6 Month Check-up

Today Jackson had his 6 month doctor visit!

Unfortunately, I scheduled the visit in the afternoon apparently right in the middle of his nap. He slept the whole way there, in the waiting room, and into the exam room. How was I supposed to know this 2 months ago? Well, Jackson let me know, in no uncertain way, that he does NOT like afternoon appointments. When we rolled into the exam room, the surly nurse told me to undress him. So, I tried to gently wake the sleeping beau up and he totally freaked out and started crying like crazy, looking around like "Where am I??! What is this place??!". I tried to soothe him, but the nurse gave me a "hurry up" look. So, he cried when he got weighed, and during all of the other measurements. I, stupidly, said "Oh, he really doesn't cry much!" and she gave me a look like "Yeah, right!". No, but really, Nurse Ratchet, he doesn't!

We'll our little nugget is still over 95% in length (28 1/2 in.) and is 75% in weight (18lbs 8oz). The doc wrote a prescription to start flouride drops for his teef. "But, he doesn't have any..." I say. Still, he wants him to start. Okaaay. Apparently, he will continue to take the drops for years! I had no idea - Mommy learned something new today. : ) We can also expand his foods to yogurt, cottage cheese, and table food (mashed potatoes, overcooked broccoli, etc.). Last, but not least, he got one shot today. Only cried for a minute, and then was fine.

On the way out, I made his next appointment...in the morning next time.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

We've been working on getting our garden together this past week over Jason's Spring Break. We've planted 8 tomato plants [Hillbilly, Pineapple, Green Zebra, Black Cherries, Early Girl, Yellow Pears, Beefsteak, and a white variety that I can't remember the name of] and a few sweet pea sprouts. We have broccoli, red leaf lettuce, swiss chard, little pumpkins, moon & star watermelons started and will transplant them once they have sprouted. We're thinking of adding some spinach, too.

Here is a picture of the tomato bed. Since we always have such a problem with squirrels, we decided to squirrel-proof the bed by making a frame and placing fine bird netting over it. The front panel rolls up so the plants can be accessed. Its an experiment - we'll see how it turns out!

Jackson was next to us every step of the way! He'll be able to taste some of the veggies (sweet peas and pumpkins at least) over the summer. Yum yum! Hopefully, our tomatoes will turn out as good as Opas and Millies! They are our tomato inspiration. : )

You can click on the photos to enlarge. There are 2 plants missing as we planted them after the picture was taken (they had to be revived a bit due to the heat) but they're all in there now.

Spring Time

Spring is definitely here! Jason is on Spring Break this week and we've been keeping busy. The week started off with Easter. We went to church, then brunch at Mima and Poppa Stull's, afternoon visit with Erik and family, and home for our first Easter family dinner with lil' Jackson. Unfortunately, we didn't take too many pictures on Easter, but here are a few.

Jason's cousins, Matthew and Raechel, with Jackson:



Jackson's cousins, Sir Caleb and Princess Hailey, hunting for eggs:



The next day, we decided to drive up the coast to Mendocino for our first overnight away from home with Jackson. On the way up, we stopped off at the vista point after we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge:

San Francisco in the background




We also stopped off at Anderson Valley Brewing Company on HWY 253. As you can see below, mayhem ensued...



Jackson did very well on his first night away from home. He slept in his pack-n-play and enjoyed the sights around town from his backpack. It was SUPER windy, though (50 mph winds!), and we were glad he did not blow away.



Today the weather was much nicer (close to 80) and we decided to have lunch at the beach in Capitola. Here are some pics:









AND - I'd also like to mention that a very special family friend paid a visit during Lala's 90th birthday party from New York State - Webby! Here is a picture of Jason, Jackson, and Webby. He is a dear family friend and we were so happy we were able to introduce him to Jackson. : )

Solid Food...Finally!

Today Jackson had his first solid food - rice cereal! At first, he just pushed the food out with his tongue, but within a few minutes he had this whole eating business down and was eating away like a pro. A bit messy, but we were really surprised how much he ate - seemed like he really enjoyed the cereal!














Here is a (messy) video clip:

March Madness

It's been a busy week! We had our good friend Heather visit us from Long Beach for a few days, Ethan's first t-ball game, and some fun in the sun. Here are a few pictures for you to enjoy!

Jackson smelling the spring-time jasmine. Not sure if he likes it. hehe.


Jackson and his new BFF, Heather:





At Willow Glen Park on the swings:



At Ethan's t-ball game:





Visiting Mima, Poppa, Tata, Krista, and the Twins:



Whew! I'm beat. Time for a nap with daddy!

Like Father, Like Son

Jackson is sporting his Hawaiian shirt today! Who does he look like?

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

We hope everyone had a great St. Paddy's Day! We had a fun-filled day.

After Jackson's bath, we got ourselves ready to go to a local park, Rancho San Antonio, with a mom/kids group. I think Jackson's shirt says it all.



The park is great - there is a farm about a 1/2 mile in for the kids to explore. Lots of sheep, goats, chickens, pigs, and Luna the cow. Here is a picture one of the mom's took during the hike. Jackson liked seeing the farm animals!




After dad got home, it was time for a good ol' St. Paddy's Day feast of corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, and carrots. With a pint of guiness, as well!



Mmmmm.....