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Jackson is a really happy and good baby... until he's not:) Now that he's older, he wakes up and babbles away instead of screaming. I love that he wakes up in such a great mood, but it makes leaving for work so hard. I mean who wants to go to work, when you could spend the day with this sweet boy?!?
CSN Stores features over 200 stores making it a great site to shop from. They offer everything from toys to furniture to kitchen gadgets!
I have been on the lookout for a new light fixture for our foyer since Christmas. I recently checked out their lighting site and have my eye on a few.
With Jackson's first birthday right around the corner, I also checked out their toys and games site. One of the great products toysandgamesonline.com has to offer is the Step2 Water Wheel Play Table. How much fun would this be to have this summer? The Step 2 Water Wheel Play Table is originally priced at $70.00, but you can buy it from CSN Stores for $34.99! And, if you wish to participate in my giveaway, this or something of similar value could be yours for FREE!
For Christmas I purchased the Chicco Baby Activity Walker from CSN Stores and saved $10.00! To this day, it is one of Jackson's favorite toys. Especially now that he can walk behind it!
GIVEAWAY
If you're like me, you can never have too many toys for your kids! With Summer is right around the corner, the play table is a perfect way to keep everyone cool on those hot days! I can picture Jackson cracking himself up splashing away:)
MANDATORY ENTRY
1. You must follow my blog and visit CSN Stores and leave me a comment telling me a product you love that is on their site (1 entry)
**You must do the first entry first to qualify for bonus entries.
Please leave a comment for each entry!**
BONUS ENTRIES
2. Link this post on your Facebook page. (2 entries)
3. Blog about this giveaway and link back to me. (3 entries)
EDIT: This Giveaway will end on 5/03/10 and a winner will be selected old school by Jackson... each entrant will be put in a bowl and we will let him grab for the winner. I'll video the drawing!
There is an annual 5-day festival held during the last full week of April where we live. The festival is a huge community event that celebrates the french culture that is unique to our region.
The week of the festival, downtown is completely transformed. Main street is full of street musicians, food vendors and beer tents. Six music stages are packed with continuous bands. The best thing about our festival is that it's free and totally family friendly!
So, it was a great way to spend time together as a family and let loose a little. With all the stress of Mr.'s job situation, we needed this! The weather was perfect, the bands were awesome, and the beer was cold. Jackson was such a trooper, and a flirt. He even found a little girlfriend to share Cheerios with Saturday afternoon.
By Sunday we were all exhausted. So, we headed over to my parents for some R&R by the pool. Hard to believe that this time last year I was big and pregnant. God is good!
Over the past couple of weeks Jackson has started to stand on his own for a few seconds here and there. He even took a step while we were trying to get him to stand. Mr. was able to catch this on video, posted below. But, Jackson has quickly learned how to stand on his own... and put his hands in the air for a little "Yeah Jackson!"
Yesterday he was showing off for his Loli & Pop and my baby boy took his first real steps! It turns out the The Fat Jackson will walk for food:) He took four steps a handful of times while his Pop lured him with Cheerios.
Mr. and I sat by the pool in pure amazement of how quickly our baby is growing up. It's times like this that make me wish time stood still. I know, I say this a lot. Jackson is such a busy boy that sometimes it's hard to slow down and take it all in. He definitely keeps us on our toes... and I have a feeling we'll be running after him by the end of the week:)
Is was absolutely beautiful here last night. We were outside from the minute I got home from work until it was bath time for my little man. We walked the neighborhood and pushed Jackson around on his little bike from his Nana and Papaw. Then we went out on the back porch and blew bubbles for Jackson. He loves them! By the end of the night he was a sticky mess, but it was so fun. I couldn't have asked for a better night with my boys!
And by the way, I was amazed with the big bubble bucket. It really is spill proof, thankfully:)
First and foremost, I must say thank YOU for all of your sweet comments, emails, thoughts and prayers. I believe in the power or prayer, and right now the more people we have praying for us the better!
Mr. has made some progress in the job hunt process. In one week's time, he's sent out a dozen resumes, had a couple of interviews, and been turned down once. He has very high hopes for a second interview with a firm on Friday. His first interview left him feeling more inspired then I've ever seen him. I am praying they offer him a job soon. Not only because it would be great for us, but because it would be a place where Mr. could excel and truly succeed. He has worked for someone for too long and needs to make a name for himself. This is a firm that wants everyone to succeed, and gives them the means and resources to do so.
In one week's time, I have learned a lot about myself. I am trying to stay positive, but there are moments when it seems impossible. I like to be in control and motivate people. I've learned that this can also come across as bossy and nagging. I have learned that it's okay to be vulnerable and to ask for help. If you don't ask then, people will never know that you need them. I have very high expectations, which is a good thing. I just need to have more patience and faith because my expectations cannot be met overnight. I have also learned that if you mess with my cubs, I am one fierce Momma Bear.
More importantly though - I have learned that no matter what the situation or feelings I may have, at the end of the day there is no where that I would rather be then in my Mr.'s arms. Because with my Mr. great things are possible. Dreams are endless. Together we have Jackson, which speaks for itself. And together, as a family of three, we will remain positive and wait for Him to open the door.
The past two weeks seem like a blur. I am not sure where to even begin. Somewhere between puking my guts out and sleeping for 24 straight hours my Mr. came home with horrible news that his law firm lost a big client. And one week later, my Mr. lost his job.
I've sat down to write about it a few times, but I haven't been able to. Publishing this for all to see means that it's real. And how could it be real? How could it be that my husband lost his job? My husband, the attorney, the bread winner, the provider, was laid off.
It just all seems so surreal.
As the shock of the news lessens, we are able to see that this is for the best. We find comfort in knowing and believing that God doesn't shut one door without already having another one open.
My Mr. is on a journey to find that open door. It is a journey that has made me fall deeper in love with him. All of this has proven to me, without a doubt, the kind of man he is. I know that we will see the positive side of this. I know that He will not let us down.
Sometime change is truly for the best.
And like we learned through our struggle with infertility, nothing easy is ever good and nothing good is ever easy.
Please keep my Mr. (and everyone else that has lost their job) in your thoughts and prayers. Please pray for those to find their path to their open door.
Jackson is quite a busy boy lately. He is on the go constantly and into everything. In an effort to keep the trash in the trash can and our pots and pans where they belong, we put door locks on all of the cabinets. I'm sure we will need a lock on the fridge, oven and toilets before long.
While I was getting cleaned up for dinner Saturday night, I brought Jackson into the bathroom with me. Normally he bangs on the shower door and kisses his reflection. He has a ball! Well, before I could stop him (and snap a picture of it) Jackson found the toilet. Splash, splash! I mean how gross is that?!? I'm sure it is just one of the many gross things I am going to have to get used to raising a boy.
My poor kid is going to think his name is "No, NO" soon. 
There is nothing better than walking through the door after work and seeing my sweet boys. Jackson's eyes light up. He lets out a sweet squeal and crawls to me as fast as his fat little legs will get him to me. My heart melts.
I don't get home until 6, so the evenings go by so fast. However, now that Jackson is older and we have our routine down, they are much more enjoyable. We are even able to go on a walk around the block! Gone are the nights were I feel like I only close my eyes to wake up, rinse and repeat. For all you new mommies out there, it gets better. It gets so much better!
Our bedtime routine (bath,boob,bed) starts around 7:30 whenever I am done scarfing down some sort of dinner. While Mr. cleans up the kitchen, I strip Jackson down for his bath. This kid loves to be naked and loves the tub! He splashes and we play "peak a boo" with the shower curtain. I usually keep him in there until his fingers are shriveled and he starts rubbing his eyes. But, with face like these can you blame me?
It seems like half of our friends and family celebrate a birthday in April. Jackson and I made a trip to Hallmark last week to purchased a stack a cards to get us through the next couple of weeks. I really miss the infant car seat carrier during outings like this. Picture me with a jolly fat boy in tow trying to pick out birthday cards. I had to purchase a couple extra envelopes because Jackson grabbed them faster than I could stop him.
I totally owe Mr. a 36th birthday redo. We picked out special cards, but I just couldn't muster up the energy to do much in the way of celebrating after being so sick. Nevermind trying to overcome the nausea to even think about a birthday cake. Thankfully, all Mr. really wanted was to pick up boiled crawfish! No cooking, baking, or thinking required from me:)
On top of Mr.'s birthday over the weekend, we had two 1st birthday parties for our friend's children. Both parties were delightful. I am starting to plan and get excited for Jackson's. I am going to keep it pretty small, relatively speaking with 8 grandparents:)
One of the birthday parties had a fun jump for the older kids. Jackson loved it. Mr. and I let him go down the slide and roll around. He is such a busy boy, it was nice to let him go crazy in the confinement of the fun jump!
All these birthdays are going to spoil Jackson rotten. By the time his comes around, cake will be old news to him:)
I am finally back to normal, but let me tell you last week was not fun! Two words - Sick. Momma.
It all started last Tuesday evening. We went for a walk after work and went about with our nightly routine. I bathed Jackson, nursed him and went to lay him down. About that time I started to feel nauseated. No sooner than I shut his bedroom door, I was sprinting across the house to my bathroom... where I literally spent the next twelve hours.
I don't think I have ever been so violently ill in my life. By Wednesday morning I was so dehydrated that I lost 8 pounds and my "baby nursers" were as dry as the Savannah desert. I was in a panic. What if my milk doesn't come back?!? This is not how I wanted this to end.
When Jackson woke up at 6am for his morning feeding, my chest was flat, I was beyond weak, I had nothing for him. I laid in bed while my heart broke as I listened to my baby scream. Mr. tired to give him a bottle, but he would not take it. Jackson only takes a bottle when I am at work, so this was not at all what he wanted. Not to mention that Mr. had been up with me all night and was exhausted himself. To make matters worse, he had to be in court early that morning, and I was no help. It was a pitiful morning!
So, I did what we all do when we're sick. I called my mom to the rescue. Within 30 minutes, she had my step-dad at our house dropping off 7up and picking up Jackson. Mr. was able to make it to court. Jackson's nanny watched him at my parent's house and I stayed home and slept almost all day.
I was slowly able to keep down 7up and ice chips. I Googled the heck out of "what to do when your sick and breastfeeding". All sited pointed to nursing as much as you can, even when sick. So, I tried. I didn't have much, which meant that I had to nurse more frequently for a couple of days. I am glad that I did though. I love nursing Jackson and am certainly not ready to give it up just yet.
I don't get sick often, so this bug really knocked me down. I wasn't able to eat until Saturday, which made me so weak and tired. Not exactly a good combination when you have a super active, teething 10 month old!
The good news is that my baby nursers are back in business today. The bad news is that I have a pretty good idea what I'll look like when I'm done being a milk maid. And well, Mr. said that I'll just have to get pregnant again to fill them back up, ha!
What a special day for my Wilson men! Jackson is ten months old today and Mr. is celebrating his 36th birthday. My guys bring so much happiness and joy to my life. Sometime I have to pinch myself. What did I do to deserve two prince charming's?
At ten months, Jackson weighs about 22-23 pounds, has 4 teeth (with another starting to cut through), and is still 28 inches tall. Busy boy has lost a couple of baby fat pounds, but it certainly doesn't show. I find it strange that he hasn't grown taller in months. However, we have a handful of friends with kids around Jackson's age and they are all about the same height. It's still something I have on my list to discuss with the pediatrician.
Jackson is pretty much on the same feeding schedule. We've found that the less baby food he eats at night the better he sleeps. I guess nursing fills up his tummy just fine. He goes down about 8pm and will sleep until about 6am, nurse and go back down until after 8am. Jackson is taking one long (about 3 hour) daily nap now instead of two shorter naps.
Our new nanny continues to do very well with Jackson. It is amazing just how much developmentally he has changed in the past month. He personality shines more and more everyday! Jackson loves to pull-up and stand on everything. And as long as he has something to grab onto, he's walking! My baby is turning into such a little boy.
It hurts Jackson's feelings when you tell him "no no". I have to try really hard not to give in or laugh at him. Sometimes his pouts are so fake he cracks himself up. Jackson has also mastered crawling. He still army crawls, but I'm glad to know he can crawl. He definitely gets around!
I would go into Mr.'s 36 year stats for you, but I think you'd rather see Jackson's pictures instead:) Happy Birthday babe, we love you!
We couldn't have asked for a better Easter weekend for our first Easter as a family of three! Mr. and I were both off for Good Friday. I love three day weekends! Thankfully, Jackson is finally getting back into his normal sleep routine. We slept late, baked muffins, and enjoyed the beautiful Spring weather.
We spent Friday afternoon drinking wine and barbecuing by Mr.'s dad and step mom's beautiful pool. Mr. worked in the yard and I cleaned the house on Saturday in preparation for Easter Sunday. After church we hosted Easter lunch at our house for all of our families.
11 adults and 2 babies made for one packed house! But, it was a great day and everyone enjoyed themselves. Well that was until the AC went out... yes, of course this happened. Our little, packed house was an oven. We can pretty much count of this happening on the first hot day of the year. Our home is three years old, but we have fought with our AC since day 1. Every year when this happens we get our coils replaced. And if the coils weren't recalled every year, this would fix our problem. We're hoping this third time does the trick!
Well, enough about our hot Easter. Here are some pics from the weekend:)
After a rough night in the hotel with Jackson we woke up Sunday morning and decided we all needed some fresh air. The weather Sunday was even more spectacular than the day before. So, getting in the car and heading back home just wasn't an option. Instead, we got cleaned up and headed Uptown.
Our first stop was a little dessert boutique called Sucre on Magazine. If you're ever in the area, I highly recommend it. We had mimosas and bread pudding while Jackson charmed everyone in sight.
On a side note: Jackson is the happiest baby I have ever met, until the middle of the night. Lately, he has been waking up screaming. Almost inconsolable screaming. I'm praying this is a phase and will pass soon!
After our healthy yummy breakfast, we headed to the Audubon Zoo. I added one of my favorite Mardi Gras songs about the zoo below. Turn up your speakers, and you can't help but tap your feet a little:)
We had a wonderful time, and I can't wait to take Jackson back when he's a little older. He was more interested in the people than the animals! We saw lots of elephants, birds, alligators, monkeys and giraffes. More than anything though, we enjoyed strolling along as a family. Life is so good. Even if we're up from 11-1AM with a screaming baby!
They All Asked For You
I went on up to the Audubon Zoo
And they only asked for you
They all asked for you
Well, even inquired about you
I went on up to the Audu'mon Zoo
And they all asked for you
The monkey's asked
The tiger's asked
And the elephant asked f'you, too... 
