Photo

Not really in the mood to write anything, but maybe later.

Photos

So I know we are due for an update but that will have to wait because you just get pictures today.

Photo Overload

So I am the worst blogger but hey at least i know that. We are even living in our house right now because we had a flood and we are in he middle of getting our floor re-done. The fridge water line popped off and water was running for about 4 hours and on fake wood floor that is not good but hey we are putting in tile so we are pretty excited about that but hey there is the reason I have been MIA.

Anyways Declan has been super sick between pink eye and a super bad head cold. So it has been rough to see him so sick and feel like I couldn't do anything. Being a mom is hard work but I guess I knew that.

So since I have been gone I figured I would just overload you with pictures because really I have such a cute boy.

What we have been up to

I am not the best blogger in the world because i can come up with any reason to not get on and write. I have been lazy and there is nothing else I can say about it. I do love spending time with my boy and everyday he gets bigger and it just makes me so happy. I love watching him grow up. It is crazy to think that just a year ago from the 4th of July I found out that I would be having a baby and now he is here and smiling and laughing and pooping, it is just so exciting to me.

James has been working like crazy and is doing really well with the early mornings. I spend most of my days hanging out with my little man and trying to clean up the house which doesn't go to well except for the dishes because I can do those. Motherhood is alot of work but i love everything about it. There are some days where i don't want to get all fixed up and do my hair but I do it anyways because it makes me feel better. If I have any advice it would be to always get ready for the day.

It seems that almost everyday that he gets home from work we run over to my parents house and go swimming. Declan loves the pool and just hangs out in it. We love being with family and how much time we get to spend with them.

We love our new house and I need to post pictures of how it is looking but lets just say I am super slow at unpacking. Speaking of the house we have been super unlucky with some certain little visitors that are nasty and making be want to scream. Those nasty things that I am speaking of are scorpions. They are nasty and mean and I kill them every chance that I get. We have found three in the house and as soon as I see them I go at them with a hammer and carpet cleaner. Now you ask why carpet cleaner, well because it has a wonderful bottle that shoots a straight stream right on them. We walk around with a black light because it makes them light up neon green. We go hunting in the backyard and we make look ghetto but we get the job done.

Other then the nasty little monsters things are going really good. I am going to be painting the kitchen red and the down stairs bathroom with pictures to follow. I love the fact that i get to do whatever I want to my house and make it look the way that I want it to.

Here are some pictures to hold you over until I post more.

Hanging in the bath.
Lexie's sweet glasses

Hanging in the pool.

Declan's Blessing

We had tons of family in town for Declan's and Kate's baby blessing. It was such a great thing to hear James give his son a blessing and hear all the promises that wait for Declan. Declan was so good and didn't even cry once during the whole blessing.

After Declan's blessing we ran over to Kate's blessings. We did a big dinner at Bobbi's with over 40 people there so it was busy non-stop. I love when family gets together becuase James and I were in Rexburg for so long and couldnt be with family so now we try and do as much as possible.

Declan

So I thought that I would overload you with pictures of my sweet baby

Declan James Jackson

So it all started Thursday morning at 7:30 am with James and I going to the hospital to get induced. We started with a pill that would kick start it because I was only 20% and maybe at a 2. So while we were waiting for things to get moving, my belly broke out into a nasty rash. I couldn't stop scratching. It was terrible. It was weird to be so uncomfortable and in pain from a rash when I was there supposed to be having pain from labor! We requested some medicine or cream to help it but didn't get anything approved by my doctor for 2 hours! It was terrible. I know this sounds dumb, but it was bad.

So back to the labor ... after waiting for the pills to kick me into labor, nothing was happening. Still at a 2. Still at 20%. So needless to say, we had a ways to go. After about 8 hours of waiting and not much movement they started me on the gels. Talk about a not very fun thing to go through becuase it makes you have to pee but you have to wait 45 minutes ... which was not fun. So after waiting a forever long wait, I finally got to pee :) and started the walking. I walked for an hour and got back to the room and .... lost the plug at 11pm. So from then on no more walking.

They started me on the pitocin drips which really got everything going. I had to wear an oxygen mask becuase Declan's heart rate went up, and let me tell you when you are having a really bad contraction and they have a nasty mask on you and you have to focus on breathing and everything it is NO FUN. During really bad contractions I ripped my mask off because I couldn't take it anymore! at 11 PM my water finally broke. Early the next morning they gave me some other pain killer that would take a little bit of the pain off and help me sleep.

The pain really started to kicking and around 6am with all the steady contractions. Contraction after contraction and despite all the pain, there still was not much progress "down there." Around 6:30 AM I got my epidural which made things so much better. Its nice knowing that I was contracting, because my monitor says so, and not having to feel it. I had to switch laying from side to side with this yellow peanut ball between my knees, kinda like a lop-sided exercise ball. Nurses started to come in every 2 hours throughout the day to see how things were going.

Note that this is now 24+ hours since we started my original induction one morning earlier.

Throughout the day, not much progress was happening, but at least the epidural kept the pain away. The drugs worked ... I would fall asleep during mid-conversation and then wake up and finish it. I guess you could say that I was so out of it.

We watched a lot of news becuase the day we arrived to the hospital was the day that Japan had the big earthquake and tsunami so we tried to keep up to date on that. So, things were going slow and steady all day long up until 8pm when we found out I was not progressing past an 8 1/2 and actually started to go backwards. I began to swell, so I was given the news that after 36 hours of labor I would be having a c-section.

I was really sad becuase I had worked so hard and to just have them go in and take him out in a matter of 15 mins. Yes I did get a little emotional but it was nice to have James, my mom and sister there for me. I knew that it was the best thing to do becuase it would keep Declan safe.

James dressed down in the paper scrubs they gave him and we went to surgery. The epidural was making me so numb the nurses had to lift me onto the surgical table. James waited outside until after I was prepped and ready to go. They brought James in and he sat up by me and held me hand. They started the surgery and when they were ready to bring Declan out they told James he could watch. He actually recorded them pulling Declan out!

My doctor couldn't stop talking about how BIG Declan was the moment that he arrived. She, my doctor, said "No wonder we couldn't get him to come earlier! He wouldn't fit through!" Declan actually had a small ring on his head where he was trying, but wouldn't fit.

Declan arrived into the world at 8:38 PM on March 11, 2011. He was 9 and 1/2 pounds and was 21" long.

We love him so much and can't wait to see him grow into a strong boy. We want to say thank you to all of our friends and family who have supported us during this journey. You have helped us more than words can express.



The board in the room.

A quick stop on the walk outside to breathe through a contraction.

We were so tried and little nutty after not sleeping that we thought it would be fun to dress the peanut up.

Right after Declan made his debut to the world.

Where have I been....

So much has gone in the past few months to say the least. I am a year older and maybe not wiser but tons have changed. We now have a wonderful baby boy and a new house. Things have been so crazy with having a baby, James starting a new job and buying a house all in one month. As you can tell I cut my hair off for locks of love and you know what I didn't think I would miss it but I do. I loved my long hair and when I see pictures of it I wish it was back. So needless to say I am growing it out. I know that is no reason for my long absence but what can I say i was a little busy growing a cute little guy and working all the time. Lets just say that I am so glad that I get to spend my time with the cutest little guy in the world and James gets to come everyday at 2pm to hang out with us after he gets off work.

I will post a few pictures and write my story on having Declan in a different post.