Roll over? Check. Now how do I get onto my back again?

This morning it finally happened - Jackson rolled from his back onto his Buddha belly! Daddy was there to witness it. Although we didn't get it on video, we do have video of "what the hell am I suppose to do now that I'm on my belly?" Get mad, cry, kick your legs and wait for mommy to pick you up is the correct answer.

Throwback Thursday

Look at all that hair!

Cheesesteaks!

Last night we drove up to Philly to meet up with our good friend Matt Pasch for some cheesesteaks. Matt and his family will soon be moving to PA and we're thrilled that they will only be about an hour away.

Good luck charm

Last night we had our first kickball game and we won! Our captain writes up highlights after every game and Jackson got a honorable mention. Let it not go unsaid that Adam did nail a few runners, one of which was a girl! Daddy is an equal opportunity runner pegger!

- Great work by the family Hardt in getting some good kicks in...Jackson may be our new good luck charm. His presence is now required until we fail to win.
- Adam nailing a few runners after my toss from the outfield (good teamwork there)

The Grandest of the Grand MPEs

I think most babies are known to have frequent MPE (massive poop explosions) and Jackson is no different. Although I was happy for him to move into the phase where he only poops every 2-3 days, it typically means that he feels like he has to make up for whatever he hasn't done in the aforementioned time frame.

So today, we hit the jackpot. We were on a big shopping trip (Babies R Us, TJ Maxx and Michaels, oh my!) when I heard some noise. No big deal, I think. He is a frequent tooter with nothing to show for it. Before loading him into the car so we can go to Michaels, I peek into his diaper to see if he needs a change. And. this. is. what. I. see.

Needless to say, Michael's never happened. And his car seat will never be the same. I've washed it twice and there is still a massive stain. Oh well, he needs a new one shortly anyway since he's getting too heavy for this one. I guess the bright side is that it wasn't in his new stroller! Although, that one is yellow......

Dream

And so it begins.......

Last night I had a dream that I went back to work and when I got home, I realized that I had jetted off to work without helping to get Jackson ready for daycare. I had visions of Jackson without the essentials - crib sheets, milk, extra clothes, extra diapers. I immediately woke up and was so relieved that we have over a month left before I have the opportunity to make this dream a reality!

When I told Adam about the dream he looked at Jackson and said "Oh, I bet those other little babies would have shared their bottles with you."

1, 2, 3 visitors

This past week was crazy off-the-hook busy with visitors coming to stay with us. First, we had G-mommy Kate come into town for the night on Tuesday while she was out in Philly for business. Then on Thursday morning, Ann, a friend that I met in the Chicago office and who did our wedding invitations came into town for the night since she was in NYC for work. Friday evening Nick came into town from NYC for the weekend. In all of this, we managed to go for a nice long walk through the Brandywine, go to Delaware City for an old school baseball game, go to the Blue Rocks game for mullet day (fitting given the current state of Jackson's hair), deal with an epic Jackson meltdown while eating out (sorry Ann!), and go to Maryland for some fresh crab. More pictures here.

Throwback Thursday

I'm officially dubbing Thursday a "throwback" day....days not so long ago when Jackson didn't make my hip and knee hurt from carrying him. So, let's take a visit back to the day he was born!

14 weeks

I get weekly baby development emails that say what Jackson should be able to do each week. I'm pretty amazed by how accurate the emails are. Here is what it says for 14 weeks old.

• Your baby may now be reaching and grasping for objects (YES! He's almost spilt a bowl of cereal all over the desk a couple of times because he's such a grabber. Then there's the challenge of me keeping my hair out of his hands as well. I just can't bring myself to get a "mommy" haircut.)


• He stops crying at his parent's voice (Sure, although that doesn't mean he stays quiet!)


• He brings hands or objects to his mouth (Yup, pretty much puts anything into his mouth that he can. Especially Kate's finger.)


• He recognizes mom (He loves to look at mommy and definitely knows that I'm the milk lady.)


• He begins to respond to his name (Negativo. I suppose part of the problem is the slew of nicknames we have for him. He may go to school thinking his name is Boo, Booser or Lovey Lou.)

Busy week

Jackson Keane tourist season continues......

Up next is Godmommy Kate on Tuesday night, Ann Elliott on Thursday night and Nick Halstead Fri & Sat night. I swear Jackson gets annoyed when it's just him and me alone together.

Jackson's reaction to hearing the slew of visitors coming this week.

Waking up

I had it good for a couple of weeks - Jackson was sleeping through the night pretty consistently. And then it all stopped. Abruptly. When we got back from our WI trip. And now we are back to 1 am and 4 am feedings. The upside to this sad tale is that when he is ready to get up around 8 am, he is a happy baby! There is cooing, cawing, thumb sucking, leg kicks, and smiles. Sometimes, he even manages to turn himself 180 degrees in his crib so he is facing the opposite direction. This is how Adam and I found him on Saturday morning.

Uncle Aaron comes to visit

We got to hang out with Uncle Aaron on Friday and Saturday since he was on the "right" coast for work. We went out to dinner on Friday night, for a nice long walk on Saturday and there was baseball watching mixed in here and there. Here's a shot of the boys doing what they do best!

Baby Boom Update

Remember this post?

Well, here's an update! Looks like Jackson has 5 lovely ladies that he may someday try to woo.

Feb 10: Jackson Keane Hardt
Feb 24: Mya Telisak
March 9: Madison Eatherton
March 18: Jack and Sydney Hayes
March 23: Ellie Stortz
May 11: Zach Diskin
July 10 (due date): baby girl Scheibel

I'm holding sweet baby Ellie and poor Lindsay is holding my crying baby

The Eatherton's Visit

Tim, Michelle and their baby Madison (8 weeks old) came out for a visit May 5-9. We went to the Wilmington Flower Market in Rockford Park, to Philly to tour the historical sites and then to Longwood Gardens. Needless to say, Jackson was less than interested in another baby. When we laid them together in the Pack n' Play, he just laid there stiff as a board. More pictures from their visit and Longwood Gardens here.

It may not be the Roddler.....

.....but we did find a pretty snazzy ride for Jackson! Check out his new stroller: The Uppababy Vista! For the price, he better be able to drive this thing to school when he turns 16. Although it did come with the bassinet, I have a feeling he's too big for it. This stroller does turn into a double though. Hint hint wink wink.

Daddy takes the stroller off roading at Longwood Gardens

Jackson Keane WI Tour

A few highlights of our recent trip back to WI at the end of April/beginning of May.

By the numbers:

1: Number of times Jack pooped his pants during the baptism. For the record, he did poop all over his white pants, but that was AFTER the baptism. Woo hoo!

2: Number of times mommy & daddy were able to leave Jackson with grandparents (once to go to the Fill In Station and once to a movie)

3: Number of times we ate fried cheese curds

4: Number of naps Jack took in the recliner with Grandpa Hanson in 2 days

5: Number of cities visited (Tomah, Chippewa Falls, Mora, Madison, Brookfield)

12: Number of days we were in WI

66: Number of people Jackson visited (Grandma Honey, Grand Pop, Aunt Jamie, Auntie Andra, Uncle Aaron, Grandpa Hanson, Joyce, Jay, Tanya, Traxton, Cruise, Kim, Kole, Keegan, Grandma Porter, Grandpa Porter, Phil, Kate, Great Grandma Amundson, Clarence, Josh, Jason, Great Grandma Barker, Great Grandpa Barker, Great Uncle Bill, Great Aunt Wally, John, Linda, Great Uncle Doc, Pat & Sarah Sweeney, John Harrington, Katie Harrington, Scott, Scott's girlfriend, Steve Addison, Marshall Heyworth, Jenna & Bruce, Lindsay (and Ellie) Stortz, Faith O'Tool (and Erin, Nora and Annie), Jon & Peg, David & Julie, Walker & Donna Wallner, Brian & Starla, Jason, Jay Gibson, Chuck & Angela (and Jake, Alex and Andrew), Carl & Beth, Dennis & Diane Schindler, Erin & Rose Guest

By the city:

Tomah: Spent Thurs-Sat relaxing and napping! We did venture out to the Blue Goose for some amazing pizza, complete with a petting zoo and monstrous doll collection. We also went to a crazy small Amish baker complete with wood burning oven and the best 35 cent donuts.

Chippewa: What's a visit to the Chip without a trip to the Fill Inn Station? We took Phil and Kate for cheese curds and bloody mary's on Saturday night. We also went to the Leinie Lodge. Sunday was the baptism and brunch afterwards. We spent the day Monday visiting other family members and going to Irvine Park to see the cougars and bears.

Mora: We drove 3 hours on Wed to Mora, MN so Grandma and Grandpa Barker could meet Jackson. He was quite a hit at the nursing home! We even had ice cream sundaes.

Madison: After a trip to Noodles and a walk down State St., we returned to Johnson St. to find our rental car had been towed. After consulting a local shop owner, we learned it would be parked 3 blocks away. We were happy to see the ticket was only $95. We were expecting at least $200. We met friends at The Old Fashioned up on the Capitol for some more curds and Wisconsin fare. We also met my old boss for lunch on Thursday and visited QTI.

Brookfield: The highlight of the Brookfield portion of the trip was Grand Pop's 70th birthday on Saturday. Lots of fun and lots of family! Sunday we had a brunch for some friends who brought their babies and kids.

Longwood Gardens 2 years later

THEN

NOW

My first Mother's Day

Jackson (with the help of daddy) bought me a bouquet of beautiful salmon colored roses for my first Mother's Day! The day started with me taking the Eatherton's to the airport, then going to church (where all the women received a flower), and then relaxing at home since I am coming down with a little cold. Adam made me lunch - canned soup! He did make a delicious steak salad for dinner though.

3 month update

Weight: 17.6 lbs

Length: 26 inches

Visitors: Uncle Josh, Colleen & Rob Scheibel, Michelle, Tim & Madison Eatherton

Sleeping patterns: I have been occasionally sleeping through the night. However, on the eve of my 3 month birthday, I woke up at 12:45 am, 4:00 am and 6:30 am just to remind my mommy that I'm still in charge.

My Likes: Sitting in my exercauser and looking at all the toys, Uncle Aaron singing to me, being held face out, going outside and looking around, blowing spit bubbles, gnawing on other people's shoulders, fingers, arms.

My Dislikes: Tummy time still stinks. Sitting in the bumbo seat is for dumbos!

Other milestones: First time I sucked my thumb! I'm a regular now.

Trips: We went on a 10 day, 5 city tour of WI from April 23 - May 3.

Looking forward to in the next month: More visitors! Uncle Aaron, Ann Elliott, Nick Halsted and maybe even G-mommy Kate. I'm also going to my mom's work this week to meet all her co-workers that have heard all about me.

I'm going to be a boxer

Great Grandma Barker thinks Jack is going to be a boxer.

Today, I recover

I will be posting pictures of our 10 day, 5 city WI tour soon, but in the meantime here is a picture of how Jackson spent his first day back at home.