Update

Hello!

Well... I haven't updated this blog in quite some time, huh? Not really a big surprise I guess, but a little sad nonetheless!

I don't have time to post picture right now --- I just wanted to try and jot a few words about life in the last few months.

Life is great. Austin and I absolutely love our little son Jackson. Things have been going thankfully very smooth. I have never had so many changes happen in one day as the day Jackson was born! The labor and delivery were the hardest things I have ever done in my life, and even so, I look back and realize I was very blessed with an "easy" delivery. 8 hours, from start to finish, from 7:30 to 3:30, no complications, healthy mom, healthy baby. Adjusting to having a child was all at once and over a lot of time. I think I had a daily cry every day for about 2 weeks as my ravaged body and hormones recovered and as I tried to swallow how many ways life was going to be different from then on. Somewhere between 2 and 4 weeks, I resumed getting out of the house now and then again which was extremely healing for the whole family! Austin and I were SO blessed by everyone's support around us. We didn't have to cook for dinner for a full month! We had visitors, we had people make runs to the store for us, we had gifts right and left, and many offers for additional help if needed! Austin was a Super-Dad for the first few weeks as he did almost all of the diaper changes (including the late night ones!) and prepared the food, cleaned the house, and was my go-fer in general. Wow. He deserves a standing ovation! I took forever to heal up. That was probably the hardest thing for me in those first few weeks. I wanted so bad to be up on my feet again. But ah well, it went as it did and like I said, Austin helped SO much! Since then, we gradually got used to real life again, and have been getting used to incorporating a baby into the regular mix of day to day living! Jackson has been a pretty easy baby, by the way. We probably had between3 and 8 nights where he cried, unstoppably, for 2-4 hours straight. But, he quickly matured, and we also discovered his particular tricks to help him calm down and sleep when needed, and since then we only have hard nights now and then again when we have particularly long or unfamiliar days.

Currently, Jackson puts himself to sleep all on his own for his first 2 to 4 naps in the day! If it's a normal, stay-at-home day, that is. He sleeps for about 6 to 8 hours from about 7 to 3 every night, and then sleeps 3 to 5 hours after that. Not bad in my opinion. I'm not too worked up about getting him to sleep the hours that I sleep (more like 10-6 would be better!) But we will probably work on it a little in the upcoming weeks so that hopefully we all get better sleep! Jackson is getting good at holding his head up more steady, has rolled over from front to back several times now, is more interested in looking at stuff, doesn't hardly ever spit up, and just recently loves to wake up and talk. His first word is: ggghhhhhoooo! Oh and he LOVES his hands. They have been in his mouth ever since he was born. He has recently gotten them to stay there a little better.

Jackson had his first Dr. appointment about a month ago, which was a negative experience for his mommy & daddy (bleh!) We have now switched doctors and will be visiting the new one about a month from now. He got his first immunizations at that visit :( so sad to watch him in pain! He recovered quickly though. He's a trooper!

Soooo.......... that's what I have to say off the top of my head! Perhaps I'll have more to say more quickly than it took me last time. :-)

Jackson says hi! (or.. gghhhoooo!)