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| Jackson with his cousin, Abby |
I decided to make ornaments with Jackson to have a keepsake of how small his hands and feet were for his 1st Christmas. I used a pretty simple recipe for salt dough that I've used in the past with my kiddos at school. I tried adding cinnamon to it, but it made the dough too dark and his hand and footprints didn't show up enough for my liking. He did a great job, but it was interesting trying to get him to lay his hand flat. The second that his hand touched the dough he tried to close his fist for what I can only assume was to bring the dough up to his mouth.
My parents, Jackson, and I went to Opryland to look at the lights a few days after Christmas. We were excited to see Jackson's reaction to the lights. I remember there being a lot more lights when we went several years ago. Don't get me wrong, there were a lot of lights, but it didn't seem to be as big from what I remembered. However, Jackson was very interested in the lights and opened his eyes real big when he saw a few of the big displays. Tip for you, it's worth paying for valet parking! To park yourself it was $15 and we paid $21 (plus tip) for someone else to park it and bring it back to us - no frustation of trying to find a spot, remember where parked, walk however far to get inside, etc. Worth every penny in my opinion!
We didn't do anything for New Years Eve. I put Jackson down at his normal bedtime, did what I needed to do before I could go to bed, and I was in bed by 11. I'm pretty sure that even Matt fell asleep before the ball dropped. Thus is the life with a 6 month old. I wouldn't have it any other way. Well, except maybe some extra sleep here and there, that would be fabulous!
At Jackson's 6 month check up he weighed in at 15lbs 12oz and measured 25 1/2 inches long. According to his growth chart he's growing like he should. He has fat little wrists, chunky little legs, and a sweet chubby belly that Matt and I have stared to love giving belly farts on.
Jackson's pediatrician gave us the ok for him to start solids! While it's exciting, it's also kind of nerve racking because of three simple words: cross reactive foods. Raise your hand if you know what cross reactive foods are. Anyone? Bueller? Bueller? Let me explain - The day that Jackson was born he was labeled as latex precaution as are all other SB babies. Because of the connection between SB and a latex allergy, it is recommended to avoid cross reactive foods. A cross reactivity occurs when the proteins in one substance are like the proteins in another. As a result, the immune system sees them as the same. The most common, or highest degree of cross reactivity are bananas, avocados, chestnuts, and kiwis. The moderate degree of cross reactivity are apples, carrots, celery, papaya, potato, tomato, and melon. There is also a low level of cross reactivity, but I'll let you look those up (http://latexallergyresources.org/cross-reactive-food). The first time I saw the list of foods my immediate thought was that my kid wasn't going to be able to eat anything. However, after talking with his doctors and other parents of SB kiddos, I've come to realize that we just need to focus on the high degree and not all of the food listed. I've also realized that while we do have to be cautious, we also shouldn't deny Jackson any food since we don't have a definite "allergy." For right now we are going to stay away from the high degree cross reactive foods, but we will trial them in the future.
First thing we started was rice cereal. He was definitely not a fan at first. Every little bit that went in promptly came back out with a look of "What did you just give me" and disgust. Slowly, but surely he warmed up to the rice cereal so I started him on sweet potatoes. He LOVES sweet potatoes! So far we have trialed sweet potatoes, green beans, peas, carrots, apples, and peaches. He is not a fan of green beans or peaches, but everything else he seems to like. When he eats peas he does this little shake/twitch thing. The only way I can describe it is like when I get a cold chill. At first I thought that it meant that he didn't like them, but he kept grunting and reaching for more so I'm not real sure what to think.
I decided to make my own food for him and did so with peas and mixed vegetables. I was amazed at the color difference between homemade vs. store bought peas. It's so easy to make the purees and a lot cheaper! I spent around $3 for both fresh/frozen peas and mixed vegetables and took about 20 minutes of my time to make 17 days worth of purees.
I was shocked, amazed, and proud at how well Jackson picked up on using a spoon. It was almost immediate that he knew what to do with it. At just about every feeding he helps me feed him. He'll grab onto the spoon and pull it up towards his mouth. Every once in a while he'll miss and he'll end up with food on his nose, cheek, or even by his eyes, but he doesn't give up. The boy likes to eat!
Do you remember that neat little ball thing that we bought for Jackson to start practicing holding his bottle? Yeah, that neat little bottle holder has become an expensive ball that Jackson likes to suck on and smoosh into all different shapes. However, he has gotten better at holding his bottle without it so I guess that's a good thing. I think that Jackson has found his favorite toy. Our neighbor gave Jackson a Fisher Price lion that is really soft and small enough for his hands. He plays with that lion all day long and loves to suck on its tail. I've already given it a bath and it could use another one already. I may need to buy a few more to be on the safe side.
Jackson officially rolled from his tummy to his back! It was so exciting and I was so lucky to have actually caught it on video! I was so excited that he finally rolled that I kept making him do it over and over again. He got so frustrated with me. Poor kid doesn't stand a chance having a teacher for a mommy. :) We are still working on him sitting up unassisted. He's getting better every day, but he is still pretty wobbly after a few seconds. One day at a time! He is so determined and loves to sit up, so much so that he hates when I try to get him to do tummy time.
Jackson has started to listen and seem interested in books. He has quite the library already and I'm always on the hunt for more books to add to his collection. I love reading to him and hope that I'm able to pass down the love for the reading that I have. If you have kiddos that are age 5 and under and haven't signed up for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, you should! It's a great program that sends out monthly books to those that have signed up. The book that Jackson got for December is called Where's My Nose and it's super cute and has a "mirror" on the back page. If you want to know more or sign up, go to https://imaginationlibrary.com/
Well, I guess that's it! It was a busy month of firsts for little man and I love watching him grow. It's still hard to believe how fast time is moving. I can't believe that Jackson is already 7 months old. I am so proud of all that he has accomplished and can't wait to see what the future holds - I know that it's going to be bright! I love Jackson's determination, spirit, and personality. I even love his frustrated grunts that he does - as long as he stops quickly after starting. :)
Crystal
