Bennett is six months old! What?!?!?

Where has the time gone?  I can't believe little Benny Bear is already six months old.  He is an absolute joy.  Bennett is such a good baby.  He rarely fusses and most of the time when he is fussy, he's either tired or hungry.  During the day, he plays right next to me while I work and if he starts fussing, all I have to do is look over at him and he gives me the biggest, sweetest smile. 

Bennett has almost mastered sitting up on his own.  He can sit for a minute or so before toppling over.  He hasn't flipped over from his back to his stomach since the first time he did it so I'm pretty sure that was a fluke.  His sleeping patterns have been the same for the last couple of months, he takes AMAZING naps and sleeps from 7pm to 7am waking up a few times for a quick "snack" before going right back to sleep.  This week we finally unswaddled him.  I've tried a couple times in the past but he didn't seem ready.  This time, he did great!  Being unswaddled hasn't really phased him at night but for some reason, he hasn't adjusted to it during naptime.  I really hope this doesn't mean an end to his 2+ hour naps.

This was also a big week for Bennett because he ate food for the first time.  Of course by food, I mean extremely soupy rice cereal.  The first two days, he didn't seem to enjoy it at all.  The looks he was giving us couldn't have been more clear, short of gagging.  But then on the third day, he really enjoyed it and actually swallowed most of it :)  Next week, I'll introduce a vegetable, go through all of those and then we'll do fruits.  Jackson can't wait, he watches him eat every night and asks when he can feed Bennett.  He also asked if Bennett is going to be messy like Emerson, ha!

He went to the doctor for his six month well visit, vaccines and flu shot.  Bennett was such a trooper!  He was more upset that he had to lie down, as soon as he could sit/stand up, he gave the nurse the biggest smile.  He weighed in at 14 pounds 6 ounces which is about the 16th percentile.  I have a feeling I'm not going to have another chunky monkey but that's okay.  It has given me an excuse to shop for a few clothes for him since he barely fits into Jackson's old clothes.  Bennett behaved very well for the doctor and even "showed" Dr. Shrouds how he shakes his head no.  He isn't really saying no obviously but it's hilarious.  You can ask Bennett a question and for some reason, he shakes his head back and forth as if to say no.  And if you nod and say yes, he will keep shaking his head, it's adorable!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We have so much to be thankful for everyday.  Today I'm thankful for my family, near and far, especially my three boys.  And I'm grateful that the children in Columbia are healthy and stayed out of the hospital because that meant Nick didn't have to go in to the hospital at all today!

At school they have a big heart for Thanksgiving and each child had to write what they were thankful for this year.  Jackson told me he wrote Bennett.  Hearing that makes my heart smile :)

We wish you all a very blessed and happy Thanksgiving!

Jackson's First Report Card and Parent/Teacher Conference

*Disclaimer: This blog is for my memories and I want to remember everything GREAT Jackson's first teacher had to say, do not read if you're looking for an unbiased, modest post about my son.

A couple weeks ago, I had my first conference with Jackson's teacher.  Unfortunately, Nick had an interview so he couldn't join me but I filled him in on all the details and was even able to "blame" him for Jackson's stubbornness since he wasn't there to defend himself :)  All in all, the conference went very well.  I wasn't too surprised because I can see at home how Jackson is developing academically and socially.  At the same time, a couple of weeks before the conference, his teacher called me out of the blue to tell me that Jackson is such a joy to have in her class and he impresses her daily.  I thought it was very sweet but was also wondering why she called instead of just telling me a mere ten days later at his conference.  While I was telling a friend of mine who is a teacher, she told me teachers are told to tell parents something nice before conferences where they will be getting bad news.  So I was a little timid but luckily Mrs. K. was really just calling to tell me how much she enjoyed Jackson.

Mrs. K. gave me a report card that had a list including everything from knowing colors to reading and the children were rated from 1 - 3 with 3 being the best.  Jackson only received one 1 and that was for not saying his months.  Apparently every morning they dance the "Macarena" while singing the months and Jackson doesn't like it so he refuses to participate (see stubbornness note above, clearly inherited from his father).  Jackson has known his months for about a year but just didn't like the dance, Mrs. K. wasn't too worried because he had recited the months to her but she had to write that on his report card. 

Other than that, she went over details of what they do daily and weekly and how they are learning their letters, sounds, etc.  We get a lot of worksheets sent home every day and some of them are stamped with DI, which stands for differentiated instruction.  SJN makes sure each child is taught according to their skill level.  Get ready for my modesty...Mrs. K. told me Jackson is almost READING!  They change the activities they do for him by covering up the picture and making him sound out the words instead of just showing him the picture and asking him what it is. 

Jackson is also very good at his numbers.  He can already count to 100.  I have no idea if that's normal but I know they haven't gotten to 100 in his class yet so I'm excited.  And Mrs. K. sent home a note last week that said, "Guess who's adding?  I'm so proud of him!"  I guess it pays to have all those mathematicians in the family ;) 

He does need to work on his writing.  He knows his letters and numbers but chooses to write in all capital letters unless specifically asked to write lowercase letters.  He also writes some letters and words small and others very large so we're supposed to work on sizing and spacing of his letters at home.  He also needs to work self control...very shocking for a 4 year old, haha!  Mrs. K. said he tends to talk out of turn or blurt out answers instead of waiting to be called on.  Other than that, she said socially he was great, no conflicts with his classmates, not overly emotional, and listens extremely well.  When I heard that last part, my face couldn't hide my surprise because she immediately asked if he wasn't a good listener at home.  I will never understand why children behave differently and usually better for others.  Needless to say, I left my first parent teacher conference one proud Mommy!