We leave tomorrow for OBX!

We are all so excited! This will be Jackson's first vacation, his first time feeling sand and the ocean on his feet. It will be so neat for us to watch all of his reactions. I have the day off today so I will be working like a mad woman to do all the laundry, straighten up the house (so we don't have to come home to a messy home) and then try and get everything packed. Although I am sure I will forget something along the way- thank goodness for Food Lion! It is really amazing how much stuff an infant needs for vacation. I think Jackson has more stuff then Scott and I combined!

We are splitting up our drive between two days. We will drive halfway tomorrow, stay overnight in a hotel and then finish the trip on Sunday our check in day. In the past we have driven straight through. But with a baby we are concerned that it would be too much for him. Plus, we don't need to enter our vacation stressed out if we don't need to. We have stocked up on Baby Einstein, Praise Baby and Classical Baby DVD's and have borrowed Bonnie and Neil's portable DVD player. We are hoping that these will bring a little bit of entertainment for Jackson so he won't be completely bored and thus fussy. Keep your fingers crossed that the drive won't be a total nightmare for all of us- we are remaining positive!

I am definitely excited for this trip for other reasons too. This will be the perfect opportunity for Jackson to get completely cozy with Grammy and Pop, and Great Grandma Lois and GiGi. At his age if he isn't seeing people on a very regular basis he gets a bit nervous and clingy with me. The books call it Separation Anxiety. If it has been a week or longer since his last visit with a person he has to get comfortable all over again with them. So it will be pretty cool for everyone for some nice bonding time together.

There is a hurricane coming through the surrounding area of OBX- not hitting us but we will probably be feeling the affects. Hopefully they will be minimal and we can still enjoy the weather and not have all rain everyday! A day here or there is OK, perfect shopping weather :) But I need a tan, darn it! Please God, send us some nice weather!

Well, when we get back I will upload all of the pictures of our trip, so be sure to check back in a week! Lots of love to you all and we will talk to you all soon!

Jackson's on the Move!

For the past couple of weeks Jackson has been on the verge of crawling- on hands and knees, wiggling back and forth trying to figure out what next. Well yesterday he did it!!! We were at Bonnie's house hanging out while the babies were playing. There was Jackson on his hands and knees again, only this time he finally figured out that if he moves his hands he can go somewhere! He would move a couple of steps then flop down on his tummy. Then he would get up, move a couple of steps and so on. He was persistant (plus Bonnie and I kept moving toys just out of his reach) and would keep trying. I was so proud of him!! This morning he was at it again, so he didn't foget that he knew how. Pretty soon I won't be able to keep up with him! Jackson and Sophie are going to be one pair of troublemakers, I can already tell!

6th Month Doctor's Appointment

Yesterday I took Jackson to see Dr. Wagner for his 6 month appointment. He was such a good boy! Of course all the nurses went crazy for him and most of them remembered him. No one could get over how much he has changed in just 2 months! He is still a little peanut- he now weighs 14lbs 8oz and is 26" tall- so he gained exactly 2 lbs and got 2" taller since last visit. He got 4 immunizations this time around but thankfully only two shots. They were his Polio Vaccine, Pneumoccal Polysaccharide Vaccine (PPV), Diphtheria Tetanus & Pertussis (DTaP) and the Hepatitis B Vaccine. He was so good when they did his shots, hardly cried at all! I was so proud of him. What a very brave boy.

For some reason I thought we wouldn't have to go back for more shots until he was a year. But that is not the case. We actually get to go back when he is 9 months for another set of vaccines. I look forward to these being done already!

I have added a new ticker to our homepage. It is counting down the days until the Outer Banks! We are so excited to be going on vacation- as of today, only 15 days to go! Yay! I better start packing- it is amazing how much stuff an infant needs!

On Sunday we get to babysit Sophie again. It is so much fun watching the babies together. I just know they are going to grow up to be the best of friends. The way they interact is so adorable. I know that watching Sophie, Jackson is learning so much. Plus he has to be able to fight back- she always steals his toy and crawls away. He needs to be able to go after her and get it back! He is trying so hard to learn how to crawl. It should really be any day now. And then watch out world!

Jackson is 6 Months Old Today!

Our little baby is growing up so fast! It is so hard for me to believe that just 6 months ago I never held or kissed or cuddled with my Little Prince. Looking back I now know how incomplete my life was. God gave us this most amazing miracle and every night I thank him for trusting me with such an amazing responsibility. It is a huge one! The biggest thing I will ever do in my life is to raise Jackson to be a good boy and then to grow to a strong young man. Every day is more exciting then the one before it. In just the past month, Jackson can now sit up unsupported, pull himself into sitting position, eats Stage Two solid foods, rolls all over the place, sits up to take a bath, and is almost ready to crawl! I can only imagine what the next 6 months has in store for us! It is so exciting and yet makes me a little sad- I want to send him on the shrimp boat or put a brick on his head as my parents used to say to Bonnie and I. I now completely understand why they would say that!

On Friday I take him to see Doctor Wagner for his 6-month check up. He will get his last set of Immunizations until he turns 1. So that is good. As necessary as they are, there is nothing I hate more then putting him through that. I am excited though to see how much he weighs. My guess is a little over 14lbs, so we shall see how close I am.

In a couple weeks we are all going to the Outer Banks with Sandy and Don. We are soooo looking forward to it. A vacation is MUCH needed. Plus it will be such fun seeing it through Jackson’s eyes- first time touching the sand and feeling the ocean on his toes. I have already started making my list of things we need to take. I think Jackson has more stuff then we do! I will be sure to post the pictures when we get back. I am sure there will so many precious ones.

Speaking of pictures, I have added tons of new ones. I know I haven’t updated in a little while so I caught up today. The August Folder will be ever changing until the end of the month, so be sure to check that one periodically.

Eating Has Become so Much Fun!

So as you all know, Jackson has been trying out solid foods for a little while now. For the most part, it was getting him used to eating from a spoon and not always sucking to get food. This resulted many of the time in more food on him then in his tummy! But he is finally starting to get the hang of it. He is actually really enjoying eating from his highchair- at least most of the time. I have found that he definately likes fruits better then veggies! But then again, what kid doesn't feel this way?! Sophie has taken to spitting hers out at Bonnie- so hopefully Jackson won't take it to that level!

Jackson is now 5 months old, and i just can't get over how big and grown up he is looking already! My neighbors, Lora and Brandon just had their second baby, Mari, and she is such a little peanut! I saw her yesterday, and Lora said that she now weighs 7lbs- that is what Jackson weighed when he was born. But yet it is so hard to believe that he was ever that small. So I had to go back and look at my older photos of him, and you should do the same. Look at pictures from the February/March album and then go into one of the more recent ones, like July. It is just amazing. He is growing in leaps and bounds. When other moms tell me to savor every moment because they all go by so fast, I completely understand what they are saying. My little Prince is changing before my eyes, and it makes me feel a whole slew of emotions. I am so proud of the new adventures and abilities he is able to accomplish, but at the same time I want everything to slow down! Everyday is fun, exciting and something new.

God Bless you Great Grandpa Marty

Our hearts are deeply saddened by the passing of Great Grandpa Marty. On Tuesday, July 10th at 6:30pm God took Marty to live with him in heaven. He was a wonderful man with a kind soul. In just the few years I knew him his good heart touched me so very much. I feel lucky that Jackson got to meet him, if ever so briefly. As Jackson grows we will look forward to telling him all about his Great Grandpa and how much he loved him.

Please keep Irene and the rest of Marty's family in your hearts and prayers to give them strength and peace.

Asking for All of Your Prayers

Many of you have had the lucky opportunity to meet Jackson's Great Grandfather Marty Pavlich. I am asking for all of your thoughts and prayers for Marty and his amazingly strong wife, Irene. Marty is currently in the hospital in the NICU in Youngstown after suffering kidney failure that was brought on by an infection in his lungs. His kidneys are now working properly but the infection as entered his blood stream and things have been a bit unsure. Marty is being kept comfortable but everyone is taking it day by day. We are all staying as positive as possible, but all extra love and support at this time would be so apprieciated.

On Saturday we all traveled down to Youngstown to see Marty and to send some sunshine Irene's way. She has been in the hospital all day, every day since Marty went in. You can imagine what she is going through, but looking at her I saw this amazingly strong woman. She has such a beauty in her and is truely an angel here on earth. But no one can do this alone. Jackson had so much fun with his Grandma, GiGi. I have uploaded the pictures we took there, so please take a minute to look at them. They are so precious.

We love you so much Marty and Irene and are sending all of our love and prayers your way.