or her room ready! To match the bedding we made several trips to Lowe's and Home Depot then to Babies R Us and Target and IKEA. Only to repeat the cycle over a few times! :) And now here we are... Ryan's amazing circles are painted, the furniture put together, the bedding washed! Just waiting on our little guy or gal to join us! :)

Oh and one thing you cannot see in these photos is the matching valance - Yes, I became Martha Stewart for a few days and made it myself. Proud day!!! :)

Mid-Week Getaway

I was looking through some older pictures from past months and came across our mid-week getaway. We decided to take a vacation day and travel around the Bay Area hitting some highlights. Despite both growing up in this area, Ryan and I have never experienced the Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz. Just finding the place is a mystery itself as you drive through huge redwoods in this random residential area without really knowing what you are about to experience. For those Bay Area dwellers who have never experienced it and want to feel like a tourist in your own stomping ground - check it out! Totally fun and a unique way to start off the day! And yes, you will get the famous bumper sticker as a souvenir!!


After leaving the Mystery Spot we decided to head up the coast to Half Moon Bay. Along the way we stopped at Pigeon Point Lighthouse to check out their renovations and enjoy the beautiful weather we were blessed with!





From there it was lunchtime on the beach! Ah the joys of living in CA!! What a fun and relaxing day! (For those of you who are wondering, Savanna got to hang out with her cousin Westin all day).

Time flies

So I had no idea how lame I was until I looked at the date of my last post! I have a lot of catching up to do!!!! I guess I'll just pick up the pieces as I go...

To start off - Munch and I have reached the 31 week mark! Our Christmas guy or gal is due on December 20th. I'm feeling pretty good overall - definitely slowing down as I hike up the stairs in our house though (I'm convinced that little gnomes add more stairs in our house when we are not home). Munch is growing and getting stronger every day - there are days where my belly will not stop rocking and rolling which is an incredible experience - Ryan experienced his first punch or kick back the other night which was just hilarious!

Sleeping has become a little more interesting - For those who have been pregnant know the frustration when you spend 15 minutes positioning and repositioning every surrounding pillow just in time to get up and have to go to the bathroom again! Keeping a smile and laughing at the absurdity of the situation keeps everything in perspective though.

We are busy working on the room (yes pictures will be posted as soon as it truly looks like his or her room) and trying to get "ready" for d-day. :)

24 Weeks and now...............31 Weeks. :)