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!

Welcome Jackson!

After an emergency c-section, Kirsti delivered a healthy baby boy: Jackson Jeffery Clark. He weighed 8 lbs. 5 oz. and 19 inches long. Baby and mom are recovering well. Leave a comment to pass along your congratulations to the happy parents.

Baby News (or lack thereof)...

What the baby to the right really means is 1 day "overdue" not one day to go... yesterday was my due date and I am still pregnant!! I could've sworn he was coming a long time ago. Oh well. My family is here and we are having lots of fun. Now its getting down to crunch time. He better be here by the 31st. I've worked hard for him most of the year and would love to enjoy the tax benefits of having one more child!! Not to mention that I'm sure he's getting big in there.

Really, I'm quite content. For the most part, I feel pretty good. Here I am, writing this, having contractions and I hope they start hurting me. I'm actually praying for pain!! How silly. The thing that makes me the most nervous is the clinic I've been going to wont induce until I am 2 weeks past due. That's a long ways away! What if my body just can't go into labor on its own? I got pitocin with Tyler at a 2 and they were able to turn it off hours later when I was at a 5 because my body was progressing on its own.

I'm getting really eager to see this little guy and to cuddle with him and introduce him to all of our loved ones!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

One of my favorite memories about Christmas morning is running in my parents room to wake them up. I'm guessing most of you woke up early to your excited children. We, on the other hand, woke Tyler up at 9:00! It was wonderful to sleep in and we felt like the kids sneaking in his room to yell "Merry Christmas!" It took a few moments for him to wake up and realize today would be packed with fun toys and presents...

Our attempt at a family picture (Tyler still half asleep)...

I kept telling Tyler to see what he got in his stocking. One time I called it a "sock" and there it went, on his foot!

He did whatever he had to do to get each present open...

And then of course, we'd have a 20 minute break until we could get him to stop playing with his new toy and open another one... He loved his "choo-choo" from the Ingalls, 

Mr. Potato Head from Andy-- he especially loves the "at" (hat) and was so proud of himself that he could take it on and off! (Please excuse my face-- I didn't know I was in the picture and was trying to get him to smile!- dorky me.)

and of course his Curious George book from "Nenie & Baba" (Lanie & Papa)-- sorry to say he threw out the clothes without even a slight glance, though I think they are very handsome, and that's the important thing! He LOVES the dump truck which he played with all day along with the tractor from daddy...

He had a blast on the horsey from Grandma & Grandpa Wolfe! At first he was a little scared of the big animal in our living room, but he warmed up to it very fast. Early in the morning, I'd ask him if he wanted to  ride it and he shook his head no. By the time the day was over, he kept shaking his head no when I told him it was bedtime and time to get off!

I fixed up his "pink girlie bike" See post for a before picture: http://jkclark.blogspot.com/2008/10/friday-five-tylers-faves.html

and I think it turned out great (minus the one set of pink wheel spokes-please ignore!)

And we finished up the day with a nice ham & potato meal! It was delicious!

We had a wonderful day together today! I'm so grateful for my family and I love spending time with them so much!

Thanks family for the great gifts-- we wish we could be there to spend the day together, but thought of you all often today!

I'm excited to see my parents and Katie tomorrow and Tommy & Mel on Sunday! The fun just won't stop around here. I wish I could say when we get to meet our new baby, hopefully it will be sometime this year!

Santa's Comin'

So, no I haven't had the baby yet (today would've been perfect to celebrate my mom & Kaylynn's bdays and I'd be home by Christmas with a baby in my arms) but now I'm hoping for the 26th so I can enjoy Christmas Day with Jeff and Tyler! I went into the dr. today and am about a 3, so really it could be any day now-- though I think I've said that for 2 weeks, so what do I know? Anyway, I finished this stocking shelf and received our  stockings in the mail from my mamma so we are all ready for Santa to  come fill them up!! YAY! 

I wasn't really planning on it, but now I've decided to make a ham, potatoes, jello and rolls to celebrate! So I'll continue to keep busy until the big day comes!

Today would be a great day to have a baby...

This is what I have said every day for the past week. I'm pretty sure I will say it up to the day it actually happens. We are getting all ready!! Here are some things I've been working on in preparation for the big day (and to keep myself busy to prevent going crazy!)

made a boppy- they are way too expensive and my friend gave me a great pattern:

http://sewityourself.googlepages.com/

This cost me $13.00 to make!! Though I'm not done yet, I still have to handstitch (which I hate to do) and make the outer cover.

wrapped presents

cleaned out/organized guest bedroom

created a nursery in our bedroom and closet for the baby

becca and her mom fixed up this beautiful cradle and gave us new bedding!

went on our last date for awhile

Last night we saw this movie and really enjoyed it. I love seeing Christmas movies right before Christmas!

We are hoping to:

put up Christmas lights-- I know, a little late, but we weren't going to until we found them on sale at Lowes for 50cents per box!! Not kidding!

I'm working on a stocking shelf-- hopefully I will get to finish it and post pictures soon!

Baby Update

I've been having lots of contractions for the past couple days, strong but totally irregular. I'm guessing any day now this baby will decide enough is enough! I go in tomorrow for an appointment where my doctor will strip the membranes if my water doesn't brake on its own before then. I'm curious to see how much progress these contractions have caused me so far. If I could guess, I'd say the baby will be here by this weekend. I'll keep you posted.

Baby its cold outside!

It was so cold this morning! But that didn't stop Tyler from jumping on the trampoline. He just did so with his hood on, mom's hat, and his hands in his pockets!!
Baby update: Well, he has listened to me and given me that week that I needed! I've been able to cross so many things off my to-do list and attend all the activities I wanted to this week. Luckily I've had the nesting impulse that drives me to be non-stop so I've stayed busy and have accomplished a lot: packages to family, cleaned out closets, wrapped presents, finished orders, and cleaned house!! I had a little scare this week and thought I was going into labor. I was having painful contractions and yelling at the kid to stay in there! Now I can relax a little and I have to change my tone of voice with him so he knows he will have a nice mommy-- you can come out now!

Awestruck by Santa

We saw Santa outside of Walmart today and I was so excited! Tyler, on the other hand, didn't know what to think. We've been talking about Santa all week and I am training him to answer "What does Santa say?" with "HO HO HO". Right now his response is "oh HO!" It's pretty cute. So I was super excited for tyler to try out his new line. We walked up and I said, "look, its Santa- what does he say?"..............Nothing. Santa, I'm sure, is used to this, so he asked for a high five. Tyler had a lollipop in one hand (the one item that gets us through grocery shopping without me going crazy) and a toy car in the other hand. He looks down and debates which precious item to drop in order to shake Santa's hand. About 2 minutes pass and he finally gives up his car for a five and we walk into the store. As I wonder if his visit with Santa meant anything to the little guy, I hear him quietly say "oh HO! oh HO! oh HO!"

Give me a week...

...and I'll feel ready. A couple weeks ago, people kept asking, so are you just totally ready to have that baby? My response was, actually no. I still have a lot to do and I feel ok. Since then, I've had a return of nausea, sleepless nights, and have become super uncomfortable. I feel like my stomach muscles are rubber bands ready to snap, when I stand up from sitting or laying down, my sciatica nerve hits from my lower back down to my heels, and I just feel like a fat pig!

I had a dr. appt on Friday and I'm already starting to dilate and the baby's head is right down there. So I'm giving myself another week, two at the most, I'm guessing this baby will be early. But give me one more week to get everything done that I need to. Christmas is coming and so is company!! YAY! Oh, and so is the baby!!

Here's the latest belly shot, taken about 10 minutes ago, by my fabulous photographer/husband who kept telling me what kind of face to make. This is my "serious face" in case you were wondering. But whenever anyone says anything like "don't smile" its like all I can think of is something really funny, so I have a hard time with that one.