Do young mothers still keep baby books? The three baby books I kept for my three children went to year 7 and then quit. I was devoted to keeping them up to date, complete with pictures…noting every milestone from when they cut their first tooth to when they had their first haircut. Is it my imagination or is this an almost entirely lost endeavor? Once I became a scrapbooker, I transferred the information and destroyed the old yellowed pages of those baby books to make scrapbooks for each of my grown children all the way into adulthood, including jobs, spouses, their children etc;
Now, I am enjoying the milestones of grandchildren – up close and personal. Our youngest and 15th grandchild (I have 10, my husband has 5)..is Jackson, our little “ginger”.
He is just over 3 months old and has begun to hold his head up in bed and check us out! How about that for a cute shot!! So, low and behold I wasn’t at all surprised when I came into the bedroom to get him from his crib the other day to discover he had rolled over from his tummy to his back!! I didn’t see it, but we always put him on his tummy for sleep (I know all the controversy and debate), but when he awoke he was on his back!! LOL
Jackson’s parents are first time parents, needless to say he is spoiled! I think mommy and daddy think that if he lets out a peep he must be picked up! It’s made it a bit more challenging for Maw Maw and Paw Paw because we get very little “down time” when he’s awake!! He’s not real good at entertaining himself yet. 
Here he is being talked to. He loves it when you talk to him. His sweet personality is really beginning to show. Just as equally his red-headed temperament is also often present! LOL Oh, how we love this little toot!! He is such a joy to have around.
He has such a cute, high pitched wail…and when he decides he’s mad – there’s nothing a person can do but let him wail. He just decides – “I’m done being entertained!” Usually that means he’s either very tired, needs to be fed or needs to be changed. Sometimes tho, it just means “change my position”!! In other words…”walk around the house with me, so I can look around, or go outside and sit on the patio with me for awhile, or take me for a stroll in my stroller.”
Our big boy
Needless to say, we are enjoying taking care of “little” Jackson and will miss him when mommy is done teaching school in 2 weeks. He will return to us in the fall half grown I’m sure. It’s not that we won’t see him this summer…(of course, we will), but it won’t be the same as enjoying and appreciating all those milestones on a daily basis like we have.
This last shot is Jackson flirting with our Pastor’s wife at church. Love it!
dancingthruyears 
May 23, 2014 @ 03:46:04
Oh my gracious these pics made me cry. I can just see Granny with him and oh my Daddy would have had him an Indian necklace made already !!! Thanks for this post !! Loved seeing my youngest Lil cuz!! Love ya!!
May 23, 2014 @ 04:37:28
I know. Isn’t he the prettiest boy ya ever saw? Just love that little tyke as my own, but do so wish our loved ones that have gone on could have met him. Sue was here today and got to hear his little high pitched wail. Kash was showing off for Sue and Ray both. He loves company.
May 23, 2014 @ 10:42:57
Ohhhhh……what a cute little butterball! Love that toothless grin! How could you ever put him down though? Concerning the baby books, I had them for both my boys (26 and 14 now) but somewhere along the line (I think when my mom started scrapbooking everything) the little baby books became less exciting. Still have them, of course, but have now digitized all old pictures, books, school papers, etc. (yes, quite a project) to protect them and pass down, so am thinking the baby books of old are a lost art…probably in a few years, those will all be digital too. Progress, huh?
May 23, 2014 @ 22:24:17
I know we struggle to NOT spoil him like mommy and daddy cause he’s so adorable! I’m very old fashioned in so many ways, and I hate to see everything going digital. I know it’s progress, but some days I would so wish to receive a handwritten letter from a friend, know what I mean? Those were the good ole days. I’m not at all being judgemental in my thoughts about baby books…just hope that whatever method they use that young mommies are documenting them and don’t take for granted all those cherished memories that will fade over time. Thanks for commenting!
May 23, 2014 @ 22:34:47
Oh, I too am old-fashioned. And I was the last to jump on the digital bandwagon I’m sure. But….I will tell you this….I spent a summer digitizing all the baby pix and school papers, etc. of my boys just as a backup and guess what? this winter we had a water pipe break during the polar vortex and the pipe destroyed over 3000 pix! I would’ve been heartbroken if I’d totally lost them. So while we might fight the “modern upgrade” to our paper memories, there are good sides too. But totally agree on handwritten thank yous and letters. ….do miss those. Can you imagine that my son now gets invited to b-day parties and such with something called an E-vite and you actually have to sign up for an account just to view the invitation and RSVP. Now that I do not like at all.
May 23, 2014 @ 23:59:26
Yep, I also don’t like what my daughter just told me. No notes go home if child is having problems in school. Instead everything is done via text or e-mail. I know how easily those paper notes can get lost or deliberately not brought home at all, BUT, it seems according to her communication between teacher and parent is poorer, not better as a result.
May 24, 2014 @ 12:03:31
Oh, a bit off course here, but one of my own pet peeves about the way the world is going now is that kids are taught starting in Kindergarten to use keyboards and they have totally phased out cursive writing in school lessons now. They actually spend VERY LITTLE time on handwriting AT ALL. Who ever thought handwriting would be a dying art, huh?
May 24, 2014 @ 20:18:00
I know…I think it is very sad. Little Jackson’s mommy is a high school teacher and she is planning on working only one more year, and already plans to homeschool Jackson. That’s a sad commentary for the direction public education is going when a teacher doesn’t even want to be part of it anymore. I also heard that our kids don’t know how to use a regular dictionary anymore! They have gotten so accustomed to looking everything up on Google.
May 24, 2014 @ 21:59:27
I can attest to the fact that kids are not being taught dictionary use too! Had to do that for our son as well. Seems like the parents are doing more teaching than the teachers are these days……if you want to make sure your kid has a grip on old and new ways anyway.
May 25, 2014 @ 13:08:50
Amen!
May 23, 2014 @ 22:35:34
Plus, of course, with handwritten communications as our only form of conversing…chances are you and I wouldn’t be having this conversation right now! 🙂 Am just saying….there are advantages…..
May 23, 2014 @ 23:56:42
Agreed!
May 23, 2014 @ 14:30:40
He is beautiful, I love his red hair. I know he loves his Maw Maw. He is a joy! He did put a smile on my face. Can’t wait to meet Jackson.
May 23, 2014 @ 22:25:50
Diana, Jackson just left town for three days to be with his other grandma in Katy, TX. We don’t mind sharing him, and it will give Jerry and I a peaceful Memorial Day break. Thanks for commenting. Love ya, girl!
May 24, 2014 @ 05:05:01
Love the pics of this cute little bundle of joy! Re: baby books……….I am 70 and my mom and older sisters made 2 for me and they are such a treasure to me. I made one for my son and put EVERYTHING in there, just like my mother did in mine. It’s still in my possession, but someday he will have it.
May 24, 2014 @ 20:15:21
Yep, lately I’ve been thinking of all the things I do that my mother never did. I never had a baby book or for that matter very few baby pictures. Not sure why. What a treasure to have those. Also old family pictures – most of which I acquired thru a now deceased aunt. Maybe that’s why I also enjoy genealogical research as well. I knew very little about my ancestors. Mom just never wanted to talk about them, and dad died when I was five. Now, I have tons of info and really treasure what I’ve acquired. Yes, my plan is for my child’s scrapbooks to eventually be theirs. Thanks for commenting.
May 25, 2014 @ 00:11:23
Love this post, and those photos are out of this world.
May 25, 2014 @ 13:08:30
Thanks Tric! They are candid moments, for sure!