Grow Jackson, Grow Jackson, Grow

Monday, August 24th marked 9 months in the life and times of Jackson Meneely. It is hard to believe that he has been on the outside as long as he was on the inside! The contrast between how quickly time lapsed during pregnancy versus these first nine months of his life is amazing. Pregnancy was like a long, cross-country road trip...I constantly found myself asking "Are we there yet?" The anticipation seemed to make each day stretch on and on. Since Jackson's arrival, one day runs into the next in a blur of diapers, feedings and "firsts." I have tried to commit as much of these days to memory (and baby book) as possible. He is growing up so fast!
Speaking of growth...here is an update on Jackson's statistics from his 9-month checkup.

Weight: 16 lbs 8.5 oz (4th percentile)

Length: 27 3/4 inches (33rd percentile)

Head Circumference: 17 1/2 inches (26th percentile)

Once again the doctor is a little bit concerned about his weight. I personally think Jackson is just settling into his genetics (what did we expect?). She is going to check him again in a month to make sure that he is still clinging to the bottom of the growth chart. With all of the overweight children in this country, you would think it would be a good thing that our kid isn't tipping the scales!

Jackson is doing great developmentally. He has started moving - I am not sure if I can call it crawling because it looks more like the worm! He pulls up on things and prefers to play standing up. He has developed a severe case of stranger anxiety which I guess is typical for this age and he will not let us out of his sight. I guess I should take advantage of it now because there will come a day when he will not be so keen on our company. We are definitely enjoying all of the new things he is learning to do and love watching him make new discoveries.

Baby Parrothead

On Tuesday night, JD and I went to the Jimmy Buffett concert. Our first Buffett concert was in 1998 and we haven't missed one since so being new parents was not going to stop us! Luckily, Jackson has an amazing godfather (with an even more amazing fiance) who took over our parental responsibilities for the evening so that we could take our yearly trip to Margaritaville. Jackson would not let us leave without trying on our Buffett gear (yes, I have a box of tropical flair specifically for Buffett concerts). The other two pictures were sent from Ross' cell phone to let us know how things were going (playing with their dog Kessler and conked out on Alison's shoulder).

Jail Break

On Saturday morning, JD sat Jackson in his crib so that he could grab something from his dresser. A minute later, he was definitely not sitting where JD put him! We immediately got out the screwdriver and went to work lowering his crib mattress. With the new mattress height, Jackson has discovered a new game of hide-and-seek through the crib bars.

First Trip to the Zoo

Last week, we visited the Indianapolis Zoo for the first time with Jackson's baby posse - Lincoln Furry and Cooper Olecki. Lincoln and Cooper are very mobile these days but Jackson's experience was a little more limited confined to his stroller. However, he took in the zoo in his typical fashion - silent and engrossed. The animals that blend into their surroundings were lost on him but anything that showed contrast - such as the nurse sharks, baboons and giraffes - entranced him. Above all, he was captivated by the dolphin show. He even clapped a few times! Daddy was upset that we did this "first" without him but I assured him that there will be many more zoo trips to come.