The Big ONE.

Jensen turned one year old on Friday April 19^th.  I took the day off from work so I could spend it with him, and we had a great day!  I also used his nap time to get the last minute birthday party preparations ready.  We did a monster theme for his birthday party and spent several weeks leading up to his birthday preparing for it…but I’ll do a separate post for his party.  I honestly think I’m in denial about this whole birthday thing.   I refuse to believe he is no longer a baby and have no plans to rush him out of this stage.  I just don’t want to accept that my baby is growing up!  It’s hard to believe that every month gets more and more fun, but it really is true!  Over the past month, he has become a little chatter box and one of his favorite words and toys is “ball”.  He will say it over and over again while he pushes the soccer ball around the house or attempts to throw the ball for Sydney.  Here are few nuggets of Jensen’s life that I hope to remember from his 12 month birthday:

--STATS: Weight 24 Pounds, Height 31.5 inches, size 4 diaper, 12-18 month clothing

--He is copying everything we do now.  From words to silly noises to actions.  He is also talking a bunch!  He says the following words: baa (ball), mama, dada, thydnee (Sydney), yaaaaay, ni ni (night night), and agua (water). 

--LOVES to play with balls.  One night he spent 30 minutes pushing and following a soccer ball around my parent’s kitchen.  He just kept saying “baa” over and over again.  Now, every time he sees any type of ball, he has to have it! 

--Dances by swinging his arms from side to side and bouncing up and down.  Sometimes I question whether he has much rhythm, but it’s adorably cute nonetheless.

--Heard live music for the first time at his baby dedication at church and he loved it!  He was dancing and “singing” along…by singing I mean making a bunch of loud noise.

--Enjoys playing basketball in the bath by putting the little balls in the hoop.

--Eats almost as much as I do at meal times.  No joke, this boy can EAT.  Andy is so proud and I am so worried.  I have nightmares of having to go to the grocery store a million times per week to keep up with this hungry boy’s appetite…!

-- Learned how to give purposeful kisses.  When you ask for a kiss, he gives you a big open mouth kiss.  They are heart melting!  And you can certainly feel those two little teeth on your bottom lip when he does this…and he still only has two teeth!

-- Got a slide for his birthday and can spend half an hour playing on it, climbing up and down, sliding, etc.  He also got a ball pit with a tunnel and loves to spend time in the “ball cave”.

--Finally got the nerve to crawl out the doggie door into the back yard! 

--Can stand up on his own, but still cautious and prefers to hold onto something when he stands up.

--Not walking yet, but has taken a few steps when going from mommy to daddy.

--Still loves the water.  He puts face down in the water and blows bubbles or tries to drink it directly from the bathtub.  He also discovered how much fun it is to splash.

--Knows exactly what a milkshake or smoothie king looks like and will stalk you until you share with him.

--Anytime he sees you eat something, he wants to partake in the snack too.  The days of enjoying a snack by myself are long gone {and I don’t mind this one bit, I love sharing with him!}

--Still nursing and we are still going strong (I told you I refuse to accept that he’s not a baby anymore!)

-- Started resting his head on your shoulder when you hold him.  So sweet.

--His hair is getting so long and I am refusing to cut it…and I don’t care what people think!  I love that its growing over his ears and shaggy looking.

--Figured out that sharing his food with Sydney is FUN!  He gets the biggest giggles when she eats food from his hand.

--Sydney and Jensen have become pretty good buds lately.  Jensen loves for her to be around and Sydney has taken more of an interest in him.  Finally!  This may have something to do with the fact that Jensen now shares his food with Sydney...

--Reaches out to completely random strangers to be held by them.  Such a friendly guy, but sometimes its little awkward when that person doesn't want to hold him. 

--Still loves to bang on anything that makes noise.  He’s my little drummer boy!  This month he learned to bang on the side of the bath tub.

--His nickname is “booger”.  I have no idea why, it just seemed to stick.

--Had is 4^th ear infection this month, so we are now discussing a visit to an ENT if this trend continues.  The second he gets even a hint of a runny nose, it’s almost guaranteed that he will get an ear infection soon after.  He usually runs a moderate fever (102) and gets fussy.  But once he gets some Tylenol and starts his antibiotic, he is feeling better in a few hours.  He’s such a little trooper!

--This little boy makes Andy and I the happiest people in the world.  He is the silliest, funniest, most active little boy and we are just head over heels in love with him.  A very happy birthday to my little JAM man!

Eleven {11} Months



Our 11 month photo shoot looked alot like this...

Oh my Jensen!  You are 11 months old today and it’s so unbelievable to me!  I think back to a year ago when I was in the final weeks of being pregnant with you and my mind is blown by how much our lives have changed since.  You are such a joyous and perfect addition to our lives and you definitely keep us entertained all the time!  Our 11 month photo shoot was very different from all the other months.  He no longer has any patience to sit still for a photo, so I made do with what I could.  His photos are very indicative of his current activity level!  

Stats: Weight: Estimated at 23.5 pounds; Height: Estimated at 31 inches; Size 4 diapers, 12-18 Month Clothing.  He seems to have leaned out some since last month due to growing longer and being on the move all the time.  He's definitely an active little boy!  As we approach the one year mark, I want to make sure we remember these last few days of you being a "baby" before embarking on toddler-hood: 

--You have a mind to explore.  You want to check everything out, no leaf unturned, no acorn untouched. 

Always checking something out.

--On a similar note:  He loves to pick up leaves, grass, acorns, and mulch and put it in his mouth{yuck!}.  We tell him NO but he usually just looks at us and smiles.  Stubborn!

--This baby could be outside ALL.DAY.LONG.  He seriously loves it!  Sometimes I leave the front door open to let fresh air into the house and he is determined to crawl out the door every time.  Most of the time I close the door before he can crawl out and he gets SO upset!  It’s almost like I’ve broken his sweet little heart.  I’m such a mean mommy!

--Started giving hugs to your favorite people.  This includes giving hugs to your favorite pup, Sydney.  You love to crawl over to her, wrap your arms around her, and rest your head on her.  It’s the sweetest thing.  Sydney just tolerates it.

--Daddy taught you to throw the tennis ball for Sydney.  You seem to favor your left hand for throwing, but use both hands to pick it up and throw it down (sometimes its more of a roll off your leg, but you’re getting the concept!).  You are really improving on your coordination and you get so proud of yourself when you throw it well.  Sydney loves to chase it!

--Absolutely love bath time.  When you hear the water turn on in the bath tub, your face lights up with pure joy and excitement. 

--Showing some of your temper more now and you can be feisty when you don’t like something!  Your scream sounds more like a pig squealing.  I’m curious where you learned that lovely new skill?

--We think the pacifier has taken the place of a “lovie” for you.  You sleep with one in your mouth, and one in each hand.  {I told y’all he was obsessed with this thing!}  I am now only letting you have it during sleep and when we’re in the carseat on an errand.  Any other time of the day, I take it away so you we can hear you talk and use that sweet little voice.

--Talking a bunch!  He loves to talk LOUD and say the sound DA!  He gets really passionate about saying it, and it’s too funny!

--Can stand on his own sometimes, but still uses the couches and other furniture to walk around the room.

--Has started to enjoy nursing again and this makes my heart happy!  There was a time where he didn’t seem very interested and got easily distracted, but lately he will nurse just fine.  It’s so funny to watch him look for the milk “source”.  Hehe. :-)

--Still eats baby food, but loves fingers foods including: avocado, bananas, pasta, ham, roast beef, cheese, spaghetti, chicken.  Pretty much anything he can get his chubby little fingers on.

--We can be on the opposite side of the house, but when he hears Andy walk in the door from work, he hauls butt to greet him.  Best part of the day ever!

--Loves to sleep with his booty in the air, or his whole body packed into a corner of his crib.

--Still only the two bottom teeth, which is why we limit him on the types of finger foods we offer.

--Has a head full of glorious auburn colored hair that I would love to have!

--Recently started sorting, playing and exploring with his toys and anything in the house.  One night he spent 30 minutes pulling every piece of workout clothing from my drawer and sorting them into different piles.  And of course he loves to pull stuff OUT from drawers, but not putting them back IN the drawers which creates a lovely mess for us to pick up.  I love that he is starting to learn how to play independently because I can see the wheels turning in his head as he investigates.

--Realized that playing with his food and water can be fun!  Last night he would drink a big gulp of water from his sippy cup, and then with a mouth full of water he would blow raspberries at me.  It was both hilarious and messy!    

--Will crawl up the stairs at his grandparents house all day long!  His grandpa taught him how to crawl down the steps safely and now he can use that method to get off the couch or chair.  That's what he was doing in the very first photo.

--Still obsessed with all things relating to water: dog bowl, bath tub, faucet, sippy cup, cups of water.  We are so excited for the weather to start warming up to take him to the pool for the first time! I see us spending a lot of time there this summer.

--Can wave hello and goodbye.  He does it even when I take his photo.  See evidence of this below. 

--Hasn't met a stranger.  Seems to be happy to meet new people and be held by anyone.  He's a friendly little dude! 

--Continues to laugh all the time.  I hope this never changes.

--Loves to bang on stuff like a drum.  We think we may have a musician on our hands.  The dryer door is one of favorite instruments!

Being a goofball.

I have been planning and preparing for his first birthday since January.  I’m having so much fun and doing several DIY projects for the event.  We are also having our backyard patio redone so we are so excited to be able to use that for summer evenings and to entertain.  Seriously can’t believe we will have a one year old on our hands in a few short weeks.  Very exciting but also so very sad at the same time...it all went by so fast!     


Love his silly face here.  Contemplating his next move.

I'm so tired of this mom...

Caught him mid-blink.  So cute.

J.A.M.'s modeling debut

I've been working on accumulating more and more goodies for my in home studio, and who could be a better little model to show off all of my new stuff than Mr. JAM himself?!?  So here are a few of my favorites from his 9.5 month photo session this past month.  
 

10 Month Little Mister

My 10 month cutie.

We celebrated Jensen’s 10 month birthday this week.  And whadoya know?!?  He’s sick again with a fever and ear infection.  It’s only the second time he’s been sick, but it’s still so sad and frustrating.  So his 10 month birthday was very anticlimactic and part of it was spent back in the doctor’s office.  Thankfully he’s feeling better now.

Look at those feet crossed at the ankle.  He's been doing that often.  So cute!

 I kinda feel like these posts start to become repetitive as the months go on…one month flows into the next in the blink of an eye.  Jensen is a wild man now, crawling at warp speed all over the house and running into everything with his walker.  Here are some of the new milestones for this past month:

--He is a master at using his walker (turning, going around objects, backing up, running, sliding) and can practically run full speed in it.  Just yesterday we learned to get the heck out of dodge whenever he comes near you in the walker.  He charged at Sydney, giving her little time to react and caused her to cry out in pain when he ran over her paw.  My ankles have also been a target of his lately.

 --Loves to explore new parts of the house in his walker. 

 --He’s doing this run and slide motion in the walker where he picks up his feet and sliiiiiiiiiiides across the floor.  I think he gets a thrill out of it.  Such an adrenaline junky!

--Has been seen standing on his tippee toes to reach for things and even attempted to jump up to get the object that was out of his reach yesterday.

 --Can climb up the entire flight of stairs at his grandparent’s house.  He always has supervision when doing this, but the no fear thing scares me!

--Has recently become completely obsessed with water: in his sippee cup, in our adult sized cups, in the bath tub, the dog’s water dish, etc.  He has become so brave in the bath rub and dunks his head under the water on his own to attempt to get a drink.  He loves to put his face under the moving water of the shower head.  And when he sees you drinking water from an adult-sized cup, he gets SO excited and reaches/begs for it.  He can drink successfully from the big cup, but it usually results in a mess all over him and me.  In his sippee cup, he usually drinks about 2-3 ounces of water with every meal.  It seems as though he prefers to drink it cold.

--Weighs 23 pounds and 11 ounces.  Height: TBD.  Size 4 diapers, mostly 18 month clothes. 

--Has a small toy wooden hammer that he carries around with him everywhere he goes.

--Still hates diaper changes!  He thinks we are torturing him when we change him.

 --Says “mama mama” all the time.  I think he says it when he wants something.  We are trying to teach him Spanish right now as well, so he may also being saying his version of “mas” (more).

 --His hair is growing longer and thicker every day.  It now goes over his ears on the side.  I just LOVE shaggy baby hair.  I will probably trim the rat tail around his first birthday, but not much more.

 --One of the best parts about my day (or Andy’s day) is greeting Jensen for the first time when we see him in the afternoon.  He gets SUPER excited, screams/squeals with delight, and can’t crawl over to us fast enough.  It is the BEST feeling in the world.

 --Watches everything we eat with what we call the “stink eye”.  If we’re eating/drinking something, he wants to try it too.   I feel like I have two puppy dogs begging for my food now!

--Has really started to show an interest in Sydney and also gets excited to see her.  Sometimes he crawls on top of her and loves to grab at her face and ears.  We always keep a close eye on this because Sydney doesn’t really know what to think about all of this “extra” attention.

--Use the couches to walk the perimeter of the living room. 

--Sleeping great at night, usually from 8-7am.  Naps twice a day for about 1-2.5 hours each time.

--Eating everything within reason and some baby food too.  Loves cheese and turkey.  I'm still nursing him, although he will bite me on occasion, OUCH!

 --Still only has his two bottom teeth.  But we have buckets of drool right now, so there may be more on the way.

--Really loves to be outside.  Wagon rides, hanging in the pack-in-play while mom and dad work in the yard, walks around the neighborhood in his stroller.  When our front door is open, that’s where he’s headed.

--Still loves to watch other babies and kids play (our neighbors are some of his favorites).  I think he’s is just itching to get down and play and show them whose boss!

 --Recently learned to give high fives, still gives the most amazing slobber kisses, snuggles, and we think he’s is starting to say “hi” although it sounds more like “eh”.

 --Enjoys reading books at bed time and started turning the page for us. I love this!

 --Giggles and laughs non-stop at everything.  I say this every month, but he really does laugh all the time and its music to my ears.

Personally, I am dreading the next two months.  I am totally NOT ready for him to be a one year old toddler.  Not ready to give up bottles, to move to one nap, to attempt to eliminate the pacifier...not ready I tell you!!  But I am SO excited for his first birthday, celebrating our little monster with family and friends, summer time, swimming in the pool, signing him up for swimming lessons, taking him to the zoo, etc.  I LOVE THIS BOY!   

His hair is AWESOME.

This is the only picture I have where you can actually see his two little teeth!

Looking very skeptical...

Happiest boy on the planet!

Happy 9 months JAM-man!

 

We’ve had a crazy past few weeks around here. Jensen it just now getting over his first virus/sickness.  It was AWFUL. I went into his room at 5am one morning to feed him, and when I picked him up he felt very HHOT.  My mommy senses are still developing, so I made note of it but thought maybe he was warm since the heater had been on most of the cold night.  I proceeded to nurse him just like I do every morning.  After a few minutes, he rolled over and vomited all of the milk he had just drank on me.  This was definitely not a usual spit up.  I then took his temperature and it was 101.5.  Nooooooo!  My poor baby was sick!  I just sat there with him in my arms and cried.  I know it sounds dramatic and I realize I will look back and laugh at this, but at the time I was so heart-broken!  We had gone 9 months with nothing more than an occasional runny nose, so all of this was a first for us.  I felt so helpless…and honestly, I felt like I had failed as a parent.  I felt guilty for being a working mom.  Thinking, maybe he wouldn’t have gotten sick if I was staying home with him.  Or how could he have gotten sick when I’m still devoting SO MUCH of my life to nursing/pumping in order to provide him with all of those lovely antibodies?!?  {It takes a lot of commitment and hard work to continue nursing, pumping and working full time!}  Anyway, those are just some of the emotions I was feeling at the time.    I know he will get sick again.  I know it's a normal part of life with a baby.  They get sick, it happens.  And I know it's not my fault and that I shouldn't feel guilty.  I know I am a good mommy and doing the best I can.  But I wanted to document all those emotions so I can look back and remember how I felt the first time he got sick (and hopefully laugh about it!).

To make a VERY long story short, he had an ear infection along with fever, and then broke out into a rash all over his body.  The doctor thinks he had roseola.  The rash disappeared and he seemed to get better for about two days before the rash came back with a vengeance, but without a fever this time.  His face looked like a battle ground.  It was disturbing, embarrassing, and just plain sad.  Back to the doctor we went, for a third time in one week and this time the doctor thought he either caught hand, foot, and mouth virus OR he even mentioned the measles.  Who knows what he actually had…two different viruses in one week or just a really long battle with the first one?  Regardless, I am happy to report my crazy, fun-loving, wild man is back and all over the place!  I am so relieved he his feeling better and the rash is now almost completely gone.

So there is my excuse for writing this blog post so late.  During all of this drama, he had his 9 month birthday.  We are inching ever so close to the one year mark and it’s hard to believe! 

 Over the past month he has learned so much:

--He abandoned his army-style crawl for a more efficient regular style of crawling.  No more tummy dragging for this little man, which means our floors won’t get cleaned as often. I kid, I kid!

--Has his first (and second) tooth!  The bottom left tooth first made its appearance in early January.  The bottom right tooth is currently coming in as well.  It didn’t seem to phase him, although around this time he started to wake up once time during the night.

-- I found him one morning standing up in his crib for the very first time.  He was so dang proud of himself!  And that was the beginning of him pulling up on anything and everything he could get his hands on.  We lowered his crib later that day. 

--Has no fear, and it frightens me!  He tries to move from his play table to his bouncer by standing and reaching over with his hands to stabilize himself, but it doesn’t always work out the way he hoped.

--Likes to use only one hand while he’s standing with support so he can use the free hand to bother Sydney or reach for a toy. 

--Started eating meats, and really enjoys eating bite sizes pieces of fresh turkey like a big boy.  Also really loves to eat finger foods.

--Has fluctuated in his eating habits a few times over the past month.  This could be because he was sick, due to teething, or just changing up his preferences.  Sometimes he will eat everything we give him and drink more than 30 ounces of milk a day.  Other times, he has no interest in solid food and has no patience to sit and drink a bottle for more than 2 ounces at a time.

-- Loves his bath time, trying to grab at the water from the faucet, and playing with his bath toys.  Although, we have to constantly tell him NO when he tries to stand up in the bathtub.  It gives me a heart attack every time!

--Is totally over the bouncer/jumperoo at this point.  He wants to get out and explore!

--Loves going for rides in his red radio flier wagon.  I find him crawling over to it often and standing up on the side of it like he’s trying to tell us “I’m ready to go for a ride Mom!”

--Refuses to lay still for diaper changes AT ALL.  “Ain’t nobody got time for that!”  We usually try to entice him with a cool toy in order to keep him still for the 30 seconds it takes to change him.

--Seems to enjoy music.  Whenever he starts fussing in the car, the music seems to calm him down.

--Learned how to use his walker and loves moving around the house!  It seems like he’s getting more and more confident with his standing and walking skills every day.  And it scares me.

--Going through another sleep regression right now, mainly because he was all out of sorts while he was sick.  He’s been waking one time in the middle of the night crying, but doesn’t seem to be hungry.  I think he just wants to attention from mommy or daddy.  We ARE pretty cool, so who can blame him? 

--Refuses to sit still for any photos with mommy.  Tear L.  There are too many cool things that need to be discovered, mom!

--Started dancing when he stands and hears music with a good beat.  It’s the cutest thing I have ever seen. 

--Loves his talking dog and has learned to push the buttons on the doggies feet to make him talk and dance.  He always smiles/laughs at it when it moves and sings.

--We think he says “mammammma” when he’s hungry….

--Got sick for the first time, ran his first fever, first ear infection, got his first rash, and threw up (yuck!) for the first time.  Gotta remember the good and the bad! 

--Still my chubby, happy, fun-loving, little man that we are totally obsessed with. 

That’s all I can think of for now.  We’ve had a milestone-filled month and it’s been both fun and stressful.  Please pray that Jensen stays healthy for rest of the year (at least I can hope for that, right?).  I used up most of my vacation/paid leave over the last two weeks so I only have 2.5 days left before I run out.  If that happens, I will have to take sick days without pay.  Not the ideal situation and I’m really hoping we can avoid that, if at all possible.  And with photography keeping me busy during my free time (which I LOVE), working a full time job, spending time with Jensen/Andy/Sydney, trying to eat right, exercise, and keep the house clean and in order, there’s not much time for anything else.  So I guess I will see y’all again at 10 months (which at this point is only a few weeks away)!

And I leave with "a day in the life of Jensen".  Enjoy.

JAM is 8 Months

One of my favorite photos of him to date.

I am so late with this post.  Jensen officially turned 8 months old on December 19th, but with all the busyness of the Holiday season, I am just now getting around to writing his 8 month wrap-up.  We had a very busy last few weeks, so I'll do my best to summarize it all.

One of the most important events from this past month was that Jensen was baptized on December 16th at St. Helen's Catholic Church.  It was such a special event for our little family of three.  His baptism was a symbol of our commitment to the church and to our family that we will raise our son with a love and knowledge of the Lord.  We promise to instill Christian values in his upbringing and to always set a Godly example for him in our lives and home.  I pray he will grow to have a meaningful relationship with Christ and always keep his faith his top priority in his life, no matter the circumstances.  My sweet and perfect boy. 

The service was wonderful.  I was worried how he would do because the baptism started at 3pm, which falls right in the middle of his usual afternoon nap time.  But he did great!  He played with my necklace during the entire ceremony, and was just a little ham.  He kept laughing at his grandpa, and gave the priest a strange look when he poured the water over his head, but didn't fuss at all.  I was such a proud momma.  We had so many family and friends in attendance, and it was such a special time celebrating our biggest blessing in life, our boy!  After the baptism, we had dinner and cupcakes at our house.  My dad cooked his famous briskets and they were a big hit!

Such a special moment with our boy.

I love this shot.  His face is priceless!

Another fun event was seeing the Peter Pan musical at the Hobby Center with our friends Lanna and Mike. Jensen stayed with his grandparents for a few hours that evening and had fun, as usual.  It was a fun date night and the play was fantastic!  One of my current students was one of the lost boys in the play, so that was really neat to see her perform!  I would love to take Jensen in a few years when he can appreciate it.   Sorry, no pictures to share from this event.  Boo on me.

Our Christmas was nice, but not didn't go exactly as planned.  Andy came down with some yucky virus and ran a fever Christmas Eve and most of Christmas Day.  We ended up missing the Candlelight Service at church for the first time ever.  SO sad!  It's also tradition for us to host a Christmas Even meal at our house with family...Andy usually cooks his world famous tacos which are amazing!  But because he was so sick, we opted for take-and-bake pizza instead.  Yep, we ate pizza on Christmas Eve.  But it was still delish!  I felt so bad for Andy, and sad that he couldn't enjoy Jensen's first Christmas like we hoped.  Oh well, we still enjoyed every minute with our little man.  He helped us open his presents by tearing the wrapping paper and got so many new toys!  I feel like he has every Baby Einstein toy ever created and our house is definitely being overrun with baby toys.  I am so excited to celebrate all the holidays with JAM over the years.   He is our joy!

Christmas pajamas and PRESENTS!

Over the last month Jensen has officially become a mobile baby.  He moves all around the house by doing his army-style crawling.  It's so cute to see him coming around the corner following us down  the hallway.  His favorite hang-outs seem to be the master bathroom and kitchen.  He always makes a bee-line straight towards Sydney's water dish and it's become a game of who can get to the dish the fastest before he makes a huge mess.  He is fascinated by her water bowls.  Here are some stats and JAMisms I want to remember from this past month.  It's unbelievable how fast the brain forgets!

He is ALWAYS smiling.  Seriously!

Eating stickers is fun, I think...?

--Weight is 22.8 pounds, height is 28.75 inches, wearing 18 month clothes and size 4 diapers
--Went through a small sleep regression right around Christmas and started waking up crying 1-2 times per night.  Had to do a little CIO, but I think we are back to normal.
--Wants to be on the move.  The bouncer is no longer a good source of entertainment for this monkey.  
--Is trying to pull up on everything, and has done it successfully a few times
--Talks a bunch!  He says "mommma", "dadddad" (his "d" sounds like a "t"), gaggaga, hmmmmm, bababa, 
--Really loves when Sydney licks his hand.  He makes the cutest chuckle.
--Can pick up and eat puffs, cherrios, and really enjoys being a big boy by picking up his own food
--Is drinking from a sippy cup and seems to enjoy it a bunch!
--When you pat his back after a bottle/nursing session, he hums loudly.  I think he likes to hear his voice quiver with each pat, like a little Indian.  It's so funny!
--Makes this funny sound randomly.  Hard to describe, but it's like the sound you would make after drinking a really cold and refreshing coke.  Ahhh.  Too funny.
--Shakes his head "no" just to be silly
--Is one fun/crazy little boy!  Loves to be thrown around, tossed, rough-housed.  He is ALL boy.  
--Laughs and smiles at just about everything.  Mommy and Daddy are his favorite people to smile at.
--Still obsessed with the pacifier/chupone.  That's probably a given from here on out.
--Eating well, now three meals a day with snacks in between.  Still prefers pureed foods as he still has NO TEETH.  He also nurses or takes a bottle 4-5 times per day.
--Still rocking that mullet/rat tail in the back of his head.

THE Mullet/rat tail

--Gives the best open mouth, slobbery kisses.  He grabs your face between his sticky hands and puts his entire open mouth over your mouth.  Makes my heart melt when he does this! 
--Using his big boy, blow-up duck bath tub now and has a blast splashing water
--Thinks peek-a-boo is the best game ever invented.
-- Will do a side-laying plank position that we like to call the "Burt Reynolds" pose.  We have a picture of that for sure:

The "Burt Reynolds" pose

Jensen, stop growing up NOW.  My heart can't take it.  Time needs to slow down, but I know it won't.  I love you Booger!

A boy and his dog

My love.

Seven (ahhhh!) Months

Stickers!  Nom nom

Seems like life is really starting to pick up speed.  We are zooming through the last few months of 2012 and I can't help but think about all the changes our world has gone through this year.  But I'll talk about that on a later post.  Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and I have SO.MANY.THINGS to be thankful for at this point in my life.  Sometimes when I think about my son and all the cute/awesome/smart/funny things he does, my heart literally feels like it's going to jump out of my chest and explode.  It's the craziest thing!  Or if I'm not with him and I see another baby close to his age out and about with his/her parents, doing something cute or baby-like, my heart aches for my boy.  Like physically, painfully aches.  Being a mommy and parent is the most amazing, life altering, rock-your-world (in a good way) event.  I am beyond grateful to our ever loving God, that he has chosen me {ME!} to be this little boy's mommy.  Every day my love grows by leaps and bounds to the point that I don't think my heart can possibly take any more.  He is MY joy.

He is now 7 months old and I'm already starting to think about his first birthday.  I can't seem to narrow down the theme just yet, but the wheels are turning.  Andy thinks it's crazy to put so much thought and effort into a first birthday party, but he knows me and my crazy OCD ways so he just goes with the flow.

Here's what JAM has been up to over the last month.

• He weighs a solid 22 pounds (90th %tile) and is still 28.5 (95th %tile) inches long
• Currently wearing 12 month clothes, and even 18 month sizes in some brands
• Eating two meals a day, breakfast (usually blended steal cut oatmeal and a fruit) and dinner (fruit & veggie medleys) and getting really good at eating.  I make all of his food and it's so much fun!
• Loves carrots, yams, acorn squash, green beans, apples, and pears.  Not a big fan of bananas and avocados...we think it has something to do with the texture
• Learning to drink from a sippy cup
• Still nursing and taking 4-5 bottles of pumped milk per day (4-5 oz each)
• Sleeping from 7:30pm - 6am most nights (day light saving time moved bedtime back by about 30 min)
• Totally obsessed with his pacifier and can handle and maneuver that thing like a champ.  He will steal it from you if he sees you have it and can twist and turn it with his hands until it's just right in his mouth.
• No teeth yet
• Laughs all the time and at everything!  Funny faces, silly noises, being tickled.  We call him out little chuckle-head.  It's the greatest sound EVER.
• He does this cute bashful smile when we talk cute to him, and will turn away and bury his head into your shoulder.  LOVE when he does this.
• Has a set of octopus hands, those babies are always moving and opening/closing
• Still not officially crawling, but can scoot/roll/army crawl anywhere he wants to go.  He rolls ALL over the place.  Gotta get this house baby-proofed stat!
• Sitting up well, but still makes me nervous to leave him sitting without a spot
• Thinks its funny to throw himself back when he's in your arms or sitting in your lap
• Really showing an interest in toys now, loves all things that rattle and crinkle
• Sits in a big boy car seat, but still facing the rear...he just go too heavy to carry around in the infant carrier!
• Loves to grab your face with both of his hands and give you "kisses".  These JAM kisses make me want to melt.
• Loves it when Sydney licks his hand and wants to be best friends with her so badly!
• Seems to favor his left hand when he picks things up, which makes sense since his daddy is also left handed
• Really enjoys jumping in his jumperoo (aka, circle of neglect, LOL)
• Shows an interest in other little kids, probably because he stays with two other little boys during the day
• Still needs that hair cut I keep talking about...at least to cut the rat tail or mullet thing he has going on in the back of his head.  But I just can't seem to go through with it yet.  That sweet baby hair is so precious to me!
• Getting baptized next month!

And that's my boy.  He such a funny little guy.  I can't wait to celebrate all the holidays with him and see what next month brings us in terms of milestones.  Jensen Alexander, I love you more than words can ever describe.  Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

He loves his giraffe.  You can see the annoyance on his face.  More pictures mom?!?

My always smiling, happy boy.

My favorite.  The last photo of our session.  iPhone and all.  LOOK at that head of HAIR!  He doesn't sit still for too long anymore either.