The many hats of Jackson

At first, hats weren't really his thing and he would find every possible way to wiggle out of them.  However, he has really grown to enjoy them which makes our lives as parents very fun because he is so stinking cute in hats! 

 His first "hat", really a head stocking that he wore in the hospital. Luckily we had two of these because Lincoln proceeded to ingest one of them and puke it up at night...not re-wearable.

 Lovingly hand-knitted by Leya but his head was already too big for it. We kept it on him the when he was one day old for about 10 minutes before it popped off. Just enough for a good photo-op. We have also learned that we must photo every cut outfit in the first 5 minutes of him wearing it or else it's covered in some bodily fluid

 Hand-knit by Lisa's mom, who has taken me in for many family dinners when Jonathan is working. She made him a matching stroller blanket which is perfect for the 70 degree December we are having!

 His first Halloween hat

 Wa-hoo-wa! Even though we lost, he still looked good!

 Precious green hat with ears from Hannah, Ross and Ila. This is our new favorite hat and he wears it everywhere and gets so many compliments! Ila also gave him the little weasel...it comes out to play when we are changing his diaper and kisses his naked belly!   He loves it!

 Yet another hand-made hat from one of Beth and Matt's neighbors. This Elf hat has a bell on it so we can tell when he starts to wake up :)  She made this big enough for him to wear next year (we hope!)

 Little Santa hat

 Big Santa hat

Jackson's first outing in his north face snowsuit from Katy at my work. She has a matching on in pink for her new baby (due any day!) and we are excited to get our two kids together. Who knows, another possible girlfriend? :)  

This hat is from Aunt Joyce and crew out in Colorado. We are hoping it gets much colder here so he can wear it more. It makes him look like a rock star with a pacifier

Sip N See

On December 10th, Grandmother Beth and Granddad Byrne hosted a fabulous Sip N See followed by a Gawk and Guzzle in honor of little Jackson, who was 7 weeks old.  Everything was perfect, from the homemade sailboat cookies to the M&M's with "JB" on them.  Jackson thoroughly enjoyed his first cocktail party and cookout and was exhausted by the end of the evening.  It's hard to be oohed and aahed over all day and to be held by so many adoring fans (who all washed their hands, thank you!)  

Homemade cookies

Being held by Grandmother Beth at the party

Passed out in Chic's arms after an exhausting day of fun!

Just a few good pictures

Jackson is growing up so quickly. We love dressing him up in new outfits (but we can't get attached to them because he spits up so much!), playing with him on the floor and watching his new facial expressions emerge. Last thursday he started to smile for me in the mornings and now he will smile for other people! He has very pleasant awake time where he can entertain himself for a little period of time. My left bicep breathes a sigh of relief!  He also started to have a somewhat regular bedtime at 7pm and is sleeping quietly in his crib for 2 hours at a time.  I know...not a long time you all might say, but for him to sleep quietly is a miracle! So, we are still not getting a ton of sleep around the Byrne household but Jackson is a happy, smily baby who is growing very well and is so loved!

 Love his yawns

 He slept next to me in the mini-pack-n-play at mom and dad's house.  The basement was pretty cold so I put him in a hat and gloves. I woke up and he was stuck to the velcro on the side of the crib!!

 This is why we don't swaddle him...Houdini!

 Lincoln has realized that the screaming creature might be fun to play with, or at least sniff, especially when he has something in his diaper.

 Sailor Jackson

 This is after one of his startle reflexes, but then he continues to sleep like this. It can't be comfortable! Reminds me of Thriller

Tummy time, 7 weeks. He is so alert now, so we get to enjoy his eyes more and more.

Thanksgiving Travels

Jackson has been BUSY over the Thanksgiving holidays! He took his first long trips away from the home and he did a great job. We never knew that packing for a vacation, or even one night away, would require so much stuff. Whew. 

We are so thankful for Jackson this year. He is healthy, happy and we can't imagine our lives without him.  

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you".  1 Thess 5:17-18

Jackson has some play time with Grandmother Beth! He loves playing with her and being held by the Byrne grandparents.  They are also excellent at changing diapers, for which we are very grateful!  :)

The guys at our 3rd annual trip to Hatteras, NC after Thanksgiving.  Jackson is the only boy baby who is part of these trips. Looks like there will be many days of dolls and dress up in his future!

Jonathan and Jackson chill out on the couch for game day. Jonathan was cheering on Newcastle (soccer) and Jackson was getting very excited (as you can clearly tell from the picture) for the Tech vs. UVA game.

 Tummy time. Look at how much he can lift his head now! It's getting better every day!

This is Jackson's new buddy, Ilah Hanger, who was born in late May.  Jackson has many potential girlfriends to choose from in this group!

Go HOOS!!

 Jonathan started another rotation in the ED in December and he began with a week of night shifts (11pm to 7am, plus time for paperwork). This is a pretty overwhelming rotation for both of us because I am alone at nights, we don't see each other and Jonathan has to sleep during the day, which is not as easy as you would imagine. So, Jackson and I packed up for a trip to Springfield to see Grandmom and Pop Pop. Thank goodness for help from grandparents! They were amazing; cooking, holding Jackson and playing with him when he was awake.

While we were up in Springfield we went to see Jackson's Great Nana and Great Grandpa McKay in Delaware. What an amazing chance for them to hold their first great grandson!  I loved watching my grandparents taken on a new role as greats.  We are hoping that Jackson also has a chance to meet Great Grammy Byrne soon as well (she lives in Mass which makes it a little more difficult, but we are trying!). Meanwhile, we keep her updated with lots of pictures of her quickly-growing greatgrandson.

Four generations of "McKays". Greatgrandpa, Greatnana, Pop Pop, mom and Jackson (exhausted from a long day of being loved by everyone!)

Jackson is 1 month old!

Our little cuddle monkey is 1 month old and it's already hard to imagine our lives without him. He has changed so much in his short life and has gotten big already, weighing in at 11lbs and 2 oz. He is 75% weight, and 95% height (23 inches).  His head circumference is also 95% - smart baby!  We love to take advantage of the fact that he fits so snuggly on our chests and in our arms. Will there be a day when he is not this little? Don't let it come quickly! Even though he keeps us awake each night, he makes up for it with his little eyebrow raises, his pouty lips and his super cuddly body. 

 Cuddle time in Heather's bathrobe while we watch TV and he snoozes

 Oh my goodness...this face, those lips.

 He's way more alert now during the day. This is Jackson after eating (love that HUGE belly!!!). We love to play on our backs and work on focusing on objects and moving his head. Jackson is so much better at focusing on our faces and hands. He's not much into toys right now, but that day will come!

Jackson and I discovered the greatest invention ever...the baby bjorn. Now, I can type emails and do dishes at lightning speed since I have two hands! We cleaned the house together on Monday....well, one of us napped while the other one worked like crazy!  I was at a friend's birthday party (happy birthday Doug) while 8 1/2 months pregnant and there were 4 dads with bjorns there...now Jonathan can join in and the girls can go have some fun!

Having a PT for a mother must be hard work, but this face only shows pure joy! We LOVE having tummy time together to get his neck and back muscles strong.  Instead of flailing his head like he did at first, he can now lift it fully off the ground and turn it towards the other side. He can even hold it up to make eye contact for us with about a minute. Atta boy! We are so grateful that Jackson is a baby who likes tummy time...makes it a more pleasurable experience for all of us. Lincoln (the pathetic dog who thinks he has been forgotten) tries to get involved as well which makes life a little more difficult, hairy and covered in drool.  During tummy time on Monday, Jackson even rolled onto his back by himself! At this point it was purely accidental, but we love to see glimpses into what Jackson will be doing in the months to come.

 Happy 1 month birthday to me!

What kind of parents have glamour shots taken of their baby?

This kind.  You only have your first baby once, right?  It turns out it was a ton of fun to see lil' J in cute poses and the photographer got some great pics.  We took him to a local photographer who specializes in newborn and infant photos.  While our little Vladamir Pootin' looks so peaceful in all these shots, it took quite a while to get him comfortable and quiet for all those pics, and as you can imagine, posing for an extended period of time with a naked baby ensures that all parties involved get peed upon.  Our little guy did a great job- of course we're biased and think every little thing he does is cute:)  These were all taken when he was 6 days old- enjoy!

Uncle Matt

Little Jackson is 2 1/2 weeks old now! Mom and dad came into town again this weekend and we got another great surprise as well. Uncle Matt flew all the way from Little Rock to meet his nephew. It was such a treat to see him and to watch him interact with Jackson. He has already had practice being an uncle because Chase's sister had her first baby, Peyton, 5 months ago. We are excited for Aunt Chase to meet Jackson over Christmas break when they come into town.  We are already shopping for a seersucker suit for him to wear to Matt and Chase's wedding in June. 

 Getting ready for Jackson's first official outing (not counting doctors visits). We went to Taste Unlimited with the family on their way out of town. Jackson slept through the whole thing!

 Jackson in his first overnight bag. We're taking our first trip out of town, to Hatteras, with our friends after Thanksgiving. Should be an adventure!

Jackson loves to sleep during the day and very little at night. These quiet moments are few and far between so we savor them when they come.  Although Lincoln is getting almost the same amount of attention as before, he has put on a pathetic demeanor and loves to sulk around the house, making us feel so bad for him! One night, he faked an injury to his foot, limping around the house until we paid him more attention. So, Jonathan tries to cuddle with both of his boys whenever he gets the chance.