boys!

One of my nearest and dearest had a sweet bundle of baby boy goodness yesterday! Welcome to the world Tyler Joseph Corona. Jackson cannot wait to play some ball with his new friend, especially if their dads have anything to do with it. I would be lieing if I didn't say his sweet pictures gave me some serious baby fever. No worries, I decided to go and chop my hair off instead, an official mom haircut...

success

A worn out baby boy who likes to snuggle with his mom before he goes to bed. Even better, he has been sleeping through the night! (8pm-ish to 6:30am-ish)

A baby boy that can open his puffs all by himself while his mom is driving...

walkin fool

I like to start my morning off with some ranch. Everything tastes better with ranch...

Watching some basketball games - go heels, go duke, i am soooo confused...

Helping my mom do some cooking, I can open the drawers and cabinets now and even get into the trashcan if she needs me to!

Anyone wanna come play? (Greta & I are tired of chasing.)

8 month updates!

Since it looks like this blog is the closest thing Jackson is ever going to get to a 'Baby Book,' here are his top 10 things to do in no particular order. He is turning into a busy little boy and it is freaking me out!

1 - His favorite thing is still the walker. He maneuvers that thing around the house like an Indy race car driver. It has a nice buffer around it, thank goodness, because he is on the hunt to grab whatever he can.

2 - His favorite new toy is Fisher-Price Play & Learn Spanish Table. Personally I am already tired of hearing 'Red - Rojo, Blue - Azul' but I have learned a few things. It also has a music setting and he is learning to dance, as in head bangs. It looks like he may be 'blessed' with Winslow rhythm...

3 -Books! We still have to hold the book far away otherwise he just wants to put it in his mouth. His favorite is Eric Carle's 123.

4 - Puffs - I love watching his chunky fingers work so hard to pick up one of these only to drop it and try again. Most of them end up on the floor or stored away in his cheeks for later.

5 - The dog - They are going to be best friends, Greta just doesn't know it yet. He loves chasing her around and 'petting' her ears. Greta seems to really like Jackson when he is safely up in his high chair passing down some puffs.

6 - Giving kisses - ok, so maybe he is not giving kisses but I pretend he is. He loves to grab my face and bite my chin with a big smile. It is what I do to him all day long so I can't blame him!

7 - Waller - Apparently this is not a real word, but you know what it means right? He is this close to crawling, and I am not gonna help him figure it out.

8 - Cups - Do not be confused, adult cups are way cooler than sippie cups. He will chew on a Jersey Mike's paper cup for hours.

9 - Shopping carts - he loves to go to the grocery store, Target, etc, and sit in the cart swinging his feet. He just looks around and flirts with any willing grandma that walks by.

10 - His mama - yep nothing beats the way he holds out his arms for me when I walk into the room. As soon as I get him he sticks his thumb in his mouth and pulls my pony tail. I guess you could call it his comfort spot, I love it. (most of the time...)

8 month giggles

Someone was trippin' out on his 8 month birthday!

supportin'

Breastfeeding is not easy people. I am all for it, but definitly don't blame anyone for breaking out the formula, no harm done. I was excited to see that one of the Surgeon General, Regina Benjamin, first official call to action was to improve the country's rates of breastfeeding by eliminating obstacles. And who did she emphasize as two key players - grandma and dad. I couldn't agree more.

Partners are particularly important because their approval means so much to a mother, and her partner is often a mother’s primary source of support. Although fathers want the best for their family, they may become jealous or resentful or get the feeling that they will not be able to bond with their child if their partner chooses to breastfeed. The baby’s grandmothers are also very influential because mothers who have recently given birth rely on them for support and advice. To make breastfeeding successful, mothers need the support and encouragement of all of these people.

Maybe Charlie should be the spokesman, he wasn't about to let Jackson miss a feeding! Reason #357, best dad ever!

dog hair

Greta barely sheds. But now a days I find hair everywhere; Jackson's mouth, clothes, toys, diapers and baby food?! Rumor has it that kids with pets have stronger immune systems, that is what I will go with...

I bet these ears taste mighty fine...

Greta LOVES it when I gently pet her!

Round 7

We saw The Fighter last night, it was the first movie Charlie and I have seen in theatre since before Jackson was born, and we thought it was awesome. I am not sure what was the best part; the movie, popcorn and m&ms, no interruptions?! I was thinking about the movie last night around 2am. I was on round 3 of going up to try and calm down Jackson. We tried the cry it out method. You know what they all say; the first night the baby cries for 30 minutes (this was true and it worked, I was getting excited), the second night 15, the third 7, and then none. What they don't tell you about is the baby who cries for 45 minutes the second night, sleeps for 3 minutes, then cries for another 45 minutes and on and on and on... It seems the only thing Jackson wanted to do was have me hold him and sway him just that perfect way. I channelled my inner fighter, switched up on my arms and threw in a few squats. Figured while I was up and wide awake I might as well. I am feeling particularly jacked this morning and Jackson did sleep till 9:30am so it wasn't so bad after all. I think (hope) he is teething. He still just has the two big bottom ones. He is a cute little hill-billie. I had to remind myself that around 4am.

Sunday

Have I told you how much I love Sundays? Morning coffee & breakfast, naps for the boys, long quiet shower for me, church, lunch, mindless football and basketball games on tv, lounging till dinner with friends. Pure bliss.

Sunday funday with my dad!

bath time

Splish Splash I was taking a bath...

flu vaccine

When Jackson had his 6 month check-up he received the first dose of the flu vaccine and he went back last week for the second dose. It was quick and he did not cry, that is until about 2am that night. He screamed like I have never seen him scream before. I tried to let him 'cry it out,' tried to feed him, tried to walk him around until my back broke... 3 hours later he finally wore himself out. The next day he still was not his usual smiley self. We took his temperature (blessed with a very healthy boy, we had to open the thermometer as it was the first use) and it was 102. The Duke Pediatrics nurse hot line assured us it was alright and to give him some baby ibuprofen to get the fever down. Apparently 1 in 5 babies get a fever after the shot?! I wish I had known this and I would have not been so frustrated the night before. Lesson learned to read up on vaccines before they are given. There is nothing worse than my sweet baby not feeling well. 5 days later and he is finally back to his normal self.

surprises

We went to Wilson this weekend to welcome my brother and his new fiance Brittni back from NYC. Who woulda thunk it - Clint gettin married - to a girl - a purty one! Jackson was up early this morning in his walker practicing the possibility of being a ring bearer or at least just running down the isle while making poot noises. (He just discovered how to do this with his lips, thankfully he doesn't know how funny it is just yet.) We also had a big surprise birthday party for my grandma Chally! Yep, she reads the blog, pretty savvy for an 80 year old!

Brittni showing birthday girl her new bling!

funny

Got this from my BabyCenter weekly updates, funny and true...

milk

Jackson likes to eat. He is eating 3 'meals' (morning oatmeal, lunch veggies, dinner fruits) and still milking. Everything, I mean everything, goes straight to his mouth. He particularly likes to shove graham crackers and bread in his cheeks and save them for later. He has also learned to say 'mmmmmmm,hmmmmmm' while eating and likes to hold his own spoon. It is a mess, but a pretty funny mess.

oops, I got caught eating some of Grandma's goodies...

Did ya'll know they make milk by the gallons? My mom has been holding out on me!

I am keeping this for when I turn one years old!

New Year

It was a crazy New Year's in the Farris household! We grilled steaks, asparagus, corn, ate an ice cream pie and drank champagne. Things are just a bit different with a little one. It was not so much an evening baby-sitter that I was worried about. Jackson has been going to bed around 8 and calling it a night. I could have just taken the monitor out and turned it up real loud. (jk-jk-jk) But I could not find anyone to watch him from 6am-11am. I would supply some milk and you could hang out upstairs quietly playing, maybe bring me some coffee and a biscuit around 10:30?! Let me know of any interest. There is no pay except the slobbery kisses of my little man, you should actually pay him for hanging out with you.

We did devour some delicious black eye pea dip for good luck, as I tried to think of a New Year's resolution. The only thing I got is to get physical! A funny thing happened this Christmas, I gained back some of my pregnancy weight??

This Olivia Newton John video is awesome, but not as awesome as the Jane Fonda workout video I used to do with my mom...