Auld Lang Syne

Week 35 went WAY too fast.
Before we knew it, Christmas Eve was here and excitement was in the air.
On Christmas Eve, we had the privilage of celebrating the Wrye Christmas Eve tradition at my parent's house. I got to see my aunts and uncle and most of my cousins, and Jackson got to meet everyone, too!


Then we drove to Mt Carmel to celebrate with my dad's side. There were so many babies there... A 3 week old, a 5 month old, Jackson, and a 2 year old! Jackson enjoyed playing with everyone and even snuck a taste of ice cream and cookie behind my back (thank you, Dad and Holly).

Here is my little man on Christmas Eve in his suit and tie:



The next morning, we woke up and santa had come, stockings were filled, and we spent the day with Nana, Bapa, Holly and Myles. It couldn't have been better! I love my family and was honored and elated to spend Jackson's first Christmas (and my first Christmas since 2003) with them! Jackson was spoiled!



And yes, I managed to fit it ALL in my luggage to take back to Australia!

Sadly, the day was over too soon and so was our trip. The next morning we said goodbye and packed up the car to go to the airport. We left Nana and Bapa in Louisville and made our way back overseas to see Daddy. Jackson, again, did wonderfully on the trip. He slept about 9 hours of the 14 hour flight from LA to Sydney giving me much needed rest, too. He was so good natured. When you get on a plane with a baby, most people roll their eyes and are not too impressed. But at the end of the flight, everyone talked to us and commented how well behaved he was. He even got his own seat!


When we got to Sydney, we managed to get through lines very quickly. When Jackson saw David, his eyes just lit up and he had the biggest smile. There were hugs and kisses all around!

The start of week 36 was fraught with jet lag. Poor baby...

We slept from 2:30 - 7:30 when we got home, and then went to bed around 11. Jackson woke up at 5:30 bright eyed and bushy tailed... so I tried to keep him up until 9 when we took a 2 hour nap, and then another 2 hour nap at 1. We hit the hay around 8 and Jackson woke around 1:00. I slept with him in his room until about 2:00 when he had a quick feed and then went down until 7:30. The next day was fairly normal, but we both went to bed around 7pm. Jackson slept through until 7:30 the next morning. Last night was a bit more sane. He still got really tired around 7, but we held off putting him to bed until 8 and he slept through till 7:30 this morning. I was in bed by 10:30 so everyone missed the midnight fireworks. Happy New Year from the old and lame one... He has had an hour nap this morning and is currently taking his afternoon nap.

We have tried some new finger foods: papaya, macaroni, and hard boiled egg yolk. He loves them all! He still loves his Baby Mum Mums and Animal Crackers. He is getting so good at eating solid foods. I can't believe how much he is developing.


Here is his new trick... Opening drawers... it was pretty funny the first time, but I suspect the novelty (for us parents) will wear off soon... welcome to the land of child proof safety latches.


There is so much to be grateful for in 2009. Jackson has completely changed my life and it is a year I will never forget. We look forward to seeing what 2010 has in store for the Bennett family. I suspect it will be a great one. Happy New Year!!

I'm Dreaming Of A White Christmas!

Hello week 34! Hello 8 Month Old Boy! Goodbye 7 Months! How fast is this all going? I have an 8 month old baby and am getting ready to leave my family in the USA and head back to my husband in Australia. I cannot believe how fast time flies!

This past week was pretty chill. We went to Myles baseball game, visited our friends Marvin, Kristi and their granddaughter Sophie, and had a sleepover with Cousin Myles and Aunt Holly.

I seemed to have solved the sleep problem. Jackson sleeps a lot better on his tummy then he does on his back.

This has worked all week except last night when I finally laid him on his back to sleep only to find he had flipped over to his tummy in the night. Glad he is able to roll himself and get comfortable!

This week also brought on Jackson's first cold. The poor baby has had a runny nose all week. It has just turned into a little cough. We have used a humidifier, Vicks Baby Rub, saline, and propping him up to sleep. It gives him comfort, but we are still waiting on the bug to disappear. I hope he feels better by the time we get on the airplane!


On Monday it was warm enough were we could play outside. Jackson loved playing on the Zebra!


On Saturday, Holly, Myles, Jackson and I went to Sears to get Christmas pictures taken. The boys looked so handsome! Poor Jackson was NOT feeling well and we had a hard time getting him to smile. I think this is a recurring Pictures Studio theme. We got some great pictures though! Here is a sampling:






On Sunday, I sang and played at my Aunt's church. Jackson was such a good little guy during the service.

Jackson has been eating more and more! He LOVES Baby Mum Mum crackers. He has started 3 meals a day.

This week is Christmas! I don't think we'll have a white one, but it is good to be cold. I know next week at this time it will be stinkin' hot! Have a Merry Christmas!

O.P.P.

33 Weeks Old

We did a lot of people meeting this week - week 33 of life! Monday and Tuesday we just chilled out at Nana and Bapa's house. But Wednesday we loaded up the rental car and headed to Indianapolis to catch up with some of my dearest friends.

We met up with my friend Erika and her 6 month old daughter Charlotte at the Holiday Inn downtown for an overnight playdate. After several minutes of checking each other out they bonded over the Magic Mozart Cube and played well into the evening.

Here is what I learned from that experience: 2 babies in 1 hotel room = not a lot of sleep for anyone involved. Jackson would make a noise and Charlotte would wake up. Charlotte would make a noise and Jackson would wake up. And then Charlotte, an early bird, woke at 6:00am sharp and Jackson, who takes after his mommy, is not used to waking up until 8ish. Jackson reluctantly got up, but was tired and grumpy ALL day.

On Thursday, a sleepy mommy and baby went to Butler to visit some of my old professors and friends. I got to catch up with Jennifer and her family, Eric Stark, Kyle Ferrill, Cathy Bringerud and some other randoms we saw in the hallway. Unfortunately, Jackson cried in everyone's face and we had to leave to go take a nap. An overtired baby is very hard to get to sleep, but eventually we did get a 2 hour nap in. Next, we drove to Meg and Nicole's house to settle in for the next two nights.

On Friday, Jackson and I made our way to our Immigration appointment to get his citizenship papers only to be told that another interview was required and to let them know when we'd be back in the States. Feeling a little dejected, we drove around Indy before meeting Michael and Sherrie Sells* for lunch. Jackson LOVED Sherrie... he gave her so many kisses and hugs! It was great catching up with them!

*I have pictures of Jennifer and her family and Sherrie and Jackson, but they are on the other camera and, alas, I don't have a cord for it so they will come on another post.

After lunch, we headed back to Meg and Nicole's for an afternoon nap and a relaxing evening with the girls. Nicole made us chicken enchilladas and we chatted into the night. They were such great hostesses and their house is adorable!

The next morning we said goodbye to Meg and Nicole (Meg had a handbell concert...she's awesome) and headed to the MacPherson-Stolen house. Jackson got to meet the people that played such an important part in my life during my college years. It was wonderful to see Abbey Claire and Jackson together - I consider them both my children. Rob and Steven played with Jackson while I played the Wii with Abbey Claire. She totally kicked my butt! But never worry... I told her I was going to buy a Wii, practice, and be back the same time next year to kick her butt! Watch out girl!


Next we headed up north to my friend Katherine's house. She and her husband, Dennis, had a baby boy a month after Jackson was born. Their boy Colin is ADORABLE and SO good natured. Jackson and Colin became fast friends. The most popular toy was Colin's calculator. They kept passing it back and forth. I am sure they will feel so cool hearing that story when they get older. That night we took Colin and Jackson to see Santa. Both boys smiled big for their picture and told Santa what they wanted for Christmas.


The next morning we left Colin and the gang, and drove to see Jill and her family. Jill and Ryan had just gotten back from a Carribean cruise and were all tan... they weren't yet unpacked, but Jill is my BFF and I wasn't about to leave Indy without seeing her. Jackson met her two sons and Max especially took a shine to Jackson.


Then we headed back to downtown Indy to the Children's Museum for our final playdate of the trip. We met my friend Vanessa from upstairs and her son Elias at the Babyscape Exhibit. That exhibit was so cool! They had so much stuff for under 5's to do! Jackson and Elias played with balls, mirrors, magnets and listened to stories and songs. Elias is so full of personality just like his Mommy.


Jackson especially enjoyed the magnets. I thought it was very clever how he played with the "J" magnet. J is for Jackson!


Shortly after lunch, we started the trip back to Evansville. Jackson slept nearly the whole way. He was awake for the last 30 minutes. And within 5 minutes of home he pooped! (Did I mention that he hadn't pooped since before we left for Indianapolis?)

All in all, it was a great trip. I loved seeing old friends and meeting their children. I refuse to believe that we are old enough to be having families of our own. As I drove up to Indy, I was listening to the radio. The announcer said "Now we will take you way, way, way back... OPP... I think it stands for Other People's Property... here you are, from 1991..." I was like "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO"! THAT made me feel old. My song is an oldie. What?

One issue that I had to deal with on the trip was sleep... or lack thereof. Jackson has NOT been sleeping well. There have been no more teeth and I am not convinced it is his teeth. He has not gone through a night without waking at least 3 times. And it isn't to eat. I put him on my breast for him to fall asleep within seconds. Here are his symptoms: VERY restless; he never fully wakes up or opens his eyes; passes lots of gas; doesn't eat; squirms like he is uncomfortable whether he is put down or held; he goes down to sleep fine and sleeps for 2 - 3 hours before waking frequently. I have tried teething tablets and bonjela neither of which helped. But seeing as how I think it isn't teething in the first place, why would it? Because he hasn't been pooping...well, at all...I think it is belly ache. When we got back Sunday night, I put him to sleep in his own room (he had been sleeping with me). He woke at 11 with the above mentioned symptoms and I laid down with him in his room. He was squirmy and restless until 5 when I put him back in his bed ON HIS STOMACH. Then he slept. He slept like a rock until I woke him at 8:15. And I would have let him sleep longer had I not had to go return the rental car. Aha! So Monday night I put him to sleep on his belly. He woke up at 1:30 and genuinely ate (I thought he might be hungry as he didn't have a big dinner). I put him back to sleep on his belly. He whimpered at 6, but before I could get to his door he had put himself back to sleep and that's where he stayed until 7:45 when he awoke with cooing and bababa-ing. Wonderful! That's what we'll try again tonight! And he has since pooped 4 times. However, I am relieved to have my happy baby back!

Side Note: I just looked at my baby as his playing went a bit silent, and he is on all fours rocking! Not long now before my scootcher becomes a crawler.

New antics: As we were waiting for Erika and Charlotte to arrive from Chicago on Wednesday, Jackson decided he wanted to play...


Let's play Hide N Seek...


This looks like a good place. Mommy won't find me in here!


Where's Jackson?


Peekaboo!


New foods this week: pickles (an idea from several of the mom's I saw in Indy) - whole dill pickles - he can't chew them up just yet, but they taste great and feel good on his gums. Baby Mum-Mums... organic and gluten free... rice crackers that he can't seem to get enough of. Otherwise, I didn't add anything new. I did discover, however, that my baby does not like jarred baby food. I took jarred organic food to Indy, but it was a struggle every meal time. When we got home he ate my homemade corn and sweet potatoes like it was manna from heaven. Made me feel good :)

Jackson also just lit up when he saw Myles. He doesn't react to ANYONE like he does with Myles. He'll just start talking and giggling. It is amazing. I think those two will end up being more like brothers!

We will spend this week relaxing! On Saturday, Myles and Jackson are getting their pictures taken together. And on Sunday, I will be singing and playing at my Aunt's church. Until next week... Hope your holiday shopping is near finished! Mine is!

We Are Family

32 Weeks Old


Better late than never! We made it to the USA! After 3 flights, we landed in Louisville KY where we were greeted by Nana and Bapa. Jackson was a FANTASTIC traveler. All three flights were booked solid so there were no spare seats on which to stretch out. Jackson took four 2.5 hour naps and two 30 min naps. Despite the LONG lines in LA and the 2 hour delay in Atlanta, he remained well behaved, quiet, and in good spirits. I was SO proud of him. I think next time I will definitely book him a seat to ensure we have a bit more room, but as a lap baby he was brilliant.

Neither of us had any jetlag. He went to sleep about 11:00pm on Monday night and didn't wake up until 9:00am the next morning. We were probably just that exhausted!

The following nights, however, were interesting. He never had any trouble going to sleep at his 8:30 bedtime. But staying asleep is another story. Screaming, restlessness...he couldn't be put down. WELL... there is an explanation. Teeth! And on Wednesday morning, he chomped down on my finger and there is was! It isn't photographable just yet, but here Jackson is the morning his tooth popped through. Clearly, it was a rough night.


My dad took me to a wonderful organic supermarket in Evansville (go figure!). I bought brown rice, sweet potato, pumpkin, corn, green beans, carrots, pears and apples to make some baby food. (My mom bought me a Magic Bullet for her house!) I also got some Happy Baby organic puffs for Jackson to practice self feeding. He hasn't quite figured out how to get them puffs out of his fist, but enjoys the taste of the wheat puffs when someone helps him out. My dad also found organic, gluten free animal crackers. He (my dad) BEGGED me to get them for Jackson and after scouring the list of ingredients couldn't see the harm. Jackson's first cookie was a momentous occasion.


It was a busy first week. Jackson met a lot of people, went to Myles baseball game, went to Myles 6th birthday party, went Christmas shopping on the annual girls day out shopping day, and did a lot of playing. He is, by the way, STILL scootching backwards only.

The scariest part of the week came on Sunday. I was supposed to be singing and playing the piano at my Aunt's church that morning. I had just woken up when my mom rushed in saying "You're not singing... I'll call you on the way to the hospital!" My grandmother had been rushed to hospital in pretty bad condition. After a morning of waiting, she pulled through just fine. She is a fighter! I come from a family of good genes.

We ate many of the usual foods and just started corn which he appears to like.

Most of all, Jackson LOVES Myles. His face lights up whenever he comes over. He hugs him and kisses him and watches his every move. Myles said "I never knew a baby could love me SO much!" It is adorable to watch.

Tomorrow we leave for Indianapolis for 5 days. I am looking forward to catching up with old friends... some of who have babies of their own. The next post should be exciting!

In the meantime, here are picture of Jackson with those that are dear to me.


With Papaw (my Dad's dad) and Bapa (my Dad)


With Mamaw (my Dad's mom)


With Grandmommy (my Mom's mom) and Cousin Myles


With Nana (my Mom)


With Bapa


With Aunt Holly and Cousin Myles

My favorite picture from this week:

The caption I put with it is:
"I'm tired. My gums hurt. And Mommy doesn't know it yet, but I have pooped up my back!"

See ya next week!

I'm Leaving On A Jet Plane...

31 Weeks and counting! It was a challenging week for us here in the Bennett household...

Let's talk about sleep... something at which Jackson has always been so good... all of a sudden turned to POO! Sunday evening it was REALLY hot here. I mean REEEAAAALLY hot. And nobody wasn't happy about it. We ended up moving his cot into the lounge room with the air conditioner and he slept better. But ever since he has NOT wanted to go to bed. He will sleep until you put him down. And then CRY! Not just a cute little whimper... but SCREAM CRY. Until you pick him up. And he has done this every day this week. We have tried music, a variation on the normal routine, going to bed earlier... nothing seems to work. So I am putting this down to one of two things: either a newly developed separation anxiety or teething. His nap times have also been quite screwy. Not sleeping as long... I am hoping this is just a phase. In any case, I can see 4 bumps where teeth are growing. They haven't popped out yet, but it looks like he might get the top ones before the bottom ones. We'll see.

And it has been extraordinarily hot here. Sticky, nasty hot. And it doesn't cool down at night. YUCK!

David took the week off to spend with us. He came to GymbaROO on Monday. He was so funny doing the dances and games. The three of us really enjoyed ourselves. The theme was Butterfly, but I didn't have anything butterfly at home so I took Jackson's bee.... It was a bee-terfly. Hey. What did you want me to do?

On Tuesday, David came to swimming lessons with us. He was SO impressed at how well Jackson was doing with it! He also took a multitude of pictures. (I am not posting them all here...)
Here is Jackson floating on his back BY HIMSELF!

Here is Jackson swimming to his teacher, Miss Paula. Have I mentioned how much he LOVES Miss Paula?

And here he is hanging onto the wall ALL BY HIMSELF!



On Tuesday night David and I had a date night and Mel stayed with Jackson. We went to a Thai restaurant and then went to see "2012". We both thoroughly enjoyed the couple time! Thanks Mel!

There has been lots of scootching this week. Jackson has figured out how to roll over and then scootch... so placing him on his back is no longer safe. It's all fair game. He is so clever and quick. And can even take corners. The only catch is it is all done going backwards!

Saturday we caught up with our friends the Keats for a spontaneous lunch at LoneStar. When I was pregnant, the moment we stepped into the restaurant and Jackson heard the country music he used to kick kick kick! And he seemed to enjoy himself outside of my belly, too! He loved hanging out with Julian. He even sat in a high chair and chewed on his teething rusk while the grown ups ate.


I managed to get some giggles on video this week. His little laugh is so contagious!


This week in the food arena we tried mango. It was a bit too tart for him, but he gave it a go. He also has been trying some finger foods - banana chunks and toast.

We leave tomorrow morning! We're all packed and ready to go. We're giving daddy lots of hugs and kisses to make up for an entire month without seeing him. I am full of mixed emotions: excited, nervous, happy, and sad. I am hoping Jackson does ok on the airplane and we are able to get back into a routine quickly.

Over and out for the last blog from Kerr St. See ya soon!!

And we love you and will miss you, Daddy!

Can't Hold Us Down

I'm 7 Months Old (30 Weeks)! It's been such an eventful and exciting week! There is so much we want to share with you... but where to start...

Monday: GymbaROO. Theme: bowl. Trying desperately to crawl, but can't seem to get anywhere.
Tuesday: Swimming Lessons. He happily went underwater so many times I lost track! Lots of splashing and kicking and floating BY HIMSELF. And lots of kisses and cuddles for his teacher, Miss Paula. At the end of the lesson when Miss Paula works with each baby individually, for the first time she said "Swim to Mommy" and just let go of him and he wiggled and kicked and swam to me! I was only about 2 feet away, but it's something! I was as proud as punch! I even went in thinking it was going to be a waste of a half hour as there had been NO morning nap. Boy, was I wrong!

Speaking of naps, there has been a dramatic decrease in the amount of time the little bug sleeps during the day. It could possibly be because it is just too hot to nap here lately (104 degree days)! But he hasn't been cranky because of it. But as I speak, he has been asleep for 2.5 hours and counting. So who knows...

Wednesday we went to the Babes In Arms movie session with Bianca and Julian. The grownups watched "This Is It" - the Michael Jackson documentary. I wasn't ecstatic to see the movie going in, but left feeling absolutely awed by the talent of MJ and his surrounding musicians, dancers, and host of advisers. Jackson did well through the movie, playing in his own seat, taking a short nap, and then playing in my lap with my straw. I keep having to pinch myself "Is my Baby really this good??"
The week's biggest event happened before we left for the movies in the morning. I put Jackson down on his stomach on his playmat with a few of his toys. Then I went into the kitchen to wash the dishes. 2 minutes later when I peeked around the corner to check on him he had moved! And not just moved... MOVED! See for yourself:

Keep in mind... he started where his toys are placed at the top of the mat.
And here's a close up of what he was doing underneath the piano:

So I put him back and grabbed the video camera. Within a minute he was on the move again (stopping to play with the orange thing on the way). Here is how he did it:

Clever boy! And ever since he scootches everywhere. Not quite crawling and not quite forward, but he's mobile. He has also figured out how to get on his knees. If you're sitting down he will crawl all over you.

Thursday we went to the park early in the morning before my appointment. When I say early I mean 8:30... it was already HOT outside so we only spent about 15 minutes playing. Jackson enjoyed playing on the ladybug:


And the swings:


He is very curious about everything. And has to check everything out before he can officially begin to play.

He was very excited to see Mel again on Thursday night.

Friday was a STINKER of a day... 104 degrees F. So we headed down to the air conditioned shopping centre.

Saturday was still hot, but a bit better. We read a lot of books. David has been reading a book to Jackson before bed each night. So when we read yesterday afternoon, Jackson was keen to take pages in his own hands:


Saturday night when we were playing before bath time (as we usually do), Jackson got on his stomach and started blowing raspberries on my leg. It was hilarious... and yet again, the video camera came out (Lucky you! Two videos in one blog!):


Sunday we headed to Mt Sugarloaf for Julian's Naming Ceremony. It was another 104 degree day, but the ceremony was lovely.


Jackson was happy to see Julian. They like to give each other hugs and try to eat each others hands (as one does). Julian has one tooth. Jackson still doesn't have any. Julian, 1. Jackson, 0.


We also had an opportunity to explore a new toy: the jingle toy! Jackson loved shaking the be-jesus out of it. And in typical Jackson fashion, he plays with two toys: one toy with his hands (or more specifically, in his mouth) and one with his feet.


New foods this week include: Millet (it appears that there is no reaction to the gluten in Millet or Barley, so it must just be the oatmeal... we'll try it again in a couple of months) and Wholemeal Bread as a finger food. We have also gone from 2 cubes of food 2 meals a day to 3 cubes of food 2 meals a day. Jackson also drinks about 100ml (3oz) of water a day in addition to 6 breastfeeds. He's a growin' guy!

Only 1 week till we leave!! I have made lists, bought the necessary provisions, and prepared my mind for the flight(s) over. David has taken the entire week off to spend with us before we leave. I am excited that he'll be able to go to GymbaROO and swim lessons with us. And, weather permitting, we'll spend some days at the park as well.

Coming up this week: GymbaROO (theme: butterfly); Swimming Lessons; DATE NIGHT; dinner with the Keats; and a trip to Burning Mountain. There won't be any new food as I don't want any allergic reactions on the plane. I'm sure Jackson understands :)

One more blog to go. See ya soon!