A Busy Summer

Here are some updates on our family happenings of late. Since I am a bad blogger, this is a long one, just to warn you.

For the Fourth we went to Sheila's (Curt's sister) in-laws' house on a lake outside of Grand Rapids. They are very hospitable and welcoming and we always have fun there. We had a really good time watching the two babies play together, going for boat rides (except for Madelyn who definitely did not enjoy it), taking walks, watching the dogs play together, and eating some wonderful food, which is always important for me. :) Jackson "swam" with us for the first time and did pretty well, although it was cold. We started with just his feet splashing in the water and he fussed some, but not too much, so then I took off his outfit and we went a little deeper. He was still okay with it, so off went the diaper and we went in up to his waist! He probably lasted about 15 minutes total before he had had enough, and I didn't want to push it to the point where he'd dislike it. It was so neat to watch the babies interacting, to see the milestones that Madelyn (8 months) has reached, and to see what Jackson will be doing by the time he is her age. It wasn't as much fun when they played copycat with each other. When one fussed and cried, the other would start in. Then they'd look at us like, "What's happening? What do we do? Keep crying or will it all be okay?" But they actually weren't doing that as much this time as they have before.


Sadie was a huge chicken at first with Sheila and John's dog, Koko, a yellow lab who must look gigantic to little Sadie. She was yipping and crying like crazy, but she eventually warmed up to her and quit trying to jump into our laps. Pretty soon they were following each other into the water, sharing food, and, of course, sniffing butts. They had lots of fun playing together in the boat with us and with the daddies when they went fishing.

Last week I took a day off so Jackson and I could visit with my mom's side of the family for a day at Mille Lacs. It was pretty windy there so we didn't spend a whole lot of time in the water, but I was able to swim for a bit while my cousin watched Jackson, and he even splashed around in the water some with Grandma Paula. It was nice to just take a day in the week to relax, hang out, and eat some more good food. :)

This past weekend we left Sadie home alone for the first time. From Friday afternoon to Sunday night. Mommy was not very happy about it. Especially when Curt's parents wondered why we didn't bring her to their house when we got there! Of course she was alive and well when we got home, but I worried about her being sad and anxious without us. She let out her aggression by getting in to the house through the garage door and making a huge mess of Jackson's toys. Luckily there was no pee or poop to be found, but I wonder how long she was in there because some of the toys were completely engulfed in dog smell. Curt's parents were nice enough to get her out of there when they drove up to drop off a load of wood for the wood stove we're going to buy. (Curt is super excited about it. He's like a kid. More on that when we actually get one, which is the point where I'll start caring about it...)

That Friday we were able to visit the Wojo side for a night so Grandma and Grandpa could get some much-needed Jackson time. It was great to just sit back and watch him with his grandparents. They are wonderful and he is such a lucky boy! The next day Curt spent time with high school friends in St. Paul while my mom, Brea, Jackson and I went to Rochester to hang out with my aunt and uncle, cousins, and kids. Bre and I also met two of our closest college friends for lunch. It was wonderful to see them again and they enjoyed meeting Jackson. The first three of Jackson's generation on my dad's side are girls, and now there have been three boys in a row, so it was great to have them together and watch their interaction. We scared him at first with our loudness and outbursts of laughter, but pretty soon he was used to it and even started to make lots of his own babbles so he could talk like his cousins.

I can't get the text to go under each picture at the moment, so from the top: Brea, Mommy and Jackson, Sara, and Katie (my sophomore year roomie); Great Aunt Dawn with Jackson and my cousin Cindy with her son, Adrian (from whom we get most of our clothes! Thanks, bud!); Jackson and Grandma Paula; Landon, my cousin Shannon's son, and Jackson with the girls trying to get them to pose for pictures.

On our way back home Sunday we stopped at Curt's aunt and uncle's house to visit with some family and meet Jim and Liz's new baby, Becca. Seeing a beautiful, tiny newborn again made me miss that phase of Jackson's life, but as Liz and I talked and I watched them together, I realized how nice it is now that he is a breastfeeding pro who sleeps in his own room and can be left alone to entertain himself for short periods of time. Those little tiny ones sure do take up lots of time and energy. A different kind of energy than I give for him now. So ultimately I would like to have more children, but I am content with the stage Jackson's at now and am happy to wait a while. Sorry, Grandparents. :)

Jackson's babbling this past weekend was really the first time we've heard him make consonant sounds and he hasn't stopped since, which is absolutely adorable and so much fun! He also discovered his toes and is reaching for them all the time, and I bet soon he'll stick them in his mouth. It is amazing how wonderful and touching the simplest things become when you are watching your child grow. Although I love newborns and I miss that phase of his life, it's really fun now that he's so interactive and expressive. Since I'm such a sap, I wish he could stay a baby forever, but I really am excited for all that's to come.