Archive for October, 2008

Thursday, October 30th, 2008

new video – fire

fall is my absolute favorite time of the year.  as the weather gets colder, we start using our gas logs more and more.  this was the first night we’ve turned them on in a while, and jackson immediately noticed something new.  he was mesmerized by the flames, and we managed to capture some of his expressions.  go ahead and watch it on our video page.  we promise it will warm your heart.

Tuesday, October 28th, 2008

birthday

this was an incredible weekend.  not only did we celebrate my 27th birthday, but also 5 beautiful months for jackson.  this type of weekend does not go unnoticed.  mainly because i have been blessed with a wonderful and loving family that always makes birthdays memorable.  this usually involves dinner, gifts, and some of the best cheesecake that you will ever eat.  it has become a tradition.  one that i hope sticks around for a while.

 

but aside from the traditions, there was one aspect of this year’s birthday that stood out above the rest.  it wasn’t the dinner, the gifts, or the funny cards.  it wasn’t the love notes that kelly strategically placed all over my desk.  and no, it wasn’t the cheesecake.  it was, quite simply, a birthday gift from jackson.  now i don’t know if he picked it out on his own, or if he had a little help from his mother, but the gift was perfect.  are you ready for this?  it was our very first baseball starter set, complete with a bat and ball.  of course, both the bat and ball are super soft so that no one will get hurt.  and i’m pretty sure the bat is as big as jackson.  but i couldn’t have asked for anything better.  it was an excellent gift.  something that every father and son should experience.

 

so, without delay, we opened it up and started playing with it.  as i held the ball in front of jackson’s curious eyes, he reached out and placed his little hand on top of it.  i looked down and noticed that his fingers were creating a perfect four-seam grip.  at that moment, i knew this was the start of something beautiful.  you can’t put a price tag on a gift like that.

Friday, October 24th, 2008

crying it out

here at our house, we celebrate the little things.  i am a firm believer that the little things in life are what bring us the most joy.  this especially holds true when you have a child.  a child that is now beginning to realize that sleep is a good thing.

 

the magnificent change that has brought about this realization?  just letting him cry.  of course, under normal circumstances, you would never just let your child cry.  your instinct as a parent is to try and comfort and protect them, not walk away.  but sometimes, i guess this is just what they need.  at least it is currently working for jackson.

 

once he starts showing signs of sleepiness, we lay him down in his crib right then.  we don’t rub his back, sing his favorite songs, or gently rock him (all previous approaches).  instead, we lay him down and walk away.  now, here is where it can go either way.  sometimes, the little guy will talk or laugh himself to sleep (just more proof that he is our child).  but then, other times he will start crying.  very loudly.  usually for at least ten minutes straight.

 

is it the hardest ten minutes ever?  yes.

will it help jackson in the long run?  yes.

does that make it any easier?  no.

 

the main point is that it’s working.  and for that reason alone, we will continue to do it.  i wish you could see the pure joy and excitement that exuberates from kelly whenever jackson actually sleeps like a normal baby.  her happiness is contagious, and believe me, it makes everyone feel better.  so, whenever i got home this afternoon and saw a note on the door that said, “little man is asleep again!!”, i couldn’t help but smile.  as i said before, we celebrate the little things.

Tuesday, October 21st, 2008

pumpkin patch

last week, we took jackson to a local pumpkin patch.  the goal was primarily to take some pictures, but we also managed to do a little pumpkin shopping while we were there.  not only were we able to find the perfect pumpkin for our front porch, but we also picked out a small one for jackson.  you can see all of the pictures from our adventure by clicking on the image above.

Friday, October 17th, 2008

three men and a baby

i know it may come as a shock, but jackson has been a real handful this week.  so, i thought it would be a good idea to get him out of the house and give kelly a little time to herself.  well, what better way than a guy’s night out?  that’s right, jackson’s first guy’s night was with me and two of my best friends, joey and nate.  three men and a baby.  dinner at outback.  dessert at krispy kreme.  now that is a great evening.

 

needless to say, we definitely received a few looks from some people in the restaurant.  i’m not sure if they were looking at how adorable jackson was, or wondering why three young men were out together with a baby.  but it didn’t seem to bother jackson.  he slept through every bit of the commotion in the restaurant – even an outback rendition of “happy birthday” performed at the table next to us.  who would have ever thought?

 

krispy kreme was a different story.  he didn’t sleep a bit.  once he laid eyes on the vast array of doughnuts available, he was no longer interested in his nap, his bottle, his dirty diaper, or anything else for that matter.  all he could focus on were the fresh doughnuts that seemed to be calling his name .  he was drooling.  to be honest, i think we all were.  we got our treats and sat down, while jackson continued to entertain the people working there.  and believe me, the kid knows what he’s doing.  they gave us a couple extra doughnuts after jackson worked his magic.

 

all in all, it was a great night.  a night that was much needed for all of us.  kelly enjoyed a quiet house, jackson enjoyed looking at doughnuts, and i enjoyed some time with great friends.  we should definitely do this more often.

Wednesday, October 15th, 2008

sleeping through the night

evidently, sleeping through the night is some sort of crowning achievement in the world of parenthood.  it is one of those special milestones that ranks up there with your child’s first words or first steps.  kelly and i get the same question all the time, “is he sleeping through the night?”

 

the answer?  he was.

currently?  not so much.

 

his latest achievement is waking up around 2:00 am, then again at 4:00 am, and then, just for fun, around 6:00 am.  it’s a real blast.  not to mention the fact that he is such a pistol to get down in the first place.  we have worked tirelessly on developing the perfect nighttime routine to put him to sleep.  soothing sounds, ambient noise, dimmed lights, rice cereal.  we’ve even gone as far as warming up his crib mattress.  and with with each night we get a little more hopeful that maybe, just maybe, he will get back on track.

 

now do you see why we call him king jackson?  pray for us.

Friday, October 10th, 2008

new video – take my breath away

yet another video that takes place in the most popular spot at our house – the changing table.  this is where we change diapers, and typically, jackson likes to take our breath away during the process.  however, in this particular instance, we discovered something that takes his breath away.  view it right now on the video page.

Thursday, October 9th, 2008

shots

yesterday was a tough day.  a day that kelly and i had been dreading for quite a while.  the day that jackson got his first round of immunization shots.  i must say, it wasn’t easy seeing the little guy get pricked three times.  but even worse than that, I had to physically hold down his legs while kelly tried to keep him consoled.  talk about tough.  i think it was harder for us than it was him.

 

but like any good father, i have to brag on the little man.  all in all, he took it pretty well.  as you can see from the picture, he was all smiles in the waiting room.  and really, he only cried for about five minutes after they gave him the shots.  he perked up once he drank some purple stuff that looked like liquid candy (i later found out that it was tylenol).  all i know is that it helped, and it looked so good that i wanted to drink some.  after that, we got him dressed and headed back home, where we spent the rest of a rainy evening loving on that little dude.

 

so yes, it was a tough day.  but like any tough day, we made it through it, and jackson is all the better for it.

Tuesday, October 7th, 2008

new video – grab

jackson has now reached the point where he is learning to grab things.  he has always had a pretty stellar grip, but now he is actually putting it to use.  you can see him in action by watching our latest video which, of course, is on our video page.

Sunday, October 5th, 2008

parking lot

when you have a baby, it seems like your life moves at twice the normal speed.  as parents, it’s all we talk about.  everything is so crazy, so busy, so fast.  time never slows.  life never pauses.  it’s because of this that you begin to appreciate all of the little moments that make up your day.

 

this stark realization came to me in a best buy parking lot.  come on, would you have expected anything less?  now that kelly works on sunday nights, she really needs to sleep during the day.  so, jackson and i try to get out of the house and make the most of our sunday afternoons.  this typically consists of lunch with my family, and oddly enough, winding up in the parking lot of best buy.  that’s right, the parking lot.  if we actually make it into the store, then we’re really doing well.  i usually have to climb into the back seat and feed jackson.  if he eats well, burps well, and has a clean diaper, then we just might have enough time to visit the store.  while this initially seemed cumbersome, i am beginning to see that it is actually a blessing.

 

ordinarily, i would never take the time to just sit in the parking lot of best buy.  i would never “waste” time that i could be using to get something else done.  but in this case, jackson depends on me.  and it is not a “waste” of time at all.  in fact, it is probably what i look forward to most in my week.  no emails, no phone calls, and none of the weekly expectations that come with running a business.  just me and jackson in a parking lot.  time well spent.  time cherished.

 

needless to say, i’m sure there will be many more trips to best buy.  and if we never make it into the store, well, that would be just fine.