Sir Jackson

I feel like such a bad blogger! But, I've got a good excuse. Having two kiddos is a whole different ballgame. Wow. What a change.

Jackson was born on Friday, May 29th at 12:46 p.m. Everything went so wonderfully. I checked in at 10:30 that morning and he was here two hours later.

He weighed 8 lbs. 2 oz. and was 20 inches long. He was pretty short and stocky, and oh so handsome.

He's growing really well. Must be all that eating! He is sleeping pretty well at night, usually waking up every three hours. I'll be glad when we get some longer stretches in there. He's doing well in his bassinett, which big sister Kylie did not like at all! He's still deciding whether or not he likes his swing. We've lasted about 30 minutes in it so far.

Big sister Kylie is absolutely in love with her little brother. Maybe too much! We are constantly having to ask her to be gentle with him and not squeeze him so hard and get in his face so much. I know she just loves him and that is her way of showing it. I think she will really love it when he starts to respond with smiles and baby noises and giggles. She'll eat that up.

Adam and I are trying to adjust to the lack of sleep, but it certainly hasn't been easy. He's been so helpful at night feedings to get Jackson and change his diaper before bringing him to me. Many times he'll stay up with us while he eats and I love the company!

I'll try to be better about my postings as Jackson and Kylie continue to bless our lives with the amazing things they do and say. We couldn't be happier with our growing family!

The Big Day

Well, tomorrow's the BIG DAY! Jackson's birthday! It is so surreal to think that we will have a baby boy tomorrow. Kylie is sleeping in my bed tonight. Adam so graciously gave up his spot last night and tonight. I love it when she sleeps in bed with me. Not so much when she comes in from her room and wakes me up from a dead sleep, but more when it's a planned thing! She manages to nuzzle her way over to my side and will even swing an arm across me a time or two.

I think about what a precious gift she is, and it's hard to believe we are about to receive another one.

It has definitely been a rough last few weeks. I kept thinking this kiddo was NOT going to wait until tomorrow, but I am so glad he did. It gave me the time I needed to finish up work and get things ready around the house.

Well, we'll be praying for a safe delivery of a healthy baby boy and ask all of our friends and family to do the same!

A Happy Birthday and Mother's Day

We celebrated a great Mother's Day yesterday! In fact, my birthday was on Wednesday, so I had a super special week!

We went out to eat at Texas Land and Cattle and then back to our house for a yummy cake that Adam and Kylie made for me. Lots of candles on that cake!

On Thursday, I had another doctor's appointment and we officially have a birthday for Jackson! We will welcome him into the world on Friday, May 29th at 12:30!

For Mother's Day we went to a great service at church (Mother's Day is always one of my favorites!) and then out to brunch with the Biehlers and Grandma Ginny at Iron Cactus. The food was amazing! Then, for dinner we went to my mom's house and celebrated with Deanna and her family. I even got to fit in a nap in the afternoon. Great day!

I've had some rough days here and there, just feeling utterly exhausted and extremely uncomfortable. I'm really trying to be a trooper, but sometimes it is so hard. I want to use these last few weeks to really spend some quality time with Kylie and get all of my work agendas in order, but certain days it is challenging. So, I'm just praying that I can be comfortable and get rested up for Jackson's arrival in these next few weeks and at the same time really relish this time with Kylie. She has been very patient with me and I am so grateful that she understands when Mommy isn't feeling well. What a sweetheart!

Bye Bye Butterfly!

We have been raising butterflies in one of those pop-up butterfly houses and we just let the last one go. We're not quite sure how well it will do, it seemed to have some not-so-cooperative wings, but here's hoping for the best!

Kylie really loved it. She loved watching them grow and was excited to see them on their way to bigger and better things!

Here's some pictures she took today with the camera. She was having way too much fun with it! Hilarious! Oh, and her new sassy bikini of course!

Feels like any day now!

So, my doctor assures me that he sees no signs of labor, but I will be shocked if this little guy holds out until the end of May. I know he can prove me wrong, but we'll see. It's not so much my size, but more just the feeling that he's getting ready. I've been extremely uncomfortable for the past few days and have had to really take it easy. With Kylie I didn't feel like this until the week I went into labor! But, I've heard that this is normal with the 2nd one. It's been a rough few days- I'm such a busy body, especially when trying to get ready for Jackson's arrival. It's very hard for me to just sit still. I guess, in a way, it's a blessing that I am being forced to relax!

We are very proud of Adam for passing his composite math test to be eligible to teach math to grades 8-12. What an amazing accomplishment! He really worked hard to prepare, but the test was a doozie. I knew after looking at his study guide that it was going to be a rough one. I couldn't answer a single question! Now, we just have to find a school that will see what a great teacher and coach he will be. Fingers crossed!

Kylie is gearing up for her last 2 weeks of school. It's really hard to believe the year is almost over. I try not to get sad at how time flies, but sometimes it just hits me. She's just growing up so fast. I look forward to a super summer with her and baby Jackson!

I had a great shower with friends and family on April 19th. The hostesses did an amazing job and we got some things we really needed for the little guy. It's always such a blessing to be reminded of all the family and friends who love us!

We'll see how the week goes! I go back to the doctor on Thursday to see if anything interesting is happening!

Hoppy Easter

We had a great Easter this year. After a total of four egg hunts, we have more eggs than we'll ever know what to do with and enough candy to last a year!

We started off our egg hunts with our church Easter celebration. All of the young adults got together and ate lunch and then let the kids hunt eggs. Kylie was so slow about it and really didn't understand that she had to hurry up and get the eggs! The next time was much better.

Our next egg hunt was at her school. I got to help hide eggs on the playground and then watch them all look for them. I must say, those kiddos are good at finding eggs! Even the ones we thought were hidden really well, they found really quickly. It was so cute.

Then, there was the egg hunt at Bethany Lutheran. This one is fun every year because they have the hunt but also have real bunnies, inflatables, treats, and face painting. I couldn't believe how chilly it was on Saturday morning while we were there. I was wishing I had a sweater! Kylie definitely did better at this hunt but after she got about 10 eggs she said "I'm tired." So, I asked her if she wanted to leave the rest for the other kids and she said yes. Trust me, I was fine with that!

Then, Easter Sunday was a wonderful day too! The Easter Bunny brought Kylie some fun surprises and hid the eggs in our house since it was raining outside. We got dressed up for church and after a great Easter service we headed over to my mom's for lunch with the whole gang. Then, there was more hunting of eggs! Crazy!!! We had a wonderful Sunday with both families and it was a special day to remember the price Jesus paid for us. It's fun to get caught up in the Easter Bunny and baskets of candy, but it's wonderful to be reminded of the sacrifice that was made on our behalf!

Is it summer yet?

Well, I'm annoyed at this blog. I was trying to change my layout and now it's not working right! It's only letting me use this boring one. I'm annoyed. If you can help, send me advice! The problem is, when I go to the dashboard it won't give the option to type in the "add a gadget" code. Ugggghhh..

Anyways! We've been up to some fun things around here. We took Kylie to the Rodeo, which was actually pretty neat! I don't know why we haven't gone out there before. They had lots of rides Kylie could ride and even a few dad could ride with her. I think her favorite part was the live monkey that wore clothes. Kinda creepy, honestly.

This past weekend the D'Amuras were in town, so Kylie had an awesome time playing with her cousins. They really have fun together and keep each other very busy! I took Ethan and Kylie to our neighborhood playground and took some cute pics.

Kylie is chomping at the bit to go swimming, but this weather has been crazy! Just when I was going to put out her pool in the backyard it got cold, rained, hailed, and then warm again! It was hailing a bit this morning again. Weird...

Adam is busy preparing for his big math test on Saturday. NO pressure though - it's just something he has to pass to get a job!!! Lots of prayers that he passes, please! We won't know until the end of April how he did. He's already sent his resume' and information to Lehman where he's trying to get a job. Gosh, I hope she sees how much potential he has to be a great teacher and coach.

As for me and baby, we are great! He's still very active. I've definitely gotten to the more uncomfortable stage. I bought a body pillow that really helps me sleep better. It just seems to be going by so quickly!!!

Well, more to come later!!