Van the Man

Jackson and I listen to music all day long. When I am at the computer, there's always tunes playing through Windows Media Player, which has a very special component. It's got a kaleidoscope feature that moves with the music. Jackson finds it absolutely mesmerizing. Here he is jamming out to Van Morrison, when all of a sudden, he sees the kaleidoscope. The rest is history.

On My Own

Ok, I am usually not too worried about Jackson meeting his milestones. I am a firm believer in kids doing what they do when they are ready to do it. That being said, at Jackson's 4 month appointment, his doctor told me that Jackson ought to be able to sit on his own by his 6 month appointment. Well, Jackson has had absolutely no intention of sitting on his own. Why bother, when rolling around the living room is so much fun? I started to get worried. His 6 month appointment is on Thursday and I wondered if Jackson would get scolded by his doctor, so I started sitting him down, rather than putting him on his tummy. It worked! All of a sudden, instead of toppling over, or going down into a tripod, he just stayed. And let me tell you, the boy's got some good posture! He loves sitting now, and if I try to lay him down, he gets mad. He'd rather go down when he's good and ready, thank you. And his mama's so proud!

Uncle Trae Visits Master Jack

All of Thursday, Jackson anticipated the arrival of his Uncle Trae. Jackson knows that he will see his Uncle Trae at least once a week, but the anticipation is almost unbearable. Trae comes in, and Jackson can hardly contain himself. He, who rarely reaches for anyone, immediately leans towards Trae for uncle comfort. Jackson even sat up for minutes at a time, showing off his newfound skill for his uncle. The bond strengthened throughout the evening, allowing Uncle Trae to carry Jackson to his room for bathtime preparations. What a ball they had! Jackson even grabbed Uncle Trae's lips and wadded them up in his tiny little hands, providing happiness for both. What a night!

Say What?

Jackson has got a lot to say. The kid talks non-stop all day long. He talks to me, the ceiling fan, his feet, anything that will listen. He's added some words to his vocabulary of "mamama" like "blah blah blah" and "bababa" along with the usual raspberries and bubble blowing. When he talks, his expressions are priceless. It looks like he's got the most important and serious things to talk about. And if he catches you looking at him while he's having a conversation, he stops talking and just grins at you.

Something other than milk?

Jackson is almost 6 months old. When I took him to the doctor for his 4 month check up, I was told that he could start having a little bit of juice or water in a sippy cup. I went right out, bought 2 sippy cups and some apple juice, came home, filled it up and gave it to him. Now, I'm a teacher, and should have known that I wasn't going to get immediate results, but I really thought I'd hand the sippy to the boy, he'd guzzle down the juice, and promptly ask for more. How wrong I was. But I've been trying, about once a week, to give Jackson juice or water in his cup, with or without the sippy thing on top. He's just never liked it. In fact, he down right depised it. Until yesterday. I filled the cup up with juice, handed it over, and voila! One sip was all it took and he looked over at me as if to say, "You mean there's more to life than just milk?" He loved it. For about a minute. Then he quickly reverted back to his old ways.

Life's a Beach!

Jackson and I went to the beach today. It was a major event because, even though we only live about 2 miles from the ocean, we've never been. (Jackson went to the beach once at our family reunion and was so excited to be there, he slept the whole time!) We went because my friend Gwen and her daugher, Ruby Jane were visiting from Chapel Hill. The day was overcast, but it was perfect for us because it wasn't too hot and we didn't need to lug an umbrella down there with the rest of our stuff. Ruby Jane and Jackson played together in the sand for a minute, until Jackson got too tired to hold himself up. I had to get the sand off of him somehow, so we went down to the surf. I couldn't tell if Jackson liked it or not, because he's at this stage where he doesn't know whether to laugh or cry, so he does both. No tears, but he went back and forth from smiling, to having a worried, furled brow look. I had him standing in the wet sand and his feet kept sinking. I wonder if he thought they were disappearing forever. We were having a great time until it started raining. It caused our beach trip to be much shorter than we had anticipated, but the company and the view were worth every minute!

The Art of Eating Bananas

We always thought Jackson's favorite foods were applesauce and green beans. We were wrong. According to Jackson, the best food on earth is bananas. Not "real" bananas, but the slimy, Gerberized in a jar kind. He loves them plain or with oatmeal. We've been trying to teach him good table manners by feeding him in his high chair and engaging him in meaningful conversations. I think it's working.

Best Sleep Ever

Yesterday was the laziest of lazy days. The entire family stayed in our pajamas until this morning, when reality set in. But yesterday was a chill day. We watched movies, played games and hung out together. For the most part, Jackson spent the first 3 months of his life awake unless we were holding him. Sean and I have worked very hard to teach Jackson to be an independent crib sleeper. Our hard work paid off and he sleeps well by himself. And I miss him now that he's in his own bed. Sometimes, though, a lucky moment occurs and he exhausts himself playing with us and just conks out. Like this. Daddy loved it.

First Words?

When Jackson was born, I quit my job as a third grade teacher to stay home with him. Sean and I figured since I went to school for it, I might be able to teach Jackson a few things here and there. So, on March 27th, my new job began. Since that day, I have had a constant narration going on throughout the day. Sometimes it's in a sing-songy type manner, but mostly, it's just me talking and talking and talking. Or more like explaining. "Mommy's changing your diaper." "Mommy's cutting up an onion." "Mommy's going crazy talking to a little person who may or may not hear what she's saying and certainly does not respond back." I'm thinking osmosis here. Anyway, all that talking is starting to pay off because the other day Jackson and I were practicing our rolling skills and it just came out... Mamamama. At first I thought it was just Jackson making noise because, I mean, he's brilliant and Sean and I know that, but he is only 5 and 1/2 months old after all. Then I thought he was just making the "I'm in pain because I am teething" sounds. However, all of those theories came abruptly to an end while I was cooking breakfast this morning. Fortunately, Sean caught the whole thing on camera. Does Jackson know what he's saying? Does he actually know who "Mamamama" is? You be the judge.

Shopping

Jackson and I went shopping yesterday. I decided we needed some books that have soft, rounded edges that he could put in his mouth without getting cut. Anyway, we loaded up, drove to TJMax, got strapped into the Baby Bjorn and in we went. Well, Jackson is always such a hit when he's in the bjorn, because he usually has his baseball hat on, and he gets so excited to be riding, facing front and smiling at the world. Well, all those shoppers at the store just loved Jackson. In addition to the several ladies who just smiled and commented on his cuteness, 2 of them walked up to me to tell me just how cute Jackson is. Then they leaned down and made funny faces, trying to get him to smile, and, of course, he was happy to oblige. He's a very easy-going, happy child, who loves to be out around town, strapped into the bjorn. But keep the kid in his stroller and he's sure to get mad. He doesn't get nearly as much attention that way. So we keep him happy, which is easy to do.

Master Jackson T. Morris... in video

Master Jackson T Morris
Here's a video montage of photos taken of Jackson this summer. He's had a lot of fun, that's or sure!

Myrtle Beach Waves

Labor Day Weekend was yet another adventure for the Morris'. We took an impromtu trip to Myrtle Beach to see Grandie Phi and Auntie Sheree. What fun! We packed up-it's amazing how much Jackson requires for ONE night away from home-and headed south to Cherry Grove (just north of Myrtle Beach) to SeaPonds, where Aunt Sheree has a condo. When we got there, the grandmother and the aunt took the boy and sent Sean and me off to play miniature golf at Mayday. That place is so cool, there is a plane and a helicopter that are "crashed" into the fake rocks and Sean and I have always wanted to play. It only took us an hour to play 36 holes but Jackson had fun playing with his Aunt Sheree and watching Spongebob and didn't even notice that we were gone. Once we got back, it was almost time to get Jackson ready for bed, so Grandie fed him green beans and sweet potatoes, gave him his bottle and put him to bed. Unfortunately, Jackson knew we were at the beach and wanted to stay awake and party with his Grandie and Aunt. So sleep, which usually happens at home at 6:30, didn't happen until well past 8:00. Persistence prevailed and we finally convinced the boy to catch some zee's. After the adults ate dinner, Sean and I got an unexpected treat-we got to go to the pier for drinks! We had a blast people watching and listening to live music. It was incredible to be "free" adults, out for drinks while the baby was home. On Monday, we had lunch at the pier (the people watching wasn't nearly as good during the day!)and then headed back home. It was a great, spur of the moment adventure!