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What an exciting day here in Louisiana!!! The year that I was born (1982) the St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series. I only find it appropriate that the year my son was born that the New Orleans Saints win the Super Bowl! Black and Gold has won the Super Bowl!!!
As we celebrate a huge win, I leave you with pictures from our night:
Jackson's first Mardi Gras Parade Day - Le Bebe Saint
Who Dat Day
Saint Dreams Sweet Boy
We've all been fighting a terrible cold for over a week now. There is nothing worse than a sick baby with a cold. The snot nose is just pitiful and sleepless nights are exhausting. We tried a new prescription and it helped a little, but Jackson just was not getting better. Friday morning my sitter called to tell me that Jackson was not taking his bottle and was pulling on his ear. That's it! If Jackson won't eat, there's something wrong!
I immediately called the doctor and told them we needed to come in. My fat baby won't eat. When we got to the doctor they checked his weight - 21 lbs. 4oz. Jackson put on 1/2 pound in 10 days! Dr. N checked his ears, throat, and nose. He said that Jackson has a really bad cold and some fluid in his ears. The fluid wasn't bad enough for him to be on an antibiotic. Then Dr. N checked Jackson's gums, and it went something like this:
Dr. N: Let's see if he's teething.
Me: We were just here last week and you said he didn't have any signs of teething.
Dr. N: Ha! You see those two things right here? (Bottom middle gum)
Me: I sure do!
Dr. N.: Time to celebrate! Jackson has two teeth! I'm amazed how quickly this happened. And look here (top left gum) this tooth will probably cut through by the weekend!
Me: Well, I win mother of the year. My poor baby was teething and I didn't even know!
So this explains why the past week has been so rough. On top of a cold and ear infection, Jackson got his first two teeth with a third on the way! This weekend is going to be full of extra cuddles and orajel!
We are all fighting a cold this week and it has not been too fun. I feel so bad for my little guy. He's so congested. I wish I could blow his nose for him! I asked my pediatrician for a new prescription yesterday. I am hoping this one dries everything up. I am pretty cautious overprotective about Jackson and sick germs. There is nothing more pitiful than a sick baby (and a tired momma)!
Okay, now for Q&A Part II:
Amber asked - Is Jackson sleeping through the night?
Yes and No. Jackson didn't consistently sleep through the night until he was 6 months. Once we introduced cereal he dropped the 3-4AM nursing. I probably would have started him a cereal a little sooner had I known it would help him sleep so much.
We had been doing so well with Jackson's routine. This cold has really set us back. For the past week Jackson has been waking up twice during the night. The only way to get him to go back to sleep is nursing. I am pretty sure he's nursing for comfort, not starvation. You've seen his rolls:)
Amber also asked about must have baby gear -
I put together two must have lists. One was a recommendations from mommies that I complied. The other was my list after becoming a momma. I wouldn't change a thing on my list! You can find them here and here.
Jackson's latest trick thing that makes momma act silly is shaking his head no. We can't help but think that this is the cutest thing right now. I know this won't be so funny in the not so distant future. Until that point, here's our little guy shaking his head no, no, no!
My dad came down to visit with Jackson over the weekend. He lives in St. Louis, so we don't get to spend as much time with him as we'd like. Despite the sinus/colds we are all fighting, we had a really nice time visiting with him.
Friday night we went out for some Cajun food and caught up with each other. Saturday morning we indulged ourselves with a king cake for breakfast. After breakfast Grandpa and Mr. worked on some projects around the house. That evening we attended a Haiti benefit concert downtown. The bands were awesome. Jackson shares a love for music with us! My mom and step-dad met up with us and we had a great time dancing and drinking a few adult beverages:) I am really thankful that my parents get along so well.
To finish up the evening we went out for sushi. Do you see a theme here? You can't visit South Louisiana without eating very well!
Here's a picture of my dad and Jackson, don't you think they look alike?
Tuesday morning I took Jackson for his 7 month check-up and vaccinations. As we were driving to the appointment I started to think about our first trip to the pediatrician. I vividly remember this day. I think it was our first day out of the house. Jackson was just days old and we needed to have his Bilirubin level checked.
My mom came to pick us up because Mr. was back at work and I wasn't supposed to drive. Of course I was running late, I am always late. I had the diaper bag packed, and I mean packed! You'd think we were leaving for a week. As we were walking out the door I noticed I had leaked all over my dress. I had to run back in my house and find something to wear, again. Did I mention that it was 100+ degrees out with 100% humidity? When we finally made it to the doctor's office we were at least 20 minutes late. Everyone was kind and didn't make an issue of our tardiness. That was when I knew I was going to like this practice.
Big shock I know, but we were late Tuesday as well. You would think that I would be better at this by now! I am truly spoiled by having a nanny in our home. Waking Jackson up in the morning and getting us both ready always takes longer than I anticipate.
Just as Jackson hardly whimpered during the agonizing blood pricks of the Bilirubin test at his first visit. He smiled at the nurse while she gave him his shots on Tuesday. Jackson makes shots so easy. It makes me wonder if I'm doomed for a toddler that has to be pinned down by five nurses to give an oral vaccine when he's older:)
7 month stats:
20lbs. 14oz.
28" length
17 1/4" head circumference
75% for all
Still no signs of teething!
Look how tiny he was for his first shots compared to his sweet little fat legs now!
Thanks to Aunt Megan & Uncle Chris, Jackson is now enjoying some delicious, homemade baby food! Unfortunately for him and Mr., pureed baby food may be the only thing I can make well:)
When we got the Beaba Baby Cook, I wasn't sure if I'd ever use it and if it would really be worth the price. I have always had the attitude that time is money and you pay for convenience. To my surprise, the Beaba is so easy to use. I have mastered it and it is such a cost-saver. I'll always make Jackson's baby food! To put things in perspective, a jar of baby food can range $0.50-$1.00. A bag of frozen veggies is about $1.00. So for $1.00 and about 15 minutes I can make 7 servings of baby food.
One bag of food made all this!
Steam or Blend
Pour into containers and freeze 
When we're on the go I put a frozen portion in a container and throw it in the diaper bag!
Who would have thought I'd be a workin, nursin', pumpin', baby food makin' momma!
Jackson slept so hard this morning he had blankie marks on his sweet face when he woke up! I love seeing this happy face in the morning:)
Monday night I headed to New Orleans in preparation for a client TV shoot with Hornet's basketball player, Chris Paul, Tuesday morning. This was the first night I have ever spent away from my little man (and Mr. since Jackson was born). Just like going back to work after maternity leave, walking out the door was the hardest part. I knew Jackson was in great hands with Mr., but I was worried that he wouldn't sleep well without nursing and how I would be without him for a night. Well it took a while for Jackson to fall asleep, but he did and Mr. didn't have any problems. And I got to stop in Baton Rouge and do some shopping so by the time I got to New Orleans (its 2 hours away) I was completely exhausted and I slept pretty good.
Yesterday was very hectic and stressful making sure the shoot went on without any problems. By the end of the day I was in extreme pain and had to sit on the cold, nasty bathroom floor in the Arena to pump. I rent an electric breast pump from the hospital, so I was limited to finding a place to pump with an outlet near by. I must have had a blocked milk duct or something, but pumping didn't fix it. Luckily nursing Jackson when I got home and a hot Epsom salt bath seem to have been the trick.
As soon as I walked in the door Jackson was squealing with excitement to see his momma. He of course made my heart melt and I couldn't get enough cuddles from him and Mr... Sometimes its nice to be missed:)
It is nearly impossible for me to believe that seven months has past since Jackson was born. It's funny how I can't remember life without him, yet it feels like yesterday was his birthday. Regardless, I love this little man more than words can express. His smile melts my heart and his baby blue eyes totally make my day. My life has never felt more complete.
At seven months Jackson is seriously one chunky monkey. I don't have his official weight yet, but I'm sure its over 20 lbs. He's in 9-12 month clothes and size 3 diapers. We introduced peas and green beans into his nightly feeding with his cereal. This morning we started oatmeal for breakfast... and he still nurses 5 times a day! His "new thing" is sucking his thumb between bites.
Jackson is pretty close to crawling and babbles all the time, I'm hoping to hear a momma anytime now son:) He loves to sleep and keeps on a pretty consistent schedule with 2 naps a day.
Here are some pics from today!
I was going to wait until Jackson's 7 month birthday* to start him on veggie baby food, but I had some peas and figured a few days really wouldn't matter. So Tuesday night Jackson had his first bites of peas and he loved them. I think he would have eaten the whole jar if I let him. I only fed him half the jar just in case they didn't sit well with his tummy. Hopefully, Jackson will continue to be a good eater and love his veggies!
*My pediatrician recommends only feeding a baby breast milk or formula until 6 months. Then starting at 6 months introduce cereal, 7 months vegetables, 8 months fruit, 9 months protein and 10 months small bits of table food until one year.
