Memorial Day

We got to spend part of Memorial Day weekend down at my parents again this year.  Last year Jasper was in Cape Cod for a wedding so we were glad he was able to join us this year!

I took this picture during the 5 minute span of time that Jax was allowed out in the sun.  

Even with tons of sunblock on, I really worry about his pale skin in the sun.  

He definitely got his father's complexion over mine!

My Dad's side of the family came down to cook out.  Jax got lots of snuggle time with his Nana. 

Jax never got to really enjoy the pool last summer as he was so young.  This weekend was the first weekend he got to have some pool time and it got me so excited for the rest of the summer.  He had a fantastic time. 

My mom got a water table to have next to the pool.  It was great to have an area in the shade for him to play so I didn't have to worry about the sun so much.   

While Jax chilled in the shade, my dad and uncle enjoyed some pool time.  

Since last Memorial Day Jasper was out of town I loved being able to get a family picture this year. 

By the end of the day Jax realized that he can dump water on the ground from the water table.  

Then he figured out he could dump it on himself.  

Jasper headed back that night and Jax and I stayed to get some pool time the next day.  

I just loved the pictures I took of Jax the next morning. 

 Yes my kid rocks mismatched socks.  :)

It sure felt like summer the next day.  It was HOT and the pool felt fantastic.   I did swimming lessons with Jax for a month or so prior to us moving and he HATED them.  I wasn't sure how he would do in the pool at my parents but he just loved it.  Maybe he just felt more comfortable with family around?  He laughed and splashed and would "swim" back and forth from me to my dad over and over. 

Jax seemed very relaxed with his Papa Bear.  

 

I think Gey really enjoyed getting to watch Jax play at his water table.  

All smiles after a great day at the pool!

We are now ready for our beach vacation in a few weeks!

Pasta Night

Jax is a funny eater.  I never know what foods he will like and not like.  So far he isn't a fan of plain pasta so I thought he might like it with sauce ... I mean, do you eat your pasta plain?  I wouldn't call it a "hit" but it wasn't a total failure.  Sure, more pasta ended up on his face and on the floor than in his mouth, but he didn't give us his signature "look of disgust" so that is a positive.  It also made for some really cute pictures.    

In case you are wondering, yes we went straight from dinner to bath tonight!

Our Little Patient

I had posted before that we had an appointment with the Pediatric Ophthalmologist about Jax's blocked tear ducts.  Well the Dr. confirmed that they had not cleared up on their own and recommended we go ahead with the procedure to open them up.  I would obviously like to wait longer, but around 15 months a child's tear ducts apparently close more, making the procedure more invasive.  Therefore, we wanted to get it done sooner rather than later.

The procedure is a relatively easy one and only takes about 15 minutes.  If an adult was having it done, it could be done with a few pain killers in the Dr.'s office.  Babies can't sit still for the procedure though, so it has to be under general anesthesia.  While I know the majority of kids do fine under anesthesia, this of course had me nervous.

Jax couldn't have anything to eat or drink after midnight.  The procedure was early in the morning and so this wasn't too bad.  Jax goes to sleep around 6 though so that is a long time for a baby to go without anything to drink.  I therefore, woke him up at 11:30 to give him a bottle of milk.  He was very confused, but didn't protest the bottle or the extra cuddle time, I didn't either.  This morning we were up and out of the house early and Jax was in a good mood in the waiting area at Kosair.  We took pictures on our phones throughout the day to share with our parents, so I thought I would post them here.      

Once we got back to the room to prep for the procedure, Jax started to get fussy.  He didn't like the blood pressure cuff.  He looked so little in his tiny hospital gown.

They kept this little device on his toe to track his oxygen intake.  It make his toe "glow" and reminded me of the bili light Jax had to have when he came home from the hospital with jaundice.  

After Jax was brought back for recovery, he was pretty out of it.  He looked like he was sleeping on the bed until he heard our voices and immediately wanted to be picked up and held for the rest of the time we were there.   

I would like to say that I was fine during the procedure, but that wouldn't be the truth.  I hated that I couldn't go back with him until he was put under and I cried more than once during the process.  It makes me realize how hard it was on my parents when I had surgery or a procedure done as a kid.  Things that I wouldn't think twice about were things I worried constantly about with Jax.  I can't imagine how hard it is to have a sick child and have to go through this process over and over.  I feel so lucky that Jax is so healthy.

Jax was very fussy the rest of the day (which was expected) but luckily slept for much of the day to make up for his interrupted sleep last night and this morning.  I am just glad today is over and hope that we are all feeling a little better tomorrow.     

A Mother's Day Reflection: One Year of Motherhood

While uploading pictures from this Mother's Day, I looked back at my post from last year.  I tend to focus in this blog on the changes Jax has made:  his milestones, his growth, his changing personality.  What I haven't focused or reflected on is the change that has happened to me over this past year.  Last Mother's day Jax was less than 2 weeks old.  I was still in survival mode as I navigated a world of newborn care that no amount of preparation or research could have fully prepared me for.  I was not confident AT ALL in my ability to care for this precious life, this responsibility, I had been given.  I remember looking at Jasper when it was time to leave the hospital thinking "they are just going to let us take him out of here?"  Confidence came with time.  However, one thing I am always amazed by was how natural motherhood felt to me from the moment he was placed into my arms.   

Motherhood has more "on the job" training than any other job out there.  I have learned a lot over this last year and wanted to write down of few of those lessons.

1)  Babies cry and sometimes there is nothing you can do to stop it.  In these cases I just figured if I couldn't stop him I would just join him.  It seemed like a good idea at the time.        

2)  You can sit perfectly still for hours if there is a sleeping baby in  your arms who is in desperate need of a nap.  It didn't matter how hungry or tired I was or how badly I needed to use the restroom, if my baby was sleeping, I wasn't moving!

3)  Your baby's first smile is one of the most amazing sights you will see.  Then their smiles somehow continue to get cuter even though it doesn't seem possible. 


4)  You can leave your baby and they will be perfectly fine when you return.  That doesn't make it any easier to leave those first few times though. 

5)  Babies can also fall off a bed and be perfectly fine.  I wish I didn't know this fact from firsthand knowledge. 

6)  At some point your kid will finally start to sleep.  For us it was at 6 months and not a day sooner.  


7)  If you are someone that is constantly worried about the safety of your child, you are guaranteed to have a child that is a daredevil.  Jasper must have said "Saftey First" to our son a million times in her first year of life.  Our child has no fear when it comes to his physical movements.  Most of the time he is going head first off of something.   See 5) above. 

8)  No matter how strong you are, a baby will seem stronger when they won't lay still for a diaper change.  My son proves this theory with almost every diaper change. 

9)  In the first year, every "age" gets better and better.  I don't have experience yet with anything over one year, but this theory has continued to prove true for me. 

10)  When you think that there isn't possibly any more room in your heart, you love your child even more.  I remember thinking before Jax was born that there was no way I could possibly love this little baby any more than I already did.  Then he was born and my love for him seemed to grow stronger every single day.

For this Mother's Day we stayed home as a family.  Jasper got up with Jax and I slept in for another hour.  I was then greeted by this handsome fella in bed. 

We had a fantastic day at home together just playing.  Jasper took these pictures right before Jax went to sleep when we were reading out bedtime books.  I just love them.

I am sure during this next year of motherhood I will learn many more things (including how to take care of two kids under two!) and I just cannot wait.  I love being a mother more than I ever imagined possible and know that it will continue to get even better.      

My Lunch Date

We have been eating out a lot recently for lunch.  This is because lunch time is about the only good time of day for us to run errands (between Jax's two naps).  I have decided that The Cracker Barrel is the absolute best place to dine with a baby.  The reason?  There are lots of grandparents there that want to wave at and entertain your kid!  I was able to eat my entire meal while a table of 4 grandmothers next to me talked to Jax and kept his attention, it was awesome. 

Here was my lunch date. 

My choice of restaurant might have to change once Jax is old enough to be requesting things like candy on our way out, their selection is hard for me to pass up, I can't imagine how tempting it is for a toddler!  Until then though, you can find us at the Cracker Barrel pretty often. :)

Derby

Our friends Rip and Courtney came in for Derby again this year.  As you can see, Courtney is pregnant and still managed to make it through two full days of horse racing after traveling from Alabama!  Made my excuse of being too tired to go not seem sufficient.  

Jax apparently didn't get the memo that we weren't headed to the track for the races.  

He was all dressed and ready for his Derby debut. 

He wasn't too happy when we broke the news that we were staying home this year. 

I still managed to get a cute derby picture though.  :)

We had a great day at home.  Jasper's parents came over and we even placed bets on the race online (though I don't think any of us won). 

Jasper and I hope to start going to the Derby again next year.  Though by this time next year we will have a 2 year old and a 6 month old, so who knows how tired we will be then!

Here Comes Trouble

I have noticed Jax is getting into more and more things theses days. The other day I was putting away dishes and thought Jax was quietly playing with some toys in the kitchen.  When I looked over I saw this ...

Busted!

"Maybe if I put the box back she won't notice what I did?"

That's right, baking soda all over the kitchen floor.  Obviously I wasn't too upset if I grabbed the camera instead of the mop.  After laughing for a few minutes, I did clean up the mess and went back to the dishes.  Apparently Jax wasn't finished with the pantry yet.  

Jax first went for the jello mix, but that wasn't much fun. 

Then he hit the jackpot, an opened box of spaghetti noodles.  

They were all over the floor before I could even say no. 

He might make a mess, but you can resist this face?

Big Boy

I look at Jax some days and he looks so big it catches my breath.

Seriously, where did this big boy come from?

One Year Well Check Up

Well Jax and I went in for his 1 year well baby visit today and things look good.  Jax was all smiles while waiting for the Dr. to come back. 

You can really see the shiner on Jax's left eye in this picture.  He got it the day of his birthday party while playing in the playroom.  Luckily it didn't look this bad until the day after.  I assume this is the first of many  more to come. 

The Dr. seemed very happy with Jax's stats:

Height:  29.5 inches   45%
Weight:  22 lb 10       50%
Head:  49.5 cm         80%

Yup, my kid has a big head. :)  His height and weight percentages are right on track for what he was at his 6 month check up, so I think this is more of Jax's curve than the "off the charts" newborn I had.   Jax got a couple of shots and really took them well.  You will notice I don't have pictures from after his appointment though.  After shots, Jax stays pretty much wrapped around my neck. 

The Dr thought Jax was reaching all the important milestones and thinks several more teeth will make an appearance soon (good times).  Our only concern right now is that Jax still has blocked tear ducts in both eyes.  He has had them since birth and while it is pretty common, in most babies it resolves by one year with no intervention.  Jax's are still bad and so our pediatrician made an appointment with a Pediatric Opthamologist this week to see what we should do.  Usually, it is recommended to to a probing of the tear ducts to help they drain properly.  I am anxious to see what that Dr. recommends.