Finally....Blessing Pictures!

Jackson was blessed on March 9, 2014 when he was 7 weeks old. He was blessed just a few days after getting home from the RSV hospitalization, so it was a crazy time. Anyway, here are the pictures that I promised a while ago. These are in no order :)

4 Generations- My Grandpa Lilly, my mom, me, and Jackson

All if the family from my side who came

Everyone from Jon's side and my side. We are so blessed.

Jackson with Great-Grandma Lilly (my mom's step-mother)

Always so alert!

My niece Jessi holding her baby picture.

My Great Aunt Janet (my mom's aunt) came up from Florida.

Our niece Hali loved Jackson

Brock loving on Jackson

Walking to the park with Brian and Mandy's family

Brock, Hali, and Hayden adoring Jackson

This picture looks girly...probably the purple blanket, ooops. Jackson is wearing the blessing outfit Jon wore as a baby. Also the saddle shoes were Jon's. My mom made the boutonniere for Jackson, it goes along with a poem that is a tradition she does for all of the grandkids. The boutonniere is to be used for his baptism and wedding as well.

Grandma Linda (Jon's mom) and Jackson

Jackson and Uncle Brian

Hayden and Jessi

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Aunt Janet, Amanda, Daniel, and Linda on our walk.

Grandpa Lilly and his sister, Janet

Grandpa with Jackson and a grapefruit....he LOVES grapefruit

Jon and Brock

Jon's dad, our friend Veera, and Brian BBQing

Savannah and Jessi love each other

Cameron, Sandra, Joshua, Brenna, Clarissa, Savannah, and Xander

Dan, Valerie, and Jesi

BRIAN! Always hacking my mom's camera.

Our perfect little family

Brian and Cameron

My parents and siblings

My beautiful cousin Nicole

Dan the Man

Jessi and me

Jessi and Dan testing out Jackson's horse

The Necessary Updates

I am so far behind on blogging, laundry, cleaning, etc but oh well. At least we are all alive, fed, and clothed, right? I am finally starting to get back on track I think. There is always so much to do! So here is the latest:

 For starters, I am not returning to work. I had planned to quit and then was offered an opportunity to return part-time so I agreed. I was prepping to go back in 3 weeks when I got an unexpected call saying there were some changes and some programs had shut down so I would be unable to return part-time. I was bummed, relieved, sad, and happy all at once. I felt so torn about going back so I think in the end this was for the best. I will miss my job and coworkers so much, plus the extra money. (I need to blog about my job sometime). But I am happy to be home with my little man all day and am getting used to it more and more everyday.

As for Jackson, he is growing so fast. So let's have a recap shall we?

At birth:
(Since I don't think I recorded it on here) Jackson was super alert since birth and was always rooting. This is still about the norm for him.

Stats:
Head- 13.75 in.
Weight- 7lbs 4oz
Length- 21in.

Jackson's first picture captured on Jon's cell phone

1 Month:
He had strong head control and already could hold his head up some. He smiled on and off, mostly right before throwing up or while sleeping but it never seemed to really be intentional. He loved falling asleep on mommy and daddy's chest. He took his first bottle from daddy like a champ but now is on bottle strike- he likes to eat straight from mom. He would wake up 2-3 times a night typically would have stretches where he would sleep 5 hours or so straight. He started struggling with naps more and more and prefers to be awake and cry rather than to just nap. He ate non-stop. Movement and music soothe him best. He likes to be on the go.

One month

Stats:
Head- (we didn't measure)
Weight- 9lbs, 4oz (between the10th and 25th percentile)
Length- 23in. (75th percentile)

Two months

2 Months:
Jackson survived RSV, going to the hospital, his first IV, and all of that other fun stuff. Jackson started smiling a lot and it was actually on purpose. He smiles more and more everyday. Jackson wakes up 1-2 times a night and sleeps about 5 or 6 hours straight at times. Jackson struggles to nap sometimes but other times will nap a lot. Jackson still likes to eat a lot so mommy tries her best to distract him so she does not hurt constantly. Breastfeeding has become a lot more natural though. Jackson likes to look outside and does great going for walks and riding in the car. He loves staring at anything and everything especially the blinds, picture frames, light fixtures, fans, lights, etc... He also loves music and it still soothes him. He still loves to be rocked, bounced, or walked around.

Stats:
Head- 15.75 in. (50th percentile)
Weight- 10 lb, 9oz (10th percentile)
Length- 23.5 in. (50th percentile)

3 months:

Jackson flew to Colorado on his 3 month birthday. He was excellent on the flights and the whole trip. Sometimes he sleeps 7 to 9 hours straight. Other times he wakes up once but overall sleeps great at night. He goes to be anywhere between 7 and 9 and wakes up between 5 and 6 normally with maybe one quick nursing session during the night. Naps are a different story but some days are better than others. The week we flew to Colorado we became increasingly nervous about Jackson's projectile vomiting and excessive spit up. We went to the doctor who put Jackson on reflux medication and ordered an ultrasounds. I had to take Jackson in the next day. He wasn't allowed to eat for 4 hours ahead of time so was very angry by the time we got there. He was supposed to lay still for the ultrasound....yeah right, you starve your 3 month old and get them to be calm and still. Plus Jackson is a wiggler anyways. It took forever and a lot of praying but it was finally over. I hated it. The great news was that everything looked fine so no surgery is needed. Yay! The reflux medication seems to be helping. Jackson is showing more and more interest in toys and still loves to move, be outside, and be held lots. He is starting to not love being in his car seat. He is smiling lots and has giggled for dad. 

3 months (taken a week late because of our trip to Colorado)

Stats: 

Head- they didn't measure since it wasn't an official checkup (we went for his reflux issues)

Weight- 12 lbs 5 oz

Length- 23.75 inches

Jackson is changing so much everyday. I am trying to soak it all in and remember everything!

Jackson's Big Day

Jackson is almost 10 weeks!! It is so crazy how time flies. We had tons of family come into town for Jackson's blessing two weeks ago. We felt so much love from all of our family as they supported us in his special day. We had close to 40 people come! We had Jon's parents, his sisters Amanda and Katie, and his brother Brian and his wife Mandy and their 4 kids. We also had my Grandma and Grandpa Lilly, my Great Aunt Janet, my parents, my Uncle Otto and Aunt Susy, my Uncle Jackie and Aunt Cindy, my cousin Jeff and his wife Nicole and their son Jack, my brother Cameron and his wife Sandra and their 5 children, my brother Brian, my sister Valerie and her two kids, and our fiend Veera. I know we have tons of family who would have been here too if it were possible. We had a ton of fun with everyone but it was a crazy busy weekend to say the least. Especially since we had spent the first of the week in the hospital. Thankfully my mom organized things and made sure we had all the essential items like food. She did basically all of the shopping and food prep. I was pretty overwhelmed and I think Jackson was too. It was so fun seeing everyone and we wish it could have lasted longer and not been so busy. Jon's family stayed with us and my family stayed in a hotel. We are so grateful for the wonderful weekend spent with our family. The pictures from his blessing didn't turn out...so once I steal my moms photos I will post pictures.

Back Home

Our baby boy is starting to sound really sick again and is very congested. I really hope it is just the remaining symptoms of RSV and not something new. He is breastfed and we kept him home for the first 4 weeks, trying to keep him healthy...please, don't get sick again!

We had to go to the hospital for the RSV last week. It was a terrible experience. The hospital was terrible and I didn't seem to care much about our sweet baby. There were some incredible doctors and nurses but overall it was terrible, especially considering it was a children's hospital. Triage was horrible- what is up with hospital triages? They didn't even greet me when I walked in, just kept talking to each other. They spelled Jackson's name Jaxon even though I gave them his insurance card and I spelled his name outloud for them. The entire stay in the hospital they could not keep his monitors on and could care less about fixing them. We had to call and beg for them to put his monitors back on, even though he had low oxygen rates and a high heart-rate at times. You think they would want to monitor that...since this was the purpose of us being admitted, but apparently not.

Some good things were that my mom came and helped us out, which really was so appreciated. Jon also took two days off. We had our home teacher and his fiance come give Jackson a blessing with Jon. We were given 10 dollars in meal tickets per day and they had free drinks and snacks. I am also SO SO SO grateful, that even though it was a hard experience, I know it could have been so much worse. I know that hospital is full of children with cancer and all kinds of terminal illnesses. It breaks my heart. I hope that the care they received is much much better than what Jackson received. I cannot imagine being in that situation. This experience definitely made me appreciate Jackson more and all that comes with having a baby- the constant feeding, changing, bathing, and losing out on some sleep. I used to complain about him eating all of the time but in the hospital we just begged and begged for him to eat. It has really shifted my perspective. I am grateful for poopy diapers because that means my son is eating and is healthy. :)

we had to document how much he ate...he did awesome on day 2! Daddy was proud!

I guess Jackson was sad to leave the hospital...

I was THRILLED to be able to go home!!

And so, the craziness of a newborn continues. A few days after getting out of the hospital we had TONS of family come in for the baby blessing. It was a crazy but wonderful weekend. More on that coming up next....

I Can Do Hard Things...

That is the theme of my life lately, something I have to repeat to myself frequently, that I CAN do hard things. I think I really realized this after giving birth. It was so hard but I did it, and I am almost back to normal again. I had my 6 week check up on Wednesday, I am not completely healed but I am close. This week has been really hard, tiring, and emotional. On Monday and Tuesday, Jackson wanted to eat ALL. DAY. LONG. I was so tired and sore (plus I was sick) and on Tuesday night I just cried and finally had to give Jackson to Jon to get him to sleep. I felt so bad because Jon had worked all day and gone to class, I know he was beat. But my body was done with feeding and needed a rest. Jackson likes to nurse a LOT before bedtime. I felt like the worst mother in the world the next day.

I went to the doctor on Tuesday to try to get rid of my cold, and now poor Jackson is sick. He was so out of it yesterday and was just not himself. He hardly nursed and slept all day- Jackson is usually really alert and hardly sleeps during the day compared to most newborns. His sickness has been the worst at night, he is so congested and sounds like he can't breathe. Well it was really bad the other night and then he started to get a cough. Jon gave him a blessing and the next morning (Thursday) I called the doctor to see if I should come in. Since he didn't have a fever they said to just keep an eye on him. Well last night it was really bad and Jon and I said a prayer and were just so worried. We both decided this morning he needed to go to the doctor. I got him in as soon as I could get an appointment.

I really didn't want to drive the long drive to be told there is nothing they could do, but I figured it was worth the peace of mind to know if it was just a cold. At first I thought they were going to say, it is just a cold. His ears and lungs were clear but they tested him and he came back negative for flu and positive for RSV. I had a feeling he had RSV but then I also thought he didn't. He has to do breathing treatments and for now has avoided the hospital. It has been so so so hard. Jon and I both are just so sad and heartbroken for Jackson.  We can't bear to leave his side. I just lay by him and hold his hand while he sleeps. He sounds pitiful. He has been such an amazing and strong guy. He has hardly cried and is content but also very lethargic. He doesn't wiggle and look around at everything like normal. It is scary to see because he has totally changed in the last 2 days. It is so frightening, even though I know RSV is common.

My love for Jackson grows everyday but has multiplied now that he is sick. I want to take away all of his pain and do whatever I can to help him. I keep thinking about how much Heavenly Father wants to take away our pain and help us. Sometimes I feel angry at God because I suffer and he seems to watch in silence. I bet Jackson feels the same way, that he is suffering and we aren't helping. But little does he know how much we love him and want nothing but the best for him. I know that God loves us even more so and is always mindful of us, even if we don't feel it or recognize it all of the time. I have to keep reminding myself of that. Jon gave me a blessing on Monday that said Heavenly Father is mindful of me. I have to keep repeating this to myself. God does know us and care about us. I am trying so hard to submit to his will and use this experience to better myself. And hopefully soon, our sweet boy will be back to normal.

The Blizzard

So we had us an old-fashioned North Carolina blizzard this week. We got about 8 inches of snow and some ice. They were calling for a loss of power in some areas, but luckily we didn't lose power (although I thought it would be fun to lose power for a day, but I think it would have been challenging with a newborn). It actually was a real snow storm, especially for here. It shut everything down for a few days. Jon got out early on Tuesday and had class cancelled that night. He was out for the rest of the week. It has been fun being snowed in together for a few days. Jon got a little stir-crazy after the second day, but I have gotten used to staying home now since Jackson has been born. We have had a lot of fun and enjoyed our time together. Jon also had a lot of fun digging our neighbors out of the snow (after getting a good laugh first).

Jackson's first bottle- he took it like a champ

Jon made some pitas with tzatziki sauce while we were snowed in 

we judged the amount of snow we recieved based on how high it was on the birdhouses

 

Jon built a snow family while Jackson and I stayed warm inside (if you look closely I am the snow-woman holding a baby on the left and Jon is the snow-man on the right with the dog Callie by his side)

Jon convinced me to go for a drive in the snow

slush which later turned to ice

In other news, Jon says the most random things, I love it. This morning when he asked if I was going to eat breakfast and I said I wasn't hungry yet, he said "but we have steak and cheese.'


We took these dumb surveys on Buzzfeed and when I asked Jon what he was going to pick for his favorite TV show he said "The Office, either that or Army Wives....what the heck."

Anyway, that is all for now. I am ready for spring!