Owen is In A Phase

What is it with my kids these days? Especially my four-year-old (Owen)… who is just testing the limits at every turn lately. I briefly mentioned the digging up of the back yard. Then locking me out of the house.

Yesterday I fell asleep with Avery during the boys “rest time”. The boys seemed to think it was the perfect opportunity to sneak out of the house and walk to my neighbors to see if he could play! Luckily JJ was home and caught them sneaking back in (the neighbor was taking a nap). We are now going to make both sides of the door require a key to lock it. We live across from a pond and it just isn’t worth the risk of them sneaking out and ending up in it!

Today, less of a big deal, but strange none-the-less, I went up to check on them knowing they were out of their bunk instead of resting. In the middle of their play was a puddle on their carpet. My 2-year-old (Lukas) wears a diaper so I knew he was not guilty. Owen NEVER has accidents. He never wets his bed or anything. The bathroom is literally 5 feet from the spot. So what is he up too? I would think it was a cry for attention because of Avery’s arrival, but he adores her and gets more than enough attention.

Anyway, everyday there is something new. I just hope I can parent him right through whatever phase this is. And I pray God’s protection on the dangerous things he is doing that I DON’T see!

July 31, 2008 | Filed Under Children, Family, Trials & Tribs | 5 Comments

So many little things

I could once again bemoan my infrequency of posting and how that has cause my technorati to fall 100 points or my feed burner to go down about the same (blog-nerd information).

I could tell you a story about how my boys locked me out of the house the other day, or how Lukas ate dirt today while digging in our backyard with Owen on a search for treasure.

I could complain about the house being hard to keep up on with 3 children, 2 of which want to play outside all the time and need to be watched.

I could talk about Avery’s sleep patterns, and bore you to death with that. She’s a newborn, what do you expect?

But instead, today I’m just going to tell you that Does Mommy Love It (dot) Com is coming back to a priority. After much break and a pile of products sent freely to me ready to be reviewed… I’m getting back on the ball. Caroline is too. What are the chances we, who both do the site, had to move and had babies! We’re back now though. So please make a visit. We have new sponsors to introduce in the next week or so, more contests coming up, and fun, sometimes quite unique, products to review.

July 30, 2008 | Filed Under Blogging, Children | 2 Comments

Avery Elise Jackson

How lame am I that I had a baby on the 21st of June and am just now writing about it!

Avery was born in quite the hurry. After weeks of contractions I went from 0 to 60 on Saturday the 21st. We were eating at one of our favorite Thai places, (Me, Jeff, boys, and my mother-in-law,) and the contractions started intensifying. They were only 6 minutes apart though and I was told to not worry about going to the hospital until they were 2-3 apart consistantly. They were getting pretty unbearable though so keeping a straight face through my meal was seriously difficult! Afterward, we had promised the boys a trip to the pet store next door. Jeff went on ahead and when Mimi and I went to catch up, I almost keeled over. Still 6 minutes apart though I was convinced I could not go to the hospital. The last thing I wanted was to be sent home (again, it happened earlier that week).

We decided after that contraction that I needed to at least wait in the hospital parking lot, but I insisted we take Mimi and the boys home first. My poor family…. The ride home it was all I could do to contain the pain. I was kicking the car and hanging on for dear life to the handle above the door. When we got to the house I remembered I needed my toothbrush but by the time I was getting out to the car I swore I could feel the baby’s head!

Jeff flew to the hospital and I gave up on waiting for the 2-3 minute distance. If that wasn’t labor nothing was! It felt like we were in emergency forever. By then it finally went to 3 minutes apart and I had 3 contractions while waiting. They finally got me upstairs and the nurses flew into action. I was rolled into the room and they asked if I felt up to getting the robe on… No bathroom for me… I threw my clothing off and put the robe on and crawled into bed. They checked me and I was 7 cm and almost completely effaced. WIthin a couple minutes I was completely dialated and “all they could feel was head”.

Keep in mind- this whole time I’m begging for an epidural. Asking where my epidural is…. when was it going to get there. etc. What I didn’t see was all the faces the nurses apparently made to each other acknowledging it was far too late for an epidural. WHAT? When the nurse practitioner was finally frank with me I would like to tell you I was a Champ, I rose to the occasion. But Nope, I freaked. Totally freaked. I explained how I wasn’t one of those women that could give birth naturally. I wasn’t one of those that was strong enough. I hate pain. I love comfort, high-thread count sheets, pillow top mattresses!!!! I CAN’T GO NATURALLY!

They kept assuring me I could do it. By this time I can not explain the amount of pain I was in. Jeff was crying, I was crying… It was bad. I was surrounded by about 8 nurses and It did not even occur to me the dr. wasn’t there yet, but it was time to push. 3 PAINFUL pushes and VOILA! Avery was born. (i’m avoiding some sordid details.) She was 8 lbs. 4 oz.

She has been great these past 2 weeks. The easiest so far of any babies I have had. I’ll share some pics even though she already looks so different!

July 8, 2008 | Filed Under Uncategorized | 32 Comments