McCollough's

Mac #3: 12 weeks

2012-01-25T06:37:00.001-08:00

Goodbye 1st trimester and hello 2nd!! I'm still feeling the same, sick at night and tired. I can tell I'm getting a little more energy back and the past few nights the nausea has let up a little. I still can't eat much at night. I try to stick with cereal or toast. I'm hoping I'm turning the corner and the morning sickness will be behind me from this point on. I'm getting anxious to find out if this baby is a boy or girl. My "feeling" is a girl but I'm not confident of that feeling at all. We ask Brody all the time if it's a brother or sister in mommy's belly and he always says a sister. They say the old and young know :) I don't think it matters what we name this child because she will be known as "sister" from the boys.

Here's "sister's" development this week:
The most dramatic development this week: reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, her toes will curl, her eye muscles will clench, and her mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it. Her intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into her abdominal cavity about now, and her kidneys will begin excreting urine into her bladder. Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in your baby's brain, synapses are forming furiously. Her face looks unquestionably human: Her eyes have moved from the sides to the front of her head, and her ears are right where they should be. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over 2 inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce.
Here's 12 week belly shot with Mac #3:

For comparison here is Jax's 12 week shot:

And Brody's:

Mac # 3: 11 weeks

2012-01-18T06:51:00.000-08:00

Everything is about the same this week. Still feeling the same and tired as all get out. I've slowed down in the belly growth. The baby doubles in size this week and I think that is why I'm so tired besides keeping up with a 1 and almost 3 year old!

Your baby, just over 1 1/2 inches long and about the size of a fig, is now almost fully formed. Her hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under her gums, and some of her bones are beginning to harden.

She's already busy kicking and stretching, and her tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. These movements will become more frequent as her body grows and becomes more developed and functional. You won't feel your baby's acrobatics for another month or two — nor will you notice the hiccupping that may be happening now that her diaphragm is forming.

My poor eyes! You can see how swollen they are from this stupid weather and being tired!

Advantages of having a big brother

2012-01-16T14:10:00.001-08:00

Big brother sneaking little brother a sucker! Brody has his moments of sweetness with Jax.

Baby #3: 10 weeks

2012-01-11T06:22:00.000-08:00

Well I had a few days break from the morning sickness and was hoping I was over that part but it has returned along with being utterly exhausted. I know the baby is going through a rapid growth spurt right now and I am definitely feeling it. I'm consumed with the thought of sleep 24/7.

This picture is of my 3 month supply of Lovenox since I have to get it through mail order.

10 week development:
Though she's barely the size of a kumquat — a little over an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, your baby has now completed the most critical portion of her development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in his body rapidly grow and mature.
She's swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. Vital organs — including her kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac) — are in place and starting to function, though they'll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy.
If you could take a peek inside your womb, you'd spot minute details, like tiny nails forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin.
Your baby's limbs can bend now. Her hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over her heart, and her feet may be long enough to meet in front of her body. The outline of her spine is clearly visible through translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from her spinal cord. Your baby's forehead temporarily bulges with her developing brain and sits very high on her head, which measures half the length of her body. From crown to rump, she's about 1 1/4 inches long. In the coming weeks, your baby will again double in size — to nearly 3 inches.

Babe #3 Dr. appt

2012-01-09T10:21:00.000-08:00

I had my doctor's appointment this morning. Babe #3 looks great. She(until proven otherwise) is measuring 10 weeks 5 days and I am 9 weeks 4 days. So that is great. Her heartrate was 172bps which is a lot faster than the boys ever were. I believe they hung around 150-155bps. I'm down 2 pounds (thank you morning sickness) and my blood pressure was perfect at 117/70. I go back Feb. 6th and then March 1st. That is when we will start the progestrone shots, start our cervical check and measure and find out the gender. That will be a big appointment! I'm thrilled that everything is right on track and baby is growing so well.

Until next time,
The Macs

Christmas break 2011

2012-01-03T17:27:00.001-08:00

We had a great 2 week break with the kids. B/C I'm short on time and energy here is Christmas via iPhone pics. We had a blessed time with great family and friends! Couldn't ask for me :)

Mac # 3: 9 weeks

2012-01-03T13:48:00.001-08:00

It's amazing how something so small can do so much! She is the size of a grape can grip an object placed in their hand. I've been feeling ok this week. We went back to work so being busy is keeping me preoccupied. I'm still getting more nauseas at night than during the day. Come 7:00 o'clock I'm pretty wiped and in bed. Luckily, my kiddos have wanted to go down early too.

Just for my own rememberance, I've been having on/off bleeding(brown discharge) for about 5 days now. I'm trying not to fret over it as I had this with Brody at 5-6 weeks along and I know it's common. Will defintely mention it to the doctor at next appt.
Most of your baby’s joints are formed now and she is using them. Baby is flexing and stretching, but it will be a couple of months before you can feel it. Your baby is now almost one inch long and weighs just .07 of an ounce, about the size of a grape. Growing more human like from his early embryo days, your baby has finally lost his embryonic tail.

This 9th week of pregnancy, your baby is being nourished by the placenta, rather than the yolk sac. The placenta is an amazing structure, as it provides nutrients to your baby, along with providing a filter for your baby’s waste.

Your baby is now fascinated with her hand, and she actually has a grip. If you were to place a very small object in her hand, she would wrap her little fingers around it. Speaking of fingers, your baby’s fingerprints are also forming, and they are like nobody else’s.

Your baby’s eyelids are now fused together at 9 weeks of pregnancy and will remain that way until about 27 weeks. This gives his eyes a chance to do some developing of their own. Your baby’s ears, nose tip, and tongue have also formed. All major organs are now present, but need a lot of further development to function properly.

I go back to the doctor on Monday so see this little bean again and hopefully get a clean bill of health and growth.

**By the way, I'm huge! Amazing how quickly you show with each pregnancy!**

Love,
The Macs

Mac #3: 8 weeks

2011-12-31T17:23:00.000-08:00

This week has been rough! I've been blah all week long. Food sounds, smells and looks gross. I haven energy whatsoever and can barely function! I'm very ready toe doe with this part of pregnancy.

Food aversions: Mexican food!
Cravings: sweets

8 week development:
New this week: Webbed fingers and toes are poking out from your baby's hands and feet, his eyelids practically cover his eyes, breathing tubes extend from his throat to the branches of his developing lungs, and his "tail" is just about gone. In his brain, nerve cells are branching out to connect with one another, forming primitive neural pathways. You may be daydreaming about your baby as one sex or the other, but the external genitals still haven't developed enough to reveal whether you're having a boy or a girl. Either way, your baby — about the size of a kidney bean — is constantly moving and shifting, though you still can't feel it.

Mac #3: 7 weeks

2011-12-22T18:12:00.001-08:00

We went to the doctor on Monday and everything looks great. We got to see the little peanut and a flickering heartbeat which always puts my mind at ease. We didn't get a good picture because she is still so little and it was their portable u/s machine. We get to go back in 3 weeks for another u/s.
I am a candidate for weekly progesterone shots starting at 16 weeks so try and keep preterm labor away and me off bed rest. I'm excited to see if this will work but nervous about the shot! It's a big ole needle :(
Morning sickness is actually night sickness! Around 5-6 I am useless and pretty nauseas. I've had my first food aversion: Mexican food!! Which is crazy! Smells are making me sick as well and I cant stay awake past 8. Other than that I am feeling great.

Here is baby Mac's 7 week development: The big news this week: Hands and feet are emerging from developing arms and legs — although they look more like paddles at this point than the tiny, pudgy extremities you're daydreaming about holding and tickling. Technically, your baby is still considered an embryo and has something of a small tail, which is an extension of her tailbone. The tail will disappear within a few weeks, but that's the only thing getting smaller. Your baby has doubled in size since last week and now measures half an inch long, about the size of a blueberry.

If you could see inside your womb, you'd spot eyelid folds partially covering her peepers, which already have some color, as well as the tip of her nose and tiny veins beneath parchment-thin skin. Both hemispheres of your baby's brain are growing, and her liver is churning out red blood cells until her bone marrow forms and takes over this role. She also has an appendix and a pancreas, which will eventually produce the hormone insulin to aid in digestion. A loop in your baby's growing intestines is bulging into her umbilical cord, which now has distinct blood vessels to carry oxygen and nutrients to and from her tiny body.

You can tell how tired I am in this pic!

Poor Jaxson

2011-12-15T17:53:00.001-08:00

My poor peanut has a double ear infection and pinkeye. He's been battling a cold that we've all had (minus daddy) for a few days and hasn't been sleeping great. Well, last night he was up and would scream our in pain. He ended up sleeping on me for a couple of hours and got a dose of Motrin. When we woke up he was fine except for a little drainage in his eye so I assumed it was just the cold plus he has a few teeth coming in. We get to daycare and he has drainage pouring out of his left ear. So I make arrangements so that I can head to the doctor.
We get there and his eye looks pretty bad and he's pretty miserable. Dr. J started by looking into his "good ear" and quickly said that's not looking good at all :( his left ear was completely clogged and infected. So he has a double ear infection and pink eye(from the ear infection) both tubes are still in place but since this is his 3rd ear infection in 6 months while having tubes he said if he gets one more he will want us to get his adenoids taken out :( not what I wanted to hear!
Thankfully my mom wasn't feeling great herself and said she would take the rest of the day off and keep him. We are completing semester exams and I cannot miss work. Hopefully the 3 meds he is on will work quickly and he will be as good as new.
Feel better jaxson!
Love,
The Macs

6 weeks

2011-12-14T07:35:00.000-08:00

6 week update: I've been battling a cold this week and getting my nightly headaches (i got those with rhe boys as well) I've had a few rounds of nausea but nothing too bad. Mood swings are still in full swing, not use to feeling this way and they are very strong! I'm excited and ready to have the next 2 weeks off from work! I definitely could use the rest.
Baby Mac #3:
This week's major developments: The nose, mouth, and ears that you'll spend so much time kissing in eight months are beginning to take shape. If you could see into your uterus, you'd find an oversize head and dark spots where your baby's eyes and nostrils are starting to form. His emerging ears are marked by small depressions on the sides of the head, and his arms and legs by protruding buds. His heart is beating about 100 to 160 times a minute — almost twice as fast as yours — and blood is beginning to course through his body. His intestines are developing, and the bud of tissue that will give rise to his lungs has appeared. His pituitary gland is forming, as are the rest of his brain, muscles, and bones. Right now, your baby is a quarter of an inch long, about the size of a lentil.

We go to the doctor on Monday! I will update then.
Love,
The Macs

McCollough: Family of 5!

2011-12-11T18:54:00.001-08:00

We are excited to announce that our family is expanding again! Jaxson's going to be big brother and if you ask Brody "his sister is in mommy's tummy!"

I am due August 9th officially but will definitely be having a July baby!

I already had my first round of blood work. My first beta was 189 and my second was 632, a doubling time oof 24.5 hours where 48-72 hours is normal. My progesterone was 24.5 where over 20 is good. All indicating a healthy pregnancy thus far. We go for our first ultrasound Dec. 19th

I know they say you pooch out quickly with each pregnancy but my pooch is crazy! No weight gain but definitely bloated!

Til next time!
-The Macs-

5 Weeks

2011-12-07T11:41:00.000-08:00

I wrote this on Thursday:
Today I am 5 weeks along with #3! I want to document this pregnancy with every detail as this will be our last child, unless of course the good Lord has different plans for us.

Symptoms different from the boys:
- I am moody! I am snappy, hot-tempered, blood pressure boiling moody! It's almost like an out of body experience! I can't be like this at work or towards the boys so poor Brandon gets the brunt of it. I apologize before and after! I've noticed it gets worse when I'm really tired.

-extreme gassy! It's out of control!! Never had this with the boys

Symptoms same as boys:
-Already tired! Went to bed last night at 8!
-I already have a little belly! It's crazy and shocking but its definitely true that you show more/faster with each pregnancy
-Lovenox shots hurt! Start them from day one
-headaches in the evenings have kicked in

Here is this weeks development:
Your baby now resembles a teeny tadpole (complete with a tiny tail) and is about the size of an orange seed. The circulatory (or blood) system, along with the heart, is the first part of that tiny body to be functional; and as your baby's heart starts to form, you may even be able to see it beating on an early ultrasound. Another part of your little tadpole that is under construction: the neural tube, which will eventually become your baby's brain and spinal cord.

Prayers for a healthy baby and pregnancy for momma. We are going to discuss some options I've been researching that have been proven to help with preterm!

No more tubes!!

2011-11-20T17:48:00.000-08:00

Well we had a great week and I was hoping we would be entering the Thanksgiving break sick-free but it's just not our luck!! Brody started running fever last night between 102-103 degrees. This morning he was so lifeless and had such a terrible cough I thought I better call the doctor. Sure enough he has an upper respiratory infection. While the doctor was looking in his ears he said his right tubes was completely gone and his left tube was in his ear canal with a bunch of wax so he pulled it out. It was tiny! Luckily his ears aren't infected but we have to ve on the look out for infection and if he starts getting them again we will be heading back to Dr.P for another set. I'm just gladweve gotten this far as I've heard they usually only last 6-12 months! He's had his since he was 11 months.
No sooner than walking into the door that I noticed Jax having a ton of drainage and puss coming out of his left ear! Awesome, he has an ear infection! So I guess I will be calling the doctor back in the morning to get him some drops.
Hopefully we cankickthis in the butt and notcomoletely lose our break to illness!! I will post some pictures laterr this week.

Love,
The Macs

We are in for a ride

2011-11-08T07:50:00.001-08:00

This is going to be a long winter!! It's already been a long fall and we haven't been in it that long!

Jax had a bad night on Friday and cried for a hour for no particular reason other than he couldn't breath bc of a stopped up nose.

Saturday we took Murphy to the vet for his 2nd round of shots, little fur ball weighed 17 lbs! He weighed 6 four weeks ago when we got him.

Both boys are still fighting a cold and asthma flare ups. Brody had an asthma attack on Sunday that left him throwing up and left us with very little sleep. They are both still on albuterol around the clock and Brody is taking a cough medicine to help fight his constant, never-ending, keeps you up at night cough spells. We've gotten few good nights sleep around here and I'm definitely ready for Thanksgiving break! We need it. I feel like I'm 2 steps behind with their breathing and never know what will trigger them to have a flare up, it's very frustrating.

They are both on breathing treatments around the clock and Brody is on cough medicine to help is never ending, keep you up at night cough spells!

Brody went to doctor yesterday and weighed in at 32 lbs, he's getting so big.

With love,
The Macs

I didn't knock on wood

2011-11-02T20:21:00.000-07:00

I thought we were getting better and apparently I should have knocked on wood. I know most of y'all don't want to hear about my sick kids again but I do this more for "record keeping" than anything.

Today was a 1/2 day PLC but I had scheduled Jaxson's 1 year shots a month ago since he was sick at his 1 year check up and couldn't get them. I didn't realize it was a 1/2 day PLC but thought it was perfect because I wouldn't have students and I could just run real quick to get his shots and come back to finish up my planning. Should have known better.

I quickly pick up Jaxson from daycare and run across town to his 2:00 appointment. I noticed putting him into the car that he felt a little warm but was hoping he was just hot from playing. When we got back into the doctor's office the nurse asked that I undress him so that we could get his weight and I knew immediately he had fever. So I asked the nurse to get him temp before we started the shots and sure enough he had 101. You've got to be sh****** me is what I think I said. UGH!! This child has been on 5 days of steroids and 7 days of amoxicillin! How is he running a fever?!?! He also has been getting a diaper rash that just wasn't getting better so I asked the doctor if it was a yeast infection, sure enough it was. Oh great, is that what Brody has too, he's was on the same steroid? He had a similar rash but anytime my boys get on antibiotics they get some sort of diaper rash due to them. Sure enough both boys have yeast infections. Awesome! I will never be giving that steroid again!

Dr. J ran Jaxson's 1 year blood work and wanted to check his white count just to rule things out with his fever while being on an antibiotic. The nurse popped her head in about 10 minutes later saying we couldn't leave yet because his count is elevated! Greatness. So we waited and Dr. J came back in and ran a strep test (because its going around daycare). Luckily that came back negative. He thinks Jaxson just has a virus but wants us to watch him and if he gets worse or still has fever Friday to come back in to see what's going on with his white count and run more test.

So that's where we stand. I sure hope this is the last of this crap for awhile, I'm about at the end of my rope with the back to back sickies at my house. Cannot wait til Thanksgiving break! 2 more weeks, we can make it....

Halloween

2011-10-31T17:55:00.001-07:00

For the past 3 years Brody has been sick for Halloween so I was determined to go to the church festival this year! I knew we wouldn't last long with both boys still not being 100% and a full day at school but we made it and they had a blast! We stayed for about 45 minutes before we started having a melt down (Jax) because it was time for bath and bed. My boys are do "routine" boys and if you get them off their routine I will surely pay :)

Brody was a fire fighter and Jaxson was a Dalmation.

Slowly but surely

2011-10-29T16:17:00.001-07:00

We've still have had rounds of illnesses but we are slowly getting better. Both boys have struggled for the past 10 days with a cold which triggers their asthma. The fact that they both have asthma bothers me but I've been assured several times that most children grow out of it. They are both on steroids, breathing treatments every 4 hours and Jax is on amoxicillin to help him fight his upper respiratory infection. It's been a rough week but I'm finally feeling like we are getting their breathing and coughs under control.

The weather is beautiful this weekend and I'm on my way to have a date night with my wonderful hubby, dinner and the grocery store! We will have just enough time to get back to the boys for the next round of treatments, they hate having anyone but us give it and really prefer I be the one. I must have the perfect motherly touch ;)

Here's this weeks iPhone pics

UNBELIEVABLE!

2011-10-20T09:59:00.000-07:00

I've had a cold since this weekend, wasn't getting worse but wasn't getting better. Yesterday my voice started sounding funny at the end of the day. Today I can barely talk and I just went down to the nurse at our school and she said I have laryngitis!! Unbelievable

Sick, ill, under the weather, oh good grief!!

2011-10-19T18:21:00.001-07:00

We cant catch a break! On Friday I get a call that Brody is running low grade fever and his eyes couldn't stop watering. Jax had a rough night so I went and get them to give some TLC and rest. We nursed colds all weekend long and Jax is having a flare up of asthma. Monday I woke to an upset stomach but tried to just shake it off. It only got worse as the day went on and ended up with a stomach bug missing work Tuesday as well! Stomach bugs always hit me hard :( Brody didn't eat good at all yesterday and acted run down so I was worried he was getting it. We returned to work today only for me to get a call saying he had a runny poop so daddy took the day off with the boys! He hasn't had one since and is acting fine so I'm hoping it was just a fluke. We will try again tomorrow! Crossing my fingers, knocking on wood.

Till next time! And GO RANGERS

Much needed update

2011-10-16T14:53:00.001-07:00

Well I'm blog updating from my phone. I never seem to have the time or energy to sit down at my computer and update or upload photos. I'm sure if I had a faster computer I could but that's another story.

We are all doing good: 2 month update in bullets

- Jax got hand, foot, mouth disease AGAIN! Extremely rare to get it twice but that's how we roll.

- He turned ONE! I know , crazy. We had a great party that no one showed up to, ha! It was actually perfect with just a few key people and the boys had a blast playing with their cousins.

- Jax has been walking since 11 months and is now climbing! The picture below is his new favorite thing, climbing in and out of chairs.

-Brody is now 2 1/2 and his vocabulary has exploded! Just today I told him how cute he is and he said "Aw man!" that kid is too funny.

- we've all had a round of the crud and now we are getting another round.

-work is busy, challenging and stressful this year. I hate my schedule with 2nd period off, makes for a long day. I'm thankful for my job tho.

-we got a new puppy! He's a golden retriever named Murphy and he's great.

Where to begin??

2011-08-11T18:20:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe the summer is already over! And I haven't even blogged :( Everytime I went to my computer would freeze up or blogger wasn't allowing me to upload pictures. And a blog update isn't the same without pics!

In mid-June we went to Florida for my cousin, Katy's wedding. We had a blast! This was the first trip to the beach for the boys. The first day Brody loved the beach and waves but after that it was real rough surf and he didn't care too much for it. Luckily we had an amazing condo with a balcany and big deck. We had bought a little blow up pool to take with us and he spent the majority of his time in that. He also went go-carting with all his cousins for the first time. I was actually pretty surprised he went on them. We only went for half the time and I drove really slow for him and allowed all the crazy drivers (my cousins) to go around us so that there wasn't any bumping going on to scare him.

We drove at night both coming and going. The drive there wasn't bad at all but O!M!G! the drive home about killed me! It was rough

The week we got back from Florida Jaxson got tubes in his ears. He did SO much better than his brother. When we were in pre-op I had told the antheselogist how awful it was with Brody and she explained to me that the nose spray they give before hand to relax kids can have that effect on them. They just wake up spitting mad. So we agreed we wouldn't give Jax that has he was younger than Brody and isn't going through the stranger danger stage as badly and would probably go with the nurse without to much of a fuss. Which he did, he was more interested in the pens in her pocket than what was happening. The dr. came out 5 minutes later and said there was a ton of fluid in both ears so he was glad we got the tubes when we did, if not it would have been terrible this fall with tons of ear infections.

Two weeks after Florida Brandon and I went to Vegas. We stayed at Caesar's and I wasn't too impressed. We loved the Venetian and the Mirage so we will probably stay at one of those next time we go. And there will definitely be a next time! It was just so nice to be us! This was the first trip since our honeymoon 5 years ago with just the 2 of us. It was a revamp/reenergize trip for sure. And a ton of fun!

We also painted the house this summer, well all except our bathrooms and the boys room and playroom. I'm still deciding what color to paint those, it will probably be a Thanksgiving break project.

Jaxson: started crawling, is eating finger foods and is so close to walking! He's around 18 pounds, size 3 almost 4 diapers and wears anything from 9 months to 18 month clothes. He's a joy and such a happy baby. We stopped breastfeeding in mid-June when we both got thrush for the 2nd time! I don't wish that stuff upon anyone! He's doing great with formula. Hard to believe in another 6 weeks he will be ONE :(

Brody: is 95% POTTY TRAINED! Oh yea! He only has problems with poo-poo'ing in the potty. He actually does better with underwear than pull-ups. We went straight to underwear in the beginning and he did really well. I was pretty surprised and I'm very proud of him.

We go back to work next week. I'm excited to start a new school year and I'm hoping and praying Brody is at the age where he will start really enjoying school and not scream/cry bloody murder every day when we drop him off.

Here's this summer's pictures(that I actually took) there's much more on my phone but don't want to download them at the moment :)

Hopefully it won't be 2 months until my next update but I'm not promising anything

Love,
~The Macs~

Whew!

2011-06-13T10:57:00.000-07:00

Hand, foot and mouth disease is the worst! Brody ended up getting it on Friday and it was by far the worst virus he's had. He was miserable and today is the first day that he isn't crying nonstop. Momma felt so helpless and didn't know what to do! Poor boy couldn't even swallow and we were having to syringe feed him water and meds around the clock. He could talk, sleep, eat :( At one point I broke down in tears because I felt so sorry for him. I hope we NEVER see that nasty virus again!

ENT Appt: took Jaxson in this morning and he does indeed need tubes, shocker! We scheduled it for July 7th. If you could please keep him in your prayers. We had a very rough time with Brody coming out of anthesia and I'm very worried about Jaxson and his breathing. I know he's in great hands but you hear about these freak things happening and with his rough start, well I just worry. Dr. P assured me that he is safer breathing while he does the tubes than he is in everyday life because of the amount of monitoring they do.

Until next time,
~The Macs~

Seriously!! Hand, foot, mouth disease

2011-06-07T08:59:00.000-07:00

Jaxson has the virus called hand, foot, mouth disease which causes 2-3 days of fever followed by painful blisters and sores on his hands, feet and inside of his mouth. He was up literally all night screaming. It was awful and nothing could comfort him :( on the way to the doctor the sores began appearing and the doctor said his mouth and throat are covered. He also has an ear infection in his left ear and his right ear isn't looking good. He's been on augmentin for that since Sunday. I got his ENT bumped up to this Monday!!

Jax ~ 8 months

2011-06-01T08:26:00.000-07:00

Happy 8 months sweet boy! I cannot believe that Jaxson is already 8 months, time really flies by with the second baby.

Jaxson is the happiest, sweetest boy that loves to cuddle and give kisses. He's really starting to take interest in crawling and right now he just rolls and scoots around but I have a feeling in the next month he will be chasing after big brother.

He's in size 3 diapers
6-9 month clothes
Favorites: big brother, banana's, squash and talking.

Last week he realized he had a voice and learned to use it. He squeals all the time now.

He's had 2 ear infections, one double, colds and thrush. Other than that he's been healthy as a clam.

We don't go back to the doctor until 9 months so I will have his stats then.

Doing better

2011-05-25T07:52:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to give a quick update. Jaxson is doing so much better, the antibiotics got in his little system and did wonders. He is still on the thrush and Augmentin for a few more days. I am doing better as well although it's been a slower healing process. I'm on thrush antibiotics for 3 weeks! My milk supply took a drastic hit so now I will be working on building that back up.

Last week was rough but I am so thankful for the health of my family. I often think of others who have illnesses that they live with on a daily basis or those with terminal illnesses who are living day to day not knowing what tomorrow brings. Sure does put it in perspective. I try to live my life like that, soaking up the love of my boys and not getting mixed up in the daily grind that life brings. It's so easy to worry about the cleaning, laundry and dishes that you overlook what's most important. We try to do things after the kids are asleep at our house so that we can spend our "awake" time playing with them. No matter how tired or sick we are I try to enjoy every moment that God has blessed me with.

I will try and update with pictures this weekend
Love,
LeAnn

Thrush & Double Ear Infection

2011-05-19T12:59:00.000-07:00

So 2 weeks ago I had the stomach bug and got really, really dehydrated. I probably should have gone to the ER but the thought of sitting in the waiting room hour after hour just wasn't appealinig to me. So I stuck it out and once I could hold something in worked on rehydration. My milk supply suffered greatly and Jax was nursing often. I tried formula but the little toot refused to drink the stuff.

So 3-4 days later I began having dried, cracked nips(for my records, stop reading now if you aren't interested in my personal stuff :). I assumed it was from the dehydration and Jax nursing often. So I busted out the Lanlioh, hoping that would help. At the same time Jaxson was getting a nasty cold. The pain kept getting worse and worse and Jaxson's cold wasn't getting any better. So on Tuesday we were both in extreme pain and I could barely nurse and he still was refusing formula. I also noticed that evening that he has white patches that looked like cold sores on the inside of his cheeks. There were only two spots that evening. I called the on call doctor because I knew that was a classic sign of thrush but she said it was just a virus that needed to run it's course.

That night Jax ran 101-102 fever and began seeping thick, sticky eye goop from his eyes and his nose was awful as well. So I made a doctor's appointment. We were both diagnosed with thrush. By Wednesday at 11:30 his entire mouth was covered with white spots and he was completely miserable.

Thrush in the mother is terrible. I seriously would rather go through birth than have this sort of pain. I cannot pump because it causes the cracks to open back up and bleed. It's just awful. Jaxson was miserable this morning but at lunch seemed to be better. He is on Augmentin for ears and D----- something for thrush. I too am on that and a cream. I'm hoping it kicks in very soon

If he gets another ear infection we will be heading to Dr. Palmer to see if he needs tubes.

First formula

2011-05-09T11:16:00.000-07:00

This is more for my records than anything else but Jaxson is getting his first formula bottle today. I had a terrible stomach bug over the weekend that Jax had on Wednesday. I got so dehydrated that my milk supply has suffered and he's just starving! I'm hoping now that I can hydrate this will be his only formula bottle and my supply will quickly bounce back! I know it's a minor thing to worry about but my goal for both boys has always been 1 year and I don't want this to be the beginning of the end.

Life

2011-04-27T10:44:00.000-07:00

We are doing great! Just counting down the days until summer break.

Jaxson had his first ear infection on Friday, Aprill 22nd. Brody and Jaxson were almost, to the day, the same age when they both got their first ear infections. I've learned my lesson and the doctor wanted to put Jax on amoxicillin but that never worked for myself nor Brody's ear infections so we put him on Augmentin. If he has another one in the next 2 months I'm going to go ahead and see Dr. Palmer our ENT to see if he will need tubes. He said you will either need them or not depending on the way your ears drain. I'm not going to go through months of my baby in pain and not being able to rid ear infections like we did with Brody.

Brody is putting 3-5 words together and talking in sentences. His vocabulary has exploded just in the past two weeks. My favorite is when he returns from someplace with Daddy and will come running into my and say "Momma, I'm baaaack!" or when Jaxson is fussy he will come up to him and say "Baby, what's the matter? You need meme(paci)?" and then proceed to give him his paci and rub him on the head until he stops crying. It's the sweetest thing ever. Jaxson LOVES his brother and has started giving him kisses and grabbing for Brody when he is near him. Brody loves it as well. This is something I've always dreamed of, having a sibling. And being able to see their relationship bloom is about the coolest thing an only child could witness.

Brandon is finally done with all sports! He is able to get home before us on most days and it's great having him around. Brody gets so excited and will start screaming "Dada's big truck" when we pull around the corner and he's already home.

I have some pictures to download, just haven't found the time. Hopefully I can get those up and posted soon.

I have several prayer request for family members:
Kristi, cousin in Ohio and mother of Addison(3) and Chase(1) breast cancer has returned. It's all over including her lungs, liver and brain. She is in need of a urgent prayers and God's healing. If you could please keep her and her family in your prayers.

Kari, cousin in Arizona and mother of 2 boys the same age as mine just got diagnosed for the 3rd time in her life with cancer. She previously had childhood bone cancer and she now has breast cancer.

Molly, cousin in Ohio was diagnosed a few months back with thyroid cancer and is undergoing treatment now.

Till next time,
LeAnn

Brody's Factor V Test

2011-04-12T07:32:00.000-07:00

On April 1st we had Brody's tested for the blood clotting disorder that my dad and I have, Factor V Leiden. I must first say how proud I was of Brody. They had to take 3 vials of blood so it wasn't a finger prick like he is use to. We had to hold him down and go into a vein in his arm. I thought for sure he was going to go crazy on us. He didn't even cry! I was shocked. He just looked at the Buzz poster they had on the wall and we talked about Woody, Bullseye and Buzz. Then he wanted his sucker and be done! The even better news: Brody DOES NOT have Factor V. I cannot tell you how many nights I prayed that he didn't have this. Brody is a climber, so I'm pretty sure in the future he's going to have something broken and therefore we would have to watch out/worry about a blood clot. Cannot be thankful enough for this answered prayers. Love, LeAnn

6 months

2011-04-12T07:23:00.000-07:00

On April 1st Jaxson turned 6 months! Cannot believe he is already 1/2 a year old. We went in for his checkup and he weighed 14 pounds 1 ounce. He dropped from 25th percentile to 5th percentile. The doctor wants us to start feeding him "fatty" foods such as cereals and meats to try and help put some weight on him. He will recheck his weight in 6 weeks. I'm hoping it was just a scale error! 6 months: -He is in size 3 diapers -6 month clothes -LOVES banana's and peas (just like his brother) -Is eating 3 meals a day: fruit and cereal in morning, veggie and cereal at lunch and meat/veggie mix for dinner -can roll from belly to back and back to belly -sits up for a few seconds at a time then falls over -LOVES his brother -smiles at everything and loves to jibber-jabber I'm going to try and take some pictures this weekend at the gardens, if the wind will go away and be pretty

Mason's Birthday in San Antonio

2011-03-21T08:47:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures that Chantel took over the weekend, I stole them from her :)
We had a GREAT time in San Antonio and next time we go to visit them we plan on staying 3-5 days

This picture of Jaxson looks just like Brody did at this age! Love it. I put it on my sidebar next to the picture I have up of Brody. I think they were the same age when these pictures were taken. They could almost look like twins.

More Bday pics

2011-03-01T14:40:00.000-08:00

I was trying to get this post in order, went to go change Jaxson and walked into Brody turning off my computer and saying "Me broke it" LOL. So here it is, completely disorganized, wrong subtext and all but that's my life right now! Gotta love it

Mommy and the birthday boy!

I'm not sure about this

Woooo, it's not bad

Construction cake

Singing Happy Birthday!

Like I said, doesn't matter what way he goes down!

We had a jump party for Brody this year because he LOVES to climb and jump on anything and everything. He loved every second of it. He didn't care how he went down the slides: backwards, forward, head first, feet first...didn't matter to our little monkey!

Preparty fun

Mason came for the party all the way from San Antonio. There's only a 3 week difference in age and when the Bellamy's moved this summer we made a deal that we wouldn't miss the birthdays!

Brothers!

2011-02-22T10:19:00.000-08:00

Brody's 2nd bday party

2011-02-21T12:53:00.000-08:00

Here's a couple of pics from Brody's bday, he had a blast! I have more to upload soon

4 months & 2 year stats

2011-02-21T08:55:00.000-08:00

I wanted to get this down before I forget. We had the boys well baby appointment today and they both grew and caught up a great deal.

Jaxson:
Weight: 13lbs3oz (25th percentile)
Height: 24 1/2 inches (50th percentile)
Head: 16

He won't be on the monitor or prevacid any longer as he has outgrown the breathing issues/reflux...praise the Lord!

We started feeding him cereal last week and will continue for the next couple of weeks. We can then start introducing fruits and veggies. I cannot believe it's already time to start making food again! I will probably make a lot over spring break and freeze it so that I won't have to worry about it with the busy weeks of work coming up.

Brody:
Weight: 28lbs8oz (50th percentile)
Height: 35 inches (75th percentile)
Head: 75th percentile

He didn't have to get any shots today, thank goodness

Both boys are in perfect health!!

Hello!

2011-02-18T12:51:00.000-08:00

I've been such a bad blogger. Life with 2 is very different when one as far as free time especially with work. And by time I get through with everything it's either too late to pull out the computer or I'm just too tired. On top of that I always like to have pictures with my post and I've lost/misplaced my camera card and the other one that I've been taking pictures on won't download onto my computer, urgh!

So here's a pictureless update:

The past 3 weeks both boys have been sick. I think between the two we've been to the doctor 5-6 times. They both had Croup and with Brody it then turned into a sinus infection.

Brody weighs 26 lbs and Jaxson was up 12lbs6oz.

We go to the doctor on Monday for Jaxson's 4 month well baby and Brody's 2 year well baby.

Brody:
He's into everything! He's talking up a storm and his favorite thing right now are construction vechicles and the movie Cars. Everything is "I got it" or "I do it" He's becoming VERY independent which I love but at the same time I look at him and cannot see my little baby any longer. He's such a big boy! He can tell us when he has a dirty diaper so we are starting the whold potty training a little. I'm just going to continue to have him sit on the potty at home but then this summer the first week we are out I'm putting him in undies and getting him out of diapers! He loves his little brudder and seeing them interact melts my heart. He will rub his head, give him kisses, give him his paci when he's crying and hold his hand while watching tv. He will be TWO on Sunday and his party is Saturday. We are having a jump party. I cannot believe he is 2

Jaxson @ 4 months:
He is the sweetest baby ever! He cannot help but smile at you when you are talking and loves to babble back at you. He never cries unless he is hungry and loves to sit in swings. He is even sitting up in his bumbo and holds his head up. He's so strong that he tries to sit up on his own and can sit in your lap and hold himself up for quite some time. He LOVES watching his big brother run around and laughs out loud at Brody. I'm pretty sure he will be an early crawler and walker because he's so interested in what Brody is doing.

We fed him his first cereal this week and he really didn't know what to do with it. Half the time he was too busy smiling at me that the cereal would just drip out of his mouth. He got a little better the 2nd and 3rd time. I forgot how slow they eat at first compared to Brody who shovels it in as fast as he can. We will do rice cereal until 6 months and then start introducing foods. He has been sleeping through the night(knock on wood) since he was 7-8 weeks old. He usually goes to bed between 9-10 and wakes around 5 am to eat. When he's going through a growth spurt he will have a week of waking at 1am to eat. Easy breezy!

Diapers: 2's
Clothes: 3-6 months
Weight: 12lbs6oz
Eating: 4-5 oz bottles and still nursing like a champ with 1 time a day cereal(2teaspoons of cereal with 2oz of breastmilk)
Loves: to smile, swing and be snuggled

Brandon is finally done with basketball and only has one more sport left for the year (track)! I will be so happy when he's done for the year and we can have a normal/more calm schedule.

I will definitely be getting a new card for my camera so that I can capture these cuties. Will post Brody's 2nd bday soon.

Love,
LeAnn

Catching Up

2011-01-16T11:00:00.000-08:00

So there's just no way I'm going to find the time to catch up so I'm just going to download pictures and give a brief update of the past 3 weeks :)

-Had a great Christmas! Brody and I both had colds and then I started running fever Christmas day. Had strep throat, was pretty sure I was going to die! 3 days later, a penacillin shot and strong antibiotic later I was better. Thank goodness no one else got it

-Brody LOVED opening presents at Christmas and was beyond blessed

-Jaxson is doing great! He is doing SO much better on his reflux/choking. I think he's growing out of it. Praise the Lord

-Brody will be TWO next month!! I honestly don't know where this year has gone. I feel like it was just yesterday we were having his 1st bday party and announcing we were pregnant.

-I started back at work. It's really hard. Mainly because my babies are in two different locations. We don't get home til 6 pm and after dinner, bath, bed, dishes and getting ready for the next day it's already 9-10pm. I hate the fact that someone else is with my kids longer during the day than I am. It's really, really bothering me and I pray every night for either peace or a way for me to stay home next year. I'm putting it in God's hands.

- Brody has had a hard time adjusting to daycare. The first week was AWFUL. He screamed bloody murder every day going in. He would either grab my neck, car seat or anything he could to try and stay in the car. The 2nd week went a little better. He would only cry when I left and then would stop shortly after. I'm hoping this week will be even better.

-I forgot how much I love teaching. I have a great group of kids this year and my day is so busy that it flies by.

-Brandon and I started our diet to get ready for our trips this summer (beach & Vegas). We are doing a low carb diet. So far I've lost 5 pounds since Jan. 1st and I'm not to sure how much B has lost but I think it's around 5-6 lbs.

-My thyroid levels are stable which I'm thrilled about. They were so out of whack after I had Brody.

-Jaxson is still nursing like a champ. He is eating every 2-3 hours, 4 ounces and then sleeps during the night. He's been going to bed around 10-11pm and sleeps til 5-5:30.

We are beyond blessed.

Time, stand still!

2010-12-19T20:42:00.000-08:00

I sure wish I could just freeze time right now! I only have TWO weeks before I have to return to work. I'm trying to be as positive as I can seeing how I've been off for the past 7 months and I cherished every second of it with my boys. Being on bedrest was such a special time for Brody and I! And then once Jaxson came home we spent our time adjusting to being a family with two children. I must say we are so unbelieveably blessed.

Brody is finally warming up to his brother. I knew he would, if we didn't push and in his own time, come around to having a brother. It's not that Brody didn't love his brother from the moment he joined us, it's just that Brody is always on the go and well brother is not! Brody also had my undivided attention 24/7 while on bedrest and then all of a sudden brother needed mommy's attention 24/7. But now he is loving on his brother, checking on him, trying to share his tools with him and my favorite, kissing and rubbing his head. It melts my heart to see and it's probably the one thing I'm going to miss the most when returning to work, I hate the fact that they will be seperated all day long :( But such is life and I must remind myself that we will get spring break and the whole summer to ourselves. It's only 5 months til summer!

We attempted to get some pictures together but its almost impossible with an almost two year old!

Jaxson~2 months~~Brody~21 months

2010-12-03T20:07:00.000-08:00

Wow, where to begin? I'll start with the present and possible work my way back :)

Jaxson was 2 months on the first and we had his check up with Dr. J today. He weighed exactly 9 pounds and was 21 1/2 inches long, he's in the 5th percentile but if we go by his adjusted age for being a month early he's more in the 25th percentile. I know eventually he will catch up so not worried about the percentiles. He looked perfect and I asked Dr. J after he looked at Jaxson's eyes what color they were going to be because at times they look brown to me and he said there isn't any brown in his eyes that they will either be green or blue. He said most babies eyes change or stay the color they are going to be by 6 months of age. They are a very dark/deep blue right now and depending on the light look green/hazel so I guess we shall see.

We are still having issues with Jaxson's breathing/reflux. He spits up, chokes or will turn blue around the lips after almost every feeding. It really doesn't matter if it's 30 minutes or 2 hours after he eats. You CANNOT lay him down flat, period. If you do he chokes and has trouble breathing. I have to prop him up for everything, including diaper changes and sleeping. It's quite normal for him to turn blue around the lips on a daily basis and has become my normal but Dr. J explained to me today that it's easy to get use to things when it happens on a daily basis but that it is by far not normal for him to be doing this. So we increased his pravicid to twice daily and I am to make an appointment with a GI doctor on Monday. If the pravicid works then we won't have to go but he defintely wants to get to the bottom of this. We are still on the monitors whenever I am away from him, can't see/get to him and always when he's sleeping. He's been really good at night with his breathing but does have nights where I just don't feel safe putting him down because he's choking a lot. I was hoping to have this issue resolved by now and hoping it will be when I return to work in 4 weeks so that I don't have to worry as much. Luckily he will be in good hands with his Nana who will be watching him next semester for us so that he doesn't have to go to daycare. I can also teach her how to use his monitor so that he is on it when he's sleeping or when she needs to do things around the house. It's a great piece of mind for sure.

He got his first set of shots today, 4 and an oral and he did pretty good. He cried for a bit but it's because we didn't have our regular nurse and this nurse did it the long/hard way. He's been quite fussy today during diaper changes so I think his little legs are sore. Other than that he's doing great. Still eating every 2 hours during the day and 3-4 at night on good nights, not so good nights he eats every 2 hours.

2 months pictures:

~2 Months~
-Loves to smile and coo
-laughed for the first time
-size 1 diapers
-still in newborns and some 0-3 month clothes

On the 20th Brody was 21 months! Cannot believe he is almost 2. It feels like yesterday that we were celebrating his 1st birthday and announcing that we were expecting Jaxson. Crazy how time flies!

Just this past month Brody started talking up a storm. He will attempt to say anything we ask him to, when he's in the mood and will say words almost daily that we didn't even know he could say. He's also stringing 2-3 words together to form sentences. I'm really excited about this because for the longest time I thought he would be a mute. Although he does communicate very well using sign language. So I guess to each their own. My favorite is recently he is saying love you when I tell you I love him :) It melts my heart.

He hates the camera and will either run from it, tell me no and to put it back or just turn his head away from it, little stinker! I have to bribe him with something to get him to sit still and take a decent picture(see lighter/pumpkin pic and Christmas tree/cup of water pic below(don't judge!:) ))

His favortie words right now are back, stuck and meme(paci), walk and door. How he comes up with some of these words is beyond me.

Christmas is going to be AMAZING this year! I never knew Santa had so much fun and having kids puts a whole new perspective on the season. We are so blessed this year with the health of our two beautiful sons. Having a hard, complicated pregnancy sure can make a person thankful each and every day for the health and life of their child/children.

I have several more post/pictures I need to catch up on including our trip to the Gaylord Ice! Hopefully I can get to it before this year ends :)

So behind ~ Halloween 2010

2010-11-10T20:26:00.000-08:00

I've had pink eye and then our family was hit with the stomach flu. I'm so behind on my blogging but will catch up soon!

Brody was "suppose" to be a BEAR for Halloween this year...needless to say he was NOT a bear :)

Brandon ended up going to the World Series so I just hung out at my parents that night. We had a pretty busy weekend so we enjoyed some down time. My parents only had 2-3 trick-or-treaters but Brody loved looking at them and couldn't figure out why we were giving away the candy!

Next year we will definitely be trick or treating ourselves!

Brody ~ 20 Months

2010-11-03T12:52:00.000-07:00

On the 20th of October Brody was 20 Months! I know I'm a little late but wanted to get this up.

At 20 months Brody is:
~in 24M or 2T clothes
~size 5-6 shoe
~we are working on Brody saying his shapes, colors and various other words.
~he LOVES trains, cars/trucks and construction equipment
~Obsessed with Mickey Mouse and we actually made a house rule this week that he only gets to watch an episode in the morning and evening because he was becoming so obsessive over Mickey Mouse!
~favorite food is pasta
~loves bubble baths

Brody has had a tough time adjusting to his baby brother. He has thrown more tantrum's, has had problems sleeping and is very clingy this month. He loves his brother and wants to know where he is and makes sure he's ok when he's crying but that's about all. He doesn't really want to have anything to do with him anyother time and for the first time last night he asked me to put the baby down because he wanted my full attention and tried to pull Jaxson off me while he was nursing. He's gotten alot better from the first day Jaxson was here and I'm assuming each day will get better.

Here's this month in pictures:

1 Month

2010-11-03T12:35:00.001-07:00

On Monday Jaxson was 1 month! It's hard to believe he's been apart of our lives for a whole month! And boy what a month it has been! We've changed so much as a family and although it's a lot of work and at times rough I wouldn't change it for the world!

Jaxson went into the doctor for his month check up and weighed 7 pounds and 4 ounces!! That's 1 1/2 pounds in 2 weeks! I was shocked. He also grew to 19 3/4 inches. We have to go to a lung doctor to see if Jaxson needs the RSV shots since he's had so many episodes of not breathing our doctor REALLY doesn't want him to get this nasty virus and wants a second opinion on whether or not he should get the shots. He also doesn't want Jaxson to go to public places or be around school age kids to try and avoid RSV :( So we are pretty housebound during this RSV season.

RSV is just a cold for most children and adults so many people don't think twice about such a common illness but for babies, especially preemies or those with breathing problems it can be severe and even deadly. Brody got RSV last year when he was about 9 months old and it kicked his butt. He stayed out of daycare for 3 weeks and we had to do around the clock breathing treatments for 2 weeks, I cannot imagine if younger babies get this.

There's also a whooping cough outbreak and I had to get that vaccine and Brandon will too. The doctor recommends anyone who lives or is in daily contact with babies get them. I've never had whooping cough so I don't know much about it but know that it can be dangerous for babies.

Definitely not fun stuff.

I've been having issues with my eyes/contacts ever since Jaxson went into the hospital and I thought it was from wearing my contacts for too long but on Monday I woke up with my left eye killing me and in extreme pain. I knew it was more than that so I went to the doctor and I have had and still have pinkeye! It started in my right eye 2 weeks ago and that went away on it's own but I then got it in my left eye. This was the first time I've had pinkeye and boy does it hurt!

We changed Jaxson's reflux medicine to Prevacid because Zantac was giving him tummy issues. So far so good with the Pravcid. We were off the Zantac for 2-3 days and he had one breathing episode. So it's definitely the reflux that is causing him to stop breathing. It actually chokes him because it doesn't come all the way up, just sits in his airway/esophogus. We cannot put him horizontal at all or he will choke/spit up. So he's at an angle or vertical 24/7 unless changing his diaper and he spits up almost every time. Poor guy!

Here's what Jax is doing at 1 month:
~in newborn clothes
~NB diapers
~raises head
~smiles when gassy
~eats every 2 hours during the day and 3-4 hours during the night
~pees and poos ALOT
~loves his swing
~sleeps good in his carseat
~on apnea montior at night, in car or anytime I'm not in the room with him

Having two kids is challenging, rewarding, tiring, exciting and the most wonderful gift I've ever received. I love you Jaxson more than words can describe!

Jaxson~2 weeks

2010-10-16T18:58:00.001-07:00

Jaxson was 2 weeks yesterday! He weighed in at 5 pounds 11 ounces at the doctor's. We are very happy with his weight gain considering everything he's been through. We are still breastfeeding only and he's a pro at it. I'm so happy that my boys are so easy with breastfeeding because it's so good for them and their little systems. It's also such a cherished time I have with them.

He is still having episodes of apnea so the doctor put him on reflux medicine. He thinks that maybe he is having reflux or over eating and this might be causing a blockage of his airway. We started it last night and he gets it twice a day. So far so good, I think it might be helping. If it doesn't and he still has episodes then we will have to see a pulmonologist.

He is now into newborn diapers and although newborn clothes still swallow him he can wear a few. The preemie outfits are fitting him perfectly now. He's eating every 2 hours during the day and every 3-4 hours at night. He doesn't ever cry unless he's extremely hungry
This is Brody at 2 weeks:

Here is Jaxson at 2 weeks:

I cannot tell if Jaxson is gonna look like his brother or not. I see a lot of Brody in Jaxson but I also can tell that they are different in a lot of ways.

Pictures

2010-10-14T13:28:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures I took this week...it's so much harder to take pictures with two boys!

Look at his poor bruised hand :(

I've been trying to get a pic of the boys together but Brody won't have anything to do with it SO here's my pic of them together :)

To hell and back...

2010-10-14T12:18:00.000-07:00

I think the title says it all in regards to the last two weeks. Don't get me wrong, I'm extremely blessed and I'm reminded of that daily when I hold my two boys in my arms and I thank God for those reminders.

Friday I packed up the boys and headed to my parents house because Brandon had a football game. Brody and I were playing with his cars on the floor and Jaxson was on his boppy pillow asleep next to us. As we were playing I glanced over at Jaxson and he was gray and had a bluish color around his lips, he had stopped breathing! I quickly grabbed him and he took two deep breaths like he was coming up for air. He then quickly turned bright red as the oxygen flooded his system again. I called our pediatrician and talked to the nurse, at first she said to just watch him carefully and if it were to happen again to take him into the ER but she then called back and said we better take him into the ER just to be safe.

I DID NOT want to take my 7 day old into the ER and expose him to all that nastiness that sits in the ER. If y'all remember we were in the ER twice with Brody last October when he had his seizure and high fevers. IT IS AWFUL! We waited 6 hours just to be seen with Brody and I dreaded doing this with Jaxson.

My mom went with me and I immediately started crying when I saw the waiting room. It was 5:00 o'clock and already packed with sick kids. I actually turned around and told my mom we were leaving that I wasn't going to expose him to this. She talked me into talking to the front desk where they asked what was going on as I'm standing there crying with my newborn. We explained that he had stopped breathing, that he was born at 36 weeks and we could not sit out in this waiting room. They agreed and took us back right away which I thank God for.

We saw the same doctor that treated Brody and he wanted to rule out a bacterial infection. So he ordered blood work, a urine sample, IV antibotics started just in case and the dreaded spinal tap. I did not want this for my baby and actually questioned him on it for a good 10 minutes. But it's the only way to rule out mengitiis so we had to get the test. I think it made it worse that I knew, from Brody what was about to happen and just didn't want to put my baby through that. It took hours to calm Brody down from his test and he would scream bloody murder anytime someone would try to mess with him afterwards. It was tramatizing for both him and I! I honestly could not stop crying, I think a lot of that was because of the postpartum horomones and the fear for my baby. The catheder was the worse part which was the same with Brody and Jaxson actually did better with the spinal tap than I thought, I think because he's so young and doesn't know any better. They also gave him his first paci and would dip it in sugar water to help him with the pain. He loved the paci and sweetie water. We were in the ER for 4-5 hours when the doctor said he wanted to observe him for a few days.

Being in that hospital is so rough. It was even harder because we were in isolation and couldn't see Brody. He too was having a hard time and even though he was in great hands with my parents he was hardly eating and was extremely homesick for his momma and dadda. Poor little guy has had a rough time these last few months.

It was the longest 2 days of our life. I didn't get any sleep Friday night and was just a mess until I took a nap Saturday afternoon. I slept for about 1 1/2 hours and felt a ton better when I woke.

All of Jaxson's test came back negative. He was dignosed with apnea prematurity, where they just forget to breath. We were released Monday and sent home on a monitor that watches his respiration and heartrate. If he doesn't breath in 20 seconds it beeps and if his heartrate gets too low or too high it will beep and it's very loud! He's had one night where it went off twice because he didn't breath within that 20 seconds but as soon as the buzzer went off he started breathing again.

The doctor said we will probably be on the monitor until he's 8-9 pounds because the chances of apnea occurring in babies that size is slim to none unless he is having a lot of episodes, then we will keep him on it longer.

The monitor actually allows me to sleep instead of worry whether he's going to breath or not so I'm very happy we have it here at home!

We are trying to get back to our new normal here at home. Brody is doing much better now that he has his family and although it's an adjustment having a new baby brother he's starting to warm up to him and getting use to sharing his time with momma.

We go to the pedi tomorrow for Jaxson's 2 week checkup and Brody will be getting his 18 month shots. I sure hope it's not too hard taking both of them!

Jaxson's Birth Story

2010-10-07T13:46:00.000-07:00

Ok I'm going to attempt to put this together while both boys are napping. This is for my own memory more than anything and will probably be TMI for most.

Our schedule was pretty hectic while on bedrest. Hubby is a coach and it's football season. That means that Monday, Tuesday and Friday he doesn't get home until after 10pm because of football games and Wednesday/Thursday is practice days so that usually means getting home around 6:30/7:00. So Brody and I were at my parents house Monday-Friday going home on Wednesday nights and Saturday/Sunday to see daddy. My dad comes home for lunch during the day and could help me with Brody and then they are both home in the evenings. I also wanted to be in my comfort zone in case something were to happen I knew Brody could easily be taken care of while someone else was there to take me to doctor/hospital if needed. It worked out great and I loved spending time with my parents. It was a HUGE help in getting me to 36 weeks.

I'd been having menstrual cramping for 2 weeks prior to delivery that I knew had to be a sign because I hadn't had them with Brody. Some were stronger and more painful while others were just more annoying.

Wednesday: Brody had a rough night teething and I didn't get much sleep. I was anxious about reaching 36 weeks and I took out my terbutaline pump sometime between midnight and 6 am when Brody was having one of his teething meltdowns. I didn't feel much that day other than the usual contractions and cramping. We packed up an overnight bag so that we could head home to see daddy. During that day and all day Thursday I had been having to poop a lot. Not the runny, I ate something bad kind just like my body was getting rid of everything kind. This was my first clue that something was happening. I had read that it was a sign and thought it was odd. That night I began having back pains about once or twice an hour. It wasn't a pain that I could time because I never noticed when it started or stopped but I could tell that I was having back issues. I thought maybe I had just moved around too much that day.

Thursday: Brody had another restless night and was clingy that morning. I was technically 36 weeks and free from bedrest so we went to walmart to look for a very specific Mickey Mouse Clubhouse that my little guy is addicted to. We then went back home and he played while I did a little house work. We then packed up and headed back to my parents house.

3:00- I was really noticing my contractions were picking up with a lot of back pain. But now I could easily time when they started and stopped. They were roughly a minute long and coming every 15 minutes.

4:30-5:00- I called my mom to let her know that I was having some intense back pain and that I thought I should start timing them better but was too distracted with Brody to do this by myself. My dad got home shortly after 5:00 and he became my timer. At this point the back pain was pretty strong and uncomfortable. I was having them every 10-12 minutes

5:00-7:00- I sat in my parents living room having constant contractions and back pain. I would yell to my dad a time and he would write it down for me and ask the pain level. Around 6:45 I decided to take a shower to see if that would help them ease up and I called my mom to tell her she needed to get home. I had yet to inform Brandon because he was at the Rangers game and I didn't want him to worry. But I did tell him that he needed to take his own truck because I thought something was going on.

7:30-Shower didn't help, contractions were every 6-8 minutes and getting very uncomfortable. The only way I know to describe them was that I was having my usual tightening of the belly, menstrual cramps but that I felt like my spine was being pulled out from the inside. It would start in my back with the spine pulling and then wrap around to the menstrual cramping all while my stomach was getting hard.

I called the night line of my doctor's appointment to find out that my doctor wasn't the one on call. I left a message for them to call me back. About 5 minutes later Dr. B called me(thank God it was her!) and I explained what was going on. She wanted me to go into the hospital just to see what was going on.

8:00- 9:00-I let Brandon know on the way to the hospital that I thought this was it but wasn't completely sure. I was in some pretty severe pain at this point and having pressure in my bottom. My dad took me to the hospital where we went to L&D and got into a room right away. It took them about 10 minutes to get all my information and hook me up to the monitors. They monitored me for about 10-20 minutes and then checked my cervix. I was 2 1/2 centimeters and 75% effaced. So I had a pretty good change from fingertip-1cm and 30% effaced on Monday. She called Dr. B and she ordered that I get a bag of IV fluids started and pumped through me for 1 hour to see if that stopped labor thinking I might just be dehydrated. If I made any change to my cervix in that hour then they would be keeping me and we would be having baby. If labor stalled or I didn't have any change then they would be sending me home. I think I asked the nurse a million times if she thought "this" was it. She said with the contraction pattern that I was in she thought this was it :) She also got the IV started on first try and it wasn't a bad experience at all, thank you Lord!

10:00pm - was in extreme pain with the contractions. I had to hold on to the side of the bed and kept feeling like I needed to arch my back in order to relieve the back labor. The nurse told me to try laying on my sides to help relief that pressure of the baby's head on my back or to hang off the bed. I honestly don't know how women birth naturally. Any movement seemed to start a contraction. Getting up to go the bathroom or walking during a contraction was extruating. I was ready for my epideral and kept thinking that if my cervix hadn't changed they might actually send me home like this. Luckily the nurse came in and check me. I was 3 centimeters and 100% effaced. I was indeed having this baby!!

She called my doctor to let me know and went to get anethelogist for my epideral. The only probably was I had taken my Lovenox shot that morning at 9 am and couldn't have an epideral until 9 am Friday morning. WHAT?!?!?! I CANNOT HAVE MY EPIDERAL? At this point I panicked. I needed my epideral now, how in the world was I suppose to make it 12 more hours? There was no way I could do this any longer with the amount of back pain I was in let alone 12 hours, screw natural childbirth! I know what that epideral can do and I've been in labor for 10 weeks now!! I wanted and longed for that relief and numbness :) So the nurse talked with Dr. B and she suggested that I get some rounds of terbutaline, yes the drug I had just stopped 48 hours prior and take some dermeral to knock the edge off and hopefully stall labor until the morning when I could get my epideral. The problem was that if the terbulatine stalled my labor to much to the point that it stopped it then I would be sent home. I didn't want that! I also didn't want the demeral because it also goes to the baby and can make the baby tired and drowsy. Well, what if they couldn't stop labor, I delivered this 36 weeker really fast and then he had trouble breathing because he was all drugged up from demeral. I didn't want that but at the same time I was in so much pain! I had also heard terrible stories of demeral and how it makes you loopy and out of it. That's the last thing I wanted, you know I'm kinda a control freak, why would I want something that makes me feel OUT of control.

After a break down of me crying and talking to the nurse she said that if I was in labor the terb wasn't gonna stop it, only slow it down and by us some time. She also said the demeral only last for 2-3 hours and then wears out of your system. So I decided to take the terb and demeral. The terb sure didn't stop my contractions but did slow them down. It didn't have any effect on intensity. They went from 3-4 minutes to 12-14 minutes. The demeral made me very tired right away and I could still feel the contractions and the pain but didn't care. It's like it blocked it from my brain. It only helped for about 45 minutes - hour and I was able to really relax during that time but after that the pain was back.

I labored all through the night and at 5:00 am the contractions were back full force every 3-4 minutes so they gave me another 3 rounds of terbutaline from 5:00-7:00am.

8:30 am they came in to let me know I was next to get an epidural, whoa!!! I was so happy that I would soon be numb! It was the longest night of my life and I was so tired of the back labor. The epidural was easy breezy and 30 minutes later I was extremely numb. My doctor came in and was also happy I had made it to 9:00 am and she said she was just sick to her stomach all night because she was afraid I wouldn't make it to 9:00 am without delivering. I love my doc! So they checked me right after my epidural and I was 5 cm with a bulging bag of waters. 10 minutes later my doctor came in to brake my water and I immediately went to 8 centimeters dilated!!

9:00-11:00 am I couldn't feel a thing! I was extremely numb and very comfortable. The nurse checked me at 10:00 and I was still an 8 and then again at 11:00 and I was ready to push. She asked me to give one practice push and then said she was going to call my doctor. Dr. B was in the room within 5 minutes and before she even put on all her gear she wanted to see where I was. She asked me to push and then immediately told me to stop, Jaxson's head was already out!! The nurse put her hands under his head in case she needed to catch him while Dr. B put on her gloves...she didn't even have gloves on yet! During this time Jaxson's heart rate went down to the 90's so he wasn't liking it at all and we had to get him out immediately. She asked me to push again and then quickly said easy as Jaxson was born! I was so relieved and terrified at the same time. As he was being born my doctor was saying how tiny he was and then before I knew it he was on my chest. I cannot even describe the emotions I was feeling. He was so little! He was crying up a storm and then he quickly calmed down when we were skin to skin. The nurses had to keep rubbing on him and then asked to take him because he had calmed down too much and they wanted him to cry some more. They took him over to the warmer where they gave him a little O2 to get him going some more and then checked him out.

He weighed 4 pounds 15 ounces and was 17 inches long. He's perfect in every way. It was the quickest delivery and was born within 4 minutes of pushing, if that. Because he was so small they really wanted me to have skin to skin with him as much as possible. So for the first 48 hours he remained on my chest. Skin to skin is one of the most beautiful experiences. Knowing that I was helping my son stay warm, regulate his breathing and help his blood sugars all by holding him close to me is an experience I hope every mother has.

My milk came in fairly quickly, Saturday night, which I praise God for because Jaxson couldn't stand to lose a lot of weight. He got down to 4 pounds 12 ounces and then quickly started gaining. He's a champ at nursing and we haven't had any issues other than I'm having to pump a lot because I'm producing too much for this little guy. I already have a nice stock pile of 25 ounces sitting in my freezer!! We were discharged on Monday and Jaxson weighed 4 pounds 13 ounces.

Tuesday- went to the doctor to check on Jaxson's jaundice and it's still within normal range and going down. He weighed 4 pounds 14 ounces.

Thursday- went to doctor and Jaxson weighed 5 pounds 2 ounces. Doctor J said he's never seen a 36 week do this well and gain this much weight so fast. He said it usually takes full term baby's 2 weeks to get back to their birth weight and here we are already passed it at 6 days. He was very happy and momma was very proud!

We've already been warned several times that Jaxson cannot be out in crowds or around kids that go to school/daycare because RSV season has started. Brody had this last year that knocked him on his butt for 3 weeks. So we will be staying in and away for the next 6 months or so in order to keep Jaxson safe and healthy.

I have a lot more pictures to update with as soon as I can download them. I also need to take our 1 week picture and a brother's picture! I cannot believe Jax is already a week old! Crazy how time flies

Jaxson Lee

2010-10-06T20:57:00.000-07:00

Our Internet is down at home so I haven't been able to update, plus my two little ones have kept me pretty busy.

Jaxson was born Friday- 10/01/10 at 11:08 am. He was 4 pounds 15 ounces and 17 inches long. He's perfect in every way. I will get our Internet up Nd running soon so I can update with birth story and pics

LABOR

2010-10-01T03:50:00.001-07:00

I went into labor yesterday!! 48 hours after terb pump was stopped. I timed contractions until 7:30 pm then I figured I should call to see if I should go in considering they were every 6-8 minutes and getting stronger/painful.

I got to hospital and was 2-2 1/2 cm and 75% effaced. They loaded me up with iv fluid to see if that would stop labor, it didn't and after 1 hour I was 3 cm.

Because I took my lovenox shot at 9 am yesterday morning I can't get am epidural for 24 hours, 9 am today. So we stalled labor with 3 rounds of terb, tool the edge off with dermerol and now we are waiting until 9 am. Contractions have started to pick up again and I'm in pain! Major back labor...3 hours...Lord help me I want my epi!!!

35w4d Doc appt

2010-09-27T20:52:00.000-07:00

I went to the doctor today and was very anxious. I had the ultrasound first only to find out that Jaxson only gained less than 200 grams or 3 oz. He is now 4 pounds 13 ounces. At this point in pregnancy baby's are suppose to pack on 1/2 - 1 pound per week. He's in the 10-15 percentile which makes for a small baby. Most babies weigh close to 6 pounds by now.

Dr. B isn't too concerned over this because she put him on a growth chart and that's where he's been the whole time. He's border line IUGR and we will continue to watch him. If he dips below 10% then we will worry. Ha! Like I'm not already worried. I'd much rather here that my baby is packing on the weight and thriving then wonder if he's not getting what he needs.

My blood pressure was 125/85 at my appointment but my urine looked good so that is another thing we will keep our eye on. If I get a headache that won't go away or start seeing spots I'm to call immediately.

Because Jaxson is not 5 pounds yet she said she doesn't want me to stop the terb pump until Wednesday when I turn 36 weeks so that he can have a little more time to reach the 5 pound mark. If born under 5 pounds, baby's are sent to the NICU because they have trouble keeping their body temperature up, that is why 5 pounds is such a push to get to.

I asked her about what she has seen in regards to people coming off the terb pump and then going into labor. She said its unpredictable. Sometimes women go into labor immediately and others take several days or don't go into labor at all. She said that isn't common so that I should be looking at going into labor soon after I stop the pump. She even mentioned that she wasn't on call this weekend in case I wanted to wait until Monday to stop the pump.

She checked my cervix and I have made a little progress! I'm 1 cm dilated and 25-30% effaced

I plan on going off the pump at 12:01 am Wednesday, ha! So I will update if anything happens.

Hmmm...

2010-09-26T14:16:00.000-07:00

well it seems my blood pressure has been on the high side this past weekend. I noticed my face feeling puffy on Friday and especially Saturday. I started tracking my BP on Friday night and my diastolic pressure has been high. I've been running around 120/(90-100) all weekend. This can be a sign of preelampsia or maybe a side effect of prolonged terbutaline use, I'm not sure. Guess we will see tomorrow when I go to the doctor.

I've decided that a bday of 10-01-10 or 10-10-10 would be pretty cool. 10-01 is on Friday so that sure would work for me :)

I'll go ahead and knock on wood that I'm not jinxing myself for a latter delivery but if you can remember the reason I was induced with Brody was because my BP was high

35 Weeks

2010-09-23T11:20:00.000-07:00

We made it another week! I'm getting very anxious for the 36 week mark when my terb pump will be stopped. Everything I've researched online points to going into labor within 2-7 days after the terb has been stopped. I'm sure I will be one of those few that goes the distance and will have to be induced! I'm definitely ready for this little guy to come out. I know he's better off right now staying inside but it's hard living out the movie "Groundhog Day". I'm ready for this chapter to be over and to have him safe in my arms. I've been on bed rest for 5 weeks now and will hopefully be given more privileges next week as I am about to go stir crazy.

I went to the doctor on Monday but didn't get to see my doctor :( She had been on call all weekend so wasn't in Monday morning. I did see her assistant and she checked my cervix which was still closed. I was contracting every 4 minutes but baby looked good. I am having a lot more cramping now. Feels like menstrual cramps that are pretty strong at times. I didn't have these with Brody so I'm not sure what is causing them. I hope it's my cervix starting to prepare for birth! I've gained 21 pounds thus far which I think is pretty good considering I've been on bed rest for 5 weeks and I'm not burning many calories.

Jaxson weighed 4 lbs and 9 oz which is still measuring 2 weeks behind but thankfully he put on some more weight.

Jaxson's 35 week development:
Your baby weighs about 5 ½ pounds now and measures about 18.9 inches long. As you know each baby has a different weight and length at birth, so these measurements are just an average. Now your baby will start it’s most rapid weight gain, adding ½ to ¾ of a pound every week until they are born.

You may be able to distinguish body parts such as a head, hand or foot now that your baby is getting larger and your uterus is getting thinner. Baby’s hearing has completely developed now and the lungs are very close to being complete and ready for birth.

The kidneys are fully developed and the liver is able to process waste products. Fat is continues to accumulate at a rapid pace now, which will help your baby stay warm after they are born

34 Weeks

2010-09-15T08:29:00.000-07:00

This is a HUGE milestone! If Jaxson were to be born he is now making enough surfactant so that his lungs would be able to handle his breathing without needing support. It does make me sad to read below that he is suppose to weigh 5 lbs and we know this little guy only weighs 4. Please continue to pray that he grows and catches up in weight. It's very important for them to be plump so that they can maintain their body temperature and have enough energy to eat the amount that they need to eat. Brody was pretty small and grew by leaps and bounds once we got him here. I'm hoping that once Jaxson comes my milk comes in quickly so that he can do the same.

Just yesterday I felt like Jaxson had dropped because I was having a lot of pelvic pressure and pain but it might just be that he's getting bigger. Brody and I are doing pretty good together as long as Brody gets some outside time when Papa gets home for lunch or in the evenings. Otherwise he goes a little stir crazy. Daddy is missing us like crazy and hates coming home to an empty house. We are gonna go home tonight to spend some family time. Other than that I'm just trying to get through each week/day the best I can.

We only have around 28 days left if not less!

The quality of this pic is terrible because it was at night with my camera phone but I wanted to get something up.

Here’s Jaxson’s Development this week:
Besides looking like a newborn at 34 weeks of pregnancy, your baby is acting like a newborn as well. His eyes open when he’s awake and close when he is sleeping. His sleeping cycles are the same now as they will be when he is born. He has learned to blink and can see better when a bright light is shined on your stomach. He recognizes voice and sound patterns from the outside world and is most comforted by the sound of your voice.
He weighs about 5 pounds now and is about 18 inches long. His fingernails have reached the end of his fingertips at week 34 of pregnancy and he may even scratch his face before he is born. His fat layers are growing every week to fill up that wrinkly skin and he may have already turned into the head down position for labor. Your baby’s central nervous system is still maturing, and his lungs are almost fully ready to breathe air. If your baby is born this week, he has a 99% chance of survival outside of the womb, pretty darn good odds.

Random Pictures

2010-09-14T12:09:00.000-07:00

Thanks to technology I'm able to get some pictures quickly from facebook or other sources that people have taken while I'm on bed rest and Brody has different events to attend!

This pic was taken at my uncle's bday party a week or so before I went on bed rest

Brody bowling at Ben's bday party! He LOVED it

Andy & Brody at TBall game

Playing in the pool at Granny's

34 week doc appt

2010-09-14T07:40:00.000-07:00

I went to the doctor yesterday for another check on Jaxson. He grew to 4 lbs since Thursday but is still measuring 2 weeks behind. The doctor was happy that he grew and said she isn't worried unless he gets further behind or stops growing all together. But as long as there is some growth he's better in than out.

Other than that it was the usually blood pressure and weight check which hasn't changed in 4 days :)

She said we will talk next Monday about giving me more privileges at home and then the following week, 35 weeks, we will talk about stopping the terb pump but she isn't sure if she wants to do that at 35 or 36 weeks considering I still average 6 contractions per hour on the terb, we think once the terb is stopped I have a very high possibility of going into labor soon after.

Hard to believe we've made it this long and that I'm 34 weeks this week! That means we only have 4 weeks left at most!!

We got a good look at Jaxson's face yesterday and I can tell he looks different than Brody but has the same chubby cheeks :) cannot wait to meet this little one!

33 week doctor update

2010-09-09T14:55:00.000-07:00

Just got back from the doctor. My cervix is still closed and Dr. B is running my final FFN test! We should know the results tomorrow. She's very happy that my cervix is still closed and said Jaxson's head isn't pushing down on the cervix yet which is good.

He is measuring small and is almost 2 weeks behind in his growth but she said it's something we will have to keep our eye on and see if he catches up. Brody wasn't very big either so I'm trying not to worry about it. He's estimated to weigh 3 lbs 8 oz.

I go back on Monday for another growth scan and will go again the following Monday. We will check his growth weekly from here on out to make sure he doesn't get further behind.

We will also continue what I'm doing with the terb pump and bedrest.

Until next time,
LeAnn

33 weeks

2010-09-08T08:30:00.000-07:00

Jaxson's 33 week development:
This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead. These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

It's hard to believe this little guy is 17 inches long! He's definitely a boney little man always poking my sides. So far I've been able to feel his elbows and feet. I'm so thankful we made it another week! One more week until the big goal of 34weeks! At that point Jaxson's lungs are well developed and he will just spend the remaining time fattening up. I go to the doctor tomorrow for a growth ultrasound, check Jaxson's fluid levels and make sure his heart is still good from the motrin I had in the hospital 2 weeks ago.

My contractions have been great this week and we haven't had to make any adjustments to my medicine. Bed rest is going. It's hard but having Brody makes a HUGE difference. His hugs, kisses and loving make it impossible for me to get depressed or sad that I'm doing nothing but laying around. I just hope he doesn't think he has a big lump of a log for a mom. I am able to get down on the ground and play with him so I think he appreciates that :)

I will update tomorrow after my appointment

18 Months

2010-09-04T12:23:00.001-07:00

On the 20th Brody turned 18 months and it was also the week from you know where for us!! He had a doctor's appointment for his 18 month check-up but that ended up turning into a sick visit because he had a virus. If you remember back he's ALWAYS sick on his well baby visits and we NEVER get his vaccines on time! EVERY SINGLE TIME! It has happened. I was actually very surprised he was sick this time around as he hadn't been anywhere but half a day at daycare and then to walmart. That's where he got it!

He weighed 24.4 lbs and I will have to see what his length was. The doctor was shocked by how much he has grown!

-He's outgrown all his 18 month clothes! Wears 24 months but we will have to check his pants now that it's cooler and see if he's still in 18 months or if 24 months will be too long

-Size 4 diapers

-Eats anything and everything! Favorites right now are popsicles and watermelon.

-New words are open although he says it "mut-mut"(hope this is normal!) I have no clue how open became mutmut but that's how he says it! Ruffruff, moo, bubba and many others that I cannot remember at the moment.

-He's loving cars and tools right now.

He's perfect in every way and I'm LOVING this time I have with him before his brother's arrival. That is the biggest positive I have with bedrest. We would be working and at daycare right now and I wouldn't have all this quality time with Brody that I'm blessed to have right now. I'm SOAKING every day up with him.

32 Weeks

2010-09-04T12:06:00.000-07:00

We've had a really good week! (Knocking on wood) We were at my parents house this week while my dad was off. They went to the zoo, toy store and park to feed the ducks. We are probably going to stay at my parents since I seem to stay down the most there and had such a good week. When I'm at home there's so much I want/need to do that it's harder for me to stay down. We are going to see how this week goes because both my parents will be at work. We are setting up a bed in the living room and they will put breakfast on the stand for when we wake up. My dad comes home at lunch for a hour, sometimes longer and then Brody goes down for a nap around 12:30 for 3 hours or so. So really I won't be left with home alone long. I think the main thing is me not picking him up and luckily he's at the age where he can crawl up to me or I can stay down on his level.

Jaxson has been a lot more active this week and my contractions have stayed around 3-6 per hour. I went to the doctor on Tuesday and my cervix is still closed. I start going weekly for ultrasounds to check on Jaxson's growth. We discussed briefly about when we will pull the terb pump and she is thinking around 35 weeks.

Here's Jaxson's development this week:
By week 32, your baby weighs nearly 4 pounds! The crown-to-rump length of your baby is approximately 11.7 inches and the total length is about 18.9 inches. Sleeping boy, the baby sleeps 90-95% of the day, and sometimes experiences REM sleep, an indication of dreaming. The wrinkles in your baby's face are disappearing and fat is still being deposited throughout the baby's body. The body growth slows down from now on.
Finally got belly pics!

Here's my 32 weeker with Brody for comparision:

Home...for now

2010-08-30T21:11:00.000-07:00

I was released from the hospital yesterday and I am so thankful to be home! Brody was taking a nap and when he came walking out and saw me on the couch he melted my heart with the sweetest momma and loves on me for a good 10 minutes. It was definitely one if those priceless moments I will never forget.

I woke up this morning contracting so I'm going to soak in every day I get to stay at home and out of the hospital. I don't know what the next day might hold or even the next hour. Today I spent 5 hours on the monitors bc I was right at or above my threshold of 6 contractions in one hour.

I go to the doctor tomorrow so I'm anxious to see what her game plan is considering I'm already contracting again. Please pray we can get to 34 weeks so that Jaxson's lungs can have that time to develop

Hospital - Day 2

2010-08-28T15:07:00.000-07:00

I honestly don't know how people stay in the hospital for weeks and weeks. I've been here for 2 days and I'm about to lose it!

I'm not going home today. My doctor came in last night and said she was going to take me off the motrin today and see how I do. If I didn't have any contractions she was going to discharge me tonight. Well she didn't relay this message to the nurses or on call doctor so when she came in this morning she said she was going to have me stay on motrin for today(my last day I'm allowed to safely take it) and then evaluate my contractions tomorrow to see how I do. I have a feeling I won't be going home til Monday when Dr. B can actually come up here during her rounds and discharge me. But I'm crossing my fingers, once again, for tomorrow night.

I slept a little bit better and got about 6 hours of sleep and the nurse took out my IV this afternoon which is such a blessing. The placement of the IV was very tender and it was hard to do anything with the IV pole and tubing. Now I can give Brody a big bear hug without either of us being scared he's going to hurt momma's booboo.

Last night was probably my hardest nights in a long time. I was exhausted for one. Brody was up here and getting tired so my parents were telling him it was time to go. So he was telling them bye bye thinking he was going to stay here with momma. Well when he figured out he was going bye bye too and leaving momma he had a melt down and then I had a melt down. It's so hard hearing your son scream and cry for you and not being able to even console him or hug on him because you are laid up in a bed that he's scared and unsure of :( it's even harder when you can hear him screaming all the way down the hall for you! My mom said he cried all the way to the car and then once they got going he was fine and zonked out shortly after. For the rest of the night I was extremely teary eyed and even swell up now just reliving it! He still so young and hasn't been away from me very often especially since it's been summer break and he's been with both Brandon and I all summer. I know he won't remember this time in his life but it's extremely hard living through it.

I did get to take a 20 minute wheel chair ride around the hospital which was extremely nice and refreshing even for 20 minutes! You go a little stir crazy stuck in a 10 x 10 room.

Jaxson has been moving around a lot better today so that is reassuring after yesterday's quite time that he was having and flat monitoring that he was displaying.

Til next time,
LeAnn

Hospital - Day 1

2010-08-27T12:35:00.000-07:00

Well I survived my first day in the hospital. I got very little sleep last night as I think most due in the hospital. I slept from 4 am to 7 am. I had terrible heart burn last night which is a side effect of one of the drugs I'm on so I finally requested something at 1 am which helped. Then my IV pump began beeping at 2 am and vitals at 3 am. Hopefully tonight will be better.

Jaxson hasn't been very active today. He had a flat heart rate on this mornings monitor and then again at noon monitoring that they did because I wasn't feeling him that much, they wanted to be safe and check in on him. Luckily towards the end of the strip he decided to stir a little and pasted his nonstress test. He's definitely got momma on edge. I'll be addressing this with the doctor when she makes her rounds, hopefully later today.

My awesome friend Mandy took the morning off and brought me breakfast, magazines and my favorite must have munchie food. It was so nice to just sit and hang out. Great distraction. Then my Dad and Brody came up to visit. Brody is doing really well seeing momma hooked up to all these monitors, stuck in bed in a new place. He only gets a little nervous when the nurses come in to mess with me and he gets extremely clingy.

My cousin is a nurse at Harris so it's nice knowing family is in the building and she has popped her head in a couple of times. This afternoon my Gma came up and spent several hours with me as well. It's so nice to sit and talk with her whenever I can get the chance!

I'm now relaxing and my mom and dad are on their way up with little man. Hopefully Dr. B will be making her rounds soon as well and I can ask her what the game plan is in 2 days.

Any prayers are greatly appreciated

In the hospital

2010-08-26T20:19:00.000-07:00

I have landed in the hospital today. I really wish it hadn't come to this but we all know I'm not the one in charge. Like I've said before I've been living hourly this past week just trying to make it through each day. It seems one hour can be good and the next can be total opposite.

I didn't sleep real good last night, I just couldn't seem to fall asleep but luckily Brody slept in til 8:45 and that is when I do my best sleeping :) We got up and Nana was waiting to take him to her house for the day. I made some breakfast and hooked up to my contraction monitor for my morning session. I noticed I was having quite a few contractions and was feeling a lot more pressure. I also had the urge to go to the bathroom with each contraction but when I got up and went that urge disappeared as the contraction eased up. This feeling hasn't happened to me in the past so I took note of it for the home care nurse when she called. I always know when I have a bad strip because they call me within minutes of sending it. Well the nurse called pretty quickly and informed me that I had 17 contractions in that hour of monitoring. We went over the usual instructions: upped my terb dosage, give myself a demand dose, hydrate as much as possible in next 30 minutes, lay on left side and remonitor for another hour. I explained the feelings I was feeling and she said she would see how I did in the next hour. Well about 10 minutes later she called back and said she went ahead and called Dr. B because she was concerned with such an increase in contraction activity and Dr. B wanted to see me.

So in we went, thank goodness for my mom because I was just going to go by myself but she insisted that she come get me and take me in. They wanted to check my urine to make sure I didn't have the start of an infection that could be causing the contractions and that looked good. Dr. B also checked my cervix and said it's dilated to a 1 internally but externally still closed but very soft. She then informed me that I was going to be admitted to the hospital because everything else just isn't working.

She started me on steroid to help the baby's lungs develop, I'm on IV fluid and a form of IV motrin(it has another name but can't remember what it was called) I then get motrin by mouth every 6 hours for a maximum of 3 days because he can have an effect on Jaxson. It can lower his fluid level and cause a reverse blood flow within his heart. So she wants to monitor him closely while on this. The reason behind the motrin is that its been proved to relax the uterus a great deal and stop contractions but it just can't last long term because of the negative consequences to baby. But she wanted to try this until I get the steroids in me. After the 3 days are up I don't know what the game plan is. I'm assuming she will let me know.

Please say a prayer that we stay put for a couple more weeks so that Jaxson has more time to grow and develop.

The only pic I took today was of my IV, it took forever for them to get this started and they tried in 3 different spots. IV's are the worse and was the one thing I hated most about having Brody, I think it was worse than the epi and pushing him out!!!

31 Weeks

2010-08-25T10:02:00.000-07:00

We made it another week! This week has been a lot better than last week even though I ended up in maternal obs for a few hours on Sunday. They upped my dosage of terbutaline which seems to be holding the contractions at bay for the moment. I honestly live my life in hour increments. I monitor for an hour in the morning and pray that strip comes back with fewer than 6 contractions so that I don't have to monitor again for another hour. I have my extra dosages at 8, 12 and 4 around the clock. I monitor again in the evenings for an hour and pray that one comes back good and then I change out my meds for overnight.

We went to the doctor on Monday and Jaxson is measuring right on track and looking good. He's head down this week as before he hasn't been. My cervix is still closed and I had another negative Ffn test! All great news, we are just continuing what we are doing until next week when I go back.

I'm going to get a belly picture this week! We have definitely grown since the last one.

My pump equipment

Catheter in my leg and pump

Mommy update:
I'm doing really good. This time around is totally different than with Brody. I think I was so anxious and scared out of my mind with Brody. Being a first time mom, first time pregnant, and never in the world expecting to be put on bedrest. This time I know what I have to do and what to expect. I prepared myself that this could possibly happen and I am just thankful for each additional week we can keep Jaxson cooking. Brody also makes the time go by a lot faster and I'm not as anxious or scared. I just take it one day at a time and roll with the punches.
Jaxson's development at 31 weeks:
This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy

What a week!

2010-08-21T08:28:00.000-07:00

I can honestly say this has been the most challenging week I've had in quite some time!

Let's see on Monday I had my doctor's appointment and hospital visit. We had to decide what we were going to do with Brody and myself. Brandon is starting football so is never home. He has games on Monday, Tuesday and Friday and then practice Wednesday and Thursday. Game nights he's usually not home til 10 or later and practice nights he can get home around 6 or 7. He also has a few Saturday games as well.

So we decided to keep Brody out of daycare until I return to work. He wasn't situated with his teacher and it was all too new for him. I couldn't stand thinking about laying around the house while he was at daycare 30 miles from my house. Then there would have been the issue of who would drive him to Burleson and pick him up, illnesses, etc...

Then the next thing was to decide where we would stay. This week I've been at my parents because my mom took off to help me around the house. After being here all week I think it will be best if I stay here until I deliver. I need help during the day and at night and through the night. The medicine I'm on, at times, can make me pretty weak and unstable. The first couple nights I didn't think I would make it to the bathroom to bed because my legs felt so shaky and weak. It can also cause my heart rate to be through the roof and my blood pressure to be pretty low. On good days these side effects aren't as bad but on the days where I have to take extra medicine this is how I feel. I'm also having to monitor several times a day. I have a morning and evening session. If during these 1 hour session I have more than four contractions I have to give myself extra medicine and then remonitor for another hour. Yesterday I had to monitor 5 times, that's 5 hours!

My dad is able to come home for an hour at lunch to help me and I'm hoping that on Monday Dr. Bradford will let me have modified bedrest so that I can take care of Brody while my parents are at work, resting when he takes a nap, when my dad is home for lunch and then in the evenings when they are both home. If I'm not able to watch Brody on my own we will have to figure out a new arrangement because Nana can watch him but we are across town

Tuesday: my mom came over and packed up everything Brody and I would need and we headed to my parents to get adjusted. I felt pretty yucky that day because the Terb pills had pretty bad side effects.

Wednesday was very stressful. The home health was coming out. They had to put a rush on all my medicines because I was already contracting even though I was on the pill form of procardia. Once she got here we had to deal with cost and insurance. They tried to charge $50.00 a day for this set up plus my $500.00 deductible. Well that's $350/week + 8 weeks! I simply told them I couldn't afford that and they were able to waive that fee for me. Whew! I then had to insert my catheter myself and learn all about my pump. I have to change my catheter every 5 days and alternate legs and also change out my medicine every day. I also had to learn about my contraction monitor and how to send those in.

This is mainly for my memory but here's the low-down:
I get a continous dose of Terbuline through my pump.
I then get what's called a bolis every 4 hours. It's basically a booster. This is administer through my pump over 12 minutes
I also have what's called an on-demand dose. That is when I have more than 4 contractions in an hour, I can push a button and override the system to give myself a boost even though it's not scheduled.

Contraction monitor:
Looks like the one in the hospital except a little bigger that straps around my belly. I just push two buttons and on it goes. I sit around for an hour and can turn it off to go to the bathroom or rearrange and then turn it back on. It then beeps when my hour reading is up. I then attach it to the base which is hooked up to the phone line. I dial a number and wait for the fax machine sound and then push a button on the base and hang up. This sends my strip into the home health company that monitors it. They then call me back within 30 minutes and let me know how many I had. They consider a contraction to be anything that last over 40 seconds and then irritiability anything less than 40 seconds. If I have over 4 I am to empty my bladder, give myself an on-demand dose and then 30 minutes later start monitoring again for another hour. If I'm above 4 again they page my doctor and ask what they want me to do.

Thursday: we had a great day. I felt like the terb pump was making the side effects less dramatic or that my body was getting use to the meds. I had to monitor twice in the evening because the first strip showed 5 contractions but then the 2nd one only showed 1.

Friday: Urgh, the longest day ever! Brody woke up with a fever. At first it was low grade but quickly became 102-103. He already had his 18 month well baby appointment so I called the nurse because I knew he couldn't have his shots. She wanted to see him anyway to make sure he didn't have an ear infection. He was miserable! He kept telling me he had a boo boo on his head and then he must have a sore throat because anytime he would eat or cough he would cry. The doctor said he has a virus and it has to run it's course. I was also having several contractions. My first strip said I had 8 so they quickly upped my dosage I was receiving and had me monitor again. That strip showed 5 contractions so I did an on-demand dose. The 3rd strip showed 6 so they paged my doctor. She said to give another on demand dose and if that did not lower them I was to head into the hospital for a Ffn test and cervical check. Luckily the next one only showed 1 contraction and then my regular evening session showed 2. Whew!

Brody had a bath and then was so miserable he was ready for night-night. He quickly passed out and his fever kept climbing. It got up to 103.5 when I started worrying and was trying to cool him down. Luckily it was time for his motrin and that quickly kicked in. I was up every 3 hours alternating Tylenol and Motrin last night and his fever finally went below 102 about 3 am. He's doing much better today and his fever is staying around 100. I too am feeling better and only had 2 contractions on this mornings monitoring.

Once I get my computer up and running over at my mom's I will try and upload some pictures. I have a doctor's appointment on Monday at 2:20. Hoping for good news!
LeAnn

Bedrest

2010-08-17T09:21:00.000-07:00

Well I'm offically on bedrest for the rest of this pregnancy(8 weeks). I went to the doctor yesterday and after telling her I was contracting a lot and the Procardia seemed to stopped working she hooked me up to the monitors. I was contracting every minute! Jaxson was also pretty mellow and wasn't moving as much as they liked. So she walked in, took one look at my monitor and said I was going to the hospital but first she wanted to check on Jaxson via ultrasound to make sure he was ok.

So I wanted probably 10 minutes in the waiting room for the ultrasound while making arrangements for someone to pick up Brody, which happened to be his first day back at daycare, so I was already emotional/stressed about that and then for someone to come be with me at the hospital because I knew I would be getting Terbutaline. This drug makes me very jittery and my heartrate go through the roof.

Jaxson looked great and was measuring right on track, thank goodness!

My friend Mandy came up the doctor's office to be with me while my mom went to pick up Brody and Brandon was wrapping up work to be with me.

The doctor had checked my cervix and it hadn't changed since last week. At the hospital I got 3 rounds of terb(the most that they can give) and the contractions finally slowed down. They never completely stopped but they did get very weak and weren't in any pattern.

I was sent home after 6 hours of monitoring on strict bedrest and the pill form of terb until we can get the home healthcare set up for a pump. The terb pump will be inserted into my stomach or thigh through a catheter that will continously pump the terb into my system. On top of that I will have a monitoring system at home that I will hook up to twice a day to monitor my contractions. This will be sent directly to my doctor via phone line. I will also see her once if not twice a week in the office depending on how I do on the terb pump.

Let's just say this was the last thing I wanted, any of us wanted but I'm just going to take it one day at a time. This time around everything has changed because of Brody. It's not like Brandon can just leave me and I'll be fine. So we are making arrangements to make sure Brody is watched.

Please keep us in your prayers. I'll update more later

29 Weeks: It Begins

2010-08-13T20:42:00.000-07:00

It's been quite an emotional rollercoaster this week to say the least! Last week I knew I was contracting more but kept telling myself they would go away and not to worry about it. On Monday I had my doctor's appointment and gestational diabetes test. We also had our ultrasound and Jaxson is looking good. His head is measuring right on track but his stomach and femur bone is a week behind. Doctor isn't too concerned with that at the moment. He's about 2.5 pounds and very active. We then met with Dr. B and I explained to her that I was having more contractions. I thought they were once or twice within a 10 minute time frame so she wanted to see what I looked like on the monitors. Well as soon as she hooked me up I was contracting and they were every 2-3 minutes. She came in and said Wow, that's a lot of uterine activity and by the look on her face I could tell she wasn't happy that I was contracting that much. She checked my uterus and it's soft but closed. This has me a little concerned considering it was always hard with Brody. Not too sure what the difference is but hard sounds a lot more secure that soft.

She did an Ffn test and sent it right over to the hospital, it came back negative!! This is a preterm labor test and if negative your chances of going into labor in the next 2 weeks are very low. She will perform this test every 2 weeks from here on out. I also pasted my GD test and all my blood levels and thyroid levels were right on track! Whoa

She put me on Procardia(same med I was on with Brody) and I went back in on Tuesday. My contractions were a lot less and she was very happy to see the Procardia working. Unfortunately, they have some yucky side effects. Severe headache is the main booger. It also causes me to feel jittery, anxious, nauseas and tired. It's a medicine for high blood pressure but because I don't have high blood pressure it causes me to have low blood pressure.

On Tuesday she said I could try taking the medicine every 8 hours vs. every 6 hours but I tried that and ended up contracting a whole bunch so I'm sticking to the every 6 hours. I'm also still on the low dose so we have room to move up if needed. Our only other option is a terbuline pump which is inserted into my stomach and/or bedrest.

For now she told me to get off my feet as much as I can and she will check me weekly. If I begin to contract frequently I'm to call her. So here's to keeping my fingers crossed!

I'm nervous because I return to work next week and I don't know how I'm going to hold up. I'm not in a position where I can just sit around all day at a desk. In fact that is the hardest thing to do as a teacher. I like to be engaged with my students and being up and in the mix of things is a lot easier for my classroom management than sitting down. I also have to get my room ready this week which requires a lot of up time. I guess we will see how I do, Jaxson's safety definitely trumps an organized classroom.

I am very thankful for a healthy baby growing inside me and even if I do go on bedrest at least I've gotten two weeks further along not on bedrest than I did with Brody, I went on bedrest with him at 27 weeks. I'm taking it day by day, that's all I can do for now.

Here's Jaxson's development this week:
At this point in your pregnancy, your baby's crown-to-rump length is approximately 10.4 inches and the total length of your baby is around 16.7 inches. Your baby weighs about 2.7 pounds and continues to grow every day, putting on approximately 1/2pound per week. Your baby will continue to open and close his eyes in the womb and may be able to see silhouettes of objects or even people in the right amount of light. Your baby should be moving many times throughout the day.

28 weeks ~ 3rd Trimester

2010-08-05T12:38:00.001-07:00

Mommy update:

Well this was the first week on my own as Brandon had to return to work for football. Brody and I have been having lots of fun but I've also been having lots of contractions!! They are more frequent in the evening so I think my body just gets worn out chasing and picking up Brody all day. I also believe Jaxson turned head down earlier this week which is what I believe caused me to contracted with Brody so much(he was always head down and very low) Today they've been pretty constant so I'm getting a little anxious. My doc is on vacation this week so I haven't even bothered calling them because I know they will just send me over to observation to get monitored. I go on Monday for my glucose tolerance test and a biophysical profile of J so I will talk to Dr. B about it then. Until then, I'm trying to stay hydrated and get off my feet when I can.

Jaxson's Development this week:
By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

Blood vessel in the umbilical cord. For several months, the umbilical cord has been the baby's lifeline to the mother. Nourishment is transferred from the mother's blood, through the placenta, and into the umbilical cord to the baby.

10 more weeks -- less than 70 days!!

Swing batter batter

2010-08-01T16:38:00.001-07:00

27 weeks

2010-07-29T12:26:00.000-07:00

Here's some wall letters that I made for Jaxson this week

We only have 2 weeks left of summer and I'm quickly getting the blues! I'm trying not to think about it too much in hopes that it will just disappear :) The only good thing about starting back to work is knowing I will only have 8 weeks or less and will be off again for 3 months!

I'm still feeling great although I'm beginning to tire more easily and I'm not moving around as easily as I use to. Picking up Brody or bending over to pick up toys is becoming more challenging, cannot imagine what it will be like in 6-8 more weeks!

Brody loves to give his brother some love

27 week belly shot
Jaxson's 27 week development:
Most babies this age, yours included, still like to snuggle in a slightly curled position inside the uterus (thus the term "fetal position"). Even so, beginning at this stage, your baby's length will be measured from top of head to toe — which makes your baby nearly a full 15 inches now. And at just over two pounds, he or she has doubled in weight from four weeks ago. Your baby's auditory development (hearing) is progressing as the network of nerves to the ears matures. And even though the sounds your baby hears are muffled (thanks to the creamy coating of vernix covering those ears), he or she may recognize both yours and your partner's voices. So this might be a good time to read and even sing to your baby (or rather, your belly) — and a good chance to start boning up on those nursery rhymes and lullabies you'll need to be repeating (and repeating) pretty soon. And while you're at it, here's another way to have some family fun at 27 weeks pregnant: If your partner presses his ear to your belly, he might be able to hear the baby's heartbeat.
Your baby's taste buds are very developed now too (with more taste buds than he will ever have outside the womb, actually). Need a taste test? If you eat some spicy foodyour baby will be able to taste the difference in the amniotic fluid (but keep in mind that you'll have different mealtimes, with your baby's coming about two hours after yours). Some babies will even respond to that spicy kick by hiccupping. And although hiccups may seem like they're disturbing to your baby, he or she isn't stressed at all. It's just one more sensation that babies need to get used to.

17 Months

2010-07-25T18:11:00.000-07:00

On the 20th Brody was 17 months! Crazy how fast he's growing and how the months fly by!

New this month:
-Brody is getting his molars! I'm not sure if these are suppose to come in yet but he got his left top molar first and I just felt his right top molar barely popping through. These have been difficult for him and he's really getting frustrated. He now has 9 working on 10 teeth!

-He's hitting now! When he's mad or frustrated he will either hit whatever he's frustrated at or come over and hit mommy and daddy. This has required time outs and boy he does not like those! The cutest thing is when he hits and quickly realizes he's not suppose to do that so he will kiss the spot he hit, so sweet!

-He's a sponge! We have a fridge in the garage where we keep our waters and cold drinks. Anytime we go any place we always grab a bottled water. So Brody now will walk into the garage to leave and feels he needs a water as well!

He tries to plug in his play phone into our phone charger!

He LOVES momma's quilt (the extra soft but slightly tattered quilt that Nana absolutely hates:) Oh yea, the first thing he wants to snuggle up to!

-We've been trying to work with him on going to bed by himself because I realize I'm not gonna be able to do our 1-2 hour rountine that we've been doing with a new baby especially when I return to work. This has been the most difficult thing for both of us. He cries and cries for close to 45 minutes for the past week at bedtime! He will either call out for momma or dada or bed(meaning our bed!) It's so sad but I'm determined that he's ready and we can do it

- He's a monkey and will climb on anything and everything. We really have to watch him because he will find and use anything for a step to reach higher places!

-He's into helping and loves when daddy has a project that requires a hammer, screwdriver or drill. He's actually pretty good at helping and can put things in the correct spot or get you things that you might need.

26 weeks

2010-07-25T15:20:00.000-07:00

I'm way behind in blogging and trying to catch up! Brandon was out of town for 3 days and that made me realize that I really need to get organized and ready for football/self parenting to begin! I'm not sure if a lot of people realize but being a coach means very long hours! During football season B is usually gone by 6 am and not home til 7 or 8 pm and later on game nights which is 3 nights a week! So we've been busy working around the house and getting everything ready while soaking up as much family time as we can before B goes back to work next week!

I got my FFN results and they were negative, thank goodness! I've been doing very well with minimal contractions. I'm hoping they stay away! Jaxson is definitely growing and moving a lot more. I think he's laying across my belly right now as I get punches and kicks on both sides and he's now up in my ribs more as well which reassures that he's growing away. I'll try and get a belly pic up with my 27 week update.

Here's Jaxson's 26th week development:

By this week, your baby's crown-to-rump length is approximately 9.2 inches. Remember, that is only from the top of his head to his bottom and does not include his leg measurements! Your baby weighs almost 2 pounds and is beginning to put on weight. Your uterus is about 2.5 inches above your bellybutton and you will continue to grow approximately 1 cm each week. If you have been eating a well-balanced diet, you probably have gained about 16-22 pounds so far(I've gained 11 so far) Because your baby has moved further up, you may get occasional pain underneath your ribs.

After a month of having his eyelids sealed shut, your baby begins to open his eyes again this week. Your baby's eyes are almost completely developed. Your baby's eyes are blue in the womb and may change colors later in life. This is true for all races because the pupils do not have their final color until a few months after birth. However, some babies are born with darker or lighter shades of blue. Your growing baby will continue to put on layers of fat until he is born. He is still lean at this point of the pregnancy though. By the time your baby is born, he will assume the typical newborn's plumpness. Your baby's skin will still be wrinkled and red, but the fat continues to fill the skin out. Finger and toe nails continue to grow. Blood vessels start to develop in the lungs to prepare the baby for life outside the uterus. Your baby's blood circulation is completely functional. The umbilical cord system continues to grow and thicken as blood travels with considerable force through the body to nurture the baby. The placenta is now almost equal in size to the baby. Even though it is still way too soon for your baby to be born yet, the chance of survival without severe abnormalities is now 70% provided it is born in a hospital

24 Weeks & Doc Update

2010-07-08T19:28:00.000-07:00

Doctor Update:
We had our 24 week appointment today and we were there from 3:30-6:30!! Whoa, the price you pay for an in-demand, excellent doctor. We first had our cervical check and biophysical ultrasound. This is to check to make sure my cervix isn't shortening(something it does before dilating) and then to check to make sure Jaxson is growing properly(due to complications that could arise from my Factor V). Thankfully, Jaxson is measuring right on and is estimated to weight 1.25 lbs. It was nerveracking though because as the tech was checking my cervical length he could see I was having a contraction and what it did to my cervix! I've never seen this on ultrasound so I was extremely nervous when I could see an opening on the inside of the cervix. Luckily, he said I was good to go and that it was normal as long as fluid did not get inside the opening and therefore causing an incompetent(sp?) uterus. None the less it put me on edge. My cervix is holding strong and although it shorten from 4.5cm a month ago to 3.9 today Dr. B said I have an extra long cervix and anything about 3 is considered good.

The further along we get the more nervous I get at these appointments. Mainly because I know if Jaxson doesn't grow and the ultrasounds that we receive show this our world is turned upside down and is changed. I'm thankful for the technology to constantly check on our baby but at the same time it can become stressful during the appointments. I know I'm lucky to have so many ultrasounds as most women only get one or two but sitting there waiting to see if your baby is growing ok isn't all that great and exciting. Each time I hold my breath during the measurments and quickly scan the numbers to make sure he's not behind.

We then waited to see Dr. B. I knew I had grown this month but boy have I!! I gained 7 pounds this month!!! SEVEN...I'm still right on track considering I had only gained 3 prior to this month so I've gained 10 total but I definitely don't want to continue this month's trend. So I will begin to start eating more fruits and less sweets! I also blame Gristmill for part of those 7 pounds :) My blood pressure was great and Dr. B got the FFN test and we should know the results of that Monday or Tuesday. This will be the decision maker on whether I stay up right or if I need to become horizontal. We also talked in depth about Brody and his transition to becoming a big brother. This struck emotions with me that I didn't realize were there. She brought up some very good points that his life will be changing a great deal when Jaxson comes and how important routine will be for him. I almost started crying when she began to talk about him being upset or mad or clingy towards me because of jealousy issues. Although I don't think we wil have these problems with Brody, I know it's a possibility and it will break my heart if he becomes upset with us or if he thinks in anyway we won't love him as much. I know this is probably my hormones talking and he won't even think this way but it's definitely makes me want to soak up as much time as I can with it just being us three right now.

I go back in 4 weeks for my glucose test and another biophysical ultrasound for growth.

Here's Jaxson's 24 week development:
This week your baby's crown-to-rump length is around 8.4 inches and your baby will weigh approximately 1.2 pounds. Although it weighs a little over a pound at this point, your growing baby is still tiny. Your uterus can easily be felt 1.5 to 2 inches above your bellybutton. The fetus does not appear to have much room in the uterus anymore, but as your pregnancy progresses, space gets much tighter! Because your uterus is expanding and putting a great amount of pressure on your abdomen, you might get stretch marks. Your weight gain may also be taking a toll on your body at this point. Many pregnant women experience backaches, bladder problems, sore feet and fatigue that affect their daily routines. You might also have some nasal stuffiness or nosebleeds. Your baby's face is basically complete now. The fetus's eyes are close together on the front of his face and they are still shut. Your baby's ears have moved into their final position on the sides of his head. Where they are now is where they will be when your baby is born! Hair will continue to grow on his scalp and his eyelashes are well developed. Most of your baby's features look the same as they will at birth. Because your growing baby is getting plumper, he no longer has room in your tummy to do cartwheels and somersaults.

This week also marks VIABILITY! This means that if Jaxson were to come now he would have a 40% chance of survival. I'm so thankful this is not the case but thankful for the technology and skills of doctors and nurses who could give babies a chance if that were to happen!

I will update with the results of the FFN test when I hear from the doctor next week

23 Weeks

2010-07-04T09:24:00.000-07:00

It seems Jaxson has "popped" this week as my belly has definitely grown quite a bit. We've had a great week being out of town and enjoying some family time together. We go back to the doctor on Thursday for my first FFN(preterm labor test) and a biophysical profile on lil Mac.

Here's Jaxson's 23 week development:
With his sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that he's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see his squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in his lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing him for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze him when he hears them outside the womb. Fat is still being deposited at a rapid rate, but your baby still looks red and wrinkled. Skin is being produced at a higher rate than the fat is, so the skin hangs loosely. Your baby looks red because the skin is losing its transparency and pigment is beginning to form. Your baby now can suck his thumb for real, where he was just sticking it in his mouth. Your baby will continue to swallow amniotic fluid and recycle it as urine. The liquids and sugars that the baby retracts from the fluid is a supplement to the nutrients that the placenta delivers. You might be able to feel small `jumps` inside of you when your baby gets the hiccups from swallowing fluid. The pancreas is developing and it will responsible for insulin production, to help break down sugars. Oily fish in your diet could help boost your baby's health. (Women who eat oily fish while pregnant have children with better visual development, a major study at Bristol University suggests.) As the baby continues to grow, it has less space to move around in the uterus. Bones, muscles and organs are growing steadily.

Playmate

2010-06-27T16:04:00.000-07:00

These two haven't seen each other in 3 weeks. So when Chantel called me up and needed a sitter on Saturday Brody and I were beyond thrilled! Saturday morning I kept telling Brody that Mason was coming over and he would run to the front door and threw up his hands when he didn't see him. It was so cute! Here are some pics from yesterday

Hello? Who's there?

Hang on Mason

What?

Ok my turn, move over

There's not enough room!!

Here we go again!

They LOVED playing in the playhouse together!

Dancing to "Hot Dog" off Mickey's Clubhouse

The boys had a great time together and played nonstop except for the 2 hour nap that they both took. I cannot wait until we can do it again

22 Weeks

2010-06-25T19:25:00.000-07:00

I'm playing catch up tonight so Brody's 16 month update is below this one!

Jaxson is growing and becoming very active! I'm still feeling good, having contractions randomly but nothing to worry about. I usually can just go to the bathroom or drink water or put my feet up and they will go away. It is starting to get uncomfortable to have Brody rolling around on my belly or when he sits with me. And bending over or picking him up often can be tiresome but I'm sure that's only going to get worse as I get bigger.
Here are the ultrasound pictures from Monday that I keep promising.
Jaxson at 22 weeks:

Looking at us(face)

Giving us another clear shot that he's a BOY! Never saw this with Brody but Jax is definitely letting us know

Side profile of head

Barbara made this adorable pillow. I have some more pics I need to take but my flash battery died so I have to get it charged before taking more pics. Brody loved this pillow because it had "balls" all around the edges.

Jaxson's development at 22 weeks:
At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash or a papaya) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.
The organ systems in your baby's body are becoming specialized for their particular functions. The fetal liver produces different enzymes than it will produce after delivery. The liver is responsible for breaking down billirubin, which is produced by the breaking down of blood cells. Because the life span of a fetal red blood cell is shorter than that of an adult, a fetus produces more billirubin than adults do. Billirubin passes from fetal blood to the placenta and then into your blood. Your liver helps get rid of fetal billirubin. A newborn baby that has high levels of billirubin may show signs of jaundice. Jaundiced babies have a yellowish tint to their eyes and skin and are often treated with phototherapy. Your baby's senses are developing daily. The fetus now has a full complement of neurons in the brain and is learning about her body and surroundings through touch. Touch is one of the first senses to mature and your baby may stroke its face or feel her arms and legs. Your blood volume has increased more to meet the demands of your pregnancy. Most of the increase is in the form of plasma, the liquid part of your blood. This has the ability to dilute your blood and give you physiological anemia, which occurs during pregnancy. The measure of blood dilution is called Hematocrit and the levels reach their lowest points this week. You should check with your doctor to make sure you are not developing more serious forms of anemia. Your baby now shows an extremely rapid brain growth (which lasts until five years after birth).

16 Months

2010-06-25T18:49:00.001-07:00

Brody turned 16 months last week. It's hard to believe how big he's getting and what a big boy he is!

We are enjoying having him all to ourselves for the summer. He's quite the busy boy and keeps us on our toes.

WORDS:
We have a lot of new words this month. Night-night, bubbles and MY bubbles(when we are putting them up), balloon, NO,NO, Andy, Ben, birds

FAVORITES:
Cheese, bubbles(obsessed), Wonder Pets, Mickey Clubhouse and of course baseballs, bouncy balls and golf balls.

BUBBLES!

FIRST:
He got his head shaved for the first time! It's SO hot here and anytime he would get in his carseat or go outside his hair would be dripping wet. So I decided to shave it on the highest guard to help keep him cool. He definitely looks cute but I also like him with hair. It can grow out in the winter I suppose. He really loved getting his hair shaved except when it tickled or when the hair was getting in his face or on his neck and drove him crazy, I had to quickly throw him in the bath tub because he was spasing out about it.

TEETH: Brody's teeth our the slowest things to come in, it literally takes 4-6 weeks for a tooth to come all the way in if not longer. He now has 4 on top and 4 on bottom and I think another one on the way by the way he's chewing on things. Which is good because he loves to EAT! Right now he loves watermelon but will literally eat anything we give him which makes it extremely easy.

He is also quite the climber. He loves to sit on the bed, couch or chair by himself and will use other objects to climb on higher objects. And he is not afraid of heights by any means which makes Mama very nervous.

I also think he's entering the terrible two's unless it's just normal to throw fits at this age! He knows he cannot hit others so when he's mad or frustrated he hits himself. It's very funny when he does it while he's made a me because he gives me the most terrible look like I hope that hurt you Mama! Such the dramatic

Here are some pics of him getting bad because I told him we needed to change his diaper. He ran away from me and when I went to get him he proceeded to hit and bite himself, like I said...DRAMATIC!

~Notice the hair in these pics but shaved head in above pics!~

Being a goof!

Doc Update

2010-06-22T09:53:00.000-07:00

I went to the doctor yesterday because Dr.B wanted me to have another ultrasound to check my cervical length.

I wasn't expecting to even see the baby but the tech went ahead and did a biophysical profile on Jaxson. He's measuring right on track and looks really good. They check his heart again and we could see the four chambers. He checked his head, stomach, leg and arm bones and they are all measuring right on track. We could even see him swallowing and sticking out his tongue.

My cervix did shorten from 4.3 centimeters to 3.8 cm. The tech said he didn't think it was a big deal because they consider anything above 3 cm to be good but he would run it by Dr. B and see what she thinks. She wants to keep her eye on it anyway so I'm sure she will just keep checking it.

I'm still having random contractions depending on if I need to go to the bathroom, Jaxson's activity level or what not but I'm assuming it's just irritable uterus.

I keep trying to scan the ultrasound pics but everytime I go to do it something comes up so I will definitely try and get those up tonight.

Til tomorrow,
LeAnn

21 Weeks & Doc Update

2010-06-18T05:51:00.000-07:00

Little man has a major sweet tooth craving! I never really craved anything when I was pregnant with Brody but with Jax I'm craving everything!

I ended up at maternal observation for several hours on Wednesday due to contractions but all is good and they checked my cervical length via ultrasound and it's a great 4.2cm. The tech said anything over 3.5cm is what they want.

I met with Dr. B yesterday and she is going to recheck my cervical length on Monday and we will go from there. As long as it doesn't start to shorten she won't put me on bedrest(thank goodness!) We will then return in 2 weeks to begin the biophysical ultrasounds on Jaxson to make sure everything is right on track. We will start those at 24 weeks and repeat every 4 weeks as well as check on the cervical length every 2-4 weeks depending on what my uterus is doing contractions wise. We will also begin the FFT test at 24 weeks. I'm very relieved and happy about this plan. Anything to keep me out of the bed!

Jaxson's 21 week development:
Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a banana. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now, and if you're having a girl, her vagina has begun to form as well. Your baby's blood circulation is completely functional. The umbilical cord system continues to grow and thicken as blood travels with considerable force through the body to nurture the baby. The placenta is now almost equal in size to the baby. Your baby will be getting much larger during the second half of your pregnancy. You should be able to feel your uterus about a half of an inch above your navel. Your weight gain so far will be around 10 to 15 pounds. As your baby begins to lay down more fat, your weight will also increase. During the next 10 weeks, you will gain about half of the total gain for your entire pregnancy. Strangers can now tell that you are pregnant! You might notice an increase in appetite because you need 500 more calories a day to support your charged up metabolism. It is best to avoid processed foods or foods high in fat, calories or sugar. Some women also get strong cravings for foods. If you notice a craving for something unhealthy, you should contact your doctor. Craving for unusual things is known as pica. Some women crave cigarette ashes, charcoal, beer and other non-food items during this time. Your baby's different organs and systems are maturing. The fetal digestive system is functioning in a simple way and your baby can swallow amniotic fluid. After your baby swallows the amniotic fluid, she is able to absorb water and sugars from the fluid and then the waste is passed as far as the large bowel. Your baby swallows the amniotic fluid in order to prepare itself for life outside of the womb. Some babies consume as much as 17 ounces of amniotic fluid in a 24-hour period. Your baby already has a high number of red blood cells and the white blood cells are beginning to be produced. Taste buds are being formed on your baby's tongue this week also. Don't be surprised if your legs and feet become swollen throughout the day. You should try to get off of your feet some throughout the day and prop your legs up. If you notice a substantial amount of swelling, you should contact your healthcare provider for evaluation

Have a great weekend!
LeAnn

Fantasy Land

2010-06-16T07:28:00.000-07:00

This is where B says I live, in a fantasy land. Well, shouldn't we all.

You know how they say you do things faster with your 2nd pregnancy. You start showing faster, you feel the baby move earlier, you have a faster labor.

Yea well apparently I'm going to start CONTRACTING earlier!! I was 27 weeks with Brody when the contractions hit and stayed. Well I've been contracting for the past 3days. I've tried to ignore them but they are just getting more frequent and are probably here to stay. I can tell they are just uterine irritability and hopefully nothing to worry about but dang it! I cannot go on bedrest this time around, it's going to be impossible with a 16 month old.

I guess I'm disappointed but I was so hoping this pregnancy would be different than Brody's and it still might be.

I called and let the Doc know and I have my monthly check up tomorrow. She said we will discuss our options then and she will check my cervical length if need be.

It just makes me feel so frustrated!! URGH

I'll update with Jaxson's 21 week development later today or tomorrow.
Til then,
LeAnn

Lil Mac: 20 Weeks

2010-06-10T16:53:00.000-07:00

So I decided to have Brandon take a belly picture because we haven't taken one in a couple of weeks and WHOA! I cannot believe how big I am and how much I've grown. Honestly I haven't had time to obsess over my growing belly like I did with Brody and since it's summer right now I kinda just roll outta bed, get dressed half asleep and head to summer school. Apparently I shouldn't feel too bad considering Jaxson is the size of a cantaloupe right now. He's a growing boy! He's also a lot calmer in utero than Brody was. Brody literally beat me up from 18 weeks on.

Here's the belly shot at 20 weeks:

Mommy update: I've been doing really well. So far this pregnancy has been a lot easier than Brody's but I knock on wood anytime I think that or someone else says it. It wasn't until 27 weeks that I started the constant, non-stop contractions that put me on bedrest for 10 weeks. I'm teaching summer school right now and this will definitely be my last time doing it. I don't know what I was thinking! It's torture but luckily it's only for 2 1/2 weeks.

Brody definitely knows that something is going on in mommy's belly. He now says Bubba and knows where he is. We are turning his playroom into the nursery so he also goes in there quite a bit forgetting that he has a new playroom and will say Bubba as he realizes that is his room now. The only thing that concerns me is I'm not sure he realizes that Bubba is a baby that will be here soon. We have been seeing a lot of babies lately and Brody is very interested in them and is also very sweet and gentle towards them. So I'm pretty sure he will transition beautifully and love his baby brother.

Jaxson's Development at 20 Weeks:
Congratulations! This week marks the half way point of your pregnancy. It has been 18weeks since the date of conception and your baby's crown-to-rump length is 5.6 to 6.4inches. The fetus weighs about 9 ounces (Jaxson weighed 8 oz 3 weeks ago so I'm sure he's passed this up) and your belly definitely has an obvious bulge. Your waistline has expanded and is no longer visible. Your uterus has now moved up enough that it is pushing your abdomen outwards. The top of your uterus is even with or just below your navel. She's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for her digestive system. She's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in her bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery). For the remainder of your pregnancy, the growing uterus puts pressure on your lungs, stomach and kidneys. This will make you feel short of breath, the need to urinate more frequently and can cause indigestion. The added pressure on your abdomen can also cause your bellybutton to protrude and cause an `outy` instead of an `inny`. Many pregnant women begin to notice stretch marks around this time as well. Your abdominal muscles are being stretched and pushed apart as your baby grows inside of you. Your baby's skin begins to thicken this week and will develop four layers. Your baby's sebaceous glands secrete a waxy substance called vernix caseosa. Your baby will be born with this wax and it will look like paste. The vernix caseosa is crucial because it protects the fetus' fragile skin from the continuous immersion in amniotic fluid. Lanugo hairs secure the vernix caseosa in place and it is thick around the eyebrows. Scalp hair and toenails are beginning to form at this point. Hair can also be seen on the upper lip and eyebrows.

BRODY:
Is a trip! He's getting SO BIG. I look at him and ask myself how can you grow that fast! He has several new faces that he makes, loves to make himself and us laugh and is crazy about baseballs, golf balls, bouncy balls, bats and golf clubs. We have to avoid the area at Walmart where they are located because he will try to jump out of the cart if he sees one. He is also a climber! Anything that he can climb he will. We introduced the playground down the street to him and he loves the big boy slide. He will try and go down it by himself if we aren't fast enough.

We are working on cutting out his bottle completely, I know I know this should have been done a while ago. He doesn't have it anymore during the day but really wants that ba-ba at bedtime so hopefully over the next few weeks we can cut that out as well. Any suggestions on the best way to do that would greatly be appreciated and I'm not the type of mom that does the whole cry it out.

We go back to the doctor next week on the 17th to check on Jaxson's growth, although I don't think we will do an ultrasound.

Til then,
LeAnn

19 Weeks ~ Halfway

2010-06-02T07:49:00.000-07:00

Since I get induced at 38 weeks at the latest I am technically halfway through this pregnancy...HALFWAY! Seriously, where has the time gone. I cannot believe in just 19 short weeks our family of 3 will be a family of 4 and we will have a new bundle of joy.

Everything is going great. I'm starting to grow more which I figured would be the case since I've read Jaxson goes through a growth spurt for the next couple of weeks. Sometimes I think I've grown overnight!

I picked out Jaxson's bedding and Nana is going to make it. We've changed up the house a little bit and the playroom will be the nursery, Brody will stay where he is and we changed the front guest room into a guest room/playroom. Brandon is hopefully going to paint this week for me in the new nursery and we will get the furniture from Aunt Marcy's next week sometime.
Here's a sneak peek at what the bedding will look like

Jaxson's Development at 19 weeks:
Your baby's sensory development is exploding! His brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that he may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to him, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.

Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. His arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of his body now. His kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on his scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on his skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

We are wrapping up our last week of school. I cannot wait to have Brody and Daddy all to myself this summer. I've decided to teach summer school and B has several classes and camps to attend so we should keep pretty busy. But none the less we will have a blast. Aunt Marcy's pool has been calling my name for a week now! Hopefully once things slow down we can get over there, this momma needs some color on her skin!

Til next time!
LeAnn

18 weeks

2010-05-27T13:19:00.000-07:00

I honestly don't think I've stopped smiling since Tuesday. Looking back I guess I was pretty nervous about our ultrasound and the baby's growth. I've only put on a pound and just don't feel like I'm as big as I was with Brody even though all I've heard about is how fast you grow with the second child. I don't know if maybe I just seem small because I remember how big you get towards the end or what. I'm definitely not complaining about the little weight gain it just made me nervous about Jaxson's growth.

He's definitely the mover and shaker just like his brother and this week he has let me know! I love that feeling.

I'm quite in love with his name as well even though I keep going back and forth about the spelling. I've always loved the name Jackson and Brandon offered this alternative spelling and it just seems to fit him and we can call him Jax for short which goes well with Brody.

We've been extremely busy and haven't been home one night since last Monday. This will be the first and I hope to get many things accomplished including scanning u/s pictures and posting a "Brody" post. But seems that Dada is working late again tonight that might not happen but I will definitely try!

Here's Jaxson's development this week:
Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a sweet potato) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. There is still space available in your uterus and your baby will be active for periods at a time. Your baby may sit cross legged or turn somersaults. Around this time, your baby becomes more sensitive to the outside world and shows her presence through powerful kicks and prods. The bones through which sound is passed to the inner ear have hardened and the parts of the brain that receives and processes nerve signals from the ears are developing. This means that your baby can hear now. Your baby will get used to familiar sounds, such as your heart beating, familiar voices, blood rushing through the umbilical cord and other daily routine sounds. Your baby will become startled if he hears a loud sound

IT'S A.....

2010-05-26T10:27:00.000-07:00

BOY

We went to the high risk doc yesterday and we are having another boy. We are beyond thrilled even though everyone we know wanted us to have a girl. I really think Brody will enjoy a brother!

This is an IPhone picture of the us so it isn't the greatest but I will try and scan some good ones tonight. We are going to name him

JAXON LEE OR JAXSON LEE (still debating on spelling)

He is measuring right on schedule and everything looked good with us. I will update later for his 18 week update.
Love,
LeAnn

Lil Mac: 17 weeks

2010-05-19T06:30:00.000-07:00

It hardly seems possible that I'm 17 weeks. Where has the time gone? We are so busy wrapping up the school year that the times flying by. Everyone is doing great this week. Had to get Brody new shoes because he's growing so quickly. He was wearing size 4 shoes and we learned when we went to get new ones that he's now in a size 5!! And I swear it happened overnight!

Momma goes to the doctor tomorrow to see the nurse practioner so I'm sure it won't be anything exciting, just the usually checking of blood pressure, weight and growth. I'll update if anything too exciting happens.

Lil Mac's 17 week development: seems like this is a busy week!
Your baby's weight has doubled in two weeks and now weighs about 3.5 ounces! The crown-to-rump length of your growing baby is 4.4 to 4.8 inches. If you spread your hand out opened wide, you can see about how big your baby is.
Huge changes continue to take place within your developing baby. This week fat begins to form and will continue to do so until he is born. Fat is important to the body's heat production and metabolism. Right now, at 17 weeks, water makes up about 3ounces and fat 0.018 ounces of your baby's body. In a baby at term, fat makes up about 5.25 pounds of the total average weight of 7.7 pounds. The placenta is continuing to grow at an amazing rate. The placenta will continue to develop in tandem with the fetus and it will weigh more than a pound at birth! By this week, the placenta is large and well established with a network of blood vessels that exchange nutrients and waste.
The eyes are facing more forward. The ears are now close to their final position.
Your baby is more flexible with ability to move head, mouth, lips, arms, wrists, hands, legs, feet, and toes. Fingerprints are forming now.

Love,
LeAnn

Lil Mac: 16 weeks

2010-05-12T08:06:00.000-07:00

Well we finally got over our illnesses from last week! Brody is feeling SO much better and the bronchitis has seem to calm down, thank goodness! It was a rough week for sure.

Momma is doing well and getting anxious to find out the sex of this baby. Brandon and I know when we go to the doctor to find out but we aren't telling anyone so that we can surprise our family with the news. We are sneaky like that :O) Brandon said he's really anxious to find out the gender of this one because he already knew what Brody was but isn't sure with this one. I keep going back and forth on a girl and boy. I honestly thing it's such a random draw and I've felt so different from Brody's pregnancy. I don't know if that's because this is my second time around so my body knows what to do and expects this or if it's because it's a girl. From our timing I believe our chances are higher for a girl! We will see shortly.

Lil Mac's 16 week development: Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

I've defintiely grown this past week so if the baby is about to go through a growth spurt I should definitely look pregnanct in the next week or two rather than my current state of just feeling/looking chunky. I'm so ready for that big round belly :)

I've been feeling random movements for quite some time now but they have been picking up in strength the past week. Mostly at night when I'm getting ready to fall asleep. I wonder if this baby will be the kicker that his/her brother was?

Lil Mac: 15 Weeks ~ What a week

2010-05-06T09:44:00.000-07:00

Another week down and it's been a crazy one! Saturday Brody started running fever out of the blue and had a running nose, hoarse voice and bad cough. After running 102-103 fever we headed to the doc on Sunday morning where he was diagnosed with Bronchitis and a virus. We were sent home with an antibotic and steroids. Two days with Grammy we thought we were all better until he started running 102 fever in the middle of Tuesday night. So we went back to the doc where we were told he still has bronchitis and a virus and has "junk" in his right lung. So now we were sent home with breathing treatments every 3 hours to try and get that stuff out. He seems better today and his cough has improved a little so I'm hoping he is on his way to recovery.

On top of that our AC went out last night! Poppy found a way to get it running again and we had it serviced and fixed today, good thing I was off with Brody!

I also got a new car this weekend! I love it, it's a 2010 Mazda CX-9 and I'm so happy with our purchase. We were just going to test drive them because I was interested in them for a few months now but never drove one. Well the dealership gave us more than we were expecting on my car and we qualified for 0% interest so we went ahead and got the car! It's so much easier loading groceries, strollers and a kiddo in a SUV vs. a car!

So it's been a very busy, hectic week. I keep saying to myself that soon there will be a 4th member of the family. I cannot imagine how hectic our life will be then!

Here is Lil Mac's development at 15 weeks:

Your baby is growing rapidly as you continue your pregnancy week by. If you were to peek inside your uterus during pregnancy week 15 you would still be able to see your baby's blood vessels through his paper-thin skin. In fact, the blood vessels forming in your baby's body make him look rather like a map! This week, your baby will start producing lanugo, which is fine hair that will cover your baby's body up until a few weeks before birth. Lanugo covers every part of your baby in utero, except for the palms, soles of the feet, lips, penis, nails, and inner fingers and toes. Typically babies will shed this hair by the 8th month of pregnancy, but it can persist in some newborns for a short period of time. Pre-term babies are more likely to be born with lanugo than full term babies. Your baby might start sucking his thumb this week.

The bones in your baby's body are also starting to get harder during pregnancy at 15 weeks and will continue to do so throughout your pregnancy. Your baby is spending most of his time practicing breathing, by inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid. Believe it or not, the very act of doing so will help your baby's air sacs develop during pregnancy. Your baby continues to form taste buds at this point in time.
15 week belly with Lil Mac:

15 week belly with Brody(for comparison):

Best Buddies

2010-04-30T10:48:00.000-07:00

Brody and Mason are in the same class together and are best buddies. His momma was sweet enough to take some pictures of them at the park. We didn't think we got any cute ones because they wouldn't sit still, or shall I say Mason wouldn't keep still. But we got tons of cute ones! I love these two boys, enjoy:

Brody DID NOT like the grass, he's a texture kid and anything new or different he hates! Mason was trying to calm him down and show him it wouldn't hurt him but nothing worked until I moved Brody over to the sidewalk.

Lil Mac: 14 Weeks

2010-04-28T09:39:00.001-07:00

This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb.In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces. His body's growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.) He's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over his body. Your baby's liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and his spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells.

Wow, I'm in the 2nd trimester...where is the time going? Still feeling great! I'm definitely blessed and have not had any morning sickness with Lil Mac. I'm feeling very light flutters at night when I'm getting ready to go to bed which is a great feeling. I definitely see how a first time mom misses these feelings so early. But I suppose because it's my second time I'm more aware of what those feelings are.

Other than that I'm just busying chasing Brody around the house. This week he was not feeling well due to allergies and had a terrible diaper rash that has required around the clock care. I've been getting up every 2-3 hours at night to doctor it up but this morning it was almost completely gone! My poor baby, it was awful for him.

This week is TAKS week here in the good ole state of Texas so its been extremely hectic. Then we have a field trip tomorrow to the Fort Worth Zoo with my PreAP students. I'm really excited to get outta here for the day.

Our dog Molly is going through a rough time. We lost her brother, Haus in March and she just hasn't been the same. She has never been alone before so I think it's getting to her. She isn't eating well and will got 2-3 days without eating and on Tuesday I had a message when I got done testing from the Animal control saying they had her at the pound because she had dug under our fence and gotten out. So she's spending a few days at her Nana's and Poppy's to get some TLC because of our crazy, busy schedule.

Once this week is over I will be money and have only 5 weeks left of school! One of which is just reviewing for finals :) I can taste summer break!

Lil Mac: 13 Weeks

2010-04-23T07:05:00.000-07:00

It's been a crazy busy week around here and I'm just now able to slow down a little to catch up on my blogging. It won't last long because next week is TAKS week and that's going to be a killer. I also have a field trip on Thursday to the Fort Worth Zoo! But I've decided if I can survive this next week then I will be in the home stretch with 5 weeks left of school.

We went to the doctor yesterday and it was a short and sweet visit. Dr. B was on her way to deliver so nothing exciting happened. We got to hear Lil Mac's heartbeat. It was strong and steady at 160 bmp. My blood pressure was great and I haven't gained any weight!! Whoa...I was surprised because I've definitely grown in the waist line. I think at this point with Brody I had already gained 3-4 pounds.

We go see the PA in 4 weeks, the high risk OB Dr. Tabor in 5-6 weeks(whenever they can get us an appointment) and then back to Dr. B in 8 weeks. At one of those appointments we should find the gender of this baby, I'm just not sure which one. I'm going to see Dr. Tabor again to make sure the baby is healthy and to take a look at my placenta and umbilical cord to see if we have any blood clots going on. My shots have been ok, I'm having a lot more bruising this time around and getting a lot more hard spots under the skin which is actually bruises under the skin. This makes my belly extremely sore and last between 7-10 days. She said I just need to keep my eye on those. I've had about 4 of them already and I can't figure out if its the way I'm giving the shots or if it's just because. Dr. B said there really isn't anything I can do to stop it unless I want to ice the area first but I don't have time for that.

Other than that life is good and busy. Brody is growing like a weed and really becoming a character.

Lil Mac: 12 Weeks

2010-04-14T17:34:00.000-07:00

Your baby's crown-to-rump length is almost 2.5 inches and she now weighs between 8 and 14 grams! In just three weeks, your baby's size has more than doubled and begins to look a lot more human. Even though you won't be able to feel your baby moving at this time, you can stimulate him and he will squint, open his mouth and move his fingers or toes. Because most of the structures are already formed at this point, few will be formed after this time. The structures will continue to grow and develop throughout the remainder of your pregnancy. Your baby's skeletal system now has centers if bone formation in most of the bones. The digestive system is capable of making contractions that push food through the bowels and it is also able to absorb sugar. The pituitary gland beginning to make hormones.
Here's 12 week belly bump:

I've had severe allergy/cold problems this week and at night cannot catch my breath when I lay down. I ended up taking a breathing treatment last night and it did wonders! It was instant relief. I'm so ready to get some rain to knock some of this pollen out of the air!!

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Love Me Some Oreos!

2010-04-14T17:28:00.000-07:00

Brody has recently discovered that he likes cheese. So I got him some lunchables this week because they are the perfect size. One of the lunchables has oreos in them so I decided to let him try one and he LOVED it. I know that probably doesn't surprise most that a kid likes a cookie but Brody isn't really a sweets eater. He doesn't care too much about cake, ice cream or cookies. BUT oreos, he loves!

We went to the botanical gardens a few weeks ago which turned out to be a big mistake with Brody's allergies as he was sick the whole rest of the week and we only managed to get a few good shots. We've discovered Brody doesn't like to sit, stand or be near grass therefore no pics with pretty flowers! I love this last pic because it really shows off his natural blue eyes that at times can be stunningly beautiful :)

Look Alikes?

2010-04-13T12:47:00.001-07:00

I'm going to get a picture of my dad at Brody's age but I bet he looks more like him than he does me because all I hear is how much Brody looks like his Papa. At times it's scary how much he looks like me. I usually see Brandon in him when he's sleeping or serious

Lil Mac: 11 Weeks

2010-04-06T09:17:00.000-07:00

Your baby, just over 1 1/2 inches long and about the size of a lime, is now almost fully formed. Her hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under her gums, and some of her bones are beginning to harden.She's already busy kicking and stretching, and her tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. These movements will become more frequent as her body grows and becomes more developed and functional. You won't feel your baby's acrobatics for another month or two — nor will you notice the hiccupping that may be happening now that her diaphragm is forming.

I keep trying to get belly pics but just haven't had the time or don't think about it since I'm not really showing a whole lot. I will try again tonight to get one.
I'm still feeling great and not pregnant. It's definitely a weird feeling vs how I felt with Brody. I've been wondering if the difference of sick and not sick has to do with my thyroid being controlled vs it being all over the place when pregnant with Brody. I'm not nearly as tired this time around compared to how tired I was with Brody.

Here's a cool pic of an 11 week old fetus. Crazy how small they are yet all major body parts are formed, developed and growing.

I'm just trucking right along and ready to head into the 2nd trimester. My favorite trimester out of them all! 2nd trimester is the most exciting because you begin to look pregnant, you start feeling the baby and you find out the sex of the baby! Then you get to start thinking of names! We definitely have a few picked out for both a boy and girl but I keep going back and forth on the names. So I guess we will narrow it down once we find out the gender.

Til next time,
LeAnn

Tugging at your heart strings!

2010-04-06T09:01:00.001-07:00

There's something about a sick kid that makes a mother's tummy just ache. And it makes a working mother ache even more to be a stay at home mom.

Brody has not been feeling well since Saturday and is extremely clingy to his momma.
He's had a bad cold/upper respir. infection, cold in his eyes and is cutting FOUR upper teeth, yes 4!
Which is fine with me, I love rubbing his back, wiping his nose and hugging on him a little extra when he is feeling down. But it also makes it so much harder to go to work when they are like that. I feel guilty! Really guilty leaving him when he's sick. I know he will be fine with whomever he is with but there's just something about those sad, sick eyes and that pathetic sound of "momma" that makes you want to throw your hands up and say I quit!

I feel very fortunate and blessed that both Brandon and I have good, secure jobs and therefore 98% of the time I can just call in sick and stay home with my baby when he's ill. I'm also very blessed in the fact that I have all summer off, many breaks during the school year plus 10 sick days on top of all the other breaks.

I have 8 more Monday's left and then I can stay home with my sweet husband and precious baby for 8 weeks. I cannot imagine working knowing there was no summer break to look forward to or 2 week Christmas break. But at the same time I feel a constant, internal battle to say can we work it out so that I can stay at home! I suppose every mother goes through this and some days I'm so thankful I work and B gets the interaction that he so needs with other children at daycare.

I've also been battling that he will get a new teacher next year. What?! Wait one sec, I am very comfortable with his teacher's now, why can't they move up with him!! I'm very anal about the care that Brody receives at daycare. I can't help it, when it comes to my child and protecting him I have to feel comfortable with the people he's with and feel assured they are doing everything to eliminate the germs that manifest in a daycare setting. Then I started thinking about it and I better get use to it because that's the way it's going to go now until high school. I don't know how I'm going to survive middle school years!

Til next time,
LeAnn

Lil Mac: 10 Weeks

2010-03-30T12:31:00.000-07:00

Here is what's going on with Lil Mac at 10 weeks:
This week is somewhat of a landmark for your developing baby. By now, your baby's complete body plan is laid down. Your baby will continue to develop and grow for the remainder of the pregnancy. The fingers and toes have separated and the tail has disappeared now. Your baby has taste and tooth buds at this point, which will continue to develop. The brain will continue to grow at an amazing rate and nearly a quarter of a million new neurons are produced every minute! The embryonic heart is completely developed. External genitalia are not apparent until next week, but a male's testes will already be producing testosterone.

Still feeling really good! Have energy for the most part and not feeling sick at all. I was hoping to get a belly pic last night but B and I got busy and were pretty worn out so I will get one tonight and post it.

Other than that just counting down the weeks until summer vacation! 8 more to go!!

Love,
LeAnn

First Noggin

2010-03-25T13:09:00.000-07:00

Now that Brody is walking everywhere he is also getting a lot more bumps and bruises especially when he's tired at night and starts getting clumpsy. He pretty much refuses to crawl anymore so it's hard to stay right on top of him all the time. The other night we were playing and he took the remote to the tv and wanted me to chase him (his new favorite thing) but he turned to quickly while trying to run from me and hit the coffee table square on the handle of the drawer.

I immediately picked him up to see that his head was already swollen the size of a golf ball and turned black/blue. I freaked because I didn't realize that it could swell and bruise that quickly, within 10 seconds!! But after I calmed him down and put ice on it he seemed better.

The only thing that makes me nervous now is that it's still swollen! It's been 3 days, is that normal?

It broke my heart seeing his first Boo Boo but I know this won't be the last so I've tried to buck up and realize it's ok for things like this to happen because they are just unavoidable!

Side view of how swollen it was(it's still half that size 3 days later)

Lil Mac: 9 Weeks & Doctor's Appt

2010-03-23T19:10:00.001-07:00

TADA...Here's Lil Mac @ 9 Weeks
I had my first doctor's appointment today and it went fantastic. I am literally on cloud 9 tonight. I knew I was pregnant but was very nervous because I haven't had any symptoms and have really felt great. Which isn't how I felt with Brody at all. I also didn't think I would get to see Dr. B today because they called yesterday and asked if I wouldn't mind seeing her P.A. because she was pretty behind from being off last week. But lucky me, Dr. B was able to see me and it was so great catching up with her, I truly love my doctor and she means the world to me. She moved offices and her new office is awesome. The decor and set up is beautiful!! You can tell they put their heart and sole into this new office and it's a great place to wait an hour or two vs. their old cramped office.

So we went through my history and I refreshed her memory with Brody's pregnancy. I don't know how you can forget that pregnancy :) After that, she wanted to get a look at the baby and said afterwards that my uterus didn't feel big at all so she was kinda nervous for me as well. But immediatly this little girl or guy popped up on the screen and we could see the little heart just a thumping away. Such a sweet, sweet sight to see. Baby is measuring right on the mark at 8 weeks 6 days and Dr. B says everything looks great. I go back in 4 weeks for my next appointment.

We did discuss preterm labor, contractions and bedrest and she said we might put me on another SHOT at 16 weeks, Progestrone, that studies show can help with preterm labor but she said we will cross that bridge when we get to it. As much as I don't want to give myself 2 shots in the belly everyday, at this point I think to myself what's one more shot, especially if it keeps me outta bed!

I'm extremely relieved and thrilled with this pregnancy so far. I'm so glad I'm not sick, I feel like it's a good start thus far and hope we don't retrace our steps like my last pregnancy. But whatever it takes to get to this baby I'll do :)

Here's what's going on with lil Mac's development this week:

Your new resident is nearly an inch long — about the size of a grape — and weighs just a fraction of an ounce. She's starting to look more and more human. Her essential body parts are accounted for, though they'll go through plenty of fine-tuning in the coming months. Other changes abound: Your baby's heart finishes dividing into four chambers, and the valves start to form — as do her tiny teeth. The embryonic "tail" is completely gone. Your baby's organs, muscles, and nerves are kicking into gear. The external sex organs are there but won't be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks. Her eyes are fully formed, but her eyelids are fused shut and won't open until 27 weeks. She has tiny earlobes, and her mouth, nose, and nostrils are more distinct. The placenta is developed enough now to take over most of the critical job of producing hormones.

13 Months

2010-03-20T08:37:00.000-07:00

My sweet baby is 13 months today! He is such a joy to be around and I've really enjoyed my time off with him this week.

~He is walking all over the place unassisted.
~He uses sign language to say more, eat, thank you and please. We are working on all done
~He will blow kisses and when you ask him to lay his head down he will go get a pillow and lay his head down(so cute!)
~He says momma, dada, papa, nana, poppy, ball, up, dog, No No(and points his finger) and a few others I can't think of right now.
~His favorite things to eat are peas, green beans, carrots and chicken

He loves being outside when the weather is nice and watching Molly run around the house.

He is IN TO EVERYTHING!! You name it he is trying to get it. Cords, behind the couch, remotes, drawers, cabinets, anything and everything.

RIP Haus

2010-03-20T08:32:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday I went out back to check on the dogs only to find our oldest, Haus had gone to Rainbow Bridge. It's definitely not fun being home alone with your toddler and finding your puppy dead.

Brandon got Haus 4-5 days after we started dating so he's been through it all with us. He was a hard-headed, stubborn dog that drove us crazy many times but was also the most laid back, loving dog. He will be greatly missed