Merry Christmas from the Wilsons

So no thanks to my precious son, I was a little late in getting our Christmas cards out this year. It's not that I didn't try {for weeks}, but I was just not happy with my son's performance for our perfect Christmas card.

Between camera-user malfunctions {thanks to Kristi for helping a momma out} and a busy boy that just wouldn't sit still and smile for me, we were a hot mess!

One day Jackson was looking quite dapper and in a good mode, so I opened the door to see what I could get...

But, for the life of me I could not get him to look at me. 

Instead he looked for Santa and his reindeer.

And then there were tears, lots and lots of tears, at the thought of sitting still

Until Momma brought out the goldfish and the tears dried up immediately

But, no amount of goldfish could keep this little man from running away

And laughing all the way...

 the hat was a lost cause, Jackson just wasn't having it.

As you can see, this was just as good as it was ever going to get - and a card was made.

I espically loved the quote I found for inside the card, 

I need to practice this every now and then!

Merry Christmas Y'all:)

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Surgery Day Recap

All of your thoughts and prayers were definitely felt y'all, thanks so much!!! Jackson surgery was a complete success and everything is going as well as to be expected. We arrived at the surgery center at 7:00AM on Monday and were on our way home at 10:15AM!

In case any of you have this in your future, below is the time line of our day so you'll know what to expect!

Sunday night I packed Jackson's bag with diapers, wipes, button down pj's to come home in, a sippy cup and his hippo. One last thing to worry about the day of:) We also pre-registered the week before.

5:35: Momma and Mr.'s alarm went off and it was time to shower for the day

6:35: Loaded car.  Woke Jackson up, changed his diaper, grabbed his blanket and put him in the car

6:55: Walked in the Surgery Center doors

7:00: We were sent to the Surgery Waiting Room

7:15: After watching some Mickey Mouse, we were called back to another room.

I'm not sure what to call this, but there were a dozen hospital beds separated with curtains.  ALL were full of people getting in there elective surgeries at the end of the year since they'd met their deductible.  Seriously, it was crazy busy!

7:30: Jackson was given some happy juice, Verset.  And he got loopy fast! The timing was perfect, as it was hard to keep Jackson on the hospital bed and not crawling under the curtains to the next patient.

We changed him into his hospital gown and a fresh diaper.

The anesthesiologist came and talked to us and played a little with Jackson so that he'd be comfortable with him.

We met the two nurses assigned to Jackson, they were all so very nice.

Jackson's doctor also came to meet with us to make sure we were all good.

The "happy juice" made Jackson so incredibly cuddly, it was precious.  He was giving hugs and kisses out like crazy {and actually hasn't stopped}.  The hospital have him a surgery bear and he loved that as much as his hippo!

8:45: The nurses came and got Jackson and said they'd call in the waiting room once he was put under.

9:00: The phone rang and my heart skipped a beat.  Mr. took the call and said everything was great.  They were ready to start...

I took one sip of my coffee, ran to the bathroom, and met Mr. back in the waiting room.

9:12: The waiting room phone rang, and it was for us.  They were ready for us to meet with the doctor.  I was certain that something had gone wrong.  I mean it had only been 12 minutes! But, the doctor came in and said that everything went beautifully! Jackson didn't have infection, but lots of fluid left from previous infections.  His adenoids were large and in charge, so she was very happy that we got those out.  She said that they were probably the root of our problems.

As we were walking out of her office, the surgery nurses were looking for us to come back with Jackson.  He was in a private pediatric suite (sound proof).  The poor nurse was almost the same size as Jackson, and was 5 months pregnant.  I felt terrible, as Jackson gave her a run for her money! He looked so pitiful with puffy eyes, hooked up to an IV.  I wasn't expecting to see that, but they wanted to make sure he didn't vomit before they took it out.

Jackson pretty much fussed and cried the whole time were were in there.  He drank some water and kept it down fine.  Finally, we asked the nurse if we could just take him home.  There was no way he was going to calm down in there.  And sure enough, we barely got out of the parking lot before he quit crying and was fast asleep.  We pulled out of the parking lot at 10:15 and went home. 

Jackson has been pretty good since we got home.  He slept on me most of the day on Monday and was just very clingy yesterday.  He's been running a low grade fever, so I've been watching him closely to make sure it doesn't spike due to infection.  Jackson also wanted to nurse pretty much all day on Monday, which was hard, but it made him feel better.
 

I had no idea the volumes of pee Jackson would have over the next 24 hours.  He exploded a Pampers Baby Dry during one of our naps.  We woke up soaked after about an hour!

He got two black eyes from the adenoid removal, but they are fading today.  He's rubbing his face and tugging on his ears still, so I know he feels something.  Mortrin has done wonders though!

And...Jackson has been sleeping through the night, hallelujah!!!

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prayer request

I cannot believe Jackson's surgery day is here, well almost. I'm a ball of emotions right now, praying that this routine surgery will be just that.

Tonight I let Jackson play in the tub until his hands looked like raisins. All the while, knowing that this would be the last care free bath he'll have for the next 12-18 months. I know keeping ear plugs in his ears and the water out is going to be a struggle.

He also may or may not have eaten the entire jar of homemade cookies at Loli's today, just because:)

I have much to blog about, but for now I just ask that you keep our sweet Jackson in your thoughts and prayers. Please pray for his doctor and the nurses with him during his procedure. I know that tubes and adenoid removal is such an easy surgery, but that is also what makes me the most nervous.

Please pray for Jackson to have a speedy recovery and relief from his ear pressure. Please also pray for this Momma, as I'm feeling as any mother would the night before her child gets put under anesthesia.

Hopefully, tomorrow will bring lots of new updates and some pics of our little man in his new Pajamas and cuddle toys...one that happens to be red and laughs when you tickle his tummy:)

I'm looking forward to what tomorrow brings for us.  I'm dreaming about what his little voice will sound like and hearing him say Momma again!

Loves

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Pampers vs. Target Up & Up Diapers

For the past 18 months, I've bought nothing but Pampers diapers for my sweet baby J. We started with the Swaddlers, oh how I miss those tiny, soft, little ones. When I was pregnant we were given a package of Huggies and Pampers. But, there was just something about the smell and feel of Pampers that locked me in from day one at the hospital.   I actually never opened the Huggies and donated them to a shelter.  Is that brand loyalty or what?!?

When Jackson started to get bigger and sleep longer, we bought Pampers Baby Dry diapers for nighttime. Eventually, as Jackson outgrew the precious Swaddlers, we converted over to Baby Dry for day and night.

I tried a Pampers Cruisers once, and only once. I wasn't a fan of the way it felt, and they didn't fit Jackson well. He actually peed out the one and only Cruiser he ever wore.

I have terribly sensitive skin. Like to the point that I can't change my soap, detergent or hair products - ever. Even different types of water can make my skin quickly break out into a high school "pizza face". My parents said that the only diaper I could wear was Huggies, and if they switched my behind would be raw from diaper rash almost immediately.

Jackson's skin isn't as sensitive as mine, but it is still very sensitive. We have to use the Lansinoh wipes and Aveeno baby products. Pampers sensitive skin baby wipes and Johnson's baby wash ate his skin raw. So you see, if something works for us, like Pampers, I have a hard time switching!

But, after 18 months of shelling out $35 every two weeks for diapers {Target is the cheapest place for us to buy diapers.  Wal-mart is $2 more and never has Baby Dry in our size stocked in stores} I decided to give the Target Up & Up brand a try. The savings was $0.08 per diaper, $19.99 a pack of 108 vs. $35.99 for a pack of 136.

The Up & Up diapers are not as soft as the Pampers Baby Dry, but they're still soft. I actually think they fit his chubby behind and thighs a little better than Pampers. He's worn them for the past couple of days without getting diaper rash.

Last night was Jackson's first time wearing them to bed and he woke up at 5AM - screaming and soaking wet.  Maybe it was just a coincidence, but it seems that the Baby Drys are able to keep him dry a little better... I'm going to finish up the pack and see if it happens again. If so, the cost savings isn't really saving me enough. I gladly pay the extra 8 cents to not strip a bed at 5AM again!

What have your experiences with diapers been? Are you brand loyal or do you buy whatever is on sale?

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Nanny Interviews: The third time around

To give you a brief history, to date Jackson has had two nannies. We found Christine when I was pregnant with Jackson. Her and her husband were moving to Louisiana from Kansas City and we definitely bonded over being "Northerners".

Christine was with us from August through February. She wasn't a rock star, but she was good. She loved Jackson and soaked in all of his infant days. However, they both needed more and it was time to move on...literally, Christine and her husband wanted to start a family of their own and move back home.

At the time, this reality totally sucked. And well, the interview process for nanny #2 was awful. If you recall this post, I was sure we were being punked or on some hidden camera reality show. But, all that changed the minute that Felicia walked through our door.

Felicia is one of the sweetest girls I've ever met. Children are seriously drawn to her, I call her the baby whisper, and she is just 20-years-old. She has a gift, which may come from being one of 11 children. Yes, 11. There isn't much that gets to her. I mean she gladly piled into my little Honda and willingly drove 12 hours completely smooched in the backseat of my car. Seriously, rock.star.

When we got the news from her that she needed to move home to be with her family, my heart sank. We were completely devastated. I don't think I slept that whole week. I even went into a little bit of denial and avoided looking for a new nanny for weeks.

But, the time came. I paid my $30 and joined another month at care.com. I figured Felicia was well worth the $30, so surely my money would be well spent again. Oh my was I sadly mistaken.

I had about 20 applicants, which were weeded down to the handful I wanted to interview. Their living situation played a huge part in the process. I did not want to go through another situation were our nanny would move away, again. We're two for two now!

The girls that wanted to make more than my salary, in cash, were immediately cut...those and the girls with profile pictures that belonged on girls gone wild.

The first few interviews were okay, just not good fits for us. One girl had a few too many facial piercings for Mr. to see past. The other had a bad back and I had nightmares about her picking up Jackson, throwing it out, and suing us. There was also the girl who canceled last minute because her child was being rushed to the hospital...but it sounded more like she overslept and I didn't buy it. 

However, the last interview was by far the worst. She was scheduled to interview at out house at 6:15, but did not walk through our front door until 7:30!!! She called at 6:30 to say the traffic was bad and she'd be late. Which was no big deal, as Mr. and I were also stuck in that traffic and were running late as well.

When she called she said she was about a mile away, so I got concerned after another 20 minutes past and she still wasn't at our house. I called to make sure she wasn't lost, and sure enough she plugged us into her GPS instead of taking down the directions I gave her.  I explicitly warned everyone that this would happen. {We've lived in our house for three years and have yet to be able to straighten this issue out. Mapquest has just recently found us.} Since half of our mail goes to the other address, we knew exactly where she was.

I will stop with the play-by-play details here, and just say that the poor girl did not know her left from her right. And for the next 40 minutes I tried ever so patiently to get her to our house. I never knew someone could get so lost in a one mile radius in my life. All the while, still arguing with me that the GPS told her to go the opposite direction. I wanted to come through the phone and throw the GPS out her window! Mr. was not so quietly telling me just to hang up and tell her never mind.

I am not the greatest with directions, and it was a dark night in an unfamiliar area to her, so I felt bad for her.  Well, that was until she walked in my door and introduced herself as Ya-ya. That was about the last thing that I understood from her mouth. It was bad.

She tired to read Jackson a book, and it was painful. Ya-ya even thought the author's name was the book title. I could never figure out if she was planning on bringing her god-child with her to our house. Her "job experience" was always having her with her, 'cause her sister works a lot?!? I questioned whether or not she needed to bring her to work with her and she kept saying that was her work...

Oh and we never found out where so actually lived, only that she "stayed to her boyfriend's a lot" or "to her sister's house" sometimes.

And in a moment of FB status updates, our situation totally changed.  Our sweet neighbor offered up her services to keep Jackson. I never realized she watched kids during the day, which is going to be so perfect for Jackson! He absolutely loves them as it is, I can't imagine how excited he'll be to spend the whole day with them:) 

Now I can how a moment of relief, until the next "thing" comes along.  I mean it's always something, isn't it?!?

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One year and 6 months ago...

@7:45p.m. our lives changed forever as our son was placed in my arms. I had no idea what life was about to be like. I was in no way shape or form prepared for the love my heart was about to explode with. Today my baby is 18-months-old, just 6 months shy of his second birthday, and my heart is bursting at the seams.

This next month is going to be so full change and transition, as they all are, but this is different. I'm confident that Jackson will flourish, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little terrified.

I'm pretty sure this is the last month that I can refer to my son's age in months. He's no long a baby, he's a year and a half old. How did this happen so fast?!?

Jackson's surgery date, the 20th, is coming up on us so quickly. I find myself questioning whether or not we're making the right decision. Putting your child under anesthesia isn't something to take lightly. It was much easier to look forward to when he was sick and I could tell he was in pain. However, he's been healthy for a couple of weeks and now I question if the fluid has magically drained from his ears. I doubt it, but I'm being honest here:)

Jackson is nursing for shorter periods of time, and I think he's about ready to wean. I won't start this until after he's recovered from the tubes and adenoid removal. But, just knowing this phase is coming to an end makes me sad...and my uterus start to crave another baby.

We weren't able to find a suitable nanny replacement for our Fee, so Jackson will be going to our neighbors for "daycare". We're actually thrilled about this solution and think it's the best of both worlds. When Amanda offered up her services, it just felt right. She has three kids of her own that Jackson loves, so she clearly knows what's she doing:) She'll have a couple of babies during the day, so they will all get social interaction from one another. I really hate waking Jackson up in the morning and packing him up, but walking next door isn't bad. And, if I forget something, Amanda can always walk over and grab it. Not that I want that to happen, but it's one less thing to stress over.

Another transition we're going through right now is that Jackson wants to do everything himself. He wants to brush his own teeth and feed himself completely. Jackson loves to use his fork and spoon, and wipe his hands and mouth. He also LOVES to eat bananas. And by love, I mean that if we let him, he'll eat 3 in one day.

I'm hoping that Jackson will sleep better and start to talk more after his surgery. As of right now, Jackson only has a few words that he says consistently:

oh shit (yes, my son has his momma's potty mouth, and he knows when to say it)
all done
momma
dad-da
woof
uh oh
nana
yes

Jackson can point to his eyes, nose, ears, mouth and belly button. He loves to give knuckles and blow kisses bye. His favorite pass time is to move furniture or push anything he can. Sometimes his strength amazes me. Jackson is a climber. He climbs the kitchen island, the cabinets, the stools, chairs, the table. I swear he's like a little monkey.

Jackson also loves to sit in his rocking chair and watch his shows, but he always makes sure you're watching him. Yes, he's cute and he totally knows it:)

Jackson still wears size 5 diapers, size 6 extra wide shoes, and 18-24 months - 2T clothes. I'll have update with his height and weight tonight, but he's getting taller and slimmer. Jackson is still solid, but his gooey rolls are trimming down.

I ask that you keep us in your thoughts and prayers this month, especially as we get closer to his surgery date!

Loves:)

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St. Louis Road trip

I know this is quiet a bit late in posting, but better late than never:)

The Tuesday afternoon before Thanksgiving, we packed up the Honda again and made our way up North to St. Louis. Our travel strategy was a little different then our trip back in September. Instead of leaving at sunrise, we left at noon. No matter which way you do it, 12 hours is a long ass time to be in the car!

Jackson fell asleep for his afternoon nap as soon as we got on the road, which was great. He slept until about 3p.m., and woke up completely content. He played and watched lots of Elmo on his portable DVD player that Santa brought him early last Thanksgiving. We only use it on road trips, and it's on my top list for must haves! Anyway, we stopped in Jackson, Mississippi for dinner and a diaper change just before bedtime (7pm). I changed Jackson into his PJs, gave him his blanket, and he literally slept until we got to my sister's house and she loved on him until he woke up. It was a picture perfect road trip!

The next four days were a complete blur. 

Wednesday we unpacked, shopped, ate and prepared for Thanksgiving.

Thursday we played in the snow, which Jackson absolutely hated, and had a wonderful day with my family. My grandpa was even able to join us for Thanksgiving dinner and I'm so thankful for that. His health has declined so much since last year.

On Friday we did more shopping and got everything ready for my sister's baby shower - which also included decorating her house for Christmas.  By the end of the night, her house was a sea of pink and Christmas mixed together. The boys entertained themselves with lots of beer, pizza and football:)

Saturday was Megan's shower and it was perfect. From the cake to the flowers, everything was great. Of course, I was too busy hosting and chasing Action Jackson around so I didn't get many pictures. Thank goodness I thought ahead and asked Katie to snap a few pictures! After the shower we spent a few hours putting the finishing touches on Amelia's nursery, and made one last run to Pottery Barn Kids...at 9 p.m. And yes, I had my whole family to pack up and get ready to leave in the morning. I think I'm just now catching up on my sleep! We literally shopped til we dropped for Miss Amelia:)

The ride home wasn't as picture perfect, but we made it. Again, the portable DVD player saved the day and Mr. and I would be totally fine if we never heard Elmo's voice again:) We left at 10a.m. and got home at 10p.m., but Jackson only slept about an hour the whole way. He wasn't bad, but it's hard to be a busy toddler stuck in a car seat for 12 hours. I guess you're never to young to go stir crazy!

Happy Thanksgiving (weeks late) from the Wilson's:)

Jackson was ready to hit the road:)

Totally not in love with the cold, white, fluffy stuff falling from the sky

I just LOVE these two boys!

My grandpa and us

My dad and Jackson

Jackson got a new rocking chair, it was my dad's as a child

My mom, sister and me - Megan's Shower

where's Jackson?!?

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