Gold Hill

It's been a year. What is the saying?

"The days are long and the years are short."

So true.

We've officially survived our first winter here in Gold Hill. 400 square foot cabin, no bathroom, a crib in our kitchen.

Here is the Who, What, When, Where and Why.

Who: The main characters of this blog. Todd, our son Jett and Myself, with regular appearances by our neighbors, my parents. We also have 4 dogs, 16 hens, 1 rooster, at least one bear, 1 friendly red fox, a black fox with a new litter of pups, etc...

What: A blog about our very simple and very complicated, somewhat chaotic life.

When: We moved here in July 2010 and plan to live here until... well indefinitely.

Where: Gold Hill, Colorado. Population 230. Located 10 Miles Northwest of Boulder. perched on a mountainside above Sunshine Canyon at an elevation of 8,300 feet.

Why: Why Not? Actually, with a baby on the way, we decided to simplify. We rented out our houses in Boulder and Arvada and in return we live a simpler life that allows us to live, laugh, love and learn with our now 8 month old son, Jett. So worth it.

With Giddy Love,
Jess

By the way....

I'm sitting on my own.

Love,

Jett

6 Month Stats

April 8th, 2011

17 lbs. 7 oz - 49%

27.5 inches - 84%

17.5 inch head circ - 71%

Lovely Baby Locks

Today is Jett's Six Month Birthday. A bittersweet day. Our sweet little man is growing up so fast. Where has the time gone?!?! Looking forward to tomorrow and the days ahead, but wishing the days would slow down, just long enough to stop and smell a few more roses along the way.
After many weeks of talking about trimming Jett's hair, we decided today was the day. Just a little trim, no big deal, right? But, as Todd grabbed the scissors, by stomach tightened... i wasn't ready to do this... But, I let him continue, every snip got to me a little more. I kept a smile on my face thinking to myself, "what's the big deal? It's only hair. It grows back."
After the last snip, i took a look at Jett's new look. Of course he looked crazy cute, and totally trendy with a slight "fauxhawk". He was all smiles, knowing nothing about what happened. Still the same sweet baby.

It was a while later while nursing him to sleep for an afternoon nap that i realized why I was so emotional about cutting his hair.
I remembered back to my 32 hrs of labor, the anticipation I felt to meet this baby. Boy? Girl? What color eyes? skinny? fat? long? short? As the doctors told me to push, i began to wonder even more. As Jett came into sight of the Doctors, nurses, and Todd, they all began to "ohh" and "ahh" at all the hair!!! As I continued to push the Dr. asked me if I would like to touch his head. This was the first time i felt Jett outside the womb. I touched his curly, wet mop of hair. Amazing.

His hair became his identity, he was a celebrity at the hospital. All of the nurses had to come visit our room to meet "the baby with all the hair".
This was why it made me sad to cut his hair. It was how i first met Jett, how i described him, how others knew him. But, the reality is... this little boy is so much more than his hair. His hair isn't why i love him, in fact, i really hated combing out the knots.

Jett, your personality continues to bloom.. I love you so much!! With or without your hair.

Roll Over!!!

Jett is right on target for all those milestones that i said i would never pay attention too. I said that my baby could grow and develop at whatever pace he wanted and i wouldn't panic. Of course, a few weeks ago i found my self concerned and obsessed with the fact that Jett had yet to roll-over. Then, out of nowhere he just did. I put him down for some belly time. He rolled over so effortlessly that i almost didn't notice. I thought it was a fluke so i rolled him onto his belly and sure enough, he rolled over 3 more times as if he had been doing it forever. He looked at me as though there was absolutely no reason for me to be so excited.... i was anyway.

Big Hopes for Two Boys

It has been a big week. A new little human came into the world. His name is Oren Malaya Woodson and he is Jett's cousin. This is his most important identity. Yes, of course he is Neva's little brother, Milo and Leilani's son, Sabina and Steve's Grandson, Todd's nephew, etc... all of which cannot be minimized. However, I expect that I will explain their relationship as cousins over any of these.

Oren and Jett will no doubt be forced into being playmates. My hope is that they are best friends and keep one another out of as much trouble as they get into. I hope they stand by each other indefinitely. I hope they share common interests, but keep their uniqueness. I hope they rough each other up and follow it up with a hug. I hope they are competitive with one another, but also an unbeatable team.

Oren and Jett... i love you both. I can only hope you love one another us much!

Jett's latest stats

Last week Todd and I took Jett for his 2 month checkup. This is the appointment that every new mother dreads and anticipates. I did hours of research on the recommended vaccines. With all the weird stories and rumors of how these vaccines have supposedly effected other children, I had to know EVERYTHING before i went in to see the Doctors. Of course, Google is great at finding whatever information you want to find, whether it is true or false is all in the eye of the reader. Here is the list of vaccines:

Hepatitis B,

Diphtheria,

Tetanus,

Pertussis,

Haemophilus influenzae type b,

Polio,

and,

Pneumococcal Conjugate.

Did the list scare you as much as it did me? Scarier than a list of ingredients on the back of some overly processed food item!!!

So... i had my questions and concerns. The pediatrician was more than happy to entertain me by answering my questions for nearly an hour before I decided that i would indeed give Jett all the recommended shots. In the end i figured these Doctors knew what they were talking about.

The fun part was finding out Jett's stats. At 2 Months and 2 days Jett weighed in at 11lbs 15oz, putting him in the 55% of other boys his age. He was 23.75 inches which put him in the 78% (tall boy!!) and his enormous head was in the 80%. Needless to see he is 100% healthy and obviously the most gorgeous baby boy ever made!