I suppose it's about time you all heard from mommy. What a wild and wonderful experience. I'm so glad Jackson is here. I was sooo ready to meet him. The past 2 weeks really seems like one big blurry day, but I'll try to recap for you from my point of view.
I had a wonderful doctor throughout my pregnancy. I really couldn't have asked for a better person and staff to walk alongside a first time mom. I had a million questions and I never once felt like a burden when I called the office. Towards the end of my pregnancy, Dr. Martin began to see me every 2 weeks and then every week. Of course, you develop a relationship when you see someone that often. However, she has a ton of other patients and still made me feel like I was the only one when I was in her office. She really wanted to deliver Jackson and came in to see me in the hospital even though she wasn't on call. She stayed the entire time and delivered Jackson even thought someone else was on call and I was her only patient at the hospital that night. How wonderful and blessed Jonathan, Jackson, and I were that night. In addition to Dr. Martin, I had a wonderful nurse as well. Since Jonathan and I decided to go natural (no medication), we attended birthing classes and felt very educated and as ready as I guess you can be for your first baby. I had complete confidence in Jonathan's ability to guide me through labor.....and that he did. What we didn't bargain for was that we really both needed a 2nd person. Jonathan was busy putting pressure on my back to relieve pain almost the entire 8 hours (poor thing, he was exhausted as well). My nurse, Ginger, ended up coaching me face to face during the hardest part of labor. Jonathan talked me through a ton of contractions and encouraged me to rest between each one, but he was behind me the whole time and couldn't look me in the face. Ginger never left my room that night, and since my contractions were 2 min. or less apart the entire time, she never left my side as well. I wish I had had a breath mint for myself...poor thing. I blew in her face all night long and she never grimaced once!!ha ha. She had just given birth naturally 7 months earlier and knew exactly how to guide me through. God definitely placed the right people in our paths that night.
I must say that Jonathan and I were a little surprised that we had a boy. We were both leaning a little towards thinking is was a girl. The pressure was on for Jonathan since he had not decided on a boy name. I gave him a time limit...those who know him best know he has a hard time choosing from a menu at a restaurant, much less a name for his son. He wavered a bit the next day even after we chose Jackson, but he wasn't in the room when the lady with the birth certificate and social security card applications visited. Good thing! I made it official praying he wouldn't kill me. I'm still alive and we still like Jackson's name, so we're all good.
We had lots of company and lots of help the first week and a half. As you can see from the pictures, Jackson will never want for love and attention. I couldn't have made it without my mom and Jonathan's mom. The house smelled clean and a trip to the grocery was made before we walked through the doors of our home. Towels and laundry magically were cleaned and folded and appeared on the shelves. Meals were made and diapers changed without hesitation. What a blessing our family has been throughout this celebration. I came home feeling pretty good and each day got better until Jackson's 1 week birthday. I woke up with an infection and had to visit the doctor. It was nothing some antibiotics couldn't clear up, but it definitely set me back on recovery by almost a full week. I'm feeling great now, just taking it easy and not overdoing anything per instructions from Momma Z (my mom's new name). Jonathan is a great help all the time and we do pretty good when we're by ourselves as well.
Jackson has been eating like a champ from the day he was born. We go back to the doctor today to see if he is gaining weight. He lost a bit at the beginning which is normal. I am so proud of him and how healthy he is. He sleeps like a champ as well. He has set his own schedule that runs between 3-4 hours. Sometimes I even have to wake him to make him eat. He must have gotten his sleeping habits from his dad!!!ha ha. I hope this lasts!! Our biggest battle is keeping him from scratching his face. We have to keep mits on his hands. No matter how often we clip his nails, he still manages to have sharp edges aimed for his sweet cheeks. On that note, obviously we cannot complain about anything. Jackson is determined to be a good baby and we're not going to stop him!!
I am in love with my son. I am in love with our family of 3..... I mean 4 including Hope. I am so excited about this new life with Jackson. It's time for me to feed him, so I better stop now. Enjoy the pictures a we continue to post them. Love you all.
9. Meeting Mommy and Daddy's friends. Mommy told me she used to babysit Aubrey when she was as little as me. I think she was practicing.
8. Getting to know my family in Tennessee. At Thanksgiving I visited great grandparents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, etc. I was quite the celebrity. They just kept flashing great big lights in my face over and over again!!
7. Even though my dog, Hope, really doesn't like me yet, Cinders does. I loved playing with Daddy's big black friend at home in Tennessee. He really wore a shiny halo in comparison to Hope. Daddy says that Hope's halo was burning to the ground as she remembered how much fun it was to bark at squirrels ALL day long. But Daddy also says that he understands. The Poor baby girl just misses having a backyard with more than a spit of grass.
6. I love to go on walks with mommy in my stroller. It was really entertaining last week because she got in trouble with a police man for walking on the street instead of the sidewalk. She told him that the sidewalk was so bumpy that it make me spit up, but he didn't care. So we finished our walk and of course....I spit up. I hope I always remember this moment, so when I get in trouble someday, I'll reminder her she did too!!!
5. Bath time!! I love any form of bath. Sometimes it's a quick shower. Other times it's a whirlpool bubble bath. When mommy sinks me into the water up to my neck, I'm reminded of another time and place.....all warm, wet, slimy. I go deep into thought trying to remember just exactly where that was and why I can't visit it again!!??
4. Even more than taking the bath, I love to spit up right after it. After I'm all fresh and smelling good, I ALWAYS have a little extra left over dinner that I really don't want. It spills down my chin and into my hair and lands in the nice , clean towel mommy is drying me off with. I think it's a nice fragrance to put on right before bed.
3. Pose for pictures while sporting designer clothes that my Tia (Aunt Heather) is always giving me. This one, for example, says that I am "fearfully and wonderfully made."
2. Play with my toy gym. I love to hit and bat and kick at all the toys. Some are hard. Some are soft. Some even make crackle noises. My Uncle Jake calls this my morning workout.This is when mommy always disappears to do something in the kitchen or laundry room. I just can't figure out why she doesn't want to sit right down beside me while I play...24 hours a day.
1. My top number one favorite thing to do....hang out and smile with mommy and daddy!!!
