May Flowers

April showers brought us the most beautiful May flowers, theoretically speaking.

Life presented us with some tough choices and wonderful opportunities this spring. Opportunities that literally presented themselves in such a way that you couldn't ignore or pass up.

After we had Mattie we knew some things had to change in our lives, but we really weren't sure what needed to change.  It wasn't the actual birth of Mattie Jayne that rocked our world.  It was the realization that we only have one life to live this beautiful life that we've been blessed with.

Mr. and I were always stressed to the max and both worked jobs that required our attention or thought 24/7.  That, on top of our family, which obviously needs us 24/7+. We also need each other, but were too tired to give anymore to one another at the end of the day.

We contemplated me not working.
We inquired about me dropping a few hours, working a bit less.
We prayed.
We felt change was upon us, just not sure when it would present itself.

And then one night, on our way to Friday Family Date Night, I got a text that was the change we were waiting for.  An invitation to join a dream team.  An invitation so sincere and real that I was re-charged. Re-charged in myself more than I've ever been before.

43 applicants, 2-rounds of interviews, countless hours of prayer for guidance, and one offer that I couldn't pass up.

I am not the most religious person.  We don't go to church.  I've yet to have my children baptized.  But, I believe.  And I pray and worship with myself often. I know in my heart of hearts with all my faith, that this was the answer I had been looking for...quite possibly longer than I'm even aware of.

So after almost nine years in the advertising agency world, I am now the Marketing Specialist for a local hospital.

From day-one, I knew that this was the perfect job for me.  I'm doing something that I love, for an industry that's second nature to me.  I have the flexibility and support that our family needs.  And my family has me, and it feels good.

May flowers didn't just bloom for me though.

Mattie finally got an open position at Jackson's school.  She'd been on the waiting list since conception, seriously.  She had a rough first few days, but she's finding her routine too.  We absolutely love the school and couldn't be happier knowing that our children are in such a loving and educational place.  Talk about making going to work so much easier...especially since our nanny literally no-showed her last two weeks with us and I don't even want to think about how she may have treated our princess.

First day of Pre-K4 & Daycare. May 27, 2013

5-months and a few days

Two weeks shy of his 4th birthday

Jackson started Pre-k4 the same day that Mattie started at his school...which also happened to be the same day I moved in to my new office.  We decided to cram as much change into one day as possible:)

So that pretty much sums up the changes that transpired into our May flowers that are in full bloom now!

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Turning Thirty

I have to say turning the big 3-0 and entering this next decade of my life has been far better then I expected. 

The beginning of my 20's were spent being let down by loser boyfriends and completed over-rated hype.  And then I moved to Louisiana, met my Mr. and experienced three hurricanes during the days and hours leading up to my birthday.  Seriously, three out of the eight birthdays I've celebrated since living in the south have been shared with Hurricanes Katrina, Gustav and Isaac. 

Thankfully, we haven't suffered any harm during these hurricanes.  Just a little panic, manic trips to the grocery store and some time off of work to watch the weather channel incessantly...with an oh, by the way, happy birthday!

This year was oh so different.  This year was more than special and definitely anything but overlooked or overshadowed.  

On the morning of my 30th birthday, we were all still overjoyed with the birth of my niece, Ellie.  My office stayed closed until noon, so Mr. and Jackson let me sleep in and listen to the rain.  Birthday wishes were shouted from my office, my friends and family.  And my boys stole my heart when I returned home from a half day at the office. 

Jackson greeted me in the garage and hurried me into the house as fast as he could, all while saying Happy Birthday, Mommy over and over again.  If that wasn't enough to completely melt my heart, when I got inside Mr. had candles lit on the most beautiful cake and my boys sang to me!  Sweetest moment ever...followed by Mr.'s recreation of my grandma's mastacholi pasta dinner, a walk around the pond and amazing presents.

Besides feeling overwhelmed with joy and love on my actual birthday, I just know that this next decade is going to be the best yet. So much to be thankful for, so much to look forward to and so much life to live!

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Gold Star: Momma Moment

I'm just going to put it out there that I totally feel like I deserve a momma gold star today, if such a thing even exists. It probably doesn't, but I'm still patting myself on the back because I feel like I accomplished a lot before 8:30 momma moment this morning!

Those of you who know me well can appreciate the fact that I feel like I've climbed a mountain or something today.

I like love to sleep.  And I used to be really good at it.  However, which each passing year I get worse and worse at falling asleep - and staying sleeping.  Just about the time that Mr.'s obnoxiously early alarm goes off is the time that I'm finally drifting away in slumber land.  It sucks, but Mr. is a rock star daddy and always takes one for the team to let me get in as much sleep as I possibly can.

With that being said, Mr. generally takes the "morning shift" that includes getting Jackson ready, making coffee and our breakfast shakes, and dropping Jackson off at school.  I normally take the "evening shift" which is our bedtime routine - bath, breathing treatment and medicines, etc.  It works well for us.

Anyway, Mr. had to run to Houston for a meeting today so I was on my own last night and this morning.  Most of you are probably laughing hysterically at me, but I was nervous about getting both of us dressed and to school and work - on time. 

I was supposed to spend the night with my parents because I'm technically not supposed to be lifting Jackson or getting him in and out of his car seat while I'm hyper-stimulating my ovaries. But, at the last minute I decided that spending the night out was more work then it was really worth.  To be honest I feel fine, which is 100x better then I did the last time around (more on that later).  My parents came to give Jackson his bath last night and Jackson got himself in and out of the car this morning.  No lifting or twisting was done with a 35lbs. toddler to risk my ovaries any harm.

So, in a nutshell, I was able to get a full nights sleep, wake up when my alarm went off, snuggle with Jackson for a minute when he woke up, get both of us dressed and ready for our day, get Jackson to school before 8:10 (the breakfast cut-off time), run through Starbucks for my venti black coffee to fuel my day (I'm good, but not that good), and make it to work at exactly 8:30 just in time for my first meeting of the day! 

Morning concurred, mountain climbed, mission accomplished - GOLD STAR!

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Things I want to remember

This time of year always seem to sneak up on us all, and it's easy to get caught up in all the hustle and bustle of it all! I'm trying to carve out little memories and soak up every moment that I can, even when I've literally worked two 13 hour days back-to-back and countless hours over the weekend.  I am determined to find the balance and cherish this holiday season!

There is so much that I want to remember about this year; from Jackson's cute little voice pronouncing Santa Sinta, to the morning we made our own gingerbread house, the almost daily trips with Loli & Pop to go visit Santa, and to the magical way Jackson looks at our Christmas tree and lights up the room with his grace and understanding of what this time of year is all about.

Life is too short to not remember all of these small things and create a memory for each new day. 

My parents surprised us with a Christmas trip to Disney World the day after Christmas, so I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year if I don't make it back to blog! Now, go kiss your loved ones and make the best of the moment:)

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Tidbit Tuesday

I feel like we've had so much going on that I just haven't had a chance to post about, I guess that means we're having fun:)

Would you believe that I went back to the beach over the weekend - just me and Jackson, 6 hours in a car?!? Talk about a momma milestone for me! I promise, this will be a post of it's own.

My lovely Brummett Bunch came a stayed the night with us on their way back from vacation and were our first guests in the new house! We had such a fun night swimming, barbecuing, and fishing in the pond. The kiddos played so well together and had a big slumber party in Jackson's room. Seeing our babies cuddles up together makes my heart so happy!

 We took Jackson to see Cars 2, his first movie at the theater, and he loved it! He ate his popcorn and snacks and didn't move for almost the whole movie.  About 5 minutes before it ended, he stood up and said all done and proceeded to walk out to the isle - I guess it wasn't the ending he hoped for?!? All in all we were impressed and are looking forward to taking him to more kid movies.  It made for an awesome family date on a hot Sunday afternoon.

Speaking of firsts, Jackson also went to the dentist for his first check-up.  I really liked the dentist we selected, she was super nice and sweet to Jackson.  He let them floss and brush his teeth like a big boy, I was shocked he did so well! The room was a big play room full of exam tables.  So he could play and get his teeth cleaned:) We did find out that Jackson has an extra tooth, so glad we got to go through the joys of teething an extra time! The dentist explained that it wasn't a big deal, she'll only have to pull it if he gets an extra permanent tooth as well.

We've finished our house projects for the time being.  Our plantation shutters for the living room and kitchen came in and look fabulous! And I found bar stools that I really like, so our kitchen is complete.  We really want to add copper awnings to the back of our house and get new patio furniture, but that may be a project for next year.

I love everything about our house, except for the hardwood floors.  I would love to rip them out and start over - never do a dark wood floor! They show every spec of dirt and every mark your toddler leaves behind with his trains and cars and trucks.

We're trying to plan one last trip for the summer, to visit my dad and sister in St. Louis.  Mr.'s work schedule has been c.r.a.z.y. so I really hope we can squeeze a trip in before football season starts!

Happy Tidbit Tuesday:)

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Jackson is TWO!!!

Oh sweet boy of mine, how these past 2 years have taught me so much about life! You are my everything and give me a purpose I never knew existed. The amount of love and pure happiness you bring into our lives, words simply cannot explain...as well as the amount of stress and meltdowns that come along with parenthood:)

You can brighten up a room with your laughter just has fast as you can clear one out with your fits, but your strong will and personality are some of the many things I love about you! And we'll work on those fits, this phase too shall pass.

Your daddy and I love to listen to you talk, and it amazes me to hear your sweet voice. One morning you woke up and decided to start talking, and you haven't stopped. I've lost track of off of your words, but you'll repeat anything we say (even our potty mouths).

School is going so well, even though it's just been a week, I can tell a huge difference.  I think you've been craving this social interaction and structure for way longer than I was able to recognize.  Daddy drops you off and I pick you up.  You give sugars and wave bye to Daddy and you leap up and give me the biggest hug ever when I arrive.  I'm pretty sure a little bit of my heart melts for you at this time everyday!

Tonight you will be surrounded by our family and we'll sing Happy Birthday and make many, many wishes for you!

Momma loves you sweet boy - all the way to the moon and back! Happy 2nd Birthday, Jackson!

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A-Z, all about me:)

A few of my favorite blogs have been doing this A-Z and I thought I would join in! If you haven't done so already, copy and paste and do the same:)

A. Age: 28, for a few more months

B. Bed size: Queen

C. Chore you dislike: Emptying the dishwasher

D. Dogs: No pets for me!

E. Essential start to your day: Plucking my eyebrows, and coffee.

F. Favorite color: Blue.

G. Gold or silver: Both! I love David Yurman and wear a lot of two-toned jewelry.  My rings are white gold though.

H. Height: 5'5

I. Instruments you play(ed): None. And I cant hold a tune to save my life.

J. Job title: Account Executive, Wife, & Momma

K. Kids: 1 Boy

L. Live: In a bedroom at my mom's house until our house is finshed.

M. Mom’s name: Jayne

N. Nicknames: I've never really had one!

O. Overnight hospital stays: A few times when I was pregnant with Jackson: At 11 weeks with terrible back pain, 33 weeks for pre-term labor, and again at 36 weeks for delivery!

P. Pet peeves: I could write a book about this one - I cannot stand copycats, be true to yourself and have your own style, please and thank you!

Q. Quote from a movie: Just keep swimming

R. Righty or lefty: Righty

S. Siblings: A younger sister, and 2 younger step-brothers

T. Time you wake up: During the week, around 7-7:15 - I'm not a morning person and will snooze as long as I can!

U. Underwear: Hanky Panky Thongs, love them!

V. Vegetables you don’t like: No such thing!

W.What makes you run late: Me, myself, and I - I'm never on time, never.

X. X-rays you’ve had: Teeth, knees, and kidney

Y. Yummy food you make: I make a wonderful Lemon Lavender Cake, but I try to stay out of the kitchen as much as possible.

Z. Zoo animal favorites: All of the ones that don't stink:)

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Moving on...

After four years of making a house our first home, we've officially turned over the keys and have moved on. Our little starter home was just that, and after an exhausting week of moving I've hardly had a minute to process everything.

With the help of some truly amazing friends and family members, we were able to pack our lives up and move into two storage units and my mom's house in a little over one week's time. To my surprise, I couldn't be happier that we have a month to rest and recover until it's time to move into our new house. The thought of unpacking and cleaning again makes me slightly nauseous!

As I vacuumed and mopped my way out of the house, our decision to move finally felt right. For the first time I was truly at peace with our decision to move. Crazy, I know, but it's hard not to second guess if you're doing the right thing.  A bigger house also means a bigger mortgage and putting that momma mobile on hold for a little while. 

I left a welcome package for the new home buyer, complete with our paint chip samples, instruction manuals for the appliances, and a few detergent tabs for the dishwasher. As I walked out of the house, I never looked back. The house had been good to us, but it is time to move on to bigger and better, which is so exciting!

We took one final family picture with my iphone and I'll cherish this photo for years to come. Mr. celebrated his 37th birthday on moving day and Jackson has never been so cute. No matter where we are, with my boys, I am home.

The Wilson's 04.08.11

Oh the pictures I have with my little dude standing in this spot, he's grown so much and melts my heart daily!

Happy Birthday Daddy, time to get packing:)

And if you noticed, I sure did turn into a brunette before the move...not 100% intentionally either.  Thank goodness I have a month to lay in the pool to lighten it up a bit;)

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Reflections

As I laid my head down on my pillow last night, it hit me. This would be the last week we would start in our first home. The last Sunday night I would stare at my ceiling and reflect on our weekend and stress about the week to come. I hate to dwell on the last, but this is the last week we'll spend as our family of three in the first house we made a home.  As happy as I am about our new house, it will never be our first.

We spent the entire weekend boxing up memories and moving our life into a storage unit - where it will remain for the next 6-8 weeks.  With each box came a different emotion.  I went from being completely overwhelmed to totally detached from the bare walls and hallow echos, but last night was bittersweet.

As we continue to grow, this house was more than our first home - it's our foundation.

Our house is where Mr. and I first lived together.
This house was where we came home and spent our first night as husband and wife.
The yard was the first yard that we ever planted a seed, a flower, a tree.
This house has seen and felt the pain as we struggled to start our family.
Our house is where our first son was conceived and brought home.
This house is where we struggled through our first year as parents - and made it through.
Our house hosted our first dinner party, our first baby shower, our first holiday.
 I decorated my first Christmas tree, my first nursery, my first table scape and front door decorations.
The neighborhood where Jackson first trick-or-treated and played ball
This house is where Jackson first crawled, first stood and walked.

This list of firsts could go on and on and I'm sure as the week passes I'll have even more emotions about leaving.  However, looking back at where we've been and how far we've come in 4 years makes me proud and I can't imagine what the next house will bring for us!

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Overdue updates from the Wilson's

First let me just say that this only blogging on Wednesday thing has got to stop! However, I'm just not sure I'll find the time anytime soon. So what has us to busy you ask, well let's see:

Oh my gosh, we're under contract on our house!!! After 6 months on the market and about 20 showing - it just took an open house on a beautiful Sunday for not one, but two different people to fall in love with our house. It's so bittersweet to think about packing up our home, but it's time! If all goes as planned, we're set to close in a little less than a month. :Gasp:

On Monday Jackson was scheduled to have his ABR test...which did not go well. Not because of his hearing, but because the terrible two's have arrived. This phase too shall pass, I just hope quickly! We kept Jackson up late, woke him up early, skipped his nap - so he was more than sleep deprived for the test. Well, a sleep deprived toddler does not mean that he'll fall asleep on demand. Seriously, the ladies showed us into the testing room. I was expecting to find a crib or a cot or a bed. Something, anything. Oh no, a chair. They gave us a minute to "get him to sleep" in a new room, with toys, and a chair. Let's just say after an hour and a half, they asked us to leave and reschedule somewhere else that doesn't require sleep to do the same test.

Jackson turned 21 months last week. Did I mention that the terrible two's have arrived?!?

I just got the call from Jackson's serum test, and he's allergic to eggs.

We had an amazing time with Stephanie and my sister. 11 straight days of company was oh so fun! You can read more about what our week was like here and here. Trust me, Stephanie's posts and pictures are amazing:)

We our currently in negotiations for our new house that I've fallen in love with. A backyard on a pond with a walking path and a neighborhood pool 5 houses away - yes, please!

Me and my boys will be moving in with my parents for a little while. While we are ever so grateful for their generosity, I'm nervous as hell that they'll regret this offer! Did I mention the terrible two's...at least Jackson's cute!

Speaking of cute, we got some precious pictures of Amelia and Jackson before they headed back to St. Louis on Sunday!

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Coughs, Urgent Care, Doctors, Failed Tests...

I'm not going to lie. I'm a mess. I'm still processing.  I'm spending at least an hour a day on the phone with doctors. I'm trying to make sense of everything and I'm all over the place. So, I'm just going to start from the weekend. 

Friday and Saturday Jackson had a runny nose, and a cough. He sneezed about a gazillion times. Nothing alarming, just once again, he came down with a little cold or allergies. By Saturday afternoon the coughing got bad. I had a big awards dinner and called my parents to cancel our night out. But, my mom is a nurse and sells half of the respiratory drugs Jackson takes, so we decided to let them babysit after all. We dropped Jackson off at 8, bathed and ready for his breathing treatment. When we came back to get him around midnight, he was all snuggled up in my parent's bed sound asleep. My mom said he didn't cough once, not once.

Oh how things changed when we got home. Jackson coughed and coughed and coughed. I sat up with him from about 1AM to 3AM. I gave him another breathing treatment and prayed the coughing to stop so he could rest.

And at 3AM I put him back in his crib and the next time we heard him was close to 11AM. As soon as he woke up, we gave him his morning meds and breathing treatment. Even though he slept late, the night was full of interruptions and he was exhausted. By 1PM, he was asking to go back to bed. I laid him down and the coughing fits started again. I gave him another breathing treatment, and he was able to sleep for about an hour and woke up coughing again.

That was it, off to the urgent care we went. Wouldn't you know, that boy did not cough once when we were there. Not once. The doctor thought I was crazy. However, they did do a chest x-ray to be sure the RSV and Pneumonia was all clear. She told us that see could see the scar tissue on his lungs, but the fluid was gone. We were sent home with a prescription for antibiotics and told Jackson has bad allergies.

I did not fill his prescription because in 12 months Jackson has taken 9 antibiotics. That is just too much for his little body.

Monday Jackson woke up 75% better. He slept great, barely coughed and his nose was hardly running. Monday night he coughed for about an hour on and off in his crib. Nothing in comparison to the weekend.

This brings me to Tuesday. We had our scheduled follow-up with Jackson's ENT (it had been a month since we were put on the list of drugs to clear up the RSV) and he was due for a hearing test from his tubes.

The doctor sat with us for a long time. I told her everything that had been going on and my concerns. She sucked out all of his nasal mucus and changed up his medication a little bit. She thinks if we completely dry up his nose, the cough will get better. Everything made sense. We have a maintenance plan list of medications and additional for when he flares up. She ordered a serum allergy test for today to be sure we are dealing with allergies and sent us on our way to the hearing test.

We met the audiologist and she put us in the sound booth. I held Jackson on my lap and she began playing with Jackson outside the booth. Then she started the beeps and training Jackson that if he looks at the box when it beeps, Goofy will appear and dance around. Jackson loved Goofy and every time he went away, he'd say "Oh uh" and would point for him to come back.

When the beeps were loud, Jackson turned his head in reaction to them. However, the softer they got, the less and less he'd look. Then he stopped completely looking in correlation with the sounds. He would just look because a little bit of time had passed and he knew that it was time for Goofy to appear. He's a smart one, my kid!

I'm sure I had hives up to my ears. Holding Jackson and knowing that my sweet baby was not hearing everything I was hearing broke my heart. I never want my son to fail at anything, and I just knew he was failing this test.

The audiologist never said that he failed. She said that they like to see kids his age around a 15 and he scored a 33. I asked her what was next and she said a ABR test. This test is done when they are sleeping (after you deprive them) and they take brain wave measurements for a definitive reading on what they actually hear. There's also a big difference between hearing and listening.

I left there not really knowing what to think when we got home. Mr. was at an LSU baseball game for the evening, so it was just me and Jackson. I put him to bed and buried myself in work. I didn't want to process, I just wanted to wish everything away and for Jackson to be well...Well at 9:44PM Jackson started coughing. The coughing soon turned into gagging and gasping for air. I couldn't give him another breathing treatment because it had only been 2 hours since his last one. So I held him and sang to him and cried for one hour. One hour I held Jackson and just begged for help. And at 10:44PM, he stopped coughing. I put him back to bed and that was it for the night.

I called the ENT on my way to work yesterday and asked for a nurse to call me back.  I just needed to talk to someone.  And at 12:15 my phone rang.  It was our doctor, herself.  She spent an hour on the phone with me talking me through everything. 

First her main concern, Jackson failed the hearing test.  Failed.  We're not sure what he can hear or what things sound like to him.  Failing this test coupled with the fact that Jackson doesn't talk yet is a point of concern.  However, Jackson does dance to a beat.  He knows the pattern of 2-way conversation.  And he follows direction.  I can tell him to throw something away or go get the red ball and he will.  All of these things are good.  We will be scheduling the ABR test asap. 

Next we went on to talk about his list of medication and when and what to give him based on how he's doing.  I feel like I finally have a good grasp on this.  We'll be doing breathing treatments twice a day indefinitely. 

Once Jackson turns 2, we'll do allergy testing.  Today's serum test will give us an idea, and confirm that all of this is due to allergies.  I'm nervous that there's something more going on and we just haven't found it yet.  I need to listen to all the voices in my head, we will get to the bottom of this! I know Jackson has allergies because of the dark purple circles he gets under his eyes, the doctors all call these "allergy eyes".  I just won't rest until I know for sure.

This has just been one hell of a week.  I'm emotionally drained.  I want my baby to be well and to feel good and hear all that the world has for him to listen to. 

I'll keep you all posted, and thank you from the bottom of my heart for the emails, texts, messages and prayers.  I can feel them and it means so much! Please keep the prayers coming!

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Tidbits of information

Here's some random bits of information for you on this lovely Tuesday:)

Our house has been on the market for a little over 4 months
We've had 14 house showings, but not one offer
I'm so over keeping everything "show ready"
Mr. and I are an amazing team and can go from a hot mess to said show ready in 30 minutes.
Why do I know this, oh because one Saturday morning we were woken up by a showing request!

I go back and forth between buying and building a new house a hundred times a day

Jackson will go to public elementary school, but I can't decide between the two I want him to go to.
One scores better, and the other is newer.
Ranks and scores should outweigh newness, right?!?

Jackson has turned into an amazing sleeper, hallelujah!!!
Now if he could give me some words, we'd be set...

I count to 3 at least a dozen times a night
Jackson responds well to it.  By 1- 2 - 2.5, he's listening:)
1-2-3 is much more effective at getting his attention then with a timeout or spanking

We've had a preview of the terrible two's, and well I'm terrified!

We're not friends if you hurt or upset the ones I love, just sayin'

Sure, Mr. is an attorney, but with that degree came a large amount of debt
We pay around $600 a month in student loans -
and will until Jackson goes to college -
how depressing is that?!?

I'm getting a baby hauler in 6 weeks,
just in time for gas prices to go back up.
Just my luck.

Jackson has his hearing test in two weeks.
From there, I'll decide on whether or not we'll do speech therapy

I'm checking out a preschool Thursday for Jackson to start once he's two.
2, how crazy is that.
My baby is going to be 2!

I hate when people assume they know the whole story about things

In a couple of weeks I will have eleven straight days of visitors!
11 days of entertaining 3 different members of my family
And they each overlap by a day
My dad will get to see my best friend and her girls
Then Stephanie will get to meet Amelia and see my sister
It's going to be amazing!

I wonder just how "show ready" the house will look after those 11 days, ha!

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Tears over dried milk

You know the saying don't cry over spilled milk? Well I'm not crying over spilled milk, but dried-up milk instead! Seriously momma's, do not and I repeat NOT wean the week before your period is due.  I'm a hormonal basket case.  I'm not sure whether I want to look in the mirror and sob over what's left of my chest or just cut my boobs off completely because my nipples hurt just as bad as they did when I started nursing.

I'm.a.mess.

The actual weaning process was easy.  Jackson hasn't fussed or tried to nurse once since our last night.  Literally, I had no pain, no engorgement, no leaking - until a week later.  And a week to the day later, it hit me like a ton of bricks.  The emotions, the moodiness, the rock hard lumps, and the soreness.  For the first time ever, I stood in the shower while the built up milk sprayed all over the shower doors.  I know everyone says to bind with cabbage leaves, but the release of pressure was heavenly. 

I'm certainly not engorged anymore.  I'll be out buying new bras this weekend, that's for sure.  I'm still sore to the touch and Jackson can make my toes curl with pain if he rubs his head the wrong way  against my chest. I'd say something about the Mr., but I'm pretty sure he's in fear for his life if he gets too close.

I know this phase to shall pass, but can someone please pass the chocolate ice cream and Kleenex until then?!?

Vote for me! President of the IBT Committee:(

 

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Meeting Amelia

At 4AM last Thursday morning the alarm on my iphone went off. I am so not a morning person, but this wake-up call was to get on a plane to go meet my sweet niece, Amelia. After numerous calls through-out the nights from my sister, I was more than ready to get up to St. Louis and help her. Nursing was not going well and Amelia was just not eating. These make for a bad combination with a new mommy! One night Mr. was even giving advice through the phone in the wee hours of the morning:)

So, I brushed my teeth and finished packing my bag in just enough time to wake-up Jackson and rock him for a few minutes before we had to leave for the airport. I've only left my boys for one night at a time, so I had some anxiety about being so far away for 3 nights.

Mr. and Jackson waved me good-bye and I waited for my flight to board.  I had a quick layover in Houston, TX, and was in St. Louis by 9AM.  My dad picked me up and drove me out to my sister's house.  It was the longest 30 minutes ever! When I got to my sisters Amelia had just finished nursing and was all snuggled up in their bed.  I  crawled in with them, and snuggled my little heart out! I seriously don't think we moved for an hour.  We sat just checking each other out and getting to know one another.  Don't worry, it was love at first sight:)

Later that morning Amelia was more than ready for a little manicure and spa treatment.  So like the good aunt that I am, I cut her nails and washed her hair.  It was the first time her hair had been washed, and we couldn't believe the poof she got.  I have a feeling she's going to have her momma's hair!

The rest of the day was spent trying to get Amelia to nurse.  That little girl is just so tiny, I don't think she ever knew she was hungry.  After a quick assessment of watching them nurse I realized that Megan and Amelia would both benefit from a nipple shield.  I hadn't heard of these when I first started nursing, but man did they make a night and day difference for them! Amelia instantly latched, sucked and hasn't stopped since last week. She up to 6lbs.1.5oz. and everyone is much happier!!!

Needless to say, once the nursing problem was solved, we were all able to relax.  I spent my days picking up the house, switching out loads of itty bitty laundry, running errands, and snuggling Amelia.  I missed my boys like crazy, but I was so happy that I made this trip.

Amelia peed on me more in those three days then Jackson ever has.  No sooner than I had her bathed and dressed for the day, she'd poop on me and we'd both have to start over.  I tell ya, I think boys are a little easier then girls in this regard.  At least boys give you a little warning that they're about to pee on you!

My sister is already an amazing mom, and her hubby, well he's pretty great too! Amelia is such a lucky little girl to have so many of us that just love her to pieces.

As for me, I'm feeling pretty blessed to be an aunt to such a sweet girl.  I can't wait to watch her grow and spoil her.  That and she may have kicked my baby fever up just a tad as well:)

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