3 Weeks!

We had a big week this week.  Jackson is finally packing on the pounds, or ounces in his case.  Jackson is three weeks old and finally up to his birth weight!

Jackson went to his first Braves game this week.  He had a blast.  He was awake and taking in the sites the entire time.

He also had to have a bath because he peed all over himself.  He does not care for baths just yet.  Can't you tell?

Jackson also had a visit from his grandparents!  Eric's mom came and spent the entire week with us.  She was a huge help as Eric went back to work last week.  She made us dinner every night and helped out with Jackson while I took naps.  Eric dad joined us over the weekend and they were able to go golfing for father's day.  It means so much to us to have such supportive family members.  We could not have made it the first few weeks without them.  Thank you Grand mom and Granddad Deahl!!

2 Weeks and Happy Father's Day!

We made it another week!  We have managed to keep Jackson alive one more week.  This week has been a bit more challenging.  We have been seeing a lactation consultant and unfortunately Jackson has not been gaining weight as we would like him to.  Jackson seems to fall asleep on the job, so we have had to supplement with pumped milk and some formula.  It has been kind of hard on Mom and Dad to breastfeed, pump, supplement at each feeding, but we need to get LBD gaining.  We will find out tomorrow if it has been working.  

Other than that, Jackson has been nothing but a joy!  Sure he is a little fussy at times, but he is a great baby.  I could just stare at him all day.  He has so many faces and I don't want to miss any!

Today is Father's Day and I am so lucky to have two amazing fathers in my life now.  I could not be who I am today without my Dad.  He has always been someone that I have looked up to and there is nothing he can't do.  Thanks for being such an amazing Dad and I can't wait for Jackson to get to know his Papa!

We had a great Father's Day.  Jackson had the great idea to cook breakfast for Eric, so we had a huge meal prepared for him this morning.  Jackson got a little sleepy, so he didn't actually get to eat with us :)

Eric has been an amazing Dad to Jackson.  It has been so special to watch Eric with Jackson.  He is so patient and sweet with him.  He has been extremely helpful with my recovery and the housework.  We are so blessed to have such an awesome Dad in the family.

Picture Post

Yes, I am that parent.  I constantly have the camera at the ready.  I can't help it.  Jackson is just too darn cute :)

BIG Thank You

I want to send out a huge thank you to my mom and dad, Mimi and Papa.  They were a big help last week during our first week home with Jackson.  Mimi was here all week and Papa came back to spend the weekend with us.  They are the main reason that we survived the first week!  Mimi had morning time with Jackson every day and Jackson (and parents) misses it very much!  They helped us out with chores, diapers, etc.  We could not have done it without you!  We love you, miss you and can't wait until you next visit!

One Week

I can't believe our little man is one week old!  We got home Tuesday, and we have been adjusting to having a new member of the family.  Breastfeeding is going really well.  He seems to have his days and his nights mixed up, so hopefully we can resolve that soon.  My mom has been here all week and will be leaving tomorrow.  She has been such an amazing help and I don't know what we will do without her.  My dad also came back this weekend to get his Jackson time in!

We have had quite a few visitors this week, including visits from great grandparents!  He also had his first doctor's appointment.  It went really well and he seems to be gaining his weight back. 

First doctor's appointment

Four generations

Great Aunt MaryAnn and Great Uncle Pat

Just chilling after a long day!

Jackson Thomas: The Birth Story

Our little man has arrived!  My contractions began Friday morning around 9 AM.  We had a doctor's appointment scheduled, so I was excited to see if things were getting started.  We went to the doctor's appointment and had an ultrasound for size.  LBD was measuring 8lbs 11oz.  My doctor told me that I was 1 cm dilated and that the contractions could mean something, but they could just be Braxton Hicks contractions.  From the beginning the contractions were in my back, so I truly felt that they were the beginning of labor.

We went home to walk, hoping that we could get something jump started.  I continued to have contractions about 4-7 minutes apart all day.  We decided to go ahead to the hospital around 7 PM Friday night.  We got there and I was only dilated 2 cm and 50% effaced.  They had us walk for 45 minutes to see if there would be any change.  Unfortunately, there wasn't any change so they sent us home with some Ambien so I could sleep.  Needless to say, I was really upset.

We got home around midnight and I tried to get some sleep.  Around 3:30, I woke up with horrible back pain.  I woke up Eric around 5 and shortly after, my water broke.  Back the hospital we went.  When we got there, they confirmed that my water broke and I was 2 cm and 70% effaced.  If was official, we were not leaving without a baby!  My doctor arrived around 9:30 to check me and I was almost 4 cm and 100% effaced.  I was having back labor, which BTW is awful!  I received the epidural and immediately felt amazing.  I labored for a bit and the doctor came and I was about 6 1/2 cm dilated and the baby was at 0 station (we needed him to be at +2 station).  A little bit more time passed and I was starting to feel a lot of pain.  It turns out my epidural wore off.  The back labor was so bad, I was in tears.  During this time, my doctor rechecked me and I was still at 6 1/2 and Jackson's head was starting to swell a little.  She decided to put me on pitocin to get my contractions going more regularly.  At this time, it was about 4 pm and we had been in labor for 10 hours.  Before the pitocin was started, I received another epidural.  We gave the pitocin about 2 hours to regulate my contractions, but we were still at 6 1/2 at the end of the two hours.  It was 6 pm and I had been stuck at 6 1/2 cm for 5 hours.  Jackson's head was starting to swell a good bit and my doctor did not think he was going to deliver vaginally.

We were quickly prepped for a c section and LBD was born at 6:43 pm.  He weighed in at 8 lbs 8 oz and was 21.75 inches long.  He scored a 9/9 on his Apgars.  He has a full head of hair.  He also came out sporting an awesome cone head from trying to deliver vaginally.  Our little man was really trying hard to come out naturally, but my body wasn't going to have it.  They stitched me up while Eric was with Jackson in the nursery getting weighed and bathed.  I went to recovery where I got hold him for the first time.  It was such an amazing feeling!  We nursed for the first time and were transferred to our room.  Our family was there to greet the new addition and everyone was instantly in love with our little guy.

So far, Jackson has been a great little baby.  He only cries when he is wet or hungry.  He seems to have a great temperament.  Breastfeeding was a little rocky at first, but has gotten a lot better.  Eric has been an amazing dad and I feel like our relationship has grown so much in the last few days.  We can't wait to see what the next few weeks hold for our little family.  Jackson is truly a blessing.

Enjoy some pictures! LOTS of pictures :)

Introducing Jackson Thomas

Let me introduce you to Jackson Thomas!  He was born June 5, 2010 via c section.  He weighed 8 lbs 8 oz and was 21.75 inches long.  More to come later, but in the meantime, enjoy a couple of pics of our little man!