Happy 4 monthday to Jackson!

To celebrate, we started solids. I had a perfectly ripe banana on Sunday, so I mushed it up and thinned it with a bit of milk, then strapped Jackson into the high chair. He was really excited. The first feeding is kinda like the coach who picks a few kids for the freshman team not because of their talent, but because of their enthusiasm. Jackson opened wide and helped hold and guide the spoon into his mouth. He'd close his mouth, and have me convinced that he'd swallowed the banana. He'd even say "Mmmm Mmmm" to let me know just how tasty the banana was. Then he'd open up and laugh as the banana slid off his tongue and ran down his chin to the bib. Despite the setbacks, he was eager to go back for more, and we got most of the banana at least into his mouth even if it didn't stay there. Once the banana was gone from the dish, he picked up his bib to try to eat some off of the cloth. We've repeated the exercise with some whole grain rice cereal and had the same boisterous, joyful, messy experience. Mmmm Mmmm!

Our visit to the pediatrician went very well. No fountains in the office. I guess the 2 sprays we had last time covered us. The doctor said he was meeting his milestones well and was very impressed with how well our little guy stands. (We've been saying this for months!) Jackson weighed in at 18 lbs 8 oz, measured 27 inches in length, and 17.5 inches in head circumference. He's tracking nicely along the 97th percentile curve. Jackson took his vaccinations very well. He cried for about 3 seconds each time, then put on his brave face and calmed right down.

Teething pains have been another recent milestone. No teeth yet, but Jackson has been complaining about it. In the afternoons, he'd rather have a cold bottle of milk than nurse. (This isn't too disruptive to our routine since he gets pumped milk while I'm at work anyway. It was upsetting that this started on a work form home day, and my pump was safely left at work since I'm sick of lugging it around.) They say the suction can irritate his tender mouth. Any missed daytime meals are made up for during the night by every 2 1/2 hours Jack. This unfortunately setback is taking a toll on me. To combat the teething, we have teethers, but since Jack is so young, he's not very coordinated and we have to hold the teether for him. He's still wearing his amber necklace, but its hard to tell if that's helping since he hasn't really gone without it. The best thing we've found is a cold beverage--for us. He likes to suck on the outside of the bottle or glass. I've started keeping a cold can of soda by my side for nursing, it calms him when he starts to fuss, and we can then continue the feeding. I had a glass of water at Helene and Reeds, and I let Jackson suck on the bottom. He worked his way up and I could see the inside of his mouth through the glass. It was bright translucent blue and fascinating for him, but funny for me. I let him have a little sip from it which was fun for him, but deterred me from drinking any more since his little sip was mostly spit back into the cup. We picked up a sippy cup since he's so interested in the beverages, but again, he's not really coordinated enough to handle it yet.