My Sweet Boy

It's not possible to be more in love with this little man. This was his first bath. He didn't care for it too much and he really wasn't happy when it was time to be dried off. After we got him all swaddled, daddy read Goodnight Moon and he went to bed...for a couple hours.

I love the crease he gets on his nose when he cries.

I took these pictures yesterday during a little bit of tummy time. He just looked too cute in his shorts.

I love my sweet boy!

PICU Detour

After being at home for several hours on Sunday and lots and lots and lots of tears, I knew something was wrong. Jackson was absolutely inconsolable. He was screaming so much that he was hoarse, his mouth was really dry, and he had a temperature. We called our pediatricians (who are absolutely amazing) and Dr. Kovar called us back within two minutes. Because Jackson's fever was 101 degrees, he told us to go to the ER. I felt better on the way there knowing that we were going to get some help but when the doctor told me we would be there for a couple days, I lost it. I was already a mess but then they said they had to do a spinal tap, place a catheter to get a urine sample, and place an IV. I went to the waiting room and bawled. It was so hard hearing my baby cry like that. They had to do three different sticks to get this IV started.
Comfortable in Daddy's arms.

The first night was really rough. He was not feeling well still and had a really hard time sleeping. I was trying to exclusively breastfeed but it was clear that he was really hungry and I wasn't able to get him what he needed yet. He weighed 6lbs, 14ozs at birth and was down to 6lbs, 1oz by Sunday night. Bryan and I decided that he needed some formula to supplement. He sucked down the formula like it was going out of style. Bryan and I were up all night with him and we all three cried!

Part of the fun of the ICU is all the monitors. Luckily he didn't have to be hooked up to too many but he did have one on his foot that kept moving and setting off the alarms. Socks were needed to hold it in place but they only had pink. Usually babies as small as he is are in the NICU but since we left and came back, we were in the Pediatric ICU. They were very capable of taking care of him but were not set up for babies so small.

Once he started to feel better he was pretty comfortable in his hospital crib. He was either here or in our arms for a couple of days while we waiting for his antibiotics to be giving and to get results back from all the tests they ran. On Monday morning I went home and slept for several hours and when I returned, the news was that there was some bacteria in his urine. They thought he had a kidney or bladder infection. They did an ultrasound on both organs to check for abnormalities but it all looked fine. After another culture, it was determined that there was no infection in his urine. Our pediatrician said that the bacteria probably came from his skin at the circumcision site when they placed the catheter. Because it was still so sore, they didn't want to scrub it with alcohol like they usually do and some bacteria was picked up in the process.

I thought this was funny. His hair is over his ears and he already needs a hair cut!

The final diagnosis was that he probably got some type of virus while he was in the hospital the first time. In case it was an infection, the 48 hours of antibiotics should have taken care of it and he was sent home with 7 more days of meds. We are so happy to be back home with our sweet baby where we can continue to fall in love with him. Thank you God for a healthy boy!

Welcome Jackson!

It's been over a week since the last post and a lot has happened! These pictures take you up to Sunday morning. There is new set of pictures from his stay in the ICU that will come later.

Bryan and I had both anticipated a frantic drive to the hospital with my in labor but our actual ride could not have been more different. I was supposed to be at the hospital at 6:00 to begin the induction process so we left a little early and had a relaxing dinner at Noodles and Company. We arrived at the hospital right on time.

Once I was there and checked in, the nurse gave me the Cervadil that is meant to prepare your body for the Pitocin the next day. It was placed around 7pm and Bryan stayed with me until I fell asleep and then he went home to sleep in a comfortable bed. Despite the Ambien I had a restless night and at about 5:45am I felt a pop in my belly followed by sharp pains. I called the nurse and she let me know that my water had broken and that I should call my husband. Bryan answered right away and was at the hospital within 15 minutes. My parents followed soon after.

The next hour was really painful as my nurse checked me and said I was only 2cm dilated and needed to wait a bit to get the epidural. Luckily, I progressed pretty quickly and was able to have the epidural around 9am. I was much more comfortable then and was able to freshen up and put on some makeup.

The nurse checked me again in about an hour and I was fully dilated and ready to push. It happened really quickly and I never even had the Pitocin! After pushing for 2.5 hours, Jackson finally made his debut at 2:32pm on Friday, July 9th.

He was 20 inches long and weighed 6 pounds and 14 ounces. Daddy was SO PROUD!!!

We got to snuggle for a bit and then he went with Daddy to get a bath. It wasn't his favorite activity.

He felt much better when he was bundled up and in Daddy's arms.

After his bath he came back to the recovery room in his little bassinet.

We both recovered from a long delivery pretty well. He got way more rest than I did!

On Sunday morning we were discharged and headed home.

He didn't love his car seat but once we were actually driving, he was much happier.

He was teeny, tiny in his car seat.

I love his sweet, wrinkly feet!

Proud Daddy!Proud Mommy!

Our family

We got home a little after noon and Sunday and were back in the ER by about 7:30 or 8:00 that night. We are all home and okay now but we had a rough couple days. Maybe a blog about that will be on the agenda tomorrow!

Letter

Dear Jackson,

In just a couple hours I will be in the hospital getting ready to have you. The doctors and nurses are going to give me some medicine that will help make sure my body is ready to meet you! Daddy and I talked a lot last night about how it was our last night in our house without you. What a crazy and wonderful thought that is! We are so excited to meet you and can't wait until you arrive.

Also crazy to me is that I have to share you now. For the last nine months I have been able to keep you mostly to myself. I got to feel you before anyone else. Daddy has felt you and seen you move several times but I am sure he will be so amazed when he can see you moving outside of me. Although I am excited to see it too, it will be a little different for me to be able to pass you around. I guess when there is something that wonderful, it's best if it is shared. That something wonderful is you!

Please be gentle on mommy! I know we have both never done this before but I think our teamwork should start now! Be nice little guy. See you soon!

-Momma

"We Keep On Waiting...

Waiting On Our World To Change"

We are all just hanging out and trying to get along in our ark house. Here's the whole gang waiting not so patiently. The GREAT news is that with a little begging, I was able to get on the induction schedule for Friday. I will go in on Thursday night for a prep treatment and then I will start Pitocin on Friday morning. The Dr. was sure to point out that it could still be Saturday before I actually have him.

I left feeling on top of the world. It is amazing how much better I feel with a date in mind. In the meantime, we are all just hanging out while Bryan works. He will be able to stay home from July 9-26th. That's awesome!

Claire waiting

Gabby waiting

Jack waiting

Liam waiting

and Lily waiting.
Other than the giant wound that Jack got on his back (probably from playing too rough with Claire), the constant hissing the first few days from Lily every time she saw Liam, the need to buy Gabby a bark collar, and the crazy squeaking noise Liam made when Claire caught him, having all these animals around hasn't been so bad!

Keep checking in for Jackson's arrival!

Also, many thanks to my mom who has kept the kitchen clean, done all our laundry, and made dinners! My dad is also cutting apart the swing set into smaller pieces and bundling it for the trash pick up. So much to be thankful for!

Happy Birthday to.........

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BRYAN!!!!!

Did you get excited? Yeah, that would be great, for all of us, but this post is for Bryan's birthday. No baby yet.

We made an afternoon tee time with some friends for his birthday and we woke up to rainy, gray skies. He was sooo sad. But, as the day went on, the weather got better and better. It ended up being a beautiful day and perfect for golfing. My friend Meredith and I rode along in the carts while Bryan and Kyle played. It was Bryan's first time out this summer and understandable he doesn't see many more opportunities in the near future.

Ready for 18!

Sizing up the green at the end of the night

Shot for parOur friends Meredith and Kyle

Hopefully the next post will be for a different birthday! But, as things are not looking too promising for a prompt arrival, it seems more likely that it will be a doctors appointment update sometime on Tuesday. Here's to hoping though!