Six Month Stats

Jasper had his six month check-up today with Dr. Mac. I'm glad to report that he's one happy, healthy little boy! At least he was happy BEFORE all the shots.

He currently weighs 18 pounds, 4 ounces (65% and almost a whole pound heavier than Griff at this age!), and he is 27.5 inches long (80%). Looks like he's catching up to big brother pretty fast :)

Merry Christmas! (Part 3)

I love that we're a week into January, and I'm just now getting up my final Christmas post. Oh well, here you go! We had a great time in Longview with Abby and Z, where Santa made his last stop of the year. The boys were given some awesome toys and adorable new clothes. Such lucky little guys!

Plus, the boys got to spend a few minutes with their second cousins (?) Grant, who just turned 3, and the newest addition, Miss EllaJane, who's just a couple of months old. So sweet! We didn't get to hang out with Auntie B and Uncle Stephen this year, but I'm hoping our schedules will work out next year, especially since they will be bringing a NEW COUSIN to Christmas by then!! We're thrilled about all the new babies that will be joining our families in 2012!

The boys also got to spend a few extra days at "Santa Camp" as Abby calls it - and I hear they spent a good portion of those days in the bounce house in their grandparents' backyard. Meanwhile Mama and Daddy enjoyed a few days kid-free. Win-win-win situation!

Merry Christmas! (Part 2)

We spent Christmas Eve with my side of the family at the lake house. It was a wonderful day and night with Poppa & Gigi and all my sisters and their husbands/fiancees/boyfriends. Griff got some REALLY cool toys and Jasper got some SUPER cute clothes. We're so blessed with a loving, loud, generous and gracious family!

As if all that fun wasn't enough, we went back to the lake house to celebrate New Year's Eve with Aunt Toni, Uncle Doug and their boys Jackson and Colton. It's even more interesting when we get together with them these days since their kids are also close in age - gives me a glimpse at what we might be experiencing in about 15 years. I can only hope our boys turn out as great as theirs have!

Jasper in his New Year's duds

Griff's new best buddy Colton - taking a break from using the air mattress as a trampoline :)

Six Months Old

My littlest man turned six months old on New Year's Day! He's growing up so fast - I just don't know where the time has gone. As his grandparents, aunts and uncles can tell you, Jasper is usually very quick to give you a big gummy smile these days. No teeth yet, but lots of drooling, so it may not be long. He's still a good sleeper, taking three naps a day, and I always know when he's tired because he'll start some serious sucking on his little fist. Mere pacifiers or thumbs are not enough for this guy, he needs an entire fist in his mouth to be happy at bedtime :) Lately, I think he's caught on to the fact that big brother is having lots of fun without him while he sleeps, so those naps have been getting shorter and shorter. Just when I had his schedule figured out!

I'm happy to report that J-Man is a WONDERFUL eater!! He's sampled several fruits, vegetables, and various kinds of cereal, and he hasn't met a food yet that he doesn't like. This is a far cry from my experience with Griffin, who protested lots of baby foods and can still be a picky eater at times. Jasper, on the other hand, only cries when the bowl of food is empty and I'm usually scrambling to get something else in his mouth because I'm not prepared for him to want to eat so much. I've been making most of his food myself, because it's pretty easy and somehow looks a lot tastier than the Gerber variety. But I'm no stranger to pre-made baby food, so we'll just see how long I can keep up with the growing boy's demand.

I've caught J rolling from back to tummy a few times the last several days and he's having more fun playing with all his toys now that he can sit up, reach around, and get a good hold on them. And now that he's rolling on to his tummy, he's ready to move! He seems to really like it when I press my hands against the backs of his feet, so that he can push off and get some mini-crawl action on the floor.

Jasper has also taken a new interest in our dog Dixie and gets the cutest look of surprise when she wanders close enough for him to feel her fluffy fur. He recently discovered how to bounce and he LOVES it! Whether he's jumping in his door jumpy thing, grooving in his exersaucer, or just bouncing in your lap, that boy loves to jiggle. His big brother was an avid bouncer too, if memory serves correct, so I'm guessing the two of them will have plenty in common as he gets bigger.

I've also learned that our little guy is pretty ticklish. He giggles when you tickle his ribs or his tummy, and sometimes when I'm dressing him, I'm surprised to hear him start laughing when I lift up his arms to pull off his sleeves. Guess I found a new tickle spot :) It's so fun to listen to him squeal and giggle.

Jasper, Daddy and I love you so much! You bring a new kind of joy to our little family, and we love watching you grow up. Big brother wants you to grow up a little faster, so he can really play with you, but we don't mind if you take your time. Happy Half-Birthday Bubba!

Merry Christmas! (Part 1)

A belated but very merry Christmas to all! We had so much fun celebrating the birth of our Savior this year that I'm breaking up my Christmas posts to make sure I cover everything. Here's the first post - a recap of Christmas morning at our house with the boys.

Griff was all decked out in reindeer pajamas from Aunt Heather and Uncle Blake

And Jasper was super excited to see what Santa left under the tree for him

I was hoping Griff would love the play kitchen Santa brought him, and he DID! He has so much fun opening up all the cabinets, cooking his slice of pizza in the microwave, chatting on the phone, and brewing Mama a cup of coffee in the morning. Yay! Top Chef, here we come!

Daddy helping our big six-month-old try to stand up - just kidding! It will be a few more months before he gets to use the toy this way

Mama getting in on all the fun toy action

Griffin was pretty excited to see a new Mickey Mouse Clubhouse DVD too - he LOVES to do the "hot dog dance" along with all the characters at the end of each episode :)

Getting some cooking tips from Daddy

And my personal favorite - big brother showing little brother how to play with all his new stuff. Thankfully, Jasper's pretty laid back about "sharing" his toys - for now :)

I love waking up at home with our little family on Christmas morning. We usually have a late night on Christmas Eve at the lake house, and it's a bit hectic getting everyone to Longview in time for lunch on Christmas Day, but I wouldn't change a thing. We love seeing all our family on the holidays, and I love seeing my boys' sweet faces as they get to open up all of Santa's gifts on Christmas morning. What a great way to start the day!