Exciting News!!!

I'm so excited about this I can hardly stand it!  Jackson slept from about 9:30pm to 5:15am last night!  For the last month or so, he has been regularly waking up once in the middle of the night (usually between 1am and 3am) for a bottle and then will sleep until 6:30am or so.  This means that Scott and I haven't actually slept through the night ourselves since we went to Maine and were away from the little munchkin.  I'm hoping this is a trend because it would be so wonderful to not have to get up in the middle of the night, every night.  The last two nights he has started to roll himself onto his side to sleep.  I think maybe that has helped him.  Anyway, keep your fingers crossed for us!

And back to the doctor's...

We were back at the pediatrician's office yesterday.  This time it was just for Jackson's four month check-up and another round of vaccinations.  I am not one of those mothers who will choose to skip vaccinations for her children.  Jackson (and any brothers or sisters he eventually has) will get vaccinated.  Despite all the controversy, I trust that they are as safe as can possibly be.  That being said, it is still heart-breaking and scary to have it done.  Jackson was in such a great mood yesterday, talking up a storm as if he was actually having a conversation with the doctor.  It just killed me to have him stuck three times with needles when he has no idea why it's happening.  He screamed his head off and just looked at Scott and me with such sad eyes.  Fortunately, within a few hours he was back to his normal, playful self.  I breathed a sigh of relief that we made it through another round of vaccines. 

Jackson was also weighed and measured at the appointment.  My little growing boy is up to almost 17 pounds and 26 inches long!  No wonder I'm beginning to have a hard time lugging his carseat around!  We also were told that we can start Jackson on rice cereal.  We picked some up at the grocery store last night and, after Scott assembles the high chair, we'll be trying it this weekend.  Don't worry, there will be lots of pictures taken, some of which we will be using as blackmail material when he is a teenager.  Hehe!

Another trip to the Pediatrician's...

I'm not sure it's possible for us to go more than a week or two without a trip to the pediatrician's office.  It happened again yesterday.  I can't remember if I mentioned this but a couple of weeks ago we had Jackson in for what I was hoping was not H1N1.  Turns out he just had an ear infection -- prescription amoxicillan.  Problem solved and within a few days Jackson was feeling much better. 

Well, yesterday when I was dressing him before taking him to daycare, I noticed a huge red rash on both of his arms.  Totally freaked out, I decided to take him to the doctor's (this was about 7:15am).  Well, by 7:45 the rash was gone.  I decided to take him to daycare and let his teacher know about the disappearing rash -- just to keep an eye out for it and call me if it showed up again.  By 10:00am daycare had called to say the rash was back.  He didn't have a fever or appear to be uncomfortable so I told him that I would be there to pick him up in the early afternoon.  By 1:30 Jackson and I were waiting at the doctor's office and he was covered in a bright red rash.  Poor little guy!  After a quick once over by his pediacatrician, it was determined that the rash was hives and that he is probably allergic to penecillan. 

This is where a little light bulb went off in my head.  I am also allergic to penecillan, discovered after I was prescribed it for strep throat several years ago.  I should have know it was hives and should have been able to figure out the allergy myself.  Oh well.  I'm so paranoid about H1N1 that almost anything can freak me out.  After a dose of Benedryl suggested by the doctor, Jackson is feeling much better and I'm happy to have a child not covered in hives!

An Unfortunate Loss

Well, the Iowa Hawkeyes lost to Northwestern this weekend. If you know me at all (and frankly why are you reading this if you don't), you know that I bleed black and gold. I love the Hawkeyes and during football season, I just can't miss a game. This season has been great. Up until this past Saturday we were 9-0. While our wins weren't exactly pretty, we managed to win week in and week out. Unforunately our luck ran out on Saturday. Our quarterback went down on the third drive and we never recovered. Our perfect season came to an abrupt end. Boo. In order to make the loss more palatable, I'm posting some pictures of Jackson cheering on the Hawkeyes as best he can. Enjoy!

Well, here is my first shot at taking a video with my camera. Jackson was being really talkative tonight, unlike any other night. Of course, I thought of taking the video after about a hour of constant babble so this isn't as good as it had been earlier. I still thought those of you who don't get to see Jackson very much would enjoy this. Such a little cutie! There is even an adorable sneeze a few seconds into the clip.

This weekend we finally were able to get some cute fall pictures taken.  Hopefully I'll get those posted later this week. 

HAPPY FOUR MONTH BIRTHDAY JACKSON!!

Four months ago today was one of the best days of my life!  I love you so much, Jackson!

A Year Ago Today...

A year ago today Scott and I found out that we were expecting our first child.  It was totally exciting and surreal at the same time.  Now, I can't imagine my life without little Jackson in it.  It's been quite an amazing year and I've loved every minute of it (well maybe not the swollen feet and trouble sleeping of third trimester but oh well).  A true sign that I am a mother -- I went to work today with spit-up on my shoulder.  Unfortunately I didn't notice it until about 2pm.  Another sign that I am a mother -- the spit-up really didn't bother me.  Oh well.

Here are some adorable pictures of Jackson's first Halloween.  Both he and I have been battling colds this weekend so our photo session was cut short but I still think these pictures turned out well.  Enjoy our little lobster!

Hey Mom, I'm not so sure about this whole costume thing.

Sad eyes but still the cutest little boy in the world!

Jackson and I are still trying to recover from our colds.  Poor little thing also has an ear infection.  He didn't sleep more than about 30-45 minutes at a time all weekend long.  After a trip to the doctor on Saturday morning, we have some medicine (which he hates) so hopefully we're on the road to recovery.  He slept through the night last night and had a good day with Grandpa and Grandma Carter.

Alright...time to catch up on pictures

It's been a busy month around here.  We went from the ER to Maine to lots of new moves by Jackson.  We've had a great time though, and here are the pictures to prove it!

Scott and I traveled to Maine to attend the wedding of a good friend of his from high school.  It just happened to be near Colby which made me very happy!  Maine is gorgeous in the fall and we had perfect weather.  We were in Freeport (lots of fun shopping!) and Augusta the first few days and then traveled down to Camden, ME which is right on the coast.  So absolutely picturesque!  I only wish we had a few more days to enjoy everything.  Here are some pics from the trip...

The Camden harbor was full of beautiful tallmast ships.  We had intended to take a short cruise on one of them but ran out of time.  Gotta leave something for the next trip, right?

This cool waterfall ran right through the middle of town -- right underneath several businesses.  You don't think of buildings in Maine needing to be on stilts but there were a few here.

Beautiful ships, beautiful fall colors, beautiful blue sky -- doesn't get much better!

Main street in Camden -- quaint and perfect!

It's Maine so you have to have a few lobster traps.  I won't mention how many bowls of clam chowder I had while we were out there.  It's kind of embarrassing!

Scott and I spent some time at Camden Hills State Park.  It had a fantastic view out over the coast and down on the town of Camden.  The beautiful leaves didn't show up as well in these pictures but they really were gorgeous.

The view down towards Camden and the harbor.

The next day, and our last day in Maine, the weather was a little dodgier.  Quite a bit of rain but we still had a good time.  Here is the much more commercial harbor of Rockland, ME.

On our drive back to Portland, we stopped at Boothbay Harbor.  The town was pretty much shut down for the season but it was still pretty.

We had such a great time, especially knowing that Jackson was on the mend when we left!  I don't think I could have left him if he was still sick when we left.  Of course, I called home to check on things at least twice a day.  Grandma and Grandpa had a wonderful time although I think it took a few days to recover from the sleep deprivation.  I know Jackson had a great time and he's looking forward to Thanksgiving!

As I wrote last week, Jackson was having some real issues sleeping but that seems to have turned around.  We're back to basically sleeping through the night.  Yeah!!  He's eating really well and he seems to be enjoying day care.  As hard as it is for me to admit, I think it's good for Jackson to be in day care.  He gets more stimulation there than what I could probably give him.  He is just such a curious little boy.  He studies everything he sees and there is alot more there for him to take in.  That being said, I cherish every single minute I get to be with him after work and on the weekend. 

This past weekend I really wanted to get some fun fall pictures taken.  I bought several pumpkins in various sizes, dressed Jackson up in an adorable bear outfit that his Gramma Carter bought him and Scott and I got everything set up outside to get the shots.  Unfortunately, Jackson had other plans.  The minute we set him down with the pumpkins he started crying.  I tried everything, all of the little tricks we know, to get him to cheer up.  Nothing worked so we gave up, me grumbling all the way back into the house.  Hopefully the weather will cooperate and we can try again next weekend.  I really want some cute pictures with him outside.

Here are some pictures of what Jackson's been up to this month...

We got out Jackson's new exer-saucer and he's loving it!  I'm continually impressed and amazed at his development (I'm his mom afterall).  He isn't rolling over yet but he "talks" all the time, is constantly smiling and has started to laugh a little bit.  He is also pushing himself up on his arms and likes to "stand" on our laps.  It is just so incredible to watch a child develop, to learn new skills and make new discoveries.  While he hasn't figured it all out yet, he's beginning to realize that he can move around in the exer-saucer and play with the toys.

Chewing on his hand -- one of his favorite things these days.  I'm petrified that he is going to get his hand stuck in his mouth.

I just love this picture!!  Look at those eyes!!

Jackson is also getting really good at pushing himself up on his arms.  He keeps moving his legs too and I'm sure that it won't be too long before he's scooting around.  It actually makes me a little nervous to think about him crawling.  He's so active now that I'm not sure how we'll keep up with him. 

This is one of my favorite pictures!! 

Too cute! 

Next up -- Halloween, Jackson's four-month birthday and my birthday.  Hope everyone is doing well!