Jackson's FIRST haircut

Welp, the time had come. I simply couldn't put it off any longer. On good days, little man's hair was curly and precious, and well, NOT haircut worthy. But on not-so-good days, his hair was "mulletish". See below....

Yes, I was that parent. You know, the one that other parents point to and whisper about, "Wonder when they will cut that poor boy's hair?" Well I LOVED it! So I put it off, and put it off, and put it off, and well, after watching his hair constantly get in his face, and realizing that now that it was so long the only way his curls would cooperate was if I put  product in them  (which I was certainly NOT going to do. Or to be honest,  Adam would certainly not LET me do) we decided to bite the bullet, and take the plunge! 

So we pulled up to the place, and Adam went in to make sure they cut children's hair. I won't lie, while Jackson and I were waiting in the car I was thinking about leaving and never going back. Kidding. But seriously, this was a huge moment! I felt like I would be saying goodbye to my baby and welcoming home a little boy. Would he cry? Would they cut him? Would I cry? Sheesh, this was a BIG deal! :) 

Mid-almost-meltdown, Adam hopped back in the car and told me that not only did they cut babies' hair, they had a certificate for him once his first haircut was completed. I was sold.

Here are some before pics in embarrassingly poorly lit and blurry light:  

Ashley, the girl that cut his hair, let him sit in my lap and play with all of her tools while she (patiently) cut his hair. Adam was hysterical and went to crazy lengths to keep Jackson happy and entertained. At one point I think he was dancing for him. Man I love that guy! Anyway, it was all over in 15 minutes, and believe it or not, no one cried! Me or Jackson. :) 


Here's an after pic taken on Adam's handy iphone:

SOOO cute uh?! 

And here's the cute certificate I told you about. Obviously we've still got to add his name to it.

And yes, that is his hair in the box (in a little plastic bag taped to the back). I love it, in a creepy, but sentimental kind of way. :)

J-man is growing TOO fast!

Well friends, our little guy is just growing leaps and bounds. 

He is almost 15 months old (wow!), and he is learning so much!

Here is a fun list of what Jackson is up to:

• Little man is sleeping about 10-11 hours. Thankfully though if he wakes at 6 or so, he'll play and roll around until I go get him.

• He is trying to drop his morning nap, which means he sleeps longer in the afternoon. I am trying to let him drop it. :) Two naps have been a beautiful thing.

• He eats everything one day, and NOTHING the next. I am desperately trying to get Jackson to eat new foods.

• He says, "Dadee" (daddy), "Buh buh" (bye bye); "Baw" (ball); "Daw" (dog); and his new words are "Belbo" (elmo) and "Uh Aw" (uh- oh).  Notice that Momma or Mommy is not  on the list. We are working on that though. I'm not bitter. ;)

• Jackson is wearing mostly 18 month old clothes, some 12 month shorts and 24 month shirts. He's still very tall for his age. Wonder who he got that from? 

• He has just discovered how to use a spoon, so I've been giving him a spoon for most of his meals. Not much makes it into his mouth, but he has fun trying!

• He has always loved books, looking at them himself. But now he loves us reading to him. He wants us to read the same book over, and over, and over, and over.....

• He also loves playing peek-a-boo with anything... his hands, a shower curtain, a blanket, the occasional box of Cheese-its. You name it, and he's probably played peek-a-boo with it. The other day he spent a good 20 minutes playing peek-a-boo with the closet door.  He would hide in our closet and jump out to scare us, over and over. He loved it, and Adam and I couldn't believe how long he would stay in there before pushing the door open to "scare" us. At one point, Adam opened the door first to make a face at Jackson, and Jackson about fell over from laughing so hard. 

• Jackson has also gotten really good at following simple instructions. I can say, "Jackson go get a book, and I'll read to you." And he will go to the corner of the room, grab a book, and bring it back. Unfortunately when I say, "Jackson, let's eat our broccoli," or "Jackson, let me change your diaper", his instruction-following and comprehension skills are conveniently lacking.  

• He hates being told "No" (well, let's face it, none of us likes to be told "no"). Anyway, it's his reaction to being told no that is so interesting. If he were like his dad (when his dad was younger) he would rebel at being told no and emphatically and proudly do the opposite. :) But it is apparent, at this point, that he is more like his sensitive-hearted momma. All we have to do is look at him sternly and say "No sir" and the precious little baby bursts into tears. (Break my heart!) However, although he doesn't like being told no, he does mind for the most part, and for that, we are so so so appreciative!

• Jackson gives lots of slobbery kisses, high-fives, and he is trying to learn to touch his nose. If, he tries, he ends of picking his nose instead...oh well. :) 

Honestly, we love this little guy more than we could ever have imagined. And I love being a mom more than any other job in the world.  

One last thing...totally unrelated. If you haven't hear of Pinterest, go check it out. You will be addicted. Consider yourself warned. :) Here is the link to my new, but growing Pinterest board. 

-Monica

The Mission of Motherhood

 

I am currently reading one of the best books I've read in years.

For the past few months, I've had this book on my "Must Read before my kids are 40" list. And, thankfully, a friend of mine had it, so I started reading through it about 2 weeks ago. And honestly, and I mean this with all of my heart, this book is one of the most inspirational books I've ever read. It has helped encourage, equip, and inspire me to know, accept, and love this gift of motherhood. (I apologize for all of the verbs in the previous sentence. :-) )

Here is one of my favorite quotes:

"I've come to appreciate the importance of the many thousands of routine moments in a mother's life, for it is in these moments that real greatness tends to be taught and caught. It is certainly important  to grasp the great calling of motherhood and respond to a  vision for what a family can be. But it's the way I respond to my children in everyday moments that gives me the best chance of winning their hearts. If I have integrity and patience in the small moments of life that are so important to my children, and if I approach them with a servant's heart, then I have a far better chance of influencing them in the larger and more critical issues of life."

Anyway, if you are a mother of small children, a mother who is expecting, or a mother at heart, please read this book. It will change you life.

Buy it on Amazon here.

Here is a link to Sally Clarkson's Blog  (author of Mission of Motherhood): I Take Joy

Happy Reading!

Monica