Jex Jots: Here comes a photo dump!

Monday, September 12

Here comes a photo dump!

It was a fun filled weekend for our little family of 3. However we did take time to sit as a family Sunday night and watch the 9-11 coverage feeling so grateful for our safety and for each other. We watched the special on first responders and I was so thankful that we have such an amazing country filled with selfless people willing to give their lives for their neighbor. As my brother prepares for his deployment to either Afghanistan or Pakistan, I pray for his safety and that he won’t experience the evil abroad that we saw here on 9-11. Here is Austin, dreaming of how proud he is of his Uncle Cory and all his friends/fellow Marines for protecting him and allowing him to sleep safe and sound.

Friday night we got to watch hot air balloons fly over the river and then enjoyed catching up with our ballooning friends Ken and Leigh at Fat Mama’s. They have always piloted our company balloon and this weekend they were here for a photo shoot for the balloon races so Mom and Dad helped crew the balloon and Zach, Austin and I watched from the bluff. Top the evening off with fabulous fall weather and you really couldn’t have planned a better night.

Saturday Austin attended his first birthday party however this was just the beginning of his very social lifestyle. I think I have mentioned it but Natchez became the “One Born Every Minute” TV show this year and I can’t count the number of new babies that boosted the Adam’s County population. Little Jane Carby turned 2 and had an adorable Circus themed party. It made the gears start turning in my head for Austin’s first birthday. I have a feeling it will entail lots of scrapbook paper, ModPodge, and Zach dressed up as some storybook character!

Zach and I spent the day with our little man watching college football, working on his neck control in the bumbo and napping on and off…everything weekends should be! Then Mom and I took to the town for the 2^nd Saturday festivities. Every 2^nd Saturday all the art galleries and shops stay open late and serve wine and food. We joined in the walking tour group led by MiMi Miller to learn the history of the buildings on Main Street and then shopped. Austin was showered with love by a lot of his “Adopted Grandmas”. Many of Randa’s close friends were out and we enjoyed discussing who Austin looked like and talking about how much Randa would have loved on him and paraded him around town if she were here.

Daddy teaching Austin bad cheers about Miss. State

Laughing in his Bumbo

Sunday night we hit a HUGE milestone with the little man. Since he turned 8 weeks this weekend we decided it was time to skip the 4am feeding and PRAY that he slept from his 9:30pm feeding to his 6:30am feeding. We have been following the principles of BabyWise (thank you Aunt Franny for introducing us!) and he has really adopted the schedule wonderfully. He always eats, sleeps, and is awake at the same times. It makes it so easy to plan eating out, running errands, and his days at Grandma daycare because he is pretty predictable. I fully expected last night to be a “cry it out night” and I even warned Zach we might not be getting much sleep but when he woke up for his 4am feeding I gave him a paci and he was back asleep immediately, no kidding. I LOVE YOU BABYWISE! He stayed asleep until his 6:30 feeding! Per the book, as the babies grow they wake up because they are still in the habit from their newborn weeks when their tummies were tiny and they needed to eat. Now that his tummy is bigger he is filling up at his night feeding and is waking due to habit, not hunger. Babywise tells you to give it 3-5 nights to break the habit and he should not wake up at all. I think life is about to change dramatically for me if I can get 8.5 hours of sleep every night. Oh happy thoughts!

And for those that aren't into the posts and just visit for pics...here you go. PHOTO DUMP:

Zeppelin groupie like Daddy