I am a horrible blogger!

Okay, obviously I am not good at keeping a blog current, but I thought I would go ahead and update the blog as much as possible since I am off work today.

Jackson turned 9 months old yesterday! It is hard to believe how quickly these past 9 months have flown by. Jackson is still a true joy to us, but he is even more fun now than I ever could have imagined. Since my last post, Jackson has done so many things. Here are a few things he has done: swimming at the lake for the first time, he's had lots of ear infections that eventually lead to his first surgery a couple of weeks ago for tubes, he's been on his first vacation ever and hung out at the beach in Gulf Shores for a week with his good friends Hulse and Olivia, he moved up to the second baby room at daycare (which made me sad and happy all at the same time), he sat up for the first time, he rolls over like it is nothing, he is almost crawling now (he does the creeping/sliding around type of thing to get to what he wants right now), he has inherited our love of football this fall especially when it comes to the UCA Bears and the Razorbacks, and he weighs about 16 1/2 pounds which is a fabulous improvement from the 3.7 lbs he weighed when he was born. He truly is a happy baby boy, and he smiles and laughs all the time. His feet are very ticklish, as well as under his arms. Jonathan and I do everything we can to hear his laugh as much as possible--it is the best sound I have ever heard! He is currently best friends with our girl dog, Gracie, but he loves our boy dog, Dexter, almost just as much. Gracie loves to kiss him on the face and mouth, and I have decided not to mind because he loves it so much! He is truly the highlight of our lives, and we are so blessed by his presence in our lives! I'll post a few recent pictures to show you guys how much he has changed over the last few months when I was slacking on my blogging duties! :)

New things...

There are so many new and exciting things happening with my little 4 month old baby boy. First of all, his facial expressions are absolutely priceless. I can't decide whether he looks more like me (or my dad and little brother) or like Jonathan. It really just depends on his facial expression because sometimes I swear he looks just like his dad--like in this picture with the brown striped shirt. Other times, he looks just like a member of the "Hunt" family.

Second, he L-O-V-E-S the mobile above his crib. Check out this picture of him looking up at it. He smiles and laughs at it, and he especially loves it when I move the little animals around. It is awesome that he is really seeing things now...and enjoying what he is looking at.

Third, and most surprising to me, he decided this past Sunday (on Mother's Day) that it was about time for him to grab something and actually play with it. It was so unexpected! Check out the pictures of him in his car seat playing with this little wrist rattle shaped like a cow. We were eating dinner with my family at a restaurant, and I sat the little rattle down on his chest so he could look at it while we were eating. Next thing I know, he had picked it up and started moving it around in his tiny hands. He was really examining it--it was so cool. I can't wait to see what other little milestones he passes in the near future! Jackson is such a blessing to me, and I'm so greatful for him!

Big Day!

On Sunday, May 3, 2009, Jackson was baptised! In the Catholic and Methodist tradition, infants experience the sacrament of baptism and are initiated into Christ's holy church. Through this important sacrament, Jonathan and I promised to "nurture Jackson in Christ's holy church, that by our teaching and example he may be guided to accept God's grace for himself, to profess his faith openly, and to lead a Christian life." More importantly, however, during the baptism God pours out his Holy Spirit over our son, washes away his sin, and clothes him in righteousness throughout his life so that one day he may share in his final victory.

We are so proud that our little boy has been baptised in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We cannot wait to see what a wonderful and Godly young man he becomes. I pray that we, as parents, will do a good job of teaching him about God's love. Of course, our wonderful friends and family will be a big help!

Jackson did so great during the baptism too. I just knew that since he would be the center of attention he would start to cry during the process. But, he smiled the entire time--like he knew this was a Big Day for him!

First UCA Sporting Event!

We took Jackson to his first ever sporting event...a UCA baseball game. It seems fitting that his first game would be UCA-related since UCA is so important to Jonathan and I. Not only did we both graduate from UCA in 2003, but we met and fell in love while going to school at UCA. Not to get all mushy on you guys, but all of our dating memories somehow revolve around UCA since we started dating our freshman year and later got engaged on the steps of my freshman dorm during our senior year. We live in Conway and we love Bear sports. So, Jack got his first taste of both UCA and baseball at the same time. We hope that he will one day want to play baseball, football, etc. But, even if he decides not to play sports, he'll have to learn to love them anyway. Jonathan and I both love watching and playing sports--especially baseball and football--so Jack will just have to get used to it! The pictures are of Jack and his friends Hulse and Olivia who will also be expected to enjoy UCA sporting events! :)

Fast Forward...

Jack will be 3 months old on April 7th! I can't believe how fast time flies. I know everyone says that, but time really does seem like it is on fast forward. Being back at work has been an adjustment. Luckily, Jonathan is staying at home with Jack for a little while so that we can keep him out of daycare until May. I am sure it will be even harder when I know he isn't home with his daddy while I'm at work. I'm sure I'll be posting about daycare in the near future! I'd like to pause things for a little while longer. If only life were like my DVR?!

Jackson, Jack, Little J, Little J Peepz...all names for our little guy. He is doing all things a 2.5 month old should do...lifting his head, smiling and laughing, talking in a mysterious baby language that I cannot understand but love to hear. It really is wonderful.

Bringing Home Baby!

After 2.5 weeks in the NICU, Jackson got to come home on January 23, 2009. When they finally told us we were going home, I felt like I had no idea how to really take care of him. The nurses in the NICU had really been doing everything aside from the couple of feedings and couple of diapers I got to do. I guess you just figure out that kind of thing when you have to, and it seems like we figured it out pretty quickly. He weighed 4.9 lbs. when we brought him home. He barely passed the "car seat test" they do in the NICU before a preemie can go home. But, he sure did look cute in that car seat!! Once we got home, we introduced Jack to his older brother and sister--our two Westies Dexter and Gracie. They have been very protective of him from the beginning, and I think they will continue to be great with him.

Long Overdue...the blog, not the baby!

Jackson was due to make his entrance on February 22, 2009. God, however, had different plans for our little family. I had what I would consider a picture-perfect pregnancy until the end of December 2008. Seriously, I never threw up one time--despite studying for the Bar Exam during my first trimester! Anyway, I became one of many many women who get a condition known as pre-eclampsia during pregnancy. Basically it involves high blood pressure and all that goes with that. I was on bed rest the week of Christmas, went back to work for a few days, and then went into the hospital on January 5th to stay. My wonderful doctor was going to try and let me deliver Jackson naturally (like I had planned) but really early, but we discovered that the amniotic fluid around Jackson was dangerously low and would not allow a natural birth. Apparently, there were many many reasons why I was going to have the C-section I had feared!

Jackson was born on January 7, 2009 at 2:12 pm. He weighed 3.7 lbs and was 15 1/2 inches long. Other than being so tiny, he was perfectly healthy. He was breathing on his own, never had to have oxygen, never had anything wrong. Jackson is our perfect little miracle, and being a mother is more wonderful than I ever could have imagined.

Sorry for the long first post--most won't be like this. I just felt like if I was going to dedicate a blog to my little man, you'd all have to hear the whole story. Tune in for more milestones to come!