McBaby's McBlog: April 2012

Family photo on Easter!

Jackson is 5 months old! I can’t believe how fast time has flown by. Jackson is growing and changing so much! The amazement that I have a son has not worn off; I can’t get over how blessed I am that Jackson is in my life. Nick and I often look at each other, then look at Jackson, and just shake our heads in awe. We created this little baby!!! How can someone not believe in God and His love for us when they see a baby, a sweet miracle?!!

Here are my weekly changes this past month:

19 Weeks!

20 Weeks!

21 Weeks!

22 Weeks and keeping my head up in my bumbo!

Jackson now weighs 14 pounds and 8 ounces (according to our scale at home)! He is a growing boy! He is even getting a little chunky. The poor thing has his mama’s thighs, but he still has those kissable chubby cheeks!

This month we celebrated Jackson’s first Easter. We went to church that morning and G-MO and Grandp B had us over at their house for lunch. Jackson got lots of loving from his Aunts, Uncles, and cousins, and of course Grandma!! We had lots of yummy food and great company!

My sweet little Easter baby!

Singing praises to Jesus!

Jax visiting the Easter Bunny. He was not thrilled (neither was his Daddy).

Aunt Irene and Jackson

Uncle Jeff and Jackson

Aunt Brenda and Jackson

Cousin Elliott and Jackson

Hi G-MO! Thanks for all the yummy food!

I had to get a picture with my little hunk on Easter!

Great Grandma Shirley and Jackson

The Monday after Easter, I took Jackson to our pediatrician. I was concerned about a spot on the back of Jackson’s head. It dipped, or sunk in, a little bit. The Dr. advised us to do A LOT more tummy time. He went on to say that he can tell by the way his head looks and the position of his ears that he is continuing to favor and spend too much time on his right side. He told us if he is not in the carseat, he does not want Jackson to be on his back and we need to build his muscles so that he is looking left. Therfore, he reccommended that Jackson sleep on his tummy (facing left), which terrified me. All you hear about now is back sleeping is best to prevent SIDS.

The Dr. reassured me that this was the best thing for Jackson, and that he was old enough to sleep on his tummy. We see the Dr. again in early June and if Jackson’s head/neck issues are still persistent then we will have to see a cranial specialist at Children’s Mercy. Any prayers over this would be appreciated. Sense that visit, Jackson has been sleeping on his tummy in the pack and play right next to me every night. He has an alarm attached to him to monitor if there is no movement-which helps me sleep a little better at night, but I am constantly waking up to check on him. I will feel much better once Jackson is able to roll over from his back to his tummy. BUT, Jackson LoVeS sleeping on his tummy at night. He sleeps from about 9:30 at night all the way through the night and I have to wake him up around 6:30 to eat!!! I know, I'm spoiled! Occasionally, he wakes up super early in the morning to eat, but goes back to sleep easily.

I love my Daddy!

Tummy Time! I like to look at my fire truck. It makes siren noises and has flashing lights!

Because Jackson has been facing left he doesn't suck his right thumb as much anymore. Now he is into sucking on his left hand. He either tries to get the whole fist in his mouth or sucks on two fingers, but he's just not as satisfied. He gets so frustrated because he is confused where his thumb is, and we are so mean we won't let him sleep facing his right side anymore. Poor thing! It prevents him from resting very well during the day. Hopefully he will get the hang of it soon.

Jackson's tummy time is going SO much better! He still isn't crazy about tummy time, but he is building his stamina with it and is tolerating it better with longer periods of time spent on his tummy. Baba said he went for 20 minutes the other day! That's a record!! The Dr. said we need to get him to the point where he prefers to be on his tummy. We're getting there. It just wears the poor thing out. Jax head and neck control have greatly improved, too. I'm so proud of him! Other things we are doing to help his head and neck muscles are switching sides from which we bottle feed him, varying the way we carry him and change him.

Our little man seems to always be hungry! We have bumped up his feedings from four ounces to breast milk to five. Sometimes he needs a little extra to eat and gets a couple ounces of formula for dessert. So far I haven't ran out of milk in the freezer! Only 16 more days of school, so I'm hoping there will be enough, then I can restock over the summer. Jackson has also bumped up to size 2 in diapers a few days ago. Other new and fun things Jackson is doing is little baby talks and LOTS of smiles. He loves talking to us while he's on his changing table. Jackson's Aunt Kate and Uncle Wes got him an octopus that Jackson just loves. He gets so excited by kicking and talking to it every time we change him. He sat in the bumbo, keeping his head up on his own this past month, which is very exciting for him and Mommy and Daddy!

This month Jackson's least favorite things are the blow dryer and anyone that sneezes...both things terrify him. Jackson's favorite things are his octopus (which we nicknamed Oscar), baths, and walks outside.

We ended the month with our March of Dimes-March For Babies. It was a gorgeous day! Team Jax Pack raised over $1600 for the organization! Thank you so much to everyone who donated and participated. The money raised will go towards research and programs to prevent preterm deliveries and birth defects. We are happy to helping such a worthy cause! We hope to turn this into an annual family/friend event! So get ready for next year!!

Ready to get my walk on for the babies!

I love my family!

Family photo with Papa and Baba

Family photo with G-MO and Uncle EJ

Thanks for walking with us!!! Go Team Jax Pack!

Papa and Jax taking off!

My friend, Blaire, and her son Gavin. Gavin is in my Kindergarten class. He walked 4 miles and didn't complain at all! He walked the whole thing with a smile on his face. I'm so proud of him! Jax was excited to meet his new buddy!

I love my mama!

Hi Lisa!

At the end of the walk was Baby Boulevard. This was a very touching part of the walk for Nick and me. It highlighted babies from St. Joe who were born prematurely. Sadly, there were many babies who did not survive. I thank God everyday that He has blessed me with a healthy baby boy. And we continue to pray for those families who lost their sweet one. I could not imagine...

Here is Jackson's sign from the walk.

Tuckered out Jackson and his Daddy, along with ADORABLE Clara and her pretty mama, Andrea.

Ohhhh, so sleepy after the walk.

Until next time...
Much love to you all!

Our sweet Jackson is now 4 months old. I cannot believe how fast he is growing up! We recently had a doctors appointment and received great news. Jackson now weighs 13.13 pounds! He is in the 20th percentile for his weight. So no more extra calorie formula for this boy!! YAY! Jackson's pediatrician is very pleased with his growth chart! His hernia looks MUCH better-it's hardly noticeable. He is 23 inches long, which is only in the 1 percentile, but I am confident he will keep growing! He had all his shots and immunizations, which was not very fun. : ( The only thing we need to keep working on is Jackson's head and neck control. He favors one side (his right) and just needs more exercises and tummy time to help strengthen it. Jackson is eating and sleeping well. He eats about every four hours. He eats 4 ounces of breast milk and 2 ounces of formula per feeding...this will change now that we do not need to supplement. We are going to try to just do breast milk, and see how he does. My supply is still low, so I'm fearful I will run out of my milk in the freezer, so I'm thinking about what I should do...Jackson is sleeping awesome during the night. He sleeps from about 10:30-5:30!! Nap time during the day is a little inconsistent. Sometimes he takes great, lengthy naps during the day; sometimes he just takes short, cat naps.

This month Jackson had many "firsts". He had his first walk outside in a stroller. Walking has become one of Jackson's favorite things to do. When he is fussy, I just walk him outside and he immediately calms down. I am so thankful that the weather has been so nice so we can have lots of time outdoors. This week has been in the 80s!! How crazy! We've been training for the March of Dimes, March for Babies walk in April.

Another first for Jackson-Jackson had his baby dedication at church. That was a very special day. Papa and Baba, Grandpa B, G-MO, and Uncle EJ came to see Jackson get dedicated.

We also got to eat at a couple of restaurants with Mommy and Daddy for the first time-well, of course, he didn't do the eating but boy did his Mommy eat! It was nice to eat out as a family. He was such a great baby. I've also taken him shopping with me a couple times. I think he likes Target as much as I do!! We love that he is so healthy and the weather is so nice that we feel more comfortable getting him out.

He had his first slumber party with Mommy, Aunt Kate, Baba and Papa, and his cousins Adley and Ella-along with the first time he slept without being swaddled. Jackson is beginning to make more talking sounds occasionally. He moves his mouth like he desperately wants to tell us something. I'm sure he will give us more baby talks soon. I can't wait! Jackson gives us LOTS of smiles! He is so happy and smiles all the time. It just makes me sooooo happy! I love him soooooo much!