Jackson, much like myself, was clearly born for summer! This kiddo cannot wait to get outside and crawl around (yes that’s right, crawl, back to that later). He isn’t picky about what’s beneath him. Dirt, grass, cement, sand; he’s adapted his crawl to a foot crawl to make up for not liking the feeling on knees (that’s right, he adapted his crawl rather than discontinuing it). So far, our summer has consisted of many trips to the park, swimming lessons, wading pool and splash pad fun, the beach, and lots of walks enjoying the sunshine and trips to New Seasons.

This last month has brought about so many changes in him it never ceases to amaze me! At his 12 month check up, the doctor asked if he had any words and I remember saying, “no not really; he says “mama” and “dada” but those really don’t count.” The same day, he must have been trying to prove me wrong as he reminded me he can say “oh”, “oh wow”, “uh” (for “uh-oh”), “ball”, “belly” for belly button and an attempt at balloon that sounds more like “baabaa” and “book” that also sounds much different. Even last week he pointed at the fan and made the right “faa” sound! He has recently added a real wave (rather than his hail hilter wave…if you know him, you know what I’m talking about) and says “i” for “hi” and “bye bye” and I caught him picking up the phone uttering “hello”! I’m sure there are many other words in his vocabulary that I, the bad interpreter mom, have no idea he’s attempting to say! In short, the kiddo is always babbling and it’s so fun to listen to him. Anyone who knows us well will clearly see it comes directly from Chris’ side of the family.

In addition to words, this kiddo is smart! In fact it’s very scary the concepts they know at this age. From simple things like “it’s time to eat” and he crawls to his highchair to asking him where his belly button, nose, ears, eyes, toes are and seeing him point to all of them and then point to yours too (by the way, his belly button is his all time fav). He also points to pictures of Grandma & Grandpa Robertson (my parents) when asked where they are! Yay buddy! And even pointed out buddies Lewis and Bailey in pictures last week. He knows how to put lids on containers and even helps clean up when asked! That could seriously be my favorite trait!

Jackson’s favorite action items are running around the house pushing his fire engine or his wagon with blocks; usually running into the wall/door/cabinet many times; throwing a ball back and forth to mom or dad, and when his hands are being held, he loves to kick the ball. He learned how to hit the baseball on his t-ball toy too! He also still loves to go up and down the stairs and will go crazy when he sees stairs anywhere that he can’t climb up. I caught him trying to scale my bedroom dresser using the knobs yesterday. This kiddo has energy! He also loves turning on and off lights on both light switches and the fan remote.

So now for the answer to the most commonly asked question “Is he walking yet?” NO! Is he capable? Absolutely! Does he walk a few steps everyday and has he for weeks? YEP! Just additional proof that this kiddo is mine and he will do what he wants when he wants!

To top off our summer, I am stoked that we will be headed to CA in less than three weeks! It’s been since February that Jackson saw the extended family and I can’t wait to see them either! And to make it even better, Chris is going with us this time too! I’m sure there will be plenty of updates and bad habits learned from that trip! And, this is the longest stretch (just under 4 months) of Jackson’s life without flying somewhere, so he’s probably getting antsy too!

I hope you are enjoying summer as much as we are…although for those of us in the Northwest it doesn’t look like summer now, it didn’t stop us from enjoying the park with Marlene and Charlie today! We look forward to many more summer memories~

As a bonus, I added pictures of Jackson in a retro 1977 sailor’s outfit that was Uncle Joel’s when he was younger! Jackson obviously wasn’t too found of the photo shoot! This is especially for the people who ask if Jackson is always smiling. The answer is no. And especially no when mommy is exploiting him!

Posted by Erika
Filed Under: Jackson....year two | 3 Comments »

No matter how you count it, my little guy is ONE year old today. I remember this time last year, laying in that hospital bed thinking nothing will ever be the same again. Boy was I right…and I wouldn’t trade a minute of it (I don’t want to relive much of it either, ). In preparing for writing this blog, I decided to go back and look at my pregnancy blogs and what I’ve written in the first year of little Jackson’s life. How fun it was to see how we anticipated and planned for him to join us and how we handled what came at us over those first few insane weeks. It is so hard to imagine the little guy we first met a year ago compared to mr. personality of today!

I have been so lucky this year to have so many friends to share Jackson’s firsts with and ask for advice from…I won’t even pretend to name everyone I rely on, but I think my top 4 go-tos who I access on a weekly basis (without including my mom, of course!)are McKenzie Mary, Jessica, and Liz. Thanks ladies for always being on the other end of facebook, text, im, cell phone, home phone, iphone, coffee…you name it!

We kicked off the 1st Birthday with a party on the 4th of July…what better way to celebrate than with fireworks, right? Well maybe another year since this year the party was in the am and Jackson was fast asleep during the fireworks that night! We had such a great time with family and friends at a local park…this is the way to celebrate! It was extra special that my mom was in town and my Grandparents came down from Seattle! I have tons of pictures of the event and all the gifts, so enjoy and know this will not be a new habit!

Jackson received the motherload of gifts…an extra thank you to everyone for thinking of him! Pretty sure we counted four ride on/pull toys, books, dvd’s, pb kids chair, leap frog and little people toys, clothes…so much great stuff. My house, which was looking under control has officially been taken over!

As life proves a year of experience with a little one means nothing! Jackson keeps us on our toes daily by pushing every limit and boundary already. I truly believe the word “no” is a challenge for him (thanks Chris for passing along that trait). He loves to push/drive cars, trucks, buses, firetrucks, tractors…all of his toys with wheels are pushed around our house and rammed into walls. He recently found his belly button and loves lifting his shirt to find it and poke at it. Mostly he is one big ball of energy, excitement, smiles, and screams (and tantrums when he doesn’t get his way). We love never having to worry about being bored. Poor little guy caught his first cold this week (it was obvious when he just wanted to cuddle and not run around–crawl that is, playing). Just one more sign of him growing up! So, that meant we had to cancel his 1st bday pics and plans with the cousins today; but I’m confident there will be plenty of time for both once he’s better. I felt bad for the kiddo with no celebration (and Chris is at a wedding rehearsal tonight), so we did sneak out and met up with Avery and fam for gelato in the Pearl to celebrate together! Jackson loved it and I’m sure it will heal him.

A year later I am so thankful for a full nights sleep (nevermind the waking at 6am) and breaks at naptime…but mostly for a beautiful, healthy (most of the time), little boy! Happy Birthday buddy, we love you Jackson!

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I can hardly believe Jackson is already 11 months old! It seems like every mom we meet out-and-about will tell us, “Oh it goes by so fast! Enjoy every moment!” and I nod my head and say, “I’m sure it does, and I will”! As I was looking at Jackson in his high chair at dinner tonight, I had one of those mommy-moments where I couldn’t believe how fast this past year has gone by! There were definitely moments in those first few weeks, during intense times of teething (oh wait we’re there again), a plane/car ride or two, when I was hopeful that time would sneak past us. But in the moments when my little guy first smiled, or giggled at me, or looked around for Chris when I asked “Where’s daddy?” or when his little face lit up with recognition when he saw Grandpa and Grandma after a few months, I beg for time to slow down!

Last week the party supplies for his 1st Birthday party arrived and with excitement and a bit of sadness at the “loss” of my baby, I begin to plan the big day! I think about my sister-in-law Kim who spent the end of may preparing for her daughter Mariah’s high school graduation and am so thankful for perspective that I have years left until that milestone! For now, I continue to remind “Father time” to be generous to us!
What a month it has been! Jackson visited the East coast for the first time (daddy’s first time too) as we celebrated Chris’ 30th Birthday! We had a fantastic trip visiting our old friends Erik & Kari Brink and their boys Quinton and Ethan. We are so grateful to them for taking so much time off to show us around Pennsylvania and hang out with us in Washington D.C. In PA we spent time seeing Gettysburg and the Amish Country. In DC we focused on the biggies, Smithsonian’s, Capital, Monuments,etc. We loved everything about the East Coast and can’t wait for our next trip back (mostly because now Chris knows just how much else there is to see!).

We also took another trip to Moses Lake for Mariah’s graduation (mentioned above) and will be heading back this weekend for Uncle Seth’s college graduation and Air Force commissioning before he heads off to Pilot School in FL! Last weekend Grandma Robertson came to visit (while dad was hanging out with buddies in L.V.) and we had tons of fun! Don’t we always??  She had first hand experience of how crazy life is for us with Jackson on the move! Grandma worked hard on getting Jackson to wave bye-bye and teaching him sounds like “la la la” instead of his loud yells he’s been working on. It was bittersweet to see his reaction after waking from his first nap without her around. He immediately looked for Grandma I’m sure he was wondering where she was. Only 3 weeks until she’s here again!!

We continue to have lots of fun with our friends, trips to the park, farmers markets, of course the mall and everything else the summer has to enjoy! For now, I’m off to sleep while I can to be refreshed for tomorrow with the little guy! Time is precious!

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Filed Under: Baby Traut | 2 Comments »

I made it just in time with my promised-monthly-update! Jackson is 10 months old this Sunday (Mother’s Day). It’s hard to believe I’m already starting to plan his 1st birthday party (mark your calendars it’s going to be on the 4thof July)!! This has been a busy month for Jackson. We had an Easter egg hunt in ML with the cousins. We visited the tulip festival with Jessica and Avery and met up with Auntie Kenzie and the cousins for a few minutes. He took his second trip to Hawaii (or 4th if you include time in utero! ) and did great. He loved wearing shorts and not having to wear socks gave him complete access to his toes! He only tasted the sand a few times on Waikiki beach!! And have had lots of other friends visit!

New milestones this month– He mastered crawling and is all over the place! He just started screeching and laughing as he crawls after me where ever I’m walking around the house. He loves opening and closing doors and in order to entertain him in the kitchen, I showed him a cupboard safe for him with plastic bowls. He loves it! Thankfully, he hasn’t attempted to open any of the other cabinets! (the babyproofing of the kitchen will hopefully be completed tomorrow just in case). This kiddo loves to pull himself up on anything at least temporarily stationary; a large candle holder, the ottoman, his jumperoo, your legs, whatever. This must be the stage of life where a mom starts to lose weight, always running after the child trying to get into something he’s not supposed to! No sign of walking yet, and I am so okay with that!!

This week has been fun for Jackson since Grandpa Robertson (my dad) is in town. It’s fun to see how Jackson remembers him and immediately crawls to him when he’s in the room. Poor grandpa caught a stomach bug while visiting and was sick for a few days; Jackson seemed confused at why grandpa wasn’t picking him up when he crawled up to him! So cute!

Jackson is a world class eater! In Hawaii last week, he continued to chow down on papaya and mango (two of his favorites) and tried my fav Ahi tuna one day and liked it! I made a new round of chunky baby food for Jackson this week so he is now enjoying: Chicken, tomatoes, & rice; turkey bolognese; and beef curry. So far he has eaten them all! We had dinner with Randy & Ann and kids this weekend and Jackson was introduced to kiwi, cantaloupe, honeydew, and watermelon and unfortunately for me, he liked them all to (I hate melon–yuck)! Today he had black, pinto, and butter beans and again was thrilled! I attempted to give him peas again today and he only made it to the third bite before realizing what he was eating! Haha! Cheerios and freeze-dried fruit snacks are another fav and a totally lifesaver in cranky times. Great, I’m teaching my kid to find comfort in food. I am so thankful for such a good eater…

Today for Mother’s Day, Jackson and Dad and Grandpa made me a yummy crepe brunch followed by a card and tulips (picked out by Jackson)! We’re enjoying a lazy Sunday afternoon together…shopping may be in our future! But, for now, that’s enough detail on the kiddo! I’m off to finish planning our trip East to Pennsylvania and DC next weekend! So many details! By the way, for those of you just wanting pictures, my dad has an insane website with a gallery of Jackson and family photos you can check out! Let me know if you want the link!

Posted by Erika
Filed Under: Jackson | 3 Comments »

For those of you lucky enough to live in California (or Hawaii), Spring may not be a big deal. But for those of us in the land of rain and gloom, Spring is a glorious time of year! We took full advantage of it these last few days and have traveled across the Pacific Northwest to enjoy the sun. Chris and Jackson and I took a road trip last weekend to visit Great Grandma & Grandpa Robertson in Seattle.
Dinner with the crazy aunts, uncles, and even a couple of cousins was a bonus. Jackson loved all of them, especially his namesake, the dog Jax. We were all wishing we lived closer to each other so Grandma could babysit and Jackson could enjoy them more often. For now, we’ll settle for more frequent road trips!

We stopped off to my favorite place in Seattle, no guys, not the mall but Pike’s Market. Jackson loved it! There was so much going on and such vibrant colors of tulips and daffodils and fresh produce and smelly fish! SO much to take it, but he was happy! We met up with some Trautman’s while there and then headed off the ferry and a long drive down the coast to Long Beach (unfortunately not LB, CA but WA). The weather was incredible!
Aside from being stuck in the sand, in our car when the tide was coming in, we had a great trip. Jackson also loved watching the waves of the ocean and the countless dogs on the beach. We seriously need to get this kid a dog.

Monday, to celebrate the 77 degree weather in Portland, Jackson and I met up with friends for an outdoor adventure. We met up at the East Esplanade and walked down the Willamette River and back across on the West side. Avery and his dog Dewey were entertainment for Jackson. We stopped by the fountain and Jackson was very excited for the water…just wait until next year! Anyway, the sun finally came out and I couldn’t be happier….back to clouds tomorrow.

Milestone update…Jackson is now 9 months old…crazy!! He has learned how to pull himself up to standing and to get back into the sitting position (a lifesaver for me!). He is working on crawling, but really isn’t too interested. It’s easier to get himself around by scooting or crawling backwards on his bottom, so why bother? He has started standing on his back legs when on all fours…rumor has it this is the first step to walking. Please no! For those of you without facebook, he has graduated into a big boy car seat! He arches his back and screams everytime he’s put into it, oh yes, fun for mom, but once he’s there he enjoys being able to see more! That’s all for now…more Jackson updates to come (maybe sooner than 10 months if you’re lucky!

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Filed Under: Jackson | 2 Comments »

It’s hard to believe Jackson is already 8 months old! He is so active, the thought of him being mobile it’s starting to worry me! During our trip to California last month, he began slightly scooting towards an object. His skill has not increased any since we left, and I have not encouraged him! He definitely can get anything he wants by rotating his body around in a circle (definitely amusing) but at this point, it’s still fairly easy to contain him! He has two teeth and is constantly working on more. Poor little guy can’t get much relief with his gums, and the fact that he now bites us if we offer a hand, means he’s on his own!

Recent milestones–we lower his crib last week since one day when I had him in there playing (I was organizing his closet) he sat up chewing on the side (thanks Auntie Mary for the idea) and pulling the bumper and decided to try to pull him self up to look over the edge. Scared me enough that the crib was lowered that day! We also brought out the 12-18 month clothes…although some of the smaller sizes still fit, he definitely is filling these out already! Yikes! He also started sleeping through the night, averaging about 11 hours a night. It’s wonderful for all of us!

His favorite things these days– he loves his jumperoo, basketball hoop, drums, and wheels of any kind (stroller, shopping carts, cars). Jackson’s also working his way up on the food chain. No, he hasn’t started eating animals yet, but he has made his way through so many veggies and lots of fruits…and his list of grains has increased too. Favs so far, green beans and papaya and bananas.

For now, we are dreaming of Spring (I’m watching the snow fall right now) and of Grandma Robertson’s visit in 10 days! Pictures to come…

Posted by Erika
Filed Under: Baby Traut | 2 Comments »

I just had to post a couple of pictures because I just can’t get over this kid! I did a mini-photo shoot yesterday since I needed some new pics. Of course I don’t know what I’m doing with photoshop and the borders, but I’m learning!

Oh and last night, Chris and I went to the Outback, without Jackson (thanks Janet & Rick for the giftcard) and McKenzie, Paige, and Carson who were dying to babysit!

Posted by Erika
Filed Under: Jackson | 4 Comments »

I’m convinced that nearly everyday a new product is developed that parents HAVE TO HAVE for their infants, toddlers, children, to qualify as a “good parent”.  This simply results in less money for mom’s hair, nail, or coffee fund or the kiddo’s the college fund (if you qualify as  an outstanding parent who has one of those) AND more junk in your house than you ever thought necessary or possible!

Jackson acquired a high chair a couple of weeks ago. Since he’s eating three solid meals a day and getting a bit more into it, the swing/bouncy chair/mom’s lap weren’t quite cutting it any more! As always, I did my research and settled on the one that matches the rest of his large items and our house (it’s nice when it works out that way). The good news is he likes sitting in the chair, definitely loves eating, but it also happy playing while I cook dinner (yes I’m doing that again these days). As can be seen in the pic, he loves his sippy cup!!

In addition to the high chair, Jackson received a jumperoo for Christmas from G&G Robertson and LOVES it (and of course it takes up half of our living room). It has been tons of fun for him…and shocking as it is, confirms how social he is. He jumps twice as high if you smile at him or encourage him to jump, jump! Oh the little things!

These days, we’re confronted with the fact that our 6 1/2 month old is growning out of his infant car seat. Weighing in a week ago at 18lbs 10.4 oz and 28 in long, we realized we’re 3 lbs and 2 inches away from a new seat. YIKES. Have you seen the convertable car seats lately? They are HUGE…and of course cost  a pretty penny if you buy the safest one with the best mommy ratings, which of course you’re going to do or you aren’t the “good parent” mentioned above…

Other than that, our lives are revoling around Jackson’s meal times. He has a large variety of premade organic infant foods for the times when we’re on the go, and a selection of homemade goodies that keeps increasing too. He ate fruit for the first time yesterday and it was totally a let down Since his gums are bothering him at an all time high, he ate about 3 bites of each meal yesterday and was totally uninterested! Oh well, we have lots of time left for him to love apples!

Posted by Erika
Filed Under: Jackson | 1 Comment »

I got an IM from Mary yesterday saying, “you have to check out Darbi’s blog, I almost wet my pants reading it”. If you know Mary (xoxo MJ) this is not an unusual thing, almost wetting her pants over something funny—however, I am never let down when she starts off a story this way, so, I checked out Darbi’s blog. HILARIOUS!! And I could totally relate to it (check it out if you’re wondering what I’m talking about: handfullofjohnsons.blogspot.com).

Anyhow, the point is, it only affirmed how horrible I am, not only at blogging, but at keeping up with my friends blogs. SO, last night, I caught up. I went through the blogs of peeps I know and read the last 10 blogs or so, each! I feel so updated! It also made me realize there are some people out there who NEED to be blogging because they have such a gift with words (Darbi & many others). And it both added and removed the pressure from me! My life with a 6 month old, a husband, and a part-time job (still feels strange to say that) is not nearly as exciting as the lives of my friends who are so faithful to their blogs. So, pressure removed. Then the thought crossed my mind, that my life is not nearly as exciting, and I still don’t have the time to blog. Pressure added back!

For those of you, my blogging friends, keep it up, you’re making me smile and you’re my inspiration!

Posted by Erika
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I have a friend, Jessica, who has a little boy, Avery. He is Jackson’s buddy! He was born 5 minutes before Jackson and almost at the same hospital. The similarities are crazy, but I am so glad I met them! She is so good at sending out monthly emails to all her family and friends with updates about Avery and pictures of him. I realize part of the prob is that I am keeping up with so many people via email, facebook, myspace, text, and in person that this blog is just one more thing to do! I thought to myself, hmm, why don’t I just require monthly updates on my blog? That is pressure I can live up to!

SO, here I am (but too tired to give you pics this go round, sorry). In my last post I mentioned rice cereal entered Jackson’s life…since then, he has been introduced to Carrots, peas, sweet potatoes, green beans, broccoli, and squash. So far, he is liking most everything. To my surprise, he chowed down on peas for the first three days he was given them (I hate peas, seriously hate them)…but, since then (and it’s been weeks) he gags every time you try to give him peas. It is SO awesome!! His favorite veggie hands down are green beans. We’re going with a list from Liz so it has a bunch of random things listed so next attempt later this week will be spinach, and then I think I’m moving into the fruit. I have no doubt that he’ll love fruit, but I’m hoping he will have had enough veggies to not totally rule them out. I do have to admit that I gave in and made most of his baby food to date and it wasn’t tough. Liz got me started on the first round and I did a bunch more last weekend. For now, the fruit is all store bought, but organic so don’t worry Trautman family!

Ok, well that’s all the excitement around here for now. We’re still working on project get Jackson to sleep through the night, so feel free to pass on any suggestions!

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