3 Months Old

A lot has happened these past 3 weeks with our sweet little boy. We've made a trip to Auburn's A-Day, spent a week at the lake, celebrated Easter, and now we're back in town and enjoying Jackson's routine (yes, he's sleeping so much better at night!).



This is Jackson's first time in the Bumbo, and he did great holding himself up, until he noticed his feet and slumped over to get a closer look at them. He's really been noticing his hands and feet a good bit, and he's continually seeing how far he can cram both fists into his mouth.



Andy and I were so proud of Jackson making it to half time for the Auburn A-Day game! He slept in the Baby Bjorn, and I had him covered from head to toe to make sure he didn't get burned.

Below is a beautiful picture of the sunset at the lake.





Below is another picture of Jackson (11 weeks) with Aunt Myra. He's grown so much since she last saw him at 3 weeks. Myra had a fun tailgating party at her beautiful Auburn condo before the A-Day game.



Can we say "Touchdown Auburn!"







His first preppy Polo outfit



Happy Easter! And what an amazing reason we have to celebrate: Christ is risen, He is risen indeed!

Meet and Greet

Jackson has been able to meet a lot of new friends all this week. It's so fun that some of my very close friends are all having babies around the same time.



This picture was taken on Wednesday with 2 of my closest friends from nursing school. Stacy Morris had Will the same day Jackson was born, and our hospital rooms were next to each other. Katie Guess had McNeill about a month later. (Melanie, we'll have to get you and Mattie in the picture next time!)

On Thursday, Jackson and I drove to Jacksonville, AL, to meet up with some more close friends. Beth, Lyndsay, and Emily were all in ADPi 2 years above me at Auburn, and I look up to them and respect them so much! Three of us have had boys within weeks of each other, and Emily is the pro with 3 girls under the age of 3.



This is Jackson trying to take in all the fun chaos caused by 3 babies and 4 toddlers all getting together in one adorable house!



Lyndsay with Cooper (6 weeks old)



Emily with Joy (17 months)



Abby Jane (3 years old) and Blythe (17 months)



And if at first you don't succeed in capturing a smile, try another picture!



Beth and Tucker (one month old). Bella Grace is 18 months and made it in the group shot. She has the most adorable curls!



And while I'm not a fan of my mom-in-black attire and slouched posture (yes, I'm about to start Pee Wee Pilates at home), I had to prove I was there :)




On Friday, Jackson met some of his "uncles" (aka Andy's best friends), and he just smiled at them and carried on with his ooh-ing and aah-ing. Below, he's with Matt, Lewis, and Jay.



And here's Will (who's wife Margaret is having a little girl in September!), Matt, proud daddy, Jay, and Tyler. Lewis was MIA for this picture.




Also on Friday, Jackson met his other set of great-grandparents. Gramma and Granpa made the drive up from Orlando, and we had the best time seeing them. They even brought him a wonderful Auburn quilt that a lady in their church made for them. What a special gift that will be treasured for many years!





4 Generations!







Proud Pops



Proud Daddy (who's also very tired as he's smack dab in the middle of tax busy season. We can't wait for April 15th!!)

2 Months Old

Jackson turned 2 months yesterday! We went to the pediatrician today, and Jackson weighs 10 pounds and is 22 1/4 inches long. He is still in the 25th percentile for height and weight. Two nights ago, Jackson slept for 6.5 hours, the longest he's slept thus far. Let's hope he keeps that up!



"Touchdown Auburn!" :)

7 Weeks Old

Jackson is 7 weeks old today, and I see what everyone means about how quickly they grow! He's changed so much from this:



To this:







He's stretching here, but it looks like he's pulling a laid-back Fonzy look :)



This is our prayer for Jackson:
Isaiah 44:3
"For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants."

Isaiah 54:13
"All your sons will be taught by the LORD, and great will be your children's peace."

Jackson got to meet his 4 cousins the other day when they were driving through town. Our family gatherings have gotten more and more fun the more children that are added to the mix, and we look forward to meeting cousin #5, Lane, in about a month! (gone are the days of getting all the kids to look at the camera simultaneously)



Below are the cousins with Ya Ya and Aunt Ashley





And I was finally able to capture a smile on sweet Jackson's face. This picture makes me happy. :)



And in closing, if you are looking for an amazing book to read, you need to check out Mary Beth Chapman's "Choosing to See." It's short and easy to read, and is an amazing story of God's grace and mercy to the Chapmans in the midst of losing a child in an accident. A guaranteed tear-jerker, and Mary Beth is very transparent, including humorous stories about their lives and the life of little Maria. I truly enjoyed this book.

Happy Monday!

Desserts

Jackson is 6 1/2 weeks old now and sweet as pie (and he's sleeping more these days! I'm one happy momma). Speaking of pie...I thought you might enjoy some of my favorite dessert recipes!

One of our patient's moms at work made this for the nurses, and this has been a favorite go-to dessert for any occasion.

HONEY BUN CAKE

1 box yellow cake mix
2/3 c vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 c brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 c confectioners sugar
1 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a 9x13 pan.

Mix cake mix, oil, and eggs with mixer just until combined. Spread half of cake batter into prepared cake pan.

In a separate bowl, mix brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over first half of cake batter mix. Gently pour remaining cake mix batter over cinnamon sugar mixture. With a table knife, gently swirl (but don't over swirl) the batter.

Bake 35-40 minutes or until cake is set and golden brown. Don't over bake.

Mix confectioners sugar, milk, and vanilla, and pour immediately over warm cake.






Our friend Jay came over when Jackson was almost 6 weeks old and took these fun pictures for us!

This is one of my favorite desserts, and it's perfect for the fall. I know it's spring time, but I thought I'd add this one anyways. I have a few cans of pumpkin in my pantry, so when I feel up to cooking and baking again, I may be making this:

PUMPKIN BARS

1 can pumpkin
2 cups Bisquick
2 c sugar
4 eggs
1/2 c oil
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 c nuts (optional)

Mix all and bake in a 9x13 for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees.
For icing, mix 1 (8 oz) softened cream cheese, 1 box confectioners sugar, 1 Tbsp water. Ice when cake is cool.



Emily Gross makes this fabulous Cranberry Apple Crisp. Perfect for a chilly night, and I justify it as being somewhat healthy :)

CRANBERRY APPLE CRISP

3 c unpeeled apples sprinkled with lemon juice, chpd into bite-size pieces
2 c whole raw cranberries
1 c granulated sugar
~Mix above and put in shallow 2 qt casserole dish

1 1/2 c oats
1 1/2 c firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 c all purpose flour
1/2 c melted butter
1/3 c chpd pecans (optional)
~Mix and spread on top of apple mixture

~Bake uncovered at 300 degrees for 45 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream.



And now on to a more summery dessert. This is by far the BEST dessert I've ever tasted! Ashley Mac is a popular caterer in town, and she published this pie recipe in the newspaper. I promise you'll love it, and it's an instant crowd-pleaser.

ASHLEY MAC'S COCONUT-CARAMEL PIE

1/4 c butter
1 (8 oz) pkg coconut
1 c chpd pecans
8 oz cream cheese
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
16 oz frozen whipped topping, thawed
2 deep dish (9-inch) pie shells, baked
1 (12 oz) jar caramel topping

Melt butter in large skillet. Add coconut and pecans. Cook until brown and set aside.

Combine cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk in mixing bowl. Beat with mixer until smooth. Fold in whipped topping.

Layer 1/4 cream cheese mixture in each pie shell.

Drizzle approximately half the jar of caramel topping on top of cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle half of the coconut mixture on top. Repeat the layer, beginning with cream cheese mixture.

Place pies in freezer until ready to serve.



Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Smiles

Despite this picture, Jackson has really started having a social smile this week. It has been such a delight for us to get to see it, and while I still haven't captured it on film yet, I'm working on it! I'm writing this entry for my memory, and I know only Auburn fans would appreciate the latter part of this entry.

First off, today I put Jackson in his swing for his nap, and there is a little mirror that hangs above his swing so he can check himself out. Today I looked up and saw him smiling at his reflection in the mirror. Absolutely precious to see!

This afternoon, while burping Jackson, I noticed he always raises his arms up. So I'm working on "Touchdown Auburn" when he does that. Then tonight, he had his arms raised again, and I started singing "All I Do Is Win," and man oh man, Jackson gave me the sweetest, biggest grin! This went on for a few minutes. Totally made my day. I love my little Auburn baby.

Do any of you bloggers out there know how to transfer videos from FLIP to blogspot? I have some really cute videos that I want to put on this blog and try to bypass the YouTube route.