Pear Day

Today we tried pear for the first time.  I thought this would be a sure favorite.  It was his first fruit and it was sweet.  Who wouldn't like that right?  My son, that's who.  So I was wrong.  Very, very wrong.  It started off okay.  Not great, but okay.

Jackson didn't seem to like it, but he didn't seem to dislike it either.  After another bite...

I could tell things were looking down.  But I decided to push through.  It only got worse...

And worse...

We took a little break, calmed down, and then tried again.  It didn't get much better but we were able to get through it.  I think he might have disliked it because of the texture.  The carrot and avocado were't as sweet but they had a much different texture.  At least he didn't gag.  We'll try something new tomorrow and give the pear a break for a while.  Maybe we will try it again later.  Maybe...

Baby Food!

At J's 6 month appointment the pediatrician suggested we start baby food.  Knowing I would need time to prepare, I decided we would start this past weekend.  So on Saturday Arnold, Jackson, and I took a trip to the grocery store and got all the makings for baby food.  We got a zucchini, yellow squash, carrot, avocado  pear, apple, and banana.  After we put Jackson to bed for the night I got out my Baby Bullet and got to baby food making!

After some steaming, blending, and storing, voila!  Baby food is ready!

On Sunday, for dinner, instead of rice cereal and milk, we decided to add some carrot.  I wasn't sure how he was going to take this.  His first food, a different texture, and his first time in the high chair.  It ended up going better than I expected!  J seemed to love it!  He at all of the tablespoon of carrot I offered him and hardly got it anywhere.  He actually did better with it than he does with the rice cereal.

Today we decided to try avocado.  I did not think J would like this because of all the baby food I made, I thought this one tasted the worst.  It isn't bad, just very bland.  Anyway, we gave it to him and...

Success!  He seemed to like the avocado just as much as the carrot.  He liked it so much he decided to lick the spoon when I was finished feeding him!

We'll see how tomorrow's new food goes!

Sippy Cup Time!

At Jackson's 6 month check up the doctor suggested we introduce water and a sippy cup to J.  So, after a trip to Target and 3 different sippy cups, we gave it a go.  Things started off well, but things quickly went south. The first sippy cup we gave him was a Tommee Tippee.

Jackson took the cup and put it in his mouth.  He didn't make a face, which is unusual for him, and would take in some water, spit it out, take in more water, spit it out, and so on.  He wasn't really drinking the water but he didn't seem to dislike what was going on.  Thinking he might like a different sippy cup better, I introduced a mOmma.  I thought he would like this one the best because the spout is the most similar to a nipple.  Boy was I wrong.  Jackson took the cup, put it in his mouth, and gave me a look of disgust.

Fail.  Ok.  So I decided to try the third sippy cup I bought, another Tommee Tippee but very different.  He seemed almost enraged that I had even dared to think that he might like that sippy cup.

Jackson wouldn't even put it back in his mouth after using it once.  Oh well.  At least we found one that although he didn't seem excited about, he at least didn't scowl at.

6 Months!

Last Wednesday, April 24th, Jackson turned 6 months old!  I can't believe it!  Time has flown by so quickly.  It doesn't seem like he's 6 months old yet but it also seems like he's been with us forever.  I love him!  I have truly enjoyed every minute of the past 6 months.  I love watching and playing with him everyday.  He is so interesting and expressive.  He is changing everyday and I love watching those changes.  He has always been alert but he is so aware of everything around him now.  Currently, Jackson weights 15.05 lbs and is 24 inches long.  Here are the things I have noticed in the past month and the things he's doing now:

Rolling on his side
Reaching for things with two hands
Follows mommy and daddy around the house when they move
Sits up by himself!  (He did this for the first time April 24th)

Blows bubbles
Drools as much as he eats
Reaches for mommy and daddy
Snuggles when he's tired
Touches our faces while he's eating milk
Sucks his two middle fingers when sleeping

Enjoys playing in his bouncer

Said the "m" sound twice (I think this was an accident)
Laughs when he first sees mommy and daddy when they come home from work
Looks for objects that were in his view and then moved out of his view
Grabs and turns on the toys hanging from his car seat

Grabs his knees when he's on the changing table
Can manipulate his pacifier and put it in his mouth
Puts everything he can get ahold of in his mouth

Happy 6 months Jackson!  You have brought so much joy to our lives and we love you more and more each day.  We can't wait to see what you will do next!

Update

It has been almost 2 weeks since I posted anything which is a really long time for me.  Sorry baby J and everyone else.  Things have been kinda crazy around here.  I have been sick for over a week now with a super sore throat which turned into no voice which turned into a runny nose which turned into a man voice which turned into a cough and pink eye.  It hasn't been pretty.  Anyway, since our trip to St. Louis we've done a few things.  Last Saturday was Uncle Ben's 30th birthday!  Auntie Carolyn planned a fun party at Emporium Arcade Bar which, as one might assume, is a bar full of arcades.  Old school ones.  Arnold was in his element.  So we got to celebrate Ben, eat yummy tacos and cupcakes, and play a bunch of games.  A good time for all!

Hanging with the girls

Ben's awesome 30th t-shirt from Carolyn

The next morning, Sunday, we went to our 2nd aquababies class.  This time it was Daddy's turn swimming with Jackson.  They both had a great time in the pool, accompanied by lots of songs and a few splashes.

More to come soon!

St. Louis Wedding of the Year

This past weekend Arnold, Jackson, and I drove to St. Louis to meet up with family for a much anticipated wedding.  We left Chicago Friday evening after work.  We fed J, put him in his pajamas, and hit the road.  Luckily Jack slept the whole way.  We arrived in St. Louis (Clayton, to be exact) around 11:00 pm and went straight to bed since it was way past our bed times.  Jackson let us sleep until around 8:00 am Saturday morning, and then we headed to the pool.

Jackson didn't seem too excited but I was!  We swam for about 20 minutes and then got ready for the day.  We then met up with our college friend Cory at a local restaurant for brunch, where Cory and Jackson met for the first time.

After brunch and a quick errand, it was time to get ready for the main event: Lydia and Tom's wedding!  The wedding was at the beautiful St. Joseph Catholic Church in Clayton.

Everyone looked amazing but the bride looked gorgeous!   

After the vows were said and it was made official, we got a snack at the hotel and then headed to the Forest Park Golf Course Clubhouse for the reception.  It was beautiful.  The room was decorated fabulously and looked amazing with floor to ceiling windows throughout the room, overlooking the golf course and pond.  The wedding had all of the typical reception things:

introductions

cutting the cake

speeches

first dances

dancing

What the wedding did have that wasn't so typical was an exceptional person: the bride, Lydia.  She is one of the sweetest and most inspirational people I know.  Just as her sisters Melanie and Angie expressed in both their speeches, Lydia is a truly a gift and anyone who knows her or even has the chance to interact with her is blessed.  I don't know the groom Tom, as well as Lydia but he too must be incredible if Lydia chose him to be her husband.  The local news thought so too as Lydia and Tom got their own segment on the local news.  (Click on "news" to see the story.)

After a wonderful evening, we went back to the hotel for some much needed rest.  The next morning we got up, got ready, and hit the road.  We stopped in Edwardsville on our way back to Chicago to visit our friends Sara and Jeremy, and their brand new baby girl Lyla.  

After some crying, many more stops, and one diaper explosion, we made it home around 6:30.  Just in time to put Jackson to bed and enough time to reflect on the wonderful weekend!