Jackson's Birthday!

 Look how big that little boy looks!  My heavens, he really is 1 year old.  My last baby is 1.  Oh, my. Thank goodness he is still fairly bald-I'll keep that baby look in lieu of him getting so big!

We did Jackson's family birthday today with a few presents and an amazing batch of my gluten free chocolate cupcakes-one specifically made for Jackson given that it was half the size. Jackson allowed me to take some pics before the festivities, though it was funny to see how much he wanted to rip into the presents and cupcakes!

 The kids loves gathering around Jackson and helping him open presents-it was honestly so sweet seeing their exhuberance!  Jackson especially loved the toy guitar that I got him-lots of button, lights, and just right up his ally!

 Oh, the joy!

 We moved onto the cupcakes, and I was super excited to see how quickly Jackson would demolish his cupcake!  What actually happened surprised me.  He began by taking a single index finger, dipping it into the frosting, and licking it off.  He did this multiple times, not even attempting to pick up the cupcake. At some point, I picked it up and put it to his mouth to take a bite...he did, but his reaction to the cake part was just comical:  he was disgusted!  He completely ignored the cake and kept licking the frosting. He eventually ripped the cake to shreds and started throwing it on the floor-never eating another crumb. So end of the night, he loves frosting, hates cake!  What a kid!

 The picture of the night:  I hate cake!

 This is just as messy as it gets-I'm not complaining!  Happy first birthday Jackson!

Jackson: 1 year old!

Allrighty, it's time for the last monthly update for Jackson Ammon!  He turned one year old today, and can't be called a baby much longer....I think I'll still let myself get away with it for a while, since he is my last baby, but he sure does grow up a little bit more every day, and it is clear, he is more of a toddler than a baby, that's for sure!  So here are some highlights-I'll post about his birthday later, and throw in a ton of pictures at the end:

• Jackson weights 20 pounds 2 ounces, and I don't know how long he is-we only know this info because I took him to the doctor during a bad round of croup.  I'll have to come back and update this after his 1 year appointment in December.

• To date, Jackson has taken 3 steps in a row before plopping down.  He is crazy controlled when it comes to standing-he doesn't need to hold on to anything at all, he'll just stand up on his own whenever he wants.  He loves to bounce while standing, eat things, point, look all the way up to the ceiling, crouch, and then stand right back up, pick something up and then stand right back up---again, cray control.  He will stand on our bed, on the couch, anywhere--he has no fear that way.  He loves to cruise on furniture, walks holding one hand, and while holding onto a chair or the little walker toy we have---just not ready to do it completely on his own yet.  

• Jackson has decided bear crawling is way faster than traditional crawling.  He is ridiculously fast at it, especially when I walk into a room.  It makes me smile!
• Jackson loves to point at things, especially the Christmas lights that are starting to pop up.  He will say "ohhhhhhh!" over and over as he is pointing, and when something surprises him, he'll open his mouth in a true surprised face.  

• Jackson says mama, dada, nana, and bye bye, though not with a consistent purpose yet-sometimes it is very clear what he is saying and why he is saying it, but not all the time.  
• Jackson loves to wave hi and bye, point to noses (not his own, always someone else's), splash in the bath, play in the sand, harass dogs, watch the sad fish at Walmart, read books, drive cars across the floor, swing, and slide on his tummy.  He loves riding in the grocery carts and in the stroller.  He has become very adept at climbing anything: the stairs at Grandma's house (he got all the way up them a few weeks ago before anyone noticed where he was....), the little tykes chairs in our family room, the cot in my room, the large tupperware boxes in the toy room-really, anything.  He thinks he is so cool!

• Jackson is being somewhat picky with food right now.  He loves bananas, crackers, vienna sausages, apples, pears, cheerios/kix, any food pouch, and that's around it!  He won't even eat bread anymore, which is kind of weird, but I still offer him a variety of things with one of those staples on his plate.  It's funny to see the look of disgust he gets before discarding the food onto the ground.  He will drink water or juice, but he doesn't love it yet.  He hasn't tried milk yet either, but he is still nursing every 3-4 hours, so I am not too concerned about that one.
• Jackson's sleep schedule definitely got interrupted during James' hospital stay and hasn't quite returned back to where I want it. He goes to sleep around 9pm and wakes, most days, around 6:30am to eat. A few times a week he will wake around 2am, and if he wakes, he has to nurse or he won't go to sleep-and honestly, I don't mind feeding him real quick if it means I can go back to sleep sooner.  For now, it is not a big deal, but maybe after the holidays I'll get strict with him and force an earlier bedtime.  We'll see. 
• Jackson now has 5 teeth-2 on the top, 3 on the bottom. Interestingly, like James, two of his bottom teeth are fused together, making it look like one big super tooth!  

Graham Crackers

Jackson absolutely loves graham crackers. So if he gets anywhere near an open package, all is lost.

And So It Begins!

I can't help it! Christmas music is on the radio, Walmart has all their Christmas stuff out, Michaels is driving me nuts-I have to put up the Christmas decor!  Once again, it amazes me how calming soft twinkle lights can be....I love that they symbolize the season, and all the goodness and beauty that comes from it.  I wish this Christmas season could last much longer than the next few months.

What Am I Looking At?

Yes, that is how I chose to sit while driving home from Sedona.  It was seriously comfortable, and a really good stretch after hiking all day!