Our Happiest Baby on the Block.

I didn't read many (hmm...any?) parenting books before Jackson was born.

I was looking at pregnancy books.

A far more pressing need.

I would look up what size fruit he was which week.

Which medicines i could get away with taking for my shooting back and hip pain.

What baby items we would need to find for the house.

My husband on the other hand got started early.

The Happiest Baby on the Block

What a wonderful book.

I think i had once seen it on Oprah.

It is a popular book for a reason.

I knew it was the book for us.

More than any other book, it shaped our first 3 months.

The "fourth" trimester.

The five Ss.

Swaddling, shushing, swinging, sucking, sideways.

The key to a happy baby.

We would have to agree.

It definitely has worked for Jackson.

This is our swaddled baby:

At first he was swaddled almost all the time.

Now it's just at sleep times.

My mom sometimes laughs on Skype to see him bundled.

I laugh when I see that an arm has escaped.

I realize i need to get a picture and video of that.

One arm flapping wildly while the other is tucked in.

Cutest thing ever.

It all starts with an escaping hand though-- 

One time he somehow got his pants off while in his swaddle.

That took talent.

As for the other Ss, Jonathan has done the shushing when Jackson is upset and crying.

After only a couple days, I yelled desperately for Jonathan to bring a pacifier for him to suck on.

And after a month of spending hours in his vibrating chair, he grew into his swing and adores it.

The vibrating chair:

Sleeping in his swing:

Yes, he's okay.

He just really liked to be in weird positions at first.

Here's a shot when Jonathan was playing with him.

You can see our baby is quite happy.

We were/are *so* thankful for this book of strategies.

3 months old.

It's been 3 months.

Time is going by fast.

We're officially in love.

I never knew how big my heart could grow.

This little boy is lighting up our lives.

He has the best smile in the world.

So what has it been like?

The first month was a blur.

Jackson is/was a great sleeper.

He wasn't the best eater at first...but he learned.

He loves/loved to cuddle.

We are incredibly thankful for great friends.

Who loved us... who loved Jackson...well.

They visited us.

They brought us wonderful meals.

They spent time with me as I figured out being a mom.

They checked in.

Thanksgiving came quickly.

And boy, we were thankful.

Month 2 brought a visit from my mom.

So special to see her with her grandson.

She was so joyful.

It was a wonderful week for us.

We got into a rhythm as Jackson and I spent our days together.

We got out and about.

Jackson smiled.

He rolled over several times at only 5 weeks.

He began to laugh and giggle.

Christmas was next.

It seemed to come so fast.

Of course Jackson needed to meet Santa.

Our first Christmas as a family will always be memorable.

In the weeks since both Jonathan and I have been sick.

There has been quite a bit of stress on Jonathan making up for time off after the birth.

But he would say that everything is different now.

We both would.

We love the bright smiles our son gives us when we wake up in the morning.

And before he goes to bed at night.

We love the laughs.

We love his curiosity as we take him out into the world.

We love his sweet spirit.

Are there hard days?

Absolutely.

Sometimes I cannot console him.

I hate those days.

But the other days make me forget about the hard days.

I know that God gave us a great gift.

That we are blessed for me to be able to stay home with him.

And i'm trying to be thankful for each moment.

For he is growing fast...

my baby is now 3 months old.

jackson photos-month 3