Santa, Jackson. Jackson, Santa

Last night we went over to Bass Pro to introduce Jackson to Santa. They have a great set up over there, and it was free! Santa was doing pictures from 5-8 and when we arrived at 4:55 there was already a big line. They gave you cards that would hold your spot if you wanted to shop around the store. Our time slot was 5:30 so we just took turns looking around the store.













I fully expected Jackson to cry when we put him in Santa's lap. He mostly looked confused. I think it all went by too quickly for him to react.








I loved Santa's beard, but Josh thought he was too skinny. Afterward, we all went out for barbecue and then straight home to bed. It was a fun night, but I have to admit it was a little emotional for me. Our first baby, first time with Santa... just one of the many joys of children and traditions we can look forward to.

Sweet Jackson

This week was a little crazy. Josh was very busy with work, which included a sales meeting out of town. As soon as he got back, I was off working an event. I did manage to have some fun with Jackson though, and Josh got a little one on one time too. We had a playdate at the Nature and Science museum, and Jackson loved the kids section - we will definitely be back.

We also had a little quiet time, and I was able to capture Jackson as he practiced his cruising skills between his music table and my knees. I'll warn you, the video is a little long, but shows such a sweet little guy.



This week we are taking Jackson to see Santa. I'm almost positive Santa will make him cry, but we'll see...

9 Months Old!

Yesterday we took Jackson to the doctor for his 9 month well visit. I can't believe the time has gone by so quickly! Here is what's going on with Jackson at the moment:

19 lbs., 29 inches
sleeps really well at night and for naps, getting up maybe once a night
has best friend named Sophie the dog
likes to smile for the camera, but now knows to close his eyes to avoid the flash
pulls up to standing on everything
thinking about cruising, but not there yet
enjoys plugs, cords, nightlights and doggy water bowls
is really good at showing us where we still need to childproof
thinks Dora is amazing, and wishes Mommy would allow him to watch her more often
babbles often, but no real words yet
enjoys tickles and when Dad hangs him upside
often sticks his tongue out to feel his new tooth

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

This past week here hasn't been too busy, but boy has it flown by. Traveling with Jackson can be exhausting, so we took a few days to regroup. Fortunately, Jackson wanted to catch up on his sleep, so he napped really well the first 2 days back. Since Thanksgiving, we've been working on getting things ready for Christmas.

Given that we have a very curious crawler and we will be in Jersey for the holidays, we have decided not to put up a Christmas tree. I knew I would spend 99% of my day playing "keep away" with Jackson. Though we will have no tree, I still had to decorate. I tried to be a bit more creative and decorate things from above cruising level. Here are the results:

With out a mantel, I placed garland and lights along the back of the sofa with my stuffed Santa's.

I wrapped our art piece with ribbon and am using it a display for our holiday cards.

Dining room table centerpiece


Sugared fruit garland that usually goes on the tree is now on our chandelier.

My angel tree topper is now on display by the tv.

Finally, I hung ornaments from my curtain rods and love how they shine in the light.

I also got a little festive in the kitchen. I made snickerdoodles and sugar cookies for a cookie exchange over the weekend. My snickerdoodles need some tweaking, but the sugar cookies came out really well and I think I've mastered decorating with royal icing. I'm now hooked and want to make sugar cookies all the time...


And since this blog is about Jackson, here are some new photos of him this past week...