Me & Amy

We visited our friends Amy & Joel in Atlanta last weekend.  Fun trip...but it went by way too fast.  We headed up Friday after work, and were able to hang out a bit on Friday afternoon.  Saturday was packed with activities among all of us --- Josh, Jackson, & I ventured out into Duluth (7 miles from Amy & Joel) to visit my former manager and his family.  He had an amazing house, like the kind you might see on MTV Cribs or one of those real estate shows.  We were in awe (and kinda drooling over it, especially the finished basement...complete with gym room, pool table, bar, card table, big tv, etc).  I joked and asked him if I could rent it for vacation when they go away on their trips....only half kidding. :)

The rest of the day was comprised of shopping with Amy (no boys!), a partial game of The Office Trivia, Joel heading out for his fantasy fb draft, and, OF COURSE, some Skipbo games with Amy!  Oh, and she gave me my birthday gift....this really cool hand-stamped necklace with Jackson's name & birth date on it.  I love it!  I need to post a pic soon(you can see it in the picture above, but I still need to get one that shows the detail)...

Then we headed back to CLT on Sunday morning, and it was BAU. 

We'll get to see them again in October -- they scored tickets to a Panthers game and are going to take us as guests! :)  Roooouuuaaaaaarrrrrr (that's my Panthers fb growl) ....haha.

Jackson ended up with 2 dr appointments this week -- a GI specialist follow-up and the 6 month regular checkup.  Josh and I had to tag-team them and go separately so it wouldn't disrupt work too much.

So Josh handled the GI appt on Wed.  Everything seems to be going fine with him on that front.  We've transitioned him to soy formula, to do a trial to see if he still has the protein intolerance.  Another poo diaper test, and this time it came back negative, so it looks like Jackson has grown out of the intolerance, and we can end our $50+/week formula costs!  Yay!  We'll try another transition to regular formula in a few weeks, and it's expected that he'll tolerate that fine as well.

Jackson's still a rather spitty baby.  It's a lot less in frequency and volume than when he was younger, but he's probably much "spittier" than other babies his age.  The dr. said half of all babies stop by 6 months (not ours!) and then it continues to decline from there with a small portion going all the way to a year or so before stopping.  I have a feeling we'll be cleaning up regurgitated first-birthday cake....  In any regard, the Prevacid is controlling his acid reflux issues, and the dr said we should probably keep him on it as long as he's spitting up frequently.  Once the spitting stops, we can try weaning him from the medicine and see how he reacts.  So Prevacid is in our daily regimen for now. 

As for the regular 6 month appt, he weighed in at 19 lbs and 27.5 in, and is staying between the 75-90 percentile; so his growth seems to be slowing down from the earlier 90/95%.  He still seems realllllllyyyyy tall to me though.  Matter of fact, I dropped him off at Steph's after the appt, and there was a mom and 1 year old girl there.....who was the exact same size as Jackson (19 lbs, 28" approx).  Lucky me, b/c I didn't pack enough diapers, so he could borrow the ONE YEAR OLD'S....because they wear the same size!  Insane.

Ok, back to the appointment... Everything checked out fine, and as always, I had a few questions for the doctor.  He does some weird stuff with his hands / fingers, and I've only noticed it recently, since he bangs on EVERYTHING he can manage to flatten his hand against (my arm, the table, high chair, his own legs.....).  He kind of holds his fingers separated between the middle and ring ones a lot of times (yes, like the Star Trek hand thing, and sometimes his ring finger seems to bend all crooked-like.  But the dr said he looks fine, no disorders or medical issues related to it....he might just have weird fingers :)  It does seem to be less pronounced than a month or so ago, so maybe it's going away as he achieves more control over his hands and fingers.

And then....always the sad part.....he got his next round of vaccinations.  He always starts crying as soon as he gets the (oral) RV medicine....it must taste bad.  And it's downhill from there.  But the nurse is really fast, so it's over pretty quickly.

At the doctor appointment 

The regular check ups are going to be a little more spaced out now; he goes back at 9 months (and no shots at that one!).  But with the GI follow up and an InfantSee eye appt on tap, we're not out of the waiting room just yet.....

Oh, and I updated the 6 months post with all the "official" stats and growth charts....

Jackson's still doing all kinds of things that amaze me!  Like his babbling....it's now progressed to mixtures of sounds, and all of a sudden, it sounds a lot closer to real talking (an example, "bishimjuuuhhhhhhhhmmaaahhhh")...even with accents and intonations, as though he's really telling us something important (usually, he babbles more when he's bored, frustrated, or fussy). 

We're also practicing drinking from a cup, and he's already made so much progress!  My goal is to have him skip the "sippy" part of the cup and go straight to regular cup and straw drinking (high hopes, right?).  So at night after his last meal, we've started practicing with 1 or 2 ounces of water or diluted juice.  His cup has handles on the sides, so it makes it easy for him to grab, but I do have to hold on and guide it towards his mouth (at this stage, he would just fling it to the floor).  So we take practice sips.  At first, he would just let too much go in his mouth, and he would spit it out and do little choke / coughs (I didn't let him get too much though).  But now he understands how to take in just a little bit at a time, and he pushes the cup away after each sip....he only dribbles a bit here and there.  So our next goals are to get him to hold the cup himself.....no telling when that stage will come...

Playing with one of his favorite things to steal-- his daddy's hat!

 
Taking a nap on Josh...look how tall Jackson is!  He's already making me feel short....

New foods this week -- peas (not so into these....even gagged a few times) & applesauce (shown here...he's kinda "ehhh, whatever" about them)

Coming up this week:  2 doctor visits :(  The GI specialist and 6 month check-up. 

I scored some awesome deals at the annual CMOMs Sale last weekend! :)

Disclaimer -- I am not usually motivated to seek out good deals.  I do try to use coupons, and occasionally snag a deal on something on CraigsList, but I am by far a convenience shopper.  I only rifle through messy sales racks before I become bored and walk away.  I can't be bothered with warehouse clubs because I don't want to make an extra stop at ANOTHER store.  You get the drift.  But I ventured out (with my doubts in tow) to the CMOMs sale after I had heard some rumors it was worth it.

It was!  I decided to pay $2 to go to the "early bird" sale at 7:30 am (1 hr before the free public sale).  I drove up 15 minutes early and saw the "day-after-Thanksgiving" style line of sale-hungry moms waiting to get in.

I was worried it would take forever to get inside; Or a bunch of frenzied moms would mow me down lunging for a deal; Or, even worse, there would be parent-zombies everywhere (you know, those people who, in a public, crowded place, directly in front of your path, decide to construct their own social rules and stop the flow of traffic, often times with a large stroller blocking any means of passing). 

No such things happened!  CMOMs runs a tight, organized setup with this sale.  No strollers allowed (YES!).  People were efficiently brought inside.  Items were organized according to category and size, if applicable.  Everything was labeled and priced.  And there wasn't any running or fighting over "hot" items.  AND there was a ton of good stuff (even big stuff like furniture, bikes, baby gear....)!

I got all of the following, for only $58:

• 1 pair of jeans
• 8 sets of pajamas
• 4 shirts (2 which were brand new!)
• 2 coats (1 which was brand new, and retailed at $50)
• 8 bowl / plate sets
• 4 spoons
• 3 teethers
• 1 pull toy
• 1 pull cart

I will definitely be going back next year :)

Takin'  a break from baby bloggin'...

I had a birthday last week - 26!  Josh was sweet and got off work early and showed up (I was working from home) with some of my favorite things:  flowers, ice cream cake, and best of all, Jackson (he had picked him up early)!! 

In other news, I chopped off the hair (good riddance).  Way too much of a hassle.  I decided to let Courtney (a friend of ours) do a hair makeover for me.  I like it....but there is a learning curve for me on the styling front (in her defense, she did give me all kinds of tips and pointers....I just gotta keep practicing). This picture is from her styling it - I haven't been able to reproduce such results :)

New food - green beans.  Healthy diet and developing a wide variety of tastes -- awesome.  Green spit up -- not so awesome.

Playing with Mocha

Update -- Official weight &  growth charts added 8/29
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Jackson is 6 months old today -- happy "half" birthday to him!  Our preliminary measurements bring him in at 18.5 lbs and 27.5 in (will update with official doctor's office measurements after his visit in a couple of weeks).  Update 8/29:  Dr office measurements:  19 lbs, 27.5 in.  Here’s a comparison:

4 months old 
16 lbs (77%) 
26.5 in (95%)

6 months old  
19 lbs (77%)
27.5 in (86%)

Growth Charts: 

Current Developmental Milestones:

• Smiles at everyone; no stranger anxiety or shyness
• Laughs more and more often, more easily; seems to have developed a sense of humor (laughs at silly noises, facial expressions, etc)
• Starting to like songs (Itsy Bitsy Spider is a current favorite)
• Can sit unsupported for long periods of time
• Holds head and chest up well and for lengthy periods when on tummy time; can sit up on all fours for a short period of time
• Eats rice cereal 2 x per day (in addition to bottle supplements); started vegetables (carrots, squash, green beans); soon to start peas, fruits, and oatmeal
• Teething – probably, but no teeth yet
• Wants to stand all the time and loves to walk with support (he will walk to follow Mocha around the house or to get to an object, so he walks with a "purpose" and can turn as well)
• Still no desire to roll over....still hates tummy time
• Grabs objects easily, transfers from one hand to the other
• Grabs feet and was obsessed for a few weeks with putting them in his mouth
• Wearing size 9 mos clothes (mostly) and in size 3 diapers

For fun, let's recap the first half of Jackson's year (in images!):

First Week

One Month

Two Months

Three Months

Four Months

Five Months

Six Months

Yikes, I'm behind this week!!  It's been a busy few days here lately (I'm sitting here, in my workout gear, determined to write this blog in 30 mins, so I can work out and get in some relaxation / TV time before bed.....it's some kind of hard work balancing all the work, mom-time, me-time, and managing to fit in all the stuff my over-organized-taskmastering-style causes for me!!)

So....back to the task at hand -- update from last week.

Jackson seems really grown up all of a sudden.  Josh and I have both had several "oh my gosh -- look at how big/grown/smart/etc he is now!!!" moments recently.

Example:  he weighs 19+ lbs at almost 6 months.  Saw a babe the other day that weighed 17+ at 1 yr old.  He's so big!!  And that weight is REALLY starting to get heavy to carry around...

Example:  He's so frustrated by his lack of mobility, before he's even developed his own method of getting around.  He wants to walk, all the time!  Forget laying on his tummy and practicing creeping / crawling.  Or sitting.  Both of which we force him to do for practice.  But he's constantly protesting and stiffening up so that he's in a "standing" position.  And he'll walk all over the house if you let him lead you.

Example:  Sitting up!!  Even though he protests when you first sit him down (you have to physically bend his legs) because he would prefer to stand / walk, he will actually sit unsupported, by himself for lengthy periods of time.  It seemed to happen all of a sudden!  He's been sitting fairly well for some time, but would inevitably topple to the side after a few minutes.  Now he can go for 20+ mins! 

Example:  One day, I kind of pushed his knees in a position so he'd be on all fours, and he stayed!  He can sit like this for a few minutes before his arms give out and he either plops down flat or flips over (no, I don't count this as rolling over, due to the momentum and scientific forces propelling him over....he still could care less about going from stomach to back or vice-versa).

Example:  He's almost 6 months old....GASP!

Of course, I can always show a balanced side to the my-baby-is-so-awesomely-smart-and-advanced theory :)  He does do one thing (constantly) that makes you wonder.... He manages to put ANYTHING long and narrow into his mouth and as far back in his throat as anatomically possible.  Wooden stick in music class?  He turns it so it's pointing straight at his mouth; shoves it in.  Baby spoon (when he manages to grab it or my hand during feedings); down his throat.  Wooden spoon (you know, the tried-and-true let your baby bang on stuff with a spoon theory?) -- turns it with the handle facing him; shoves it in his mouth.  Each time he gags and continues to try to stick it in!  So I have to carefully watch him with certain objects.  Back to the old play-with-stuff-in-the-kitchen theory, I let him have a pot with the spoon the other day while I was watching him and cleaning up the kitchen.  Turn away for a second, turn back, he had managed to turn the pot so the handle was facing his mouth, and had shoved the handle in his mouth!  No more sauce pans with handles for him....

Other news from last week -- he tried sweet potatoes....loved 'em!  And here's some other pictures:

He helps us "read the mail" after work 

A short evening nap on me...and of course with the fingers!

New discovery -- he LOVES the Itsy Bitsy Spider song, and it's a sure-fire way to distract him from fussiness!

And goal ACCOMPLISHED!  I finished this blog right at 30 mins! :)  Time to move on to the next task at hand for the evening....working out with Gilad on the DVR. :( 

At Jackson’s 4 month doctor visit, we asked about the red rash spot he has on the back of his neck – we thought it was from bib velcro rubbing him, but the dr said it was a capillary hemangioma, and fairly common in Caucasian babies.  It might get worse or stay the same, it might get raised a bit, or stay flat.  It will probably stay around until early childhood, and then disappear. 

So I promptly came home and, as you could guess, Google searched all over the intarweb (but not TOO obsessively…since there’s nothing really to worry about re: health).  But the pictures and descriptions on the web were mostly for more prominent / severe hemangiomas.  So here’s a picture of Jackson’s for the intarweb, just in case some other crazy geeky mom like me is out there googling “capillary hemangioma” + "baby" + "infant" + etc.............

UPDATE SINCE I FIRST POSTED:  We just got an additional $2.36 added to our Upromise account for an online shopping transaction with the toolbar.  Sweet!!  It looks like it really is adding money to our savings, without us having to change any of our current habits or spending patterns (shop at same retailers, no extra steps, etc).  Sweet deal!!

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I don’t even want to think about Jackson growing up and going away to college, but alas, the $$$$$$$$$$ projected costs warrant saving & investing early.  We decided to meet with a financial planner to discuss a few fiscal matters, and one of the big items was saving for secondary education.  He recommended a couple of 529 plans, and gave us (depressing) calculations of what the average college costs will be by the time j is of age.

So we compared the two 529 plans, and ended up going with one through my employer (the benefits at my company are fabulous, I must say!).  They’ve made it really easy – now we just have paycheck deductions set up to automatically add money to the account on a recurring basis (speaking of those automatic deductions….I get almost nothing from my pay checks – the entire family’s health insurance, healthcare spending account, parking account, auto insurance, 401K savings, my life insurance, and now the 529 all get deducted!).

I also found a couple of neat products to help with college savings – Upromise & Freshman Fund.

Upromise is pretty neat – stores and companies partner with them to provide cash back to your college savings plan when you shop at certain places or purchase particular items.  You can add your credit cards and store shopping cards to your account, and when a qualifying purchase is made, the money is automatically added to your Upromise account, and then moved over to your 529 (if you have one).  I’ve only been using it about a month, but have already earned $0.92 (mainly from my Beech-Nut baby food purchases at the grocery store).  They have a pretty cool toolbar that you can install on your browser (and I am by no means a fan of the typical third party toolbars), and it shows you your current savings total, automatically redirects you when shopping online to the qualifying portal (if the online shopping originates from Upromise at certain retailers, you get money back) among some other features.  Here’s a snapshot of the toolbar at Target.com, showing that you get money back through online shopping (all I did was type “www.target.com” in the browser):

Another neat thing about Upromise?  You can get your family & friends signed up to help save, and if there are multiple children they want to save for, they can easily split the money between them, based on a percentage.  So it works just as well for grandparents and parents of multiple children!

Freshman Fund is a pretty simple site that is set up to accept monetary gifts to go towards college savings, and will deposit the funds directly into the 529 plan.  So if someone wants to give money specifically for college, they can go to the “student’s” page online, submit their gift, and the money goes right to the savings plan!  They have some neat customization stuff you can do (add pictures, etc).  Here’s a link to Jackson’s page:  http://www.freshmanfund.com/profile/JacksonCollinsa54s

Pretty cool stuff!  :)