3 Months!

Three months and a seriously spunky, happy and giggly personality!  

I honestly can not begin to explain what a happy baby we have on our hands...  Yes, (in the voice of Phil Robertson) happy, happy, happy!

Jackson is growing up so quickly!  Our "little" baby is smiling, giggling. holding his head up, observing EVERYTHING and eating like it's no ones business.  

Monthly Stats:

Weight: 17lbs!  

(yes, you are reading that correctly)

Diapers size: 2

Clothing size: 3-6 month (mostly 6mo)

A little more about our little (big) boy

Unlike Jameson, Jackson is not the best sleeper but can eat all of us under the table!  No joke, Jackson would eat all day and all night long if I were to let him.  He LOVES his milk (and his mommy) ;-)  We are working very hard to get on more of an eating schedule, but right now it's mostly "on demand".  I am hoping we have a little more of an "eating routine" report by next month!

On a positive note (this actually happened just past the three month mark, but it's so exciting to us, I just had to post it) Jackson is now officially drinking out of a bottle!!!  OH MY GOSH!  I truly did not think the day would ever come.  It wasn't easy, it wasn't fun, but we did it.  He still prefers to nurse, but at least we have options now!  And this is one happy mommy reporting this amazing news!

On to the sleep situation.  Yes, Jackson would definitely prefer to eat rather than sleep.  Jameson - the complete opposite!  Luke and I made the decision to start sleeping training ASAP!  We have been working on it for a couple weeks now and we are seeing SOME progress.  Jackson will go down pretty easy for bed time, but after he gets up for a night feeding he doesn't seem to want to sleep much longer. One thing we have figured out is if he nurses during the night, getting him to stay asleep the remainder of the night is not all the easy... (he really likes the comfort of nursing-that's for sure... there are times I will get him all set to nurse and as soon as he lays down next to my chest he falls asleep) On the other hand, since we have started bottles and if he were to get a bottle during the night, the chances of him falling back a sleep and staying asleep for a few more hours is much greater.  (you can guess where we are heading with this situation!)

Naps, now thats an entirely different story... Jackson just simply does not like to nap.  It takes every single ounce of energy to get him to sleep during the day.  Again, we are working VERY hard on this... 

Overall, we most certainly have an amazing little man on our hands!  He brings so much joy and laughter to each and everyday!  He has 100% completed our family and we could not be happier!

And to top it all off, Jameson is the BEST big brother!  (sometimes a little on the rough and tough side, but he always wants to know where the "baby" is!)

"Dirty Thirty"

Well... obviously not so dirty, but still fun!  Plans for our long weekend changed about 1,000 times, but we made the best of it and had a blast!

So yes, I have officially turned the big 3-0!  No, I don't feel any different... yes, I know I can't do things like I did when I was 18-23ish (stay up all night long, drink like a fish - well I can do that, but the morning are not-so-fun!, work out like crazy and not feel sore the next day, and so on....) but that's ok.  I am happy where I am today and although I LOVED my college years, I wouldn't go back for anything!  I love my life and my family more than words could express!

Big birthday plans...  I wanted to do something fun for my 30th that was adult only!  So, Vegas BABY!  Yes, the planning landed us with a trip to Vegas..  Everything was going smoothly until Jackson decided he did not want to take a bottle... So, halt the Vegas planning and bring on a night away, just Luke and I.  My parents were still going to watch the boys for us so we could at least get away one night...  Jackson would survive one night without mommy and mommy would (hopefully) be able to relax for an evening out...  Halt the night away (Jackson freaked out at my parents house right before we were getting ready to leave) and bring on a few hours away in the Dells.  Yes, not nearly anything close to what we originally planned, but it was still a lot of fun!  Luke and I were able to get away for a few hours, enjoy a nice afternoon of shopping and lunch AND...  my parents/brother put together a fun scavenger hunt for us to complete along the way!

**A few things we had to find on the scavenger hunt.. 1. a wine cork, 2. someone wearing a badger sports shirt, 3. A license plate with 30 in it., 4. an address with 30 in it, 5. a coffee cup, 6. a watermelon drink, 7. I had to have a stranger update my facebook status... and so on... It was SO MUCH FUN!  I think Luke and I enjoyed that more than the shopping and lunch!  haha It was great to be creative and figure it all out***

The remainder of our weekend consisted of hanging out in Ona with my family.  Such a fun filled relaxing weekend with my husband, boys, parents and brother!  Thank you to everyone that made my special day AMAZING!!!

Heading out for our day in the Dells

Visiting Great Grandma Marson

Jackson and Great Grandma Marson

Uncle Adam and "Moose"

Jameson and Gpa playing outside in the pool

I think Gpa had just as much fun, if not more, then Jameson

2 Months and Counting!

I can't believe our littlest man is 2 months old already!?!?  Seriously, he is getting SO BIG, SO FAST!  (and I am not joking on the big part!)

We had Jackson's 2 month check up the same day Jameson had his 2 year check up... let's just say I will NEVER be doing that again.  Two cranky and sleep deprived boys = one exhausted mommy!  I was really looking forward to a glass of wine that evening!  :-)

With that said, here are some stats on our little (big) man

Weight: 

So, here's the deal, he was at the doctor the day before for another reason and the scale read 16 lbs 7 oz... the following day at Jackson's well baby visit, the scale read 15lbs 9oz.... So, you make the call... I am going to average it out and say:

16lbs!  

That is one BIG baby!

Height: 24in
Head Circumference: 17in
Diaper size: 2
Clothing size: 3-6 mo

Jackson is developing such a personality!  He is smiling, cooing, little giggles and most importantly sleeping well!  (not all the way through the night just yet, but we've had a slight taste of what that would be like again!)  He is sleeping in his own room because like his brother, Jackson is a VERY loud sleeper!  Our little man LOVES his crib at night, but still has not taken to sleeping in the crib during the day.  I have a feeling that one will be hard to break, but trust me, we will do it!  

Our biggest challenge has been the bottle!  Let's just say Jackson LOVES being close to his mommy... ALL... THE... TIME!  It has certainly been a struggle to get him to even TRY to put a bottle in his mouth.  But, this past weekend has given us hope that we will get there!  I would have to say this has been one of the hardest things for me as a mother of 2 because I feel so... I guess you would say stuck...  I love the fact that Jackson always wants to be with me, but simple tasks as going to the grocery store has been stressful.  Needless to say, we are making progress and I hope by our 3 month check in we will be 100% on the bottle.  

Jackson has certainly brought a whole new level of joy to our family.  He LOVES to be snuggled, held and kissed all day long!  I LOVE being a mommy to my boys and I look forward to many, many, many more years of snuggles and kisses with my little guys.  

Jackson's Baptism

We traveled back to Onalaska the first weekend in August to celebrate our precious Jackson's baptism.  I knew I wanted Deacon Frank to baptize our little man and he was gracious enough to to say YES!  (LOVE Deacon Frank!)

So, Friday morning we packed up the Hansen mobile and off we went.  Thank goodness for a day off for Luke!  He not only needed it, but we were able to spend an extra full day having fun as a family.  Jackson's godfather and Luke's best friend flew in from South Bend, IN.  We were able to meet Mr. Lee for lunch in Winona on our way back to WI.  It was GREAT to get a little extra time with him and he was able to meet Jackson and see Jameson before the craziness began Saturday afternoon.

Since our weekend was going to be in and out, we decided to invite all of the grandparents out for lunch before Saturday evening mass/baptism so we could all be together for a nice dinner and then the remainder of the evening.

Lets just say Mass was... interesting...  (to say the least) thank heavens for "cry rooms" at church!  Jameson was a WILD CHILD!  He was not having any part of sitting down!  haha (can you imagine that?!)  He was nonstop the entire hour.  Jackson on the other hand, slept during mass and then was wide awake (and not happy) for the baptism.  But overall, it was WONDERFUL!

Our evening was simply perfect.  Jackson was blessed by so many family members and we all enjoyed our evening celebrating our little man.  A HUGE thank you goes out to Melissa and Lee (Jackson's godparents) for making his day unforgettably special.  We are so incredibly thankful to have such love and support surrounding our family and we know our little man will ALWAYS be taken care of by two outstanding individuals.  You both mean the world to us and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for for all the love you give to our family.

On our way to lunch

Jackson was not a happy camper :-)

LOVE this picture!

But I think I LOVE this one a little more!

Jackson with his amazing grandparents

Jackson with is wonderful godparents - Lee and Melissa

And then there was Jameson....

Jake and the Neverland Pirates Party

We decided to stay in Sioux Falls this year and host a party for Jameson right here in our own home.  Last year was SO much fun, but it was A LOT of work and A LOT of traveling for the weekend.  It was nice to have a little get together in the comfort of our home, enjoy our friends and family and most importantly, sleep in our beds that evening (it's exhausting hosting a party!).

The theme this year was, you guessed it, Jake and the Neverland Pirates.  Jameson LOVES this cartoon.  He dances to the theme song, plays with all the action figures and loves to read his Jake books.

I was beyond thankful to have my best friend in town leading up to the weekend and for the party!  I don't think I could have pulled the party off without her!

The entire day was filled with tons of fun!  Jameson had so much fun playing with the all kids!  He actually opened his own presents this year (with a little help from mommy) and started playing with his new toys right away!  Thank you to everyone that came over and helped us celebrate our BIG 2 YEAR OLD!

LOVED the cake!

Poor Jameson could not eat his cake (allergies)

so he had a very special cookie instead

LOVE this picture!

Easton and Kye

(we had pirate tattoos for the kids to put on)

Showing off their tattoos

 Luke and MaKenzi enjoying some cake

1 Month

This is SUPER past due, but I still wanted to post a few pictures from Jackson's 1 month photo shoot. 

Jackson is getting HUGE!  I honestly do not know what he weighs right now (we are guessing around 13lbs) but my arms are getting tired by the end of the day, that's for sure!

A Few Facts About Jackson

Jackson is already wearing 3-6 month clothes!  We will be opening our first package of size 2 diapers tomorrow and he is starting to out grow the swing.  All of this due to the fact he LOVES to eat!  Jackson would (seriously) eat every 45 minutes if I were to let him.  Yes, I actually did let him do this for a while, but this mommy was going crazy.  We are working hard on spreading feedings out and also working VERY hard on trying to get Jackson to drink out of a bottle.  Jackson is working on holding his head up on his own, starting to really love the bath (just like his brother) and the smiles are officially underway!  

Sleeping has been a learning experience for all of us.  We started Jackson in our bedroom and planned to have him there for a few months.  Well, that has not gone as planned.  First of all, he needed to be elevated to sleep due to acid reflex, so the co-sleeper was not going to work.  Thanks to our fabulous neighbors, Jackson slept in the rock-n-play for a few weeks.  LIFE SAVER for this mommy and daddy...  He then started to not sleep well in that and we figured it was just best to try the crib.  BEST DECISION EVER!  Jackson LOVES his crib!  He is sleeping for roughly six hours after his last feeding of the day.  Tends to wake up for a quick feeding sometime between 2-3 and then wakes up again around 5:30/6.  Mommy and daddy are pretty excited about this!

Overall, the first month has gone well.  Lots of learning, lots of snugs and most of all, lots of brotherly love!

We have a 2 year old?!?! Really?

Yes, yes... that is correct... our precious Jameson turned 2 on July 25th!!  CRAZY!  I say it all the time, but where has the time gone???  He is growing up so quickly and becoming such a smart little boy!

J's birthday fell on a Thursday this year which was perfect because Luke has Thursdays off.  We made the entire day about Jameson... no weather, crankiness, nothing was going to stand in the way of making his day special!

Birthday morning cartoon time

We started our day at the Sioux Falls zoo.  Honestly, Jameson is not the biggest fan of animals, but he LOVES to run around the zoo and smiles from ear to ear when he rides the carousal.  So, yes, you guessed it... We followed J around the zoo, wherever he wanted to run (yes, he did stop to check out a few animals along the way) and made sure he got to ride the carousal before we left.

He may not be smiling in the exact picture,

 but he was having so much fun!

After the zoo we headed out to lunch...  (more for mommy and daddy being as though Jameson's diet is so limited), but he had fun and enjoyed entertaining everyone in the restaurant.  After lunch, normally it would have been nap time, but we blew that off for a while to head to the splash park.  Most of you know how much Jameson A) LOVES water and B) LOVES to play at the park... best of both worlds at the Sioux Falls splash park.

I was pretty surprised that Jameson did not fall asleep on our drive home since we were on the go and running around all morning, but in true Jameson fashion he was wide awake when we pulled into our driveway.

So, a little about Jameson...  He is talking up a storm!  He says something new every single day!  The BEST thing he says is: I LOVE YOU!  The first time I heard those words come out of his mouth it brought tears to my eyes!  He may be a little wild, not listen (most of the time) and scream at the top of his lungs when he doesn't get what he wants, but when those three words come out of his mouth, my heart melts.

Jameson is running (not walking) everywhere.  He is trying to be independent, but is always paying attention, out of the corner of his eye, where mommy and daddy are at.  He LOVES to jump on our neighbors trampolines, loves to play bubbles and anything that has to do with some sort of ball.  Jake and the Neverland Pirates is his favorite TV show, but will stop anytime he sees a TV on.  (takes after his father and uncle Adam for sure!)  Elmo is a VERY close second!  Jameson loves to read books, but only likes to read the books HE picks out.  His all time favorite food at the moment is chips.  (tortilla chips).  Jameson will stop everything he is doing if he sees "CHIPPIES" (as he says) and will not eat anything else on his tray if chips are in sight.

I can't believe our little man is 2!  Each and everyday I thank God for bringing Jameson into our lives.  He lights up a room as soon as he enters and puts a smile on every ones face.  I feel so privileged and blessed to call Jameson my son and I absolutely LOVE being his mommy!  

Jameson, mommy and daddy love you with all of our hearts!  You mean the world to us, and Jackson is so lucky to have such an amazing brother to grow up with and look up to.