Jackson's blessing

I've postponed posting about Jackson's blessing because I was trying to get a decent picture of him in his outfit but he might outgrow it before that happens.

Matt blessed him last Sunday, the 13th. It was a really wonderful day. I think every mother stresses that their baby will cry, scream, spit up, or poop during it but Jackson was on his best behavior. Matt gave him a beautiful blessing. Matt's mom always records the blessing and types it up for their baby books so I'm looking forward to being able to read it again.

Afterwards we had a little luncheon at our house. Of course it started raining when we needed the outdoor seating but it didn't last too long. My mom did everything. She made most of the food and set everything up at our house. Plus, she bought Jackson's adorable outfit.

It was a really special day. Thanks to everyone who helped make it wonderful!

No wonder my arms are sore by the end of the day...

Jackson had his 2 month check up today. He is doing great and growing like crazy. He also had 3 shots which is never fun but he was a little champ and only cried for a few minutes.

Weight: 14 lbs. 11 oz.

Height: 24 1/4 in.

Head: 42 cm.

The doctor said he is off the charts in weight and at the very top of the chart in height and head size. So yeah, I think this kid is going to beat his sister with how fast he outgrows his infant car seat. And the really great news is we finally have a pediatrician that we love! He is so nice and I'm so glad my OBGYN recommended him.

Jackson is such a cutie. When he smiles his whole face lights up and it's contagious. The ladies at the doctor's office were all gushing over his dimples. He's a really good eater (obviously) and he's getting a little better at sleeping. For about a week he was sleeping for 7-8 every night but then he stopped. Now he'll usually go about 4-5 at night, then eat, then go another 3-4. That sounds pretty good but since I have a toddler that is up at the crack of dawn it's not quite the same amount of sleep for me. It's nice with a second child because I can keep telling myself it doesn't last forever. He's such a sweetheart and Eliza is too. She is always helping me and loves her little brother very much.

Football widow

In case you've never noticed, Matt loves BYU. And BYU football? Well, let's just say that 'love' may not be a strong enough word. He usually starts the countdown to college football season in June. So when it was announced that BYU would play their season opener against Oklahoma at the brand new Dallas Cowboys stadium in Texas, Matt started planning the trip. Admittedly, I wasn't as supportive as I could have been. I knew we would have a new baby and I wasn't thrilled about being left alone for four days with a newborn and a toddler. But I got as ready as I could and Matt, his dad, his two brothers, and uncle left Thursday morning and met up with three of his cousins in Dallas.

I have a new appreciation for single moms and moms whose husbands are in the military or just gone a lot due to work. It is so hard to wake up in the morning (and a few times during the night) and know that you're on your own for the rest of the day. I love my children very much but I also love when Matt comes home from work and I get a break. I shouldn't even complain because I really haven't been all alone. My mom was with me Thursday evening for dinner and stayed while I put Eliza down for the night and then I was with both my mom and dad for a few hours today. It's funny because as much as I want a break, when Eliza and Jackson are asleep for the night I feel lonely and the house is too quiet. I miss them while they are sleeping.

I'm excited for Matt to come home tomorrow and I know Eliza will be so happy to see her dad. Plus BYU BEAT OKLAHOMA!!! How great is that? Go Cougars! Matt is probably on cloud nine right now. He'll probably add the details of his trip later but I know he has had a ton of fun and the BYU win is just icing on the cake.

Potty time

We've been trying to get Eliza potty trained for a while but not pushing too hard. We have her sit on her potty before her bath at night and one or two times during the day. Yesterday I was drying my hair in the bathroom and she went and got her potty seat and the Reader's Digest and had me help her up onto the toilet. She just sat there looking through the magazine for a while and guess what? She actually peed in the toilet! I guess if she's on the toilet for long enough, she's bound to go to the bathroom sooner or later but we're still excited. We made a huge deal out of it and kept telling her how proud we were of her so we'll see if we have any more success in the coming days. How funny are these pictures?

Newest member of the family

My brother Brian and his wife Megan welcomed their new baby girl on Tuesday, August 18th. Elsie Marie weighed 7 lbs. 12 oz. and was 20 1/2 inches long. Isn't she cute? One thing is always guaranteed with Megan's girls - they are never without a headband or bows in their hair that match their outfit perfectly.

We went up to visit them yesterday evening and I couldn't believe how big Jackson looked compared to Elsie. It's amazing how much of a difference 6 weeks can make. Eliza had fun playing with her favorite cousin, Michael. She also had a really exciting/sort of terrifying time with their hyperactive labrador, Sage. Eliza was making a kind of half laughing, half screaming sound the whole time and then after a while she finally said, "Okay, can we go inside now and leave the dog out here?"

Here is Eliza with her cousins Michael, Caden, Mylee, and uncle Brian.

Congrats Brian and Megan!

6 weeks old

It doesn't seem like it's been 6 weeks already since we were speeding and running red lights at 4:00 in the morning to get to the hospital in time but I guess it has been. Jackson is doing great. He is getting big and he has already changed so much. He started smiling last week which completely melts my heart. Last night I was rocking him and as he fell into a light sleep he started laughing. It was the cutest thing I've ever seen. He had a giant grin on his face and his body was shaking from the laughter.

I've always heard that around 6 weeks, babies start to get into more of a schedule as far as eating and sleeping. I don't know what I'm doing wrong but we're not quite there yet. It's still a guessing game when he'll be up and when he'll want to eat but hopefully we'll get a little more settled soon. I could definitely use more than 5 hours of sleep a night. It's not even 5 hours in a row, either. He actually sleeps pretty well for the first half of the night but then after he eats, he doesn't want to sleep unless he's being held. So I end up in this kind of uncomfortable half sleep sitting up because I'm worried about smothering him. I'm sure it will get better soon. He's so sweet and Eliza has been really good with him so far. Whenever he's asleep she'll say, "I go make sure baby brother is okay," which consists of her running over to him and putting her hand on his chest which usually wakes him up. Or if I leave the room for a minute, she'll say, "I keep an eye on baby brother."

Here are some unsuccessful attempts at getting a picture of Jackson smiling.

New pictures

I went to a bridal shower for my cousin this weekend and I brought Jackson with me to show him off. My uncle's sister (I don't know what that makes her to me) had her camera and was snapping pictures of everyone and she got some really cute ones of Jackson. I guess we should figure how to turn the flash on our camera off and maybe we could get one where he's not closing his eyes or cross-eyed.

Isn't that a sweet face? I love the yawning one. It looks like he has little elf ears.