baby and life

Jackson can sit up! I knew he'd learn, I mean, have you ever met anyone that couldn't sit up? Sitting up just clicked for him a couple of days ago, and now he'd like to pretend he's pro. . .

yes, it's true, even his little fingers are packed with chub

Life. It's been busy, but in a good way. I feel like it's getting a little more 'normal' around here since Jackson arrived. We have found our family rhythm which is far from what our old rhythm was. Now when we're leaving Josh knows he's got baby duty (putting J in his car seat) and you can bet I'm the one running around with my head cut off screaming out, "binky? food? diapers? extra clothes? blanket?" "Okay we're good" and then running out the door. 
If you look in my workout room a year ago you'd see this:

Fast forward to now:

I'm lucky to have a treadmill and I'm even more lucky to have a baby that will play with his toys while I run. . . even if he lasts only 45 minutes.

Our new normal is what we enjoy. Josh and I love our little family. I don't think either of us knew how much more love and joy our life could have with this little guy.

Swing Life Away

If it was up to J we would swing all day.

Luckily for the both of us we have been able to swing and ride the slide a lot this week.

He's even made a friend, Abby, she lives near the park. She loves to push J on the swing.

Here's to more sunny days at the park and hopefully a lot of days on the lazy river with family!!

Spring?

Is it spring already? The past couple of days have sure tricked me! Josh, J, and I definitely didn't want to waste anytime inside while the sun was out. We went on a couple walks, then decided we should invite Josh's parents and brother.

Utah nights are so beautiful, I've really grown a love for these mountains. Jackson was so pumped that he was riding in the stroller like a big boy, no more little car seat for him!

candles and cake

We celebrated Josh's Grandma and Brother's birthday this weekend at the aquarium.

Jackson loved watching all the different fish, otters, and penguins swim around.

Everyone got the chance to look around either before the party or after the party. You could even pet sting rays!
We had a lot of fun with family and Jackson always loves to be with cousin Calvin.

Mommy Moment

I was a little nervous when I was invited by my friend Katie to 'cuddle time' at the library.
What is cuddle time? You and your child interact by singing, playing, and dancing. The instructor had a lot of fun children's songs and props like little egg shakers (Jackson would rather slobber it than shake it).
Jackson loved watching the other kids and of course had more fun trying to eat the paper that the songs were on.

It was one of those 'mommy moments' I've been having lately where it hits me, "This is my life, I'm a mom. I get to go to Cuddle Time, play groups, and watch my little man become somebody." I love it. I love that Josh and I have decided that I'd get to stay home with Jackson. Even though everyday isn't a play group and yesterday Josh got home to me scrubbing poop out of Jackson's clothes, it's worth it. In the end, we had a lot of fun and met a lot of other moms in the community. I'm excited to go again and make more friends.

7 months

7 words I would use to describe Jackson

smiley
squishy
curious

exploring all corners of his room

cuddly
soft (Josh does not agree, he would say he's muscular)
happy
handsome

At 7 months Jackson loves to taste whatever dad and mom are eating. Some of his favorite tastes are pockey's(Grandpa Scott brings them home from Japan) and licorice.
He's still our little rollie pollie and tries to crawl but he looks more like he's break dancing with all those circles. . .
He hates sitting up and will only do so for about 23.2 seconds.
He LOVES bath time and his new toys. He gets sad when the water starts draining and will try and kick the drain so it will close(he's very successful at this).

 He tried a bottle for the first time and loves to drink a little bit of water while the rest ends up on his shirt.

When he hears the garage door opening he gets excited and starts flapping his arms because he knows dad is home. He doesn't stop talking when Josh is around and will NOT take his eyes off of him.

Loves to be held by dad

You may be interested

in making your own baby food. Don't be intimidated. I know it sounds like a lot of work, but I promise it's not. Well, at least what I'm willing to do isn't.
Right now baby food isn't that expensive because J only eats solids twice a day and only eats half of the size 2 foods. So the 90 cent containers (2 a pack) last us 4 days. Not too bad, but when he starts eating more, it will add up.
I make J his fruits and then I buy his vegetables. Since he's not too fond of the green vegetables or carrots either, I'm not about to make him squash or sweet potatoes on a daily basis. For now I stick to fruits that are in season that I already buy for Josh and I . Apples and Bananas.
What I did:
1. peel and dice apple(I used two med. gala apples)
2. Put them in a sauce pan
3. add 1/3 cup water
4. 1/8 tsp of cinnamon (optional)


5. Let simmer until apples are very tender, stirring occasionally (about 10 min)

6. I used my magic bullet blender (added all contents of pan)

7. Place in ice cube tray w/ cover(I'm sure you could use tin foil to cover...)

This is only applesauce. The bananas are already frozen in a bag.

8. Let them freeze and then you can put them in a bag labeled apples and the date. They're good for 3 months frozen. Bananas are even easier, you just peel and blend and then steps 6-8.
For more detailed info, you can visit this site where I got the recipe from here.
I typically use 2 cubes a meal so 2 apples and 1 large banana lasts us about 2 weeks. About 90 cents lasts 2 weeks instead of 4 days. Sounds good to me!

Snow Day

Another snow day here in UT.

I know I can't complain all that much, but is it fair to say I'm getting a bit anxious for summer? Last summer I looked like this

Lets just say, I wasn't really begging Josh to take me swimming, boating, or anywhere for that matter. I guess it didn't help I was on bed rest too.
J and I have been left to play inside once again with our lil space heater and all. This summer, I'm not wasting anytime inside.

Lets hope we're seeing more of this

Lake Powell 2010

And doing more of this:
walking/joging outside with J
Going to the park as often as possible
Water parks
Lake Powell
Visits to my sisters' houses and the pool
Get a little bike buggy so J can 'bike' with Josh and I
Play in our yard on the grass
Explore more of the trails behind our house

This list can go on and on. I'm so excited for spring and summer!!!