Does that compute?

Usually, I'M the one who updates Jones's blog.

But not always.

Teeth time!

We left for Ft. Myers about 8 o'clock Tuesday nite. As he usually does, we figured Jones would fall asleep before we could pull out of Mom & Daddy's parking lot.

But he didn't.

He fussed and fidgeted for longer than I have EVER seen him fuss and fidget, and I sat up front, thinking, "Booooyyyy, if you think I can't outlast that tantrum, you've got another thing comin' to ya!" before rearranging the entire cargo load, so that I could sit beside him, which was as effective a sooth-er as when I was trying to outlast him up front.

Now, though, I'm starting to sheepishly wonder if it wasn't something more than a tantrum. This morning, I felt his first tooth! I'm wondering if that weren't the culprit behind his Tuesday nite tears?

How bad do I feel?!

Regardless, the bottom left tooth is finally in - just three days shy of Jones's 8th month-iversary. Outside of this related-or-not episode on Tuesday, he really didn't show any fussiness, nor has he had sleep regression. Nope. Outside of having his fist down his throat, since April, and enough drool to float a boat, he really didn't have the classic symptoms of teething. He handled it really well, and I can't wait to see how he looks with a mouthful of teeth!

Swim Rat

Summer's here!

I know that, because my hair won't stay straight and, also, because the pool at my parents' apartment complex is open. After a few weeks of talking about taking Jones for his first dip, we actually did it this afternoon. 

He got the the hang of it really quickly and, except for a few massive gulps of chlorinated water, seemed to enjoy himself! 

Jones goes to Charleston.

Jones's first trip to Charleston is hardly worth mentioning. We were in and out of town in about 18 hours, which didn't leave time for much more than a total meltdown at Ryan and Jessi's wedding. Bless his heart. He actually did great during the ceremony.  It was held at the Island House on John's Island.  But by the time the reception started, the Charleston humidity had combined with Jones's lack of an afternoon nap to create a storm of tropical proportions. I've seriously never seen him that inconsolable, which, of course, made me just about as inconsolable. Needless to say, he didn't make the greatest first impression on the Johnson branch of the family, and I'm not sure they were all that proud of me, either.

Thankfully, though, Jones went to bed easily and woke up his same sweet self on Saturday morning.  

It's a good thing. 

Do the WAVE!

Jones chose to break up the minutia of a drive to Charleston today by showing off a brand new trick.

We were in Mom's car, and since his seat won't fit in the way back of it, I was sitting there. Jones was on the second row beside Jeremy. To entertain Jones, I spent a small part of the drive, waving maniacally at him. To my delighted surprise, he waved right back ... but just for a second.

You know what they say: our little boy is growing up!

Photos by Brookie

Did I mention in the Nashville post that my friend Brooke was good enough to take Jones's pictures while we were in town?

Well, she was.

She's a mind-blowingly talented children's photographer, who did a shoot with Jones just after he was born, and, at 7 months, she did another one, which I appreciate more than she'll ever know, though I hate that I don't have a talent with which I can reciprocate her incredible gifts to me!

At any rate, she sent me the pictures yesterday. I ADORE them.  Actually, "adore" doesn't even begin to describe how I feel about them.  I love them so much that I don't even hate how I look in them. THAT'S the mark of a magician.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Jones goes to Omaha.

The third leg in our triangle of Teach Them Diligently Convention trips was to Omaha, Nebraska.  This, of course, involved a flight from Atlanta, whose airport makes me want to drive a pair of plastic pilot's wings through my eyes, to Omaha, a place where we were exponentially less likely to be cut in front of by a Delta employee.                                                       

Jones's first flight went incredibly well.  We'd gotten to our gate in Atlanta early enough to ask if there were any empty seats available for him. Turns out, the very last row of the plane was available, which ended up being awesome. There was no window to look out (not great), but the engine was right beside us, which was great, because any time Jones made a noise, which wasn't often, it was drowned out by the roar of a jet engine. 

Another great thing about the flight was that Coie Watson was flying out with us. I had no idea how much we'd need her help, but having her there ended up being a TOTAL God-send, especially when I spilled Jones's unzipped diaper bag, as I walked down the jetway. 

Rookie mistake, I guess. 

Anyway, Jones did great. He slept for about the first thirty minutes; the rest of the time, he was awake but completely content to stay in his seat and play with toys.  The flight was smooth, and by the time we landed in Omaha, it was pretty nearly time for Jones to go to bed, which he did. No muss, no fuss.

Though Omaha seems like a super city, our time was almost ENTIRELY consumed with convention work. We did get to visit the Old Market area of town (lunch at the Old Spaghetti Works), but it was raining, so we didn't get to do too much more than eat. 

Thankfully, Mom flew out to keep the kids during the convention, so she did her thing, and we did ours, and then we came home on another great flight, once again with Coie, gratefully, in tow.  On the second flight, I held Jones the entire time. Well, Coie held him some, too - see what I mean about her being helpful?! It was an entirely full flight but a smooth one, nonetheless.

After landing back in the ATL, we got our car, ate at California Dreaming, and drove back to Canton by way of Goats on the Roof, a place I'm sure we'll visit many more times between now and when Jones graduates college. 

Something to look forward to.