A Long Day At O'Hare

We traveled home to Seattle yesterday. Jackson and I will be staying until July 16th and then my mom (G-Ma Dime) will be coming back with us for two weeks. Matt is only able to come out for the long weekend, but we'll take what we can get! Here is our adventures from yesterday:

Here is Matt with his one suitcase.

Here I am with my one suitcase.

And... here is Jackson with all of his luggage. Are you kidding me!?!?! Matt and I brought our wallets and iPods on the flight, but everything else was for Jackson, and neither one of us even got to use our iPods because we were so exhausted.

Matt and I have been super nervous about flying home to Seattle with Jackson, but he ended up being the least of our worries yesterday. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 3:35pm and continued to get delayed every hour because the airplane had been struck by lightening when coming into Chicago and needed to undergo inspections to make sure it was safe. Always the positive one, I was just grateful that we were going to be safe and that we weren't on the trip when it was hit by lightening. So, after a six-hour delay we were off! What a day. I was overwhelmed with emotion on the plane when I looked over at my sweet husband next to me, who helped SO much with all of the preparation and work it takes to fly with an eight-week old baby, and then I looked down to see my sweet boy sleeping in my arms. I felt so blessed. Life is good.We had dinner at the Chili's in the O'Hare airport. Mommy was more interested in the margarita then the food... :)

Daddy is so tired and Jackson is having none of it- too much to see at the airport!Getting ready to board the plane- finally passed out after being at the airport for 7 hours.

First flight- he did great, and yes, I'm as tired as I look :)

Oh baby! Going to the doctor...

Jackson turned seven weeks old this week and we noticed a huge change in his sleeping and eating and just about everything else. People told me to watch for that sixth-week growth spurt, but it was still tough. He wanted to eat every hour and a half and eat a lot! It was like having a newborn all over again. Then when six and a half weeks hit he changed over night! He is sleeping through the night now (something we can only praise Jesus for!) and eating every 3-4 hours. When we went in for his check-up with the doctor on Friday he weighed in at 12 lbs and 22 inches. He's gained 5 lbs since we left the hospital and he's grown 2 inches! I love watching him grow, and lately he's been looking for me or watching me go out of the room and talking and smiling to me ("talking" = cooing:) I am enjoying him so much and can't wait to bring him home on Thursday to meet the Seattle gang.Jackson also had his first chiropractic adjustment last week. He was great and didn't even cry- even though it was all new and maybe scary to him. Luckily he's very familiar with Dr. Cole and how kind she is.

The Clark Family Visits!

The Clark Family visited us from Indiana this weekend and we had so much fun! It's nice to have another baby around for Jackson to hang out with and he was definitely into his new friend Jazmin.
Jaedin was our little "Toothless Wonder" and what a big help! He helped push Jackson in his HUGE stroller when we went for a walk on the beach.
Here he is after eating his blue ice cream treat- luckily it matches his shirt because he's wearing it all over his face like a pro'!
Jackson is ready for our walk! It was 85 degrees and sunny that day so he needed to wear his hat.We also went to the annual "Taste of Chicago". Here is Matt with Jackson for his first "Taste". It is our 3rd Taste since moving to Chicago.

Kim and Jaedin are tastin' up a storm with the corn on the cob- yummmmmm...It was a busy and blessed weekend.

Love,
Nicole, Matt & Jackson

Who Knew?

Who knew that I would someday believe more strongly (or at least hope for) the power of prayer because of a crying (a.k.a. screaming) baby so badly in need of sleep? Who knew that I loved my sleep so much and I would miss it more than food? Who knew that my daily choices would come down to sleep, shower or eat? and that sleep would always win. Who knew that I could go hours with only one eye done with makeup before having enough time to look at myself in the mirror, only to see that the "done" eye had smudged all over my face so that I looked like Mike Tyson after a match? Who knew that I could fall more in love with a man I've known almost ten years and thought I knew so well already? Who knew that my husband would hold and speak so gently with our son that my heart would melt every time? Who knew life could be so wonderful?

Growing so fast!

Jackson is beginning to smile. I tried to record his first couple of smiles and then the camera died (love that modern technology) but I got part of it.

Hiccups

Stephen and Alisha posted their sweet little Olivia when she got hiccups and I am now following their lead. Enjoy!

Boys Will Be Boys

Even at 5 weeks old, boys seem to get dirty without even blinking! We have been taking lots of baths lately, and luckily it really calms Jackson down before bedtime. He has a new bathrobe that turns him into the cutest little duck in all of Chicago. The other picture of him in a blue towel was when we were almost ready for bed and he peed all over everything (and everyONE) during his last diaper change for the night. If it hadn't been in his hair... :) Either way- 5 weeks looks good on the little guy. He's aging well.

What We've Been Up To

Here is a picture of my two favorite boys doing what they do best. We are definitely on Jackson's schedule and sleep when we can. I think they're both priceless.


The picture on the right is when I told Jackson that Obama had been officially nominated as the Democratic candidate for president. He was so excited! "Obama '08!"


Even though this isn't a good shot of Jackson, you can see just how big Sox is and how little he is. She is at least 2 lbs heavier than he is, and definitely not as good of a snuggler :) We went to our one month check-up on Friday and Jackson has grown 2 inches and gained 2 lbs and 7 oz. He is now 21.5 inches long and 9 lbs 6 oz.

Baby Gifts in 2008

Baby gifts are so creative nowadays! Check out this latest gift- it's called "A Bunch of Baby Clothes" and it comes displayed as a bouquet of flowers, but the rose buds are actually 100% Organic baby clothes rolled tightly. The only problem now is that I don't want to do undo it and actually use the items! Cute, huh?


Jackson received this little set of overalls the other day. I was so worried that he wouldn't fit into them since they are size "newborn" and he's quickly outgrowing those, but he's good to go for another week or so. Isn't he adorable? :)

So Many Changes...

Jackson hit three weeks on Friday and I can see the differences already. He is staying awake longer during the day and sleeping a little bit longer during the night. The most exciting part for me to see is his new interest in everything as his eyesight is developing. He's been playing with his floor toys and one of them has a mirror that hangs from it and he will stare at his reflection for 30-45 minutes. I am loving watching this little guy grow- he is such a blessing. I know that he will be smiling in no time, and it might be more than just gas!Looking at himself in the mirror. :)

Kickin' those legs!

I'm so glad I caught this yawn! Adorable...