Playgrounds and Parks

Jackson pushing Will around on his firetruck. He did this all over the house! lol

Jackson and Waylon. He is a couple months older than Jackson but they had so much fun. They played at the nature center and played in the creek and then we moved onto the playground. Jackson was giving Waylon hugs and it was the sweetest thing - however Waylon wasn't so sure about it! Wish I had gotten a picture of it.

 Jackson and Connor. Connor is the son of my friend Nicole who I have known since elementary school! We ran into each other at the breastfeeding group last year. It's so nice to reconnect with old friends!

 

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the daddies out there! I know I am so fortunate to have such a wonderful dad myself and a great father in law. I am so thankful I met Jimmy all those years ago and fell in love. He is the best possible person to help raise our little guy! Jackson is lucky to have a funny, caring, patient, helpful and loving dad.

Jackson and I made a little gift for Jimmy. He loved it and it is hanging in the playroom were we see it every day.

Yogurt!

 Jackson is learning how to feed himself with a spoon. It sure is a mess! It's bound to get better at some point, right? Cooper doesn't mind the mess though and licks the floor clean for me.

I think he likes the container better than eating the yogurt!

A Walk in the Park

We went for a walk at the Big Creek Greenway Trail. It's such a nice place to walk and has lots of shade. Jimmy and I used to come here and ride our bicycles many years ago. After our long stroll we let Jackson "walk" the rest of the way back to the car. All 10 feet! Ha! He loved walking while holding our hands!

Lis and David's Wedding Weekend

We went to Durham, NC for Lis and David's wedding. We got there on Thursday and went out for dinner along with Rae, Barry, Robert and Lis's dad. The next day mom and I were up early to help out with decor and programs for the wedding. Jackson and Jimmy were on their own most of the day. That night was the rehearsal dinner at Dame's Chicken and Waffles which was conveniently located around the corner from the hotel. I was in charge of decorations and did burlap squares with a selection of mason jars with candles, floating candles and also hydrangeas from Lis and David's garden. The food was amazing - fried chicken, plain waffles and sweet potato waffles with assorted shmears, mac and cheese, and more! Delish! Jackson loved it as much as we did!

We had such a great night and after putting Jackson to bed Jimmy and I went back out and hung out with Adam, Melissa, Eran, Margot, Sonya, Josh, and Robert for a little bit. Don't worry Jackson wasn't alone - his Papa was in the adjoining hotel room in case he woke up.

It was an adjustment having Jackson sleeping in our room. He did ok at night usually because he was so tired. Naps were a little harder since it was so bright in the room and we were sitting right there. Jimmy may or may not have had to drive around one afternoon just to make sure Jackson got a little shut eye before the wedding :)

Saturday morning we decided to go to the local farmers market to walk around and then sat and let Griffin and Jackson have a snack and play. Afterwards we went to a local bbq place for lunch and then headed back to the hotel to get ready for the wedding. I went early to help set things up. We arranged the tables and tablecloths, flower arrangements, set out the seating chart, program baskets, the guys hung all the parasols, paper lanterns and tissue pom poms. The wedding was at the Durham Museum of Life and Science outside the butterfly house.

The ceremony was beautiful and unique just like Lis and David. It really fit their personalities and I loved that there were many thoughts and feelings from friends and family included in the ceremony. Jackson looked adorable in his seersucker suit! When he saw his Nana and Papa walk down the aisle with David Jackson put his hands up he wanted to be picked up by them so badly! I love seeing my brother so happy and in love and he couldn't have found a better wife!

The reception was lots of fun with a photo booth and a food truck serving apps and dinner. Everyone danced the night away and before we knew it it was 11pm. Poor Jackson was still awake but quickly fell asleep on his daddy's shoulder on the bus ride back to the hotel.

David and Lis, we had such a wonderful weekend celebrating your love and marriage. We truly couldn't be happier for you! We love you both!

Remembering the first year

Dear Jackson,

I cannot believe how fast this year went by. You really surprised us on April 21, 2011 when I went into labor at 33 weeks. Luckily the doctors gave me meds to attempt to slow down labor and steroid shots to help finish developing your lungs and were able to keep you inside just 1 more week. Then on April 28, 2011 there was no stopping it. You were really ready to see the world. You were born at 9:11 pm and I only caught 2 quick glimpses of you before you were rushed upstairs to the NICU.  You weighed 5 lb 13 oz and were 19.5 inches long. This was not exactly how I pictured delivering my first baby. Your daddy went up and spent time with you before coming back down to be with me. I went to see you bright and early the next morning and fell in love! Since you surprised us 6 weeks early we didn't have a name picked out. You were known as "baby Gosma" for about a week before we decided on Jackson Wyatt Gosma.

 

My first time holding you

Our first photo as a family of three!

You had to stay in the hospital for a little over 2 weeks. We came to see you and spend time with you every day. You had a feeding tube since you were not able to eat by mouth at first. Little by little they started trying bottles. The nurses would help me try to nurse you although you were not ready for that. But I stuck with it and I kept pumping for my milk to finally come in about a week later.

You were discharged om May 14th, 2011. We were so excited to finally bring you home! I was very nervous as well since you had always been hooked up to machines reporting your vitals on the monitor so we saw when something wasn't right. Now we were on our own!

Our first afternoon at home sitting in the chair in your room. I spent many, many hours in this chair holding you and nursing you.

Your first week home was hard. You wouldn't nurse and I was an emotional wreck! Luckily I had lots of support from your daddy, Nana, and some friends and little by little things got better. You turned 1 month old and we had gotten some sort of routine going already.  I found out about a breastfeeding support group through Northside Hospital and after going just a few times it really helped build my confidence. We continued to go for many many months. I just kept doing my best and you were getting bigger and bigger and by this point you were almost "full term" and were figuring things out. You went to the lake for the first time and we went out for a nice walk one day. You were not fond of bathtime at all! You slept a lot throughout the day and one of your favorite positions was to pull your legs up and also keep your hands up by your face.

You made the cutest little faces and noises. One of my favorites was when you would you lift your head back with your lips pursed and your eyes shut - you looked like a baby bird!

 

During your 2nd month things were starting to get a tiny bit easier. You were nursing better and I was getting the hang of things more. You had the occasional bottle of pumped milk if we were going to be out. I was figuring out how to get out of the house more with you and even if it was just for a quick stop at the store it felt so good to get out. Your Nana and I took you to the outlet mall one day and we only went in a couple of stores. I brought a bottle of pumped milk for you and I fed it to you while we were in a dressing room trying on clothes. I remember hearing some toots and I passed you off to Nana so I could finish trying on clothes. You proceeded to spit up all over her and down her shirt and once I was done I was changing your diaper and it was a complete disaster! After a complete outfit change we went to one more store and then headed home. It sure was nice to be out though even with the eventful day! You met EV for the first time and we also had lunch dates with Grandma and Connor. We did lots of tummy time with you - well as much as you would put up with. We would go out to eat fairly often and you usually did great and just slept in your carrier. Well Father's Day you decided you did not want to be out and from then on until about 4 months we couldn't go out to eat. You were just too fussy and irritable. I don't remember when it started but you were quite a spitter! You would spit up after feedings and also at other random times during the day. You would soak many burp cloths and outfits! It never seemed to affect you so we never gave you any medicine for reflux. Someone once said "it was just a housekeeping issue"!

 During your 3rd month we went to the lake for July 4th weekend with Danny, Candice and Sofia. I left you with Nana to go to the pool but that didn't last long as I was feeding you every 2 hours or so. We still had a good time though! You started smiling a lot more and we even got a few laughs out of you. We moved you to your crib when you were about 9 weeks old. We have been lucky to have a good sleeper for the most part but I definitely think you slept even better being in your own room by yourself. You were always refusing to nap but I found that if I put you in the swing you would usually sleep for about 30 or 45 min several times a day. We were still swaddling you every night. I wasn't strict with a schedule yet but was pretty much just following a general 2-3 hr routine for you. Eat, play, sleep. Obviously play time wasn't long but we would do tummy time or I would read to you or we would just walk around the house sometimes!

During your 4th month you began changing a lot! You rolled over and you began propping yourself up on your forearms during tummy time. You loved watching your mobile and also the jungle animals on your playmat. Especially the orange monkey! We were referred to CHOA for physical therapy for your Torticollis and Plagiocephaly. We began going every week and doing exercises with you. You went swimming for the first time. You began sitting in your Bumbo seat some. You smiled and laughed all the time! You hit the "fourth trimester" and I noticed a definite change it you. You started napping in your crib rather than the swing and you became calmer. You would never really take a pacifier but did find your hand comforting and would try to put your whole fist in your mouth! I reached out to a few people from my moms group and Stephanie and I became friends. We would go to the mall some days and just walk around (it was too dang hot outside!) and talk and you and Will just hung out in your strollers. It was so comforting to have someone to talk to who was going through the same exact things as I was. I am so thankful for the friendship that has continued to grow through all these months!

 Right after you turned 5 months old we went to the beach for Labor Day weekend. That was your first really long car ride. I think you did better than I expected but it was still hard because you just wanted to be held a lot of the time. You also did well sleeping in the pack n play at the condo. You snoozed in the baby tent on the beach, hung out in your float in the pool and got to put your legs in the ocean. This month you hung out in your exersaucer some.You were a little unsure of it. You still enjoyed being in your bouncy seat and spent a little time in your swing this month. Your daddy and I got to go out for a special date on mommy's birthday and had Christina babysit for the first time. I think it was around now that you were having a hard time falling asleep and we had to rock you to bed a lot of the time. At least you were sleeping really well at night once you did fall asleep. You woke up occasionally around 5 or 5:30 but otherwise it was usually 6:30. We stopped swaddling you this month since you had rolled over and we figured you would likely be rolling over in your crib soon.

This was a busy month for you! In your 6th month you perfected your rolling over and you loved sleeping on your tummy. You would wedge yourself in the corners of your crib and you love sticking your tush up in the air! We went to the pumpkin patch for the first time and you sat in the bumbo seat since you weren't able to sit unassisted. You started drooling this month and I began to wonder if you were getting some teeth soon. That was not the case - you just turned into a drooler! We went to CHOA to have a head scan to determine if you were going to need a helmet to help shape your head. You were a 3 on a scale of 1-5 and we were scheduled to come back in 2 months. We continued going to PT every week. We started solids this month and began with rice cereal and  then oatmeal. A couple weeks later we began trying fruit and vegetable purees that I was making for you. At first it was difficult. You didn't really want to eat it and I started stressing over it. Once I just gave you time to get used to it you started doing better. You also preferred the fruits and vegetables to the rice and oatmeal. We did continue oatmeal for a while but only if I had pumped milk available. You were still nursing well and I was so proud that we had already made it 6 months! We met your cousin Griffin and Eran and Margot. They came to visit and you and Griffin had lots of fun. You went swinging for the first time and went down the slide at the playground. Halloween rolled around and you were a monkey! We didn't go trick or treating this year but you did help answer the door some and were with me when I handed out candy. You started scooting and army crawling! I was so surprised since you still wouldn't sit unassisted. We celebrated your cousin Connor's first birthday and went to see Santa early to beat the crowds! You really started moving around and were fascinated with Cooper's bed, shoes laying around and looking outside on the deck.

You turned 7 months old just after Thanksgiving. We went to Florida to celebrate Thanksgiving with Grandpa, Mimi and Uncle John. You had your follow up head scan and we were relieved to find out that you would not be needing a helmet. Now that you were sleeping on your stomach your head began rounding out more! yay! We went to go see daddy at work all the time. You even had your own uniform! You and Will were becoming good buddies. You started crawling this month and I even found you pulling up in your crib one morning! Needless to say your crib was lowered that day! You went on your first airplane ride this month. We took you to Cali for a little vacation. You did pretty well on the plane. Luckily you fell asleep while nursing and we were able to get about an hr nap out of you each way. You got sick while we were there and you were waking up around 3 or 4 every morning. Most days we were able to get you to fall back asleep after a little while. You had fun while we were there checking out the beach, going for long walks, shopping, going to art galleries and going out to eat. After we came home we hosted a holiday party at our house and had lots of friends and family show up. Your cousin Dillon was born on Dec 21 and you celebrated your first Chanukah and Christmas. You loved all your new toys but were not all that fond of opening them. However you loved playing with the paper and ribbon after they were unwrapped. We noticed that you were finally cutting your first tooth! Your 2 bottom teeth started cutting through right before you turned 8 months old.

You turned 8 months old the same day your daddy turned 36! We celebrated daddy's birthday at Horseradish Grill (sorry Jackson, adults only!) and a couple days later we drove to the lake for New Years. David and Lis came that weekend too and we all and a wonderful time. Luckily there wasn't too much family drama! ;) We had homemade cinnamon rolls and also smoked a Boston Butt on the green egg. You enjoyed your playtime with Uncle David and Lis! Once we were back home you had some playdates with Will and Stephanie and I made gingerbread cookies. You and Will had several pajama parties since it was cold out and we were staying inside a lot. I started giving you some table foods this month and you really enjoyed it. Your favorites were fruits and cheerios. You also liked bbq pork! I was super impressed that you were starting to pick up food and feed it to yourself. We went to a birthday party at the fire station and you saw your first fire truck. You always wanted to "help" us load or unload the dishwasher. You are a very busy, mobile little guy! You are into everything and are pulling up on everything. You enjoy sitting in the shopping carts at the stores and you are such a ham smiling at everyone! Your head was really rounding out at this point and your hair started growing.

During your 9th month you had your first major virus. We had been enjoying music class for a few weeks but seeing as you were teething you loved putting everything in your mouth and obviously picked up some germs along the way. We both got a stomach virus and then you got hand, foot and mouth. We had a tough few weeks and I was so thankful when you were feeling better! We had such good weather we took several wagon rides. You celebrated Will's 1st birthday with him. I found you basically sitting up while sleeping during one of your naps - so funny! You loved eating orange slices! You spent a lot of your 9th month under the weather.You loved standing at your toys and even walked a few steps while pushing them around. You were such a good eater. We really had not come across anything you didn't like! I stopped making purees around now since you were content feeding yourself. We were still going to the moms group on Fridays most of the time although it was starting to get difficult since you were moving all over the place! While you were sick you were not sleeping well and your daddy and I spent lots of time cuddling with you in the middle of the night.

During your 10th month you started waving and saying "hi" while you waved. You said mama and dada as well. We went to the lake for a few days and Mary Beth was so sweet to being you a bunch of balloons. You loved playing with them! I was afraid you would pop them but you didn't! You loved your Happie Blankie from Barry and Rae. We went to watch your daddy play tennis on St Patty's Day. You learned how to crawl up the stairs and would do it over and over again if we let you! We had a fun playdate with your best buds - Cole, Bryce and Will and celebrated Amanda's birthday! Connor got a water table and you had so much fun playing in it with him. You love to be outside! We go out to eat Mexican or Pizza at least once a week and you love both! You started cutting your top 4 teeth and you were such a trooper!

When you turned 11 months old I finally started accepting my baby boy was growing up and was about to be 1! I began planning your first birthday party and turned to pinterest to gather ideas! We went with "A Very Hungry Caterpillar" theme. You love listening to that book and I thought it would be a fun party. We went to Bryce's first birthday party and you had so much fun playing with your buddies. You celebrated your first Easter and saw the Easter bunny for the first time. We went to LA for Adam and Melissa's wedding . We also went to the Getty one afternoon. After the wedding we drove up the coast to Santa Barbara for a few days. We had a great trip and you were so good! You were pretty flexible with your schedule and you  napped on the go, stayed out late, found something to eat everywhere we went and had so much fun visiting family! By the flight home you were over it all and screamed pretty much the whole time. We got home and managed to get unpacked and laundry done before heading out of town again to Birmingham to celebrate Jennifer and Jason's engagement. When we got home I kicked it into high gear and got everything ready for your 1st birthday party! Everything turned out so wonderful! Happy 1st birthday to our sweet boy! You turned 12 months old!
 

I cannot believe how fast your first year went by. This was by far the hardest and also the most remarkable year of my life. I have tried to highlight your milestones here and I also wanted to include some of the truths in here. It's not always easy breezy. When we first brought you home I feel like we had no idea what to do with you! We learned how to care for you, you figured out breastfeeding (this was a major accomplishment for me since we had such a rough start! and we made it through your first year!), we began to be able to soothe you and determine what was bothering you and how to fix it. Lots of tears were shed and some days I was exhausted and realized when Jimmy came home from work at 4:30pm that I had not even brushed my teeth all day. yuck! We are lucky to have a good sleeper - it just took many months to get there! Your smiles and giggles melt my heart every time! You definitely have a fun personality! Thank you for being our sweet baby boy. We love you to the moon and back!

Love,
Mommy and Daddy