Happy 11 Month Birthday, Jackson!

Weight: 21 pounds 6 oz

Height: No clue!

Diapers: Size 4

Clothes: 6-12 in pants and some shirts, 9-12, 12, 12-18 and some 18 months

Jackson Edmond, you are changing so much each and every day! 11 months have flown by and now we are officially counting down to your first birthday this month! We are going to have a lot of family and friends over to our house for your birthday party, and Mommy is planning on going all out with decorations. I hope you will look back on your party when you're older and think about how much fun it looked. We actually had an early birthday party for you a few days after you turned 11 months with all of Mommy's family and friends from the chapel down in Jackson, Missouri at Pop and GiGi's house.  You tried a cupcake and received so many nice presents. When we all sang "Happy Birthday" to you, you hid your face in your shoulder because you were shy from everyone looking at you! It was so cute! You liked the cupcake okay, but I think you were still pretty nervous from everyone looking at you, so you kept reaching for your daddy to get you out of your high chair.

When you play and interact with us, you are curious, energetic, funny, silly, and also have a bit of an attitude. You have started talking all the time and say so much, but most of it makes no since at all! The only words you say for sure are still "Mama" and "Dada," but you definitely have your own vocabulary of sounds and noises. You love to yell into our dining room and listen to your voice echo, so you will stand there and talk to yourself for a long, long time! 

You learned how to play "catch" this month and will roll/throw a ball back and forth with us. You get so excited and throw the ball down hard, but you almost always get it back to us and you definitely understand the concept of the game. When you do throw the ball, we say "Yay, Jackson!" and you start clapping your hands, which is probably your favorite new trick. The funny thing is, it looks more like you are washing or dusting your hands off because you slide and slap them back and forth. We call it the "Jackson clap," and it is absolutely the best clap in the whole world.

There have been a few times that you spontaneously stood up on your own for a few seconds without holding onto anything, and then sat down again. I really think you could be standing on your own or even trying to take a few steps, but you still aren't very interested. I could totally see next month being the month that you start walking though! We'll see!

This month we also started using your inflatable pool and playing outside and you love it! At first you cried and wanted out, but as soon as the water warmed up, you splashed and played for a long time. I love watching you learn and trying to figure out how things work, and while we were in the pool, you kept putting a toy in a pitcher of water and then taking it out over and over again. If I tried to give you something else to play with, you got mad and only wanted the toy and the pitcher. We can really see you learning and putting things together in your mind, and I love seeing that part of you, Jackson. 

How most of the photos actually look when photographing an 11 month old...

Daddy is still definitely your favorite person, and you want him to hold you all the time when he is around. If he walks into the room, you make a beeline for him and beg him to pick you up. I love seeing the relationship that your dad has with you, Jackson, and I know that you have changed him in so many ways. He thinks that you are the most amazing little boy in the whole world (I do too!), and it really shows when he talks with you and plays with you. I feel so blessed by the Lord to get to call you both my husband and my son.

We love you so much, Jax!

**This post is from back in the beginning of July, and I never got a chance to post this or the photos. I am glad that I already had it written, but I can't believe it took me this long to actually post it!**

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY, JACKSON!

Happy First Birthday, Jackson Edmond!

Weight: 21 pounds

Height: 30 inches

Diapers: Size 4

Clothes: 12 months, 12-18 months, some 18 months

I will try not to get all sappy like I did with the letter on your actual birthday, Jax, but I want to share all that you have been learning and doing this month! 

On the night of your first birthday you took your very first steps! We were at the chapel after prayer meeting and were talking with Isaac and Crystal. You had crawled away over by the bookshelf and all of the sudden you just stood up and looked at all four of us. You took three steps toward us, and then promptly sat back down. I was so shocked that I screamed, and we all started clapping and laughing. We tried and tried to get you to do it again, but you wanted nothing else to do with it now that we were paying attention. You haven't tried to walk much since then (crawling is so much faster for you still), but that's okay! It was so special that you took your steps on your birthday and we will never forget it!

You are talking all the time now...the only problem is we have no idea what you are saying! You babble and jabber, but your voice changes in intonation and you look right at us like you are telling us things or asking us questions. It is hysterical! So many people have commented on how they have never heard a baby "talk" like you do, and we haven't either. You are so unique and special in all you do.

You had an amazing first birthday party here at our house, and it was so special for many reasons. First, the weather was AMAZING! It was July 27th, and in Missouri, that is always a hot, hot time of the summer. In fact, all the days surrounding your party were very warm. However, the day of your party was gorgeous and the weather was in the mid to low seventies all day. We got to have your party outside with the windows all open. It was beautiful and perfect for all the people who came! Another reason why it was so special was because all of your grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins got to be there. We also had all of our friends and neighbors from camp and the chapel here too. Every single person that came loved you so much and was so happy to be a part of your day.

You are such an amazing boy, and we love you so much! We could never imagine life without you, and you have brought us more joy this year of our lives than we ever thought possible. Happy Birthday, sweet baby. 

**This post was almost three months late, but I had taken mental notes of what to write so I wouldn't forget!**