5 Months Old!

My precious Jaxson, you are 5 months old!

Where did the time go?  I cannot believe how big you are.  When I look at your newborn pictures, it is difficult for me to believe that you are the same baby!  This time, right now, is by far my favorite time yet.  You smile at me, laugh with me, and I can feel in my heart that you love me.  You are incredible and amaze me each and every day. 

You are doing great with Tummy Time!  You can lift your head all the way up, like you might be interested in crawling someday soon!

You love love love your jump jump.  You spend time bouncing all around each evening.

Your Pappa came to stay with us this month.  You love him so much!  You look like him too!

You smile a ton!  You are such a happy little man.  You respond to smiles and kind voices too. 

You giggle lots.  Especially at Bandit.  When he runs by you you giggle every time.  You love when he kisses your little face.  When he runs up to you, you open your little mouth.  It's adorable.  You love him.  We play with him on the floor most nights.  He is gentle with you and has started bringing you his toys.  He doesn't understand that you can't throw them yet.  You also giggle when we kiss your tummy, your neck or your toes.  And you are thrilled when we lift you up into the air.  Your Daddy and I agree that your little giggles are the most wonderful happy sounds in the entire world.

You can roll over from your tummy to your back, but not the other way yet.  I am amazed at how smart you are!  You can pick up toys and put them into your mouth.  Well, actually, everything goes into your mouth.  Me, your hands, Bandit...pretty much everything you can get those precious little fingers on.

We started solid foods this month!  You LOVE eating!  You have one meal each morning with rice cereal, and one each afternoon - a veggie!  Your favorite is sweet potatoes, but you also like carrots and squash.  We try a new veggie every Saturday too add to your routine.

You are sleeping 10 hours each night and I thank you each and every morning.  You still usually fall asleep in our arms, but that's okay with us.  We adore it.

You are all out of breastmilk.  Since we stopped last month, you've gone through our whole freezer stash.  You are 100% on formula now.  It was time, and you have been doing so well.  I am so proud of you.

I adore you more than anything in this world, and so does your Daddy.  Watching the two of you together warms my heart.  We love you more than you will ever know my sweet angel!

3 Months Old!

My Sweet, Precious Jaxson, YOU are 3 Months Old!

How did this happen so quickly?

You are the most amazing thing I've ever done.  Ever.

You weigh 15.5 lbs and are 25 inches long, from my measurements.  No Dr. appointment this month :)

You have been sleeping through the night since you were two months old.  7-9 hours at a time!  It is amazing!

You are eating like a champ!  You eat about 48 ounces of breastmilk each day!  Usually about 6oz when I feed you from a bottle.  You are so good, and go from breast to bottle like it is the most natural thing ever.  Two weeks ago, I started giving you one bottle of formula in the afternoon to get your little system used to it for when I went back to work.  You do great with it!  I feel so lucky that you are so easy going with your food.  But - I decided to keep breast feeding you for now, so you are still just getting the one serving of formula each day.  We also started giving you 1/2 tbsp. of rice cereal in your bottle for your last feeding each evening.  You love it!

We have a bedtime routine now.  After your 8PM feeding, we sit on the couch for about half an hour and relax while your food settles.  Then, we have your bath in your blue bathtub in the kitchen sink. You LOVE your bathtime!  We use lavendar scented soap, and it is so nice and calming.  You love to grab the washcloth when I drape it over the faucet - you never tire of that game!  After that, you get all lotioned up and dressed in your pajamas.  Then we have your rice cereal bottle and read a story.  We have been reading The Cat in The Hat, and One Fish Two Fish.  You like to stare at the pictures while I read and you relax with your paci.

You are sitting in your Bumbo chair!  It's wonderful - we put you in there on the kitchen counter while we cook dinner and wash dishes. You love watching us!

You started playing in your jump jump too!  You love grabbing all of the toys and the sounds that it makes.

You also love sitting in your rainforest bouncing chair.  You smile and smile at the waterfall and the monkey on there.  It is the sweetest thing.  You are so tall that I am worried you might outgrow it!  Your little legs hang over the edge!

You are starting to look more and more like a little baby and not an infant.  I can't believe it is happening so fast.

You play with toys!  You love toys and try to grab them.  Most of the time you are successful!  They go straight into your mouth.

You love to chew on our hands.  It makes me wonder if you aren't teething already?  You drool like a leaky faucet.  We go through lots of bibs.

You are still in a size 1 diaper, but I have a feeling those days are running out.

You are wearing all kinds of sizes of clothes, it just depends on what it is.  You can wear some things that are 0-3, all your 3 month, and some that are 3-6 months.  You are so tall that you can't straighten your legs out in your 3 month sleepers.

Your little smile lights up my world.  Truly. You have started to recognize faces. You know my face and Daddy's face for sure.  You are not scared of strangers and you will let anyone hold you or feed you.  You love everyone.

I thank God for you each and every day.  I am so thankful that you are such a happy, healthy baby.

Going back to work...

I did it.  I went back to work.  After the most difficult, but most rewarding 3 months of my life, I not only survived, but am giving it up.  It is bittersweet for me.  I've missed work, and I'm excited to be back with my friends and coworkers.  It's kind of like ending summer break.  I've enjoyed going out to lunch and having adult conversations.  I've enjoyed getting dressed up the past couple of days.  I'm starting to enjoy being Michelle again.

BUT - my goodness do I miss that little baby!  Dropping him off for the first time was heartbreaking.  I think it was worse than childbirth!  Really and truly I do!  I started crying the moment I woke up, and pretty much cried off and on all morning.  When we got to Miss. Mary's house, I cried and cried some more.  He was happy as could be, looking around at the new place, taking it all in.  When I kissed him good bye for the 15th time, he gave me the biggest smile ever.  I kept telling Hubby that I didn't want to do this, that it was too hard.  I'm crying now just thinking about how I felt!  But, I left and cried the whole way to work. 

Once I got there, I started to feel a little better.  I got lots of hugs and support, and everyone was so happy to have me back.  So happy, that I had a few conference calls lined up in a row to fix issues that had been swept under the rug until my return.  It was nice to feel needed in a different way than Jaxson needs me.  The day went by quickly, and I went to lunch at the new hole in the wall that had become a favorite during my absence.  I was able to pump twice during the day, and my kind boss had a lock installed on the conference room door so I would feel more comfortable.  Before I knew it, it was time to go home!  The drive seemed to take forever, but once I made it I was the happiest Mommy in the world!

I held Jaxson and squeezed him for as long as he would let me before he started to fall asleep.  Then I held him a little longer before I put him down for his last nap of the day.  Turns out he survived, and he didn't forget me.  I was so happy!  I am going to have to get a balance of my time in the evenings, I'm not sure how to get everything done - washing bottles, dinner, chores, working out...none of those things seem so important when I only have a few hours with my sweet baby at night.  I'm sure we will fall into some type of a routine.  Any advice from you workin' Mommas out there?

This morning, on day 2 of day care, I cried less, only a little bit while I was talking to him on the way to Miss. Mary's.  When we got there, she got the biggest smile ever!  We talked for a few minutes, and he started leaning to her, almost falling out of my arms!  My heart warmed at the site of him wanting to go to her.  It thrilled her too!  He smiled and smiled at her, and then, while we talked some more, he fell asleep on her shoulder.  I felt so comfortable leaving him with her today.  She asked if it was ok for her to hold him for just a little while this morning while he slept before putting him down, and of course I said yes.  I'm so thankful that God gave her to us!!!

Dallas Trip!

Grandpa, Jaxson & Gigi

Gigi, Jaxson, Me & Aunt Cinny

We spent an amazing weekend with my parents in Dallas!

Jaxson & Aunt Cinny meeting for the first time

Gigi, Jaxson & Aunt Cinny

Jaxson loving on Aunt Vallie

Grandpa feeding his little man

It was extra special because my Aunt Cinny came to spend the week with us all the way from Alabama!

Yogi came all the way from Alabama to spend the week with us :)

The best of friends

Jaxson & Me getting ready for a swim

Cutest water baby evah!

We had such fun - we swam, met all of Gigi's friends, spent time with Aunt Cinny and Aunt Vallie...it was wonderful!

Swimming wears him out!

Cool Dude!

Hubby drove us to Dallas, and my Daddy drove us home.  We had such a wonderful time.  It meant so much to me that my family got to spend some good quality time with him while he is still a little baby.  They don't get to see him every week, and that makes me so sad.

This swimming stuff is hard work!

Us trying to use the self timer on my camera - FAIL.

Grandpa recording a story for Jaxson

Hopefully we can do it again very soon!