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!

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. :)

Place your Bets!

Almost halfway there folks! Today marks the beginning of 19 weeks...for those who don't compute months into weeks like me - I am 4 1/2 months along! So crazy!

Thanks goodness for being past the morning sickness stage. I was grateful to only suffer a few weeks of nastiness (and yes, I thought for sure that I would never be able to eat anything...again...) but those few weeks gave me a completely new appreciation for anyone who has suffered, is suffering or will suffer the dreaded morning sickness.

But on to happier things! I've been able to feel the baby a little here and there for the past week but Friday marked the first day that Ryan felt a few little thumps himself. Amazing!

Yesterday we were able to see those thumps on a monitor as we had an hour long anatomy-type sonogram. Before I get into the amazing results I need to protest....Any other pregnant women out there willing to sign a petition or walk the picket line in order to revise a torture policy mandated by Kaiser on unsuspecting pregnant women? Confused? I digress...

A few weeks ago after making this appointment, I received instructions that I needed to follow before I came in. Gullible growing me did not think twice as I read and reread the instructions since this was, after all, for my baby. "Go to the bathroom...then, drink 32 ounces of water within a half hour period. You must have completed the task one hour before your appointment." What's the big deal you ask? For those of you who are not pregnant, I'd like to see you drink 32 ounces of water with a child the size of a soda can karate chopping and salsa dancing on your bladder while having to hold it for almost two hours! Without too many graphic details - I literally was in the most uncomfortable bladder state I've ever been in my life. Unable to think or breathe, I have never been more elated in my life to be pointed in the direction of the restroom.









So know that I have "relieved" myself of those wonderful memories (haha!) I can move on to some awesome-ness: pics of the family addition! I am right on track with the mid/late December due date (22nd) after taking measurements of the baby's cute head, chest and legs. Everything looks healthy and "forming beautifully" according to the radiologist. She was snapping pictures left and right to show the doctor who will give his/her approval as well. Our little guy/gal was pretty active during the whole thing and kept trying to punch at the ultrasound wand (or at least that's what I saw.:). We may have a future contortionist on our hands as s/he got into these incredible positions which made it quite tricky to look at all the necessary bones and organs. Fiesty little thing - especially when s/he got the hiccups! I was so grateful for the early on pics she got as most of those were super cute profile shots! Probably the neatest thing for me was to feel the baby move and see the movement on the screen happen simultaneously - It confirmed that I really was feeling the kiddo and not my intestines or stomach yelling at me!

So there you go! I'm glad to share our baby-crazed thoughts with you! :) And for those of you who are curious - we stuck to our guns while the radiologist told us to close our eyes multiple times in order to keep the sex of the baby a secret. We have our suspicions but that's all they are. You'll have to track down our radiologist to try and finagle it out of her secrecy :)

More updates to come - I must undergo the Kaiser water-torture again next Tuesday. I was advised to not drink all the water as marked on the instructions - apparently they don't want my bladder to engulf the baby's range of movement. :)

Happy Tuesday folks!