Jackson & his broken arm

It happened.  My baby boy broke his first bone.  And while this may be his first broken bone, I am sure it won't be his last.  My heart is broken for my little dude, which I am sure won't be my last either.

How did it happen you ask?

Well, you'd think that Action Jackson would break his first bone riding his bike, pretending to be Spider-man, or falling with style like Buzz.

Oh no, not the case.

Jackson broke his elbow while dancing, with his cousin, at a Mexican restaurant.  Sorry kids, not exactly the story to brag about while showing off battle wounds.

What's worse than his story is our story of completely blowing him off and chalking it up to being overly tired.  #parentsoftheyear #parentfail

Thursday night Jackson and I went on a date to Disney on Ice.  We got home late and Jackson woke up as soon as "the sky opened" Friday morning.  He went to school on Friday, so at most he got a two hour nap.

Friday night we met up with my family for dinner downtown.  It was a beautiful night with plenty of bands playing and music for Action Jackson to shake his booty to, which he loves to do! 

Fast-forward a couple of hours.  Jackson has been dancing and having a ball for a couple of hours.  He's dancing and trips and falls.

No.big.deal.

Except for the fact that he wouldn't quit screaming.

For the first time ever, we had to leave where we were because we could not get Jackson to settle down.

My mom saw Jackson fall and is a nurse.  She was convinced there was nothing wrong with Jackson and that he was probably just exhausted.

So, home we went.  And he screamed until we threatened to really give him something to cry about...you  know that ol' parental threat.  Why at that point we didn't head to the ER I will never know.

Jackson ended up sleeping with us Friday night and moaned in serious pain.  At 1:30AM he woke up and we knew his little fall did something to his arm.  However, nothing was swollen or bruised.  We waited until sunrise and Mr. took Jackson to the urgent care as soon as it opened.  They took a few X-rays and thought that Jackson probably just had nurse-maid's elbow and popped it back into place.

They sent the boys on their way and said Jackson should be back to normal.

Boy was that so not the case! We took Jackson to an Easter helicopter egg drop and he couldn't even hunt eggs.  He passed on the fun jumps and was just not getting any better.  He screamed getting in and out of his car seat and refused to move his arms...and then his hand started to swell.

No sooner than we questioned whether or not we needed to take Jackson to the ER for a second opinion, the urgent care called.  Turns out that the radiologist read Jackson's scans and saw a break in his elbow.  They had us bring Jackson back in and they put a splint/cast on Jackson's arm.  And almost instantly our dude was back to himself!

Mr. added some fun art to Jackson's cast and he couldn't have loved his "toothless the dragon" more.  The only problem with Jackson being in a cast was that when people asked him what happened, he would fall down and show them...that's my boy!

Yesterday Jackson had to be seen by a pediatric orthopedic to confirm that his elbow was in fact broken...which he did.  Now Jackson is in a real cast and it hasn't slowed him down one bit!

My heart seriously breaks thinking about the pain Jackson was in Friday night and Saturday.  Good news is that I doubt he remembers and he's all smiles now:)

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Mattie Jayne: Two Months

Two month, two months! How in the world is my sweet newborn already two months?!? Every monthly post always starts with the same awe and shock that yet another month has passed. 

Stats: 

10lbs. 11oz. - 50%

23" long - 75%

Eats - nurses every 3-4 hours; takes a 3oz bottle 

Sleeps - 6-8 hour stretches at night, and fights falling asleep for naps and bedtime. 

Sleeps best when swaddled, tight:)

Mattie Jayne has really started to chunk up and I absolutely love her rolls.  Speaking of rolls, she has mastered rolling from her belly to her back.  It won't be be long before she's rolling from her back to belly either.  It is rather shocking just how strong she is, especially her head control.

Mattie's sleep has stayed pretty consistent.  She goes down for the night around 8PM and wakes sometime between 7-8 hours later and goes back down for at least 4 more hours.  I seriously cannot complain about her once a night feeding, but I'm more than ready for a full night stretch! My nieces may have my overly anxious about going 12-hours...but momma's got to dream!

Nursing is totally second nature, so all is going well on that end.  Pumping sucks, but it's just part of the territory of exclusively breast-feeding.  Mattie takes her bottle just fine, even cold, just like her brother. 

The smiles, coo's and bubbles started pretty much on her two month birthday and haven't stopped. 

We found an awesome nanny, so Mattie is getting into a little routine at home.  I miss her (and Jackson) so incredibly much during the day it makes my heart hurt.  Mattie loves to be outside and will ride in her stroller all day and night.  Bath time is everyone's favorite time.  She has also found the TV and cracks herself up during Jackson's episodes of Dino Dan...I think she's scheming up her plan for princesses to replace dinos;)

With these smiles, I am sure it won't take long for big brother to relinquish the remote!

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Little girl, Big city

The day after Valentine's we took Mattie on her first trip to the big city, New Orleans.  At 8-weeks-old, I don't think she thought too much of it...all in time:)

We were in the city for my dear friend and long-time co-worker's wedding.  We had been looking forward to the wedding since shorty after I got pregnant.  Since I'm nursing Mattie, a weekend is just too long to leave her.  So, Mr. and I decided to leave Jackson with my parents and just take Mattie with us.

The weekend worked out perfect.  Jackson had a blast with Loli & Pop, eating them out of house and home and learning how to play soccer.  And Mattie got some much needed bonding time with her daddy.

 

The trip over took a little longer than we expected Friday night.  I had to work later than I intended, so by the time we got the car packed and Jackson dropped off, we hit terrible traffic the entire way to Nola.  We completely missed the welcome party Friday night, so we met up with the Wilson's for an awesome steak dinner instead.  Yes, steak two nights in a row...my favorite!

Mattie took her first stroll across Bourbon St. and slept through our entire dinner.  She had no idea what she was missing!

Saturday, the day of the wedding, was beautiful.  Mr. met his dad for breakfast and kept the black-out curtains drawn tightly closed, with the "Do not disturb" sign on our door...and I got to sleep in, until 10:30AM!!! This momma was on cloud nine, let me tell you! I called Mr. when we awoke and he came back to our room with Starbucks and breakfast.  He really does know the way to my heart:)

Mr.'s dad and step-mom have an awesome little apartment in the heart of the city, so they were able to babysit Mattie for us during the wedding.  The wedding was in the early afternoon, so between nursing, showering, pumping and dropping Mattie off with her Mimmy & Beh, we barely made the wedding! It still amazes me, even the second time around, how time completely vanishes before your eyes.

But, Mr. and I had a wonderful afternoon.  We danced, drank champagne and enjoyed each others company (most importantly).  We were the last ones to leave the reception and didn't want the night to end...well, I did want to get off my feet and out of my heels!

Sunday morning came early, but I missed my big boy and was ready to head home to our little city.  Mr. had a big hearing/trial to prep for and I knew the week would be long.  We got packed up and headed home to watch Jackson and his mad soccer skills!

Until next time Nola!

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Valentine's Day 2013

It's not everyday that I feel particularly loved or special...especially now that Mr. is busier than ever with work and we're a family of four.  More work, more laundry, more chores and less time to do it all.  However, I can't get over how sweet and special Mr. made me feel on our Hallmark holiday Valentine's Day this year.

Between a house full of company for Mardi Gras, prepping for a big hearing/trial, and leaving for a weekend in New Orleans...Valentine's Day was the farthest thing from my mind.  I managed to get treats together for Jackson's class earlier in the week and had already gotten Mr. a year's membership for massages...check and check, I was done. 

We were headed to the city for my friend/co-workers wedding the day after Valentine's Day, so there was much to be done! Bags needed to be packed, my hair needed highlights and my nails needed some TLC!

Mr. tended to Jackson after school while Mattie and I spent the afternoon and early evening getting pampered making me look human again.  When we pulled in the garage we were greeted by our boys and my heart melted.  Mr. and Jackson decorated the kitchen with some lovely Pre-K3 artwork.  Flowers and balloons were sitting on the counter, next to champagne and petit fours.  And my absolute favorite dinner, grilled steaks and potatoes were waiting to be served. 

Jackson was so stinking excited about my present that he blew Mr.'s cover and got it out of hiding as soon as I walked in the door.  He was so excited that I had a present and he couldn't wait for me to open it.  Truth be told, the best gift that Mr. gave me this Valentine's Day was not in a box.  As cheesy as this sounds, it was the gift of showing our son how to treat a lady or someone that you love.

Mr. was and is so busy, but he took the time to cherish his wife.  He made me feel loved, special and irreplaceable.  He was patient with our son and let him pick out balloons and carefully taped up his school artwork.  Each and every detail was done with love and set an amazing example for our son.  I only hope that one day Jackson finds a special someone that he can spoil half as much as his daddy spoils me:)

Love,

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Mardi Gras Mambo x 3

Mardi Gras season has come and gone and despite falling super early in the year, we were able to partake in parade festivities three times! Thank goodness Mattie is game for pretty much anything because her brother was all about the throws and beads and mastered the saying, "Throw me somethin', mister!".

The first parade we took the kiddos to see this season was one that Mr.'s dad and step-mom ride in.  To say we ended up with some loot was a bit of an understatement.  Bags of beads and stuffed animals made their way home with us and Jackson was ready for more!

And more he got!

In keeping with tradition, Stephanie and the girls made their annual trip over for the week of Mardi Gras.  Not only did the girls get to meet the newest princess of our brood, but they got to see two parades this year! The first parade was Saturday morning and the kids had a blast.  The parade was a little smaller, so they were able to hang on the street and catch beads up close. 

On Fat Tuesday we headed to my parent's Mardi Gras krewe headquarters and camped out for the day.  The weather was warm, but dreadfully rainy and gross.  We all wore our rain boots and let's just say by the end of the day the kids had to strip down to their undies before heading home.  Puddles, fun jumps and mud had never been more fun! Of course, Miss Mattie slept through the festivities and didn't even know what fun she was missing.

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Big Brother, Jackson

I always knew that Jackson would be an amazing big brother.  He has an extremely tender heart and has always adored his 'melia's.  I am pretty sure that Amelia will always hold a special place in Jackson's heart.  Maybe more so than Mattie, but only time will tell:)

Watching Jackson love and interact with "his baby" is nothing short of pure love and joy for me.  I always want to remember these times and special things.  And I may need to remind Jackson of a few of these when Mattie starts stealing his toys and using his dinos for teething rings:)

Big brother, Jackson:

You do not like it when I burp Mattie because you are convinced that I am hurting your baby.  You take my hand away and ask me not to "pap" her.

You call Mattie your baby.  And I truly believe that in your heart of hearts, you think she is your baby.

You cannot wait for her to have slumber parties in your room and you want her to sleep in your bed every night.

I cannot count the number of times or things I find in her crib.  I am pretty sure you visit her through out the night to give her a princess or stuffed animal.  And every time I remove said item from her crib, the next time I go in her room it is right back where you had it.  You started putting little treasures in her crib before she was even born.  The first was a Minnie Mouse princess crown that you brought home from school.  Mattie may have to wear it to high school graduation because you will not let me part with that crown.

I always call Mattie the prettiest girl...and you love to refer to her as the prettiest princess in the world.  You melt my heart when you lay down next to her and tell her that she's the prettiest princess in the world.

You have your moments when you show a bit of jealousy and want me to put the baby down and come play, but it's far less than one would expect of a 3.5-year-old.

For some reason, you absolutely cannot stand when she has her pacifier in her mouth and insist that she doesn't need it...until she starts crying and you can't hear your show and your pissed.

You love when Mattie makes the littlest of noises because you think she's talking to you.

Recently, you started to read to Mattie.

There's nothing sweeter than your little voice saying, "I love you, baby".

You love to give Mattie kisses and get borderline obsessed with getting in her face.

You make me so incredibly proud to be your mother, every single day.

I love you to the moon and back, big brother Jack!

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Daddy & the flu

It all started on a beautiful Friday afternoon in January...it was the last weekend of my full maternity leave (I worked from home, part-time, the month of February).  My littlest love had just turned one month.  I felt amazing.  My house was scubbin' bubbles clean.  The laundry was done and put away.  Beds all had fresh sheets.  I showered and applied a full face of make up.  I even squeezed my 5-week postpartum self into a pair of jeans. Mr. had been out of town and working crazy hours all week to catch up from our trip to St. Louis and we all missed our daddy.  We had planned a Friday family date night and I was more than ready for a night out with my family!

I called my hard-working Mr. that afternoon and asked where he wanted to go for dinner.   To my dismay, he sounded terrible.  He so kindly asked if we could just order-in after he ran by the urgent care for what he believed to be another one of his sinus infections. I was sure it was nothing and he was just run down from the hard week and little sleep.

No big deal.  I changed into my comfy clothes and nursed Mattie while soaking in the freshly cleaned house.  I dreamed big dreams for our last weekend of my leave.  Parks, walks, nothing but quality family time.  Romantic.day.dreamer.

I headed to Jackson's school to pick him up, excited to hear all about his day.  I was going to surprise him and let him pick what we'd order for dinner.  But, as I walked into his school I could hear him cough.  That dreaded cough that lets me know he's having one of his flare ups.  Lovely, just lovely.

Between unloading the kids from the car and getting Jackson started on a breathing treatment, I got a text from Mr.

"Just tested positive for the flu"

My response, "FUCK"

The next text from Mr.
"Doctor says that I cannot be around Mattie for 4-6 days.  I am really sorry."

Good news was that he had been out of town Tuesday - Wednesday and was home after the kids and I went to bed on Wednesday & Thursday.  We barely saw him Friday morning, so I knew our exposure was low.  However, Jackson was burning up and the breathing treatment was not helping his cough.  My next thought was that he may have the flu too...so much for our family trip to get flu shots!

We had two options - either he left our house or I did.  But first, we needed to get Jackson tested as well.  If he had the flu, he was staying with daddy.  If not, I was a single mom again...for the next week!

Mr. and I discussed the options and he thought it would be better for me to go to my mom's with the kids instead of him going to his mom's.  My parents would at least be able to help me out for a day before they left on business trips for the week. And if I stayed home, it was all me the entire time.

The next call was to my mom.  Before I could even get the words out of my mouth, her and Pop were on their way to my house to help.  Pop immediately took Jackson to get tested for the flu and my mom and I gathered the crazy amount of shit you need with a newborn and headed to their house.

Poor Mr. sat in his car in the driveway and just kept apologizing.  I felt so sorry for him, but I'm sure my state of panic outweighed my sympathy for my sick husband.  Babe, I am sorry too!

Jackson's test was negative, but poor guy was sick.  Our first night at my mom's was rough.  He coughed until he puked all.night.long.  On me. On my mom.  On himself.  In his bed.  On the couch...

Mattie on the other hand, slept in a crib, in her own room, all night.  At exactly 5 weeks, she slept 8.5 glorious hours while her brother and I didn't sleep at all.  I'll forever be grateful for those hours though.  Not sure how I would have managed them both!

The weekend was long, but a little more relaxing then I thought it would be.  I had strict orders from my mom to rest when the kids napped.  No excuses of needing to pick up or do laundry.  So I managed as best as I could.  And after a couple of phone calls in to our pediatrician, I finally got Jackson medicine to clear him up and he was able to go back to school on Monday.

Cookies, wine and redbox...what every single momma needs!

My parents flew out on Sunday, so it was just me and the kids until we went home on Wednesday.  I managed to get Jackson to school relatively on time.  I was thankful that he was able to go back to school, since I went back to work.  There's no way I could have managed working from home with both kids! Nursing, pumping, answering emails, holding a sweet baby and entertaining Action Jackson would have put me over the edge.

Momma's little assistant, sleeping on the job

Thankfully, Mr. recovered very quickly from the flu.  He was really fine by Monday, we just couldn't share air space with him until Wednesday night.  I tried to maintain my cooking every night, but was so happy when my mom's sweet neighbor brought dinner for all of us one night!  I had to leave dinner on the door steps for Mr. and just wave to him on my way to pick Jackson up from school.  It was pretty pitiful!

To say Wednesday night was Home Sweet Home was an understatement.  I hope we don't have to deal with the flu ever again...or for a very long time, at least! And sadly, my cooking (and everything else) has slowed down a bit since returning to work.  There just aren't even hours in the day, and when I do have a free minute, my arms are full of these kiddos!

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