All Smiles

At almost 8 weeks, Jackson's personality is really starting to show. He is so easy going! Which is a total blessing since we've been so busy. We are moving next weekend so I've been packing every spare chance I get. When he's not eating or sleeping, he's usually just watching us ever so quietly. He loves his swing and bouncy chair. He's sleeping a lot better too. And he just started to smile! I'm so happy I got one on camera. Sorry its a little off center- I kept trying but its hard to do the baby talk and try to keep his eye contact with a big camera in the way! 

Cute Crazy Tyler

This little stinker is about to be 2 and boy is he showing it!

No this isn't chocolate on his face. But luckily it isn't poop either! He came in the house crunching on mud and dirt! My big mistake was to say "Eeew gross!" Cuz then he started spitting everywhere! I wasn't sure whether to yell at him or laugh (this wasn't the first time and I've told him MANY times to not eat mud). I decided to laugh and made him pose for a picture.

This photo is for Grandpa and Grandma Clark! He LOVES his backpack and today decided to stuff it full of his animals. He wore it for a couple hours until he found his wagon and decided that  would be a fun way to carry his pals too. Thanks for the cool gift. (He's also wearing his cool Shrek shirt and loves to press the button for anyone who tells him they like his shirt!)

So one day Jeff was playing a new song for me on the laptop. It is called Poker Face and says "PaPaPaPoker Face" Tyler was the only one listening to the song at the moment and started singing "BaBaBa"..."BaBaBa"...It was so hillarious!

A Return to Virtue

A new value has been added to the Young Women's Theme. 

The Young Women’s theme is recited by Latter-day Saint girls aged 12-18 each Sunday across the world:

"We are daughters of our Heavenly Father, who loves us, and we love Him. We will "stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places" (Mosiah 18:9) as we strive to live the Young Women values, which are: Faith, Divine Nature, Individual Worth, Knowlege, Choice and  Accountability, Good Works, Integrity, and Virtue. We believe as we come to accept and act upon these values, we will be prepared to strengthen home and family, make and keep sacred covenants, receive the ordinances of the temple, and enjoy the blessings of exaltation."

I've been studying what VIRTUE means: "a pattern of thought and behavior based on high moral standards...Virtue begins in the heart and in the mind, is nutured in the home, and is the accumulation of thousands of small decisions and actions." 

Sister Elaine Dalton has given many talks on virtue and they are all really awesome. Check them out if you have some extra time:

A Return to Virtue

Stay on the Path

Look toward Eternity!

Not so bad...

Looking back at yesterday (after getting some sleep) it was not so bad...

I'm usually really good about finding the good in all things. Here are the great things that happened on my bad day:

My friend Becca and her son Zach came over to visit and play

I saw some friends at the park, it was a nice surprise

Tyler wasn't feeling well and I cuddled him to sleep. Its been months since I was able to do that

Jeff brought home dinner (Burger King at 8:30 pm, but hey I didn't have to make it)

Within minutes of writing my bad day post, my neice Lily (almost 4yrs old) called to sing me a song (click here if you'd like to hear for yourself!), and tell me a joke: "Knock knock. Who's there? Chocolate. Chocolate who? Chocolate Kirsti!" It made me laugh. At the end of our visit, she said, "Are you having a good day now?" How could I answer no?

Today was definitely a better day. To prevent yesterday from repeating itself, I spent the day with friends. Tyler got to play with Zach and I got to visit with Becca and Ashna. Jackson even had a buddy to play with (look at)! It was nice to escape all the responsibilities of housework for a day and I really enjoyed the good company!

Not a Good Day

Today was a hard day... my house is a disaster, my incision is sore, I smell like spit-up and I feel like I could brake down and cry at any moment.

Just in case you wanted details...

In the 10 or 15 minutes it takes to nurse the baby, Tyler will: remove all the cushions off the couch, try to blow his nose on my arm, insert my breast pad into the DVD player, try to remove the baby's face from my you-know-what, and smear oatmeal all over the chair, floor and wall. This last act was just the topping on the cake at 6:30 pm and has decided that I am in fact having 2 kids instead of the once planned 4 or 5...

I'm sure my lack of dealing with this has nothing to do with my lack of sleep (right) and the fact that I'm still mourning over the loss of Nemo AND I miss my mom, dad, cousin, mother-in-law, and father-in-law. Please come back!

The good thing about a bad day? Tomorrow has to be better! 

Poor Nemo

This is not a toy. This is the real fish we found on the floor by the tank. Nemo pulled a Nemo and jumped out. We were looking for him all day in the tank, filter and pumps. Never once did we think to look for him on the ground. By the time we found him, he was dry and crispy. I almost cried.

Just so you know, I was screaming as I was taking the picture. Who lets their kid touch a dead fish? Me.

Blessing Baby Jackson

Bapas are Comin!

When I told Tyler earlier this week that Grandma & Grandpa are coming to play with us tomorrow, he ran to the door and yelled, "BAPA!". I said, "no tomorrow" and he started crying. It was so sad! But I felt the same way. It couldn't be soon enough! Now they are here: Jeff's parents came on Tuesday and we have been having a blast. Sewing, playing games, a little shopping, and relaxing! My parents & Andy (my cousin) came last night and Tyler was going crazy enjoying TWO grandmas & TWO grandpas! actually three grandpas- evidently he thinks cousin Andy is somehow his third grandpa...we asked him where his grandpas are and he pointed to all three guys, one at a time!! We were cracking up

We are blessing Jackson at church tomorrow, so look back for more pictures in the next couple of days!

I found a dress for me to wear at Macys- originally $96 and after sales and gift cards, I ended up paying $11.58 for it! It couldn't be more perfect!

Smarty Pants

Tyler is quite the smart little guy. It cracks me up the things he says (or tries to say!)

• When I give him a piece of candy or something yummy and I say here's one, he says: "TWO!" I'm so proud of him that he can count to two that of course, I give him two candies!
  
• This one isn't quite so funny, but I'm proud of him that he is using words instead of whining when I TRY to dress him while he is playing, he will shake his head and say "nononono". The way he says it cracks me up everytime (either that or it just makes me say "yes yes yes yes!")
• When I ask him if he wants a drink of water, he walks over to the fridge and points to the dispenser and says "iiiiiiice". He just started saying the "s" sound last week. He is just like his mama and likes his water with ice!
• When we walk through the grocery store, he points out all the food he knows. This is particularly exciting in the produce isle. He will yell "a bapple" or "a nana" at the top of his lungs and everytime I tell him that we have to wait until we get home to eat them or else it is stealing!
• Anytime I ask him "what color is this?" He answers "purpa!" (even if it isn't!) He also calls powderd sugar purple because we made purple frosting one day.
• Whenever Jeff says "say bye to mom" while I'm holding Jackson, he will say "a baby" until Jeff says "say bye to mom and baby" And then he will wave bye.
• When we say prayers, he has always folded his arms. But he has just started to talk during the prayer. When we are doing our thank yous, he will say "dadda, mamma, baby". It is so sweet!!

Weighing in at...

11lbs, 9 oz!! and 22 inches long

is Jackson Jeffery

and on the left side...

at 26 lbs and 34 inches long

is Tyler Kent

My sweet boys: instead of battling it out, Tyler gives kisses to a yawning baby brother. It melts my heart to see them together and I love that I get to watch them grow up together. I'm sure a year from now when I announce their weights they may actually be wrestling champs. But for now, they are my sweet gentle angel boys.

Bathtime Fun

my boys love taking baths!

Jackson's cord is still attached, so we are still doing spongebaths for him and he really enjoys them. I love when he is all clean and smells like baby soap- its the best!

Tyler has always loved taking baths but even more now with his new Christmas bath toys! He is  

learning his colors now and loves to use these crayola color tablets. They are awesome and don't 

stain the tub or toys or towells (or bodies!). Now when he asks for a bath he says "bubble" and

 then "purpa". Purple is now his favorite color-- yay!!

Jeff walked in the bathroom after I took this picture and he said, "wow tyler, your bath is blue!" and Tyler said, "no, purpa!"

tiny MIRACLES

I'm so thankful for all the miracles around me right now:

Somehow Tyler doesn't need his binki anymore. Its been 3 days now that tyler has not slept with his binki. Honestly, it is lost and I can't crawl around looking under furniture so I just haven't given it to him at bedtimes like I used to. He hasn't asked for it once! So when I do find them, I will be throwing them away!! I always thought I'd have a huge battle trying to get Tyler off that binki, but miraculously, it happened on its own!!

Another miracle that has to do with bedtime: We took the side off Tyler's bed because I cannot lift him- I really didn't want to do that this soon and interrupt his routine, but we had no choice. He has been so good! The first few nights, Jeff said he had to RUN out of his room and Tyler would chase him to the door laughing!!! But after that, he got the hang of it and stayed in bed. A couple nights he would wake up crying and Jeff would find him standing in the middle of the room shaking and confused. Of course, as parents we had to find a solution. We decided to put a nightlight in his room. I showed him that his Jesus picture was right above the light and that He would always be with him in his room. Since then, Tyler has never woke up crying in the middle of the night! Every morning he calls for us and is still in his bed. What a sweetie!

I love being a mom and I'm so thankful for good kids. I don't know how I deserve that, but I'll take it! I completely consider Jackson's birth and good health a miracle, and I totally recognize the tiny miracles in my life that have made this transition so much easier.

at our house:

Baby Jackson is doing great! He is a great sleeper (especially during the day...)

and a total sweetie pie (even at night)

He reminds me of  his older brother...

who is getting very good at giving soft kisses...

and trying to figure out what baby would like in his mouth (apples, pretzel sticks, a finger...)

No really, Tyler is being a great big brother! He has been so gentle- besides the occasional head bonk- which, evidently, at my house is a sign of affection!  He hands me blankets and diapers and gives us kisses any time we ask for them.

I am doing very well- thanks to the help of our entire ward and a helpful husband. I've had lots of time to cuddle and get to know our baby which has helped my body feel better every day.

I love being a mom and I'm so lucky that I get two of the sweetest kids in the world!

Our little angel

Jackson is such a great baby! We are so lucky. Today he had his 1 week check-up and did great! He didn't even cry when they did the heal prick. (I wanted to though!) He is 8 lbs, 7 oz and 20 inches long-- I think we have a football player...

I don't remember Tyler ever letting me sleep for 3 hours straight- I'm so lucky this little guy sleeps at night, it's really helping me recover quickly!

Jackson's Story

We are so grateful for our healthy baby! Here's the crazy story of how he finally got here...

Tuesday morning, I had my alarm set to drink castor oil, but I was up all night with regular contractions, and was relieved I didn't need to take any! We headed to the hospital and they monitered me for a couple hours. I was having strong contractions but they were not progressing me enough so they told me to fill my tummy, walk for hours and come back. We went back in the evening with the same symptoms hoping for a doctor to help speed up this process (by this point I am 3 days late). Thankfully, I saw a doctor who decided to do an ultrasound to check on amniotic fluid. My fluid was low, and she said, "its time for baby to come out!" I was so happy to hear those words I almost cried!

Here comes the crazy part... They set me up at 1 am for the induction. I swallowed a pill that they told me would bring me to a 3 or 4 by 5:30 am. I decided we had a lot of time to kill so I sent Jeff to sleep in the car (our room was the size of a closet and didn't even have an extra seat for him!). At about 2:30 I asked for medication but I didn't feel ready for an epidaural yet, so they gave me demorol in my iv. That made me soooo sleepy that I slept until I woke up in extreme pain around 3 am. The doctors checked me and I was at a 6. Everything from here on out is a blur, but pretty much I am really hurting and by the time they are ready to  give me an epidaural I am screaming in pain and it is too late. I am at an 8 and she says I'm changing quickly. The anasthesiologist is reading me all the info but in the middle of his ordeal, the baby's heartrate starts dropping to scary rates. They insert moniters in his head and moments later yell that I need an emergency caesarean. There are about 5 doctors around me that pull out cords and cables from the wall and run my table to an operation room. Because there was no time for the epidaural, they had to put me out completely. Jackson was born at 3:49 am.

In what seemed like a second later, I woke up wondering if it was all over and if my baby was alive. Jeff was right there to inform me that our baby was doing great and that he has been with him for the past couple of hours. I was so relieved. We are so blessed. The bad news was that they had to cut me vertical to get the baby out asap and because I was so dilated when they cut me open, my uterus tore and I lost so much blood that I needed a blood transfusion.

I have a long recovery ahead of me, but I am home now and much more comfortable than in the hospital. I am so thankful for all your comments, thoughts and prayers, I know that we have been extremely blessed and it was truly with your help that we were able to get through the hard times. My sister-in-law Melonie read me your comments over the phone when I was in the hospital and I was overwhelmed with your love and concern for me. And I have been able to feel the prayers that have been said for us. We are so blessed.

Jackson is a wonderful baby! The nurses always commented on how perfect he was when they'd examine him and the nursery staff kept telling me he never cries. We are home now and he is continuing his perfectness. Tyler loves that mommy and baby are home and he is going to be a great big brother!