6 months old

Happy half birthday baby! How has 6 months gone by already? Realizing that six months has already gone by was definitely my wake up call that it all goes by so fast and to enjoy every minute of it. (And to probably start documenting it better again).

I often catch myself worrying about if he's 'doing' everything he's supposed to at his age. Is he eating enough? On his tummy enough? Growing fast enough? Playing with toys enough? Happy enough? I catch myself comparing him to other 6 month babies. 3 month babies. Premature babies. Always wondering is he on track? Are we doing this right? But I catch myself and remind myself to just enjoy every amazing thing about him. While visiting with another preemie mother I met, making small talk about is your baby doing this? Or that? As all new mothers do. She shared her favorite saying with me,

"A rose doesn't compare itself to another rose. It just grows how it's meant to grow. "

I thought it was such a sweet reminder that all babies are special and beautiful in their own way, and they are just going to grow at their own pace. 

So here a few things about our sweet, 6 month old, Jackson:

- Weighs 8lbs 8 oz

- Oxygen is at 1/16 liter per minute but we've starting turning him down to 1/32 quite a bit and that's the last step before being done with it

- Is already a little charmer. Loves to giggle and smile in response to you laughing

- Lights up when Dad comes home at night 

- His head had a big growth spurt, and won't fit through most newborn clothes, although his body still does 

- We think the large noggin is also why he doesn't enjoy tummy time as much lately, too heavy to lift 

- Starting to show a little interest in toys, will hold onto them if you put them in his hands

- Loooves his swing and the mobile on it, he calls out to the monsters on the mobile "aaaaahhhhh ooohhhh"

- Toots all morning long while he is waking up, so we sing 'Born to be Wild' to him every morning cause he's "getting his motor running..." and he laughs

- Has rolled from tummy to back a few times but not consistently. He sure tries hard though

- Finds his hands to be the most fascinating thing right now. He holds his hands in prayer a lot and is obsessed with putting them in his mouth

- Started sleeping 8-9 hours at night (I hate to even write it for fear of jinxing myself)

The week Jackson turned 6 months was a big one. We went to a Utah for Dr. appts (everything's good!), saw family and friends, took his first airplane ride to Henderson, NV to see Grammy and Grandpa, dipped his toes in the pool there for the time, and went to his first restaurant. 

We couldn't be happier with how wonderfully Jackson is doing. 

Jackson loves to be sung to, we got him to smile do big in these pictures because my Dad was singing to him. 

Discovering toys are pretty tasty

But hands are his first love

Can't beat pool time at Grammy and Grandpa's

Goodbye Utah

Moving Day Eve. It is such a bittersweet night. Tomorrow we will say goodbye to our friends, family, and first home. 

A house that Hunter and I literally poured our blood, sweat, and tears into with countless renovations. A house that taught us we are just not DIY kind of people despite our best intentions...we get it done but we usually learn how to do it the hard way along the way. Long nights into the early morning painting rooms. An entire summer dedicated to a sprinkler system, fence, and landscaping. Roughly 900 trips to the hardware store. 

A house that Hunter and I planned a wedding in, became Husband and Wife, and welcomed our beautiful baby boy home to.

A house that I thought I hated and made countless threats to destroy it. I have actually grown to love and am going to miss. (Even the dungeon wall in the basement, because how many people can say they have a dungeon in their basement?) This house taught us patience. It taught us strength and skills I didn't know I had. It showed me how truly talented my husband is. It taught us that it really doesn't matter where you live, it's who you're with that matters. And if I do say so, it turned out beautiful after all that work. 

A house that became a home. 

A home we now say goodbye to and start our next adventure in Gillette, Wyoming as a family. It is sad to say goodbye but it has been a long 6 months with Hunter working in Wyoming and only home on the weekends and we can't wait to be a family together again.

Jackson's NICU Stay Video

It took me 3 weeks to edit over 2,500 pictures and videos from Jackson's time in the NICU down to 3 minutes, but here are his first 103 days of life. It was quite the journey to go back through these pictures. He is truly our miracle baby and we are so blessed to have such a happy, healthy boy. It's amazing to see how far he has come. He was such a fighter and continues to fight on. FOJSP!

Day 103 HOME

And we're home!!! See ya NICU!

Day 102

Jackson day 102:  2468 grams or 5 lbs 7 oz. We are at the hospital rooming in tonight bringing the boy home tomorrow. He is hooked up to a Brady cardia monitor. If his breathing rate or heart rate are too fast or too slow it alarms very loudly. He is eating great. He is sleeping soundly right now. We will be here until the doc releases him likely tomorrow afternoon. We'll keep you posted.  FOJSP! 

Day 101

Day 101

Jackson day 101: 2459 grams or 5 lbs 7 oz. since he's not gaining very fast dr. Nold has put him back on fortified milk. But she said this will not stop him from coming home Monday. The pediatrician can monitor his weight gain from here. He is now on demand eating. So he can eat whenever he wants. He's taking full advantage, eating every hour sometimes and then switching it up to every 4 hours. This little guy will keep us on our toes for sure. FOJSP! 

Day 100

Day 100

Jackson day 100: 2453 grams or 5 lbs 6 oz. Jackson is doing wonderful. Dr. Berger told us the plan is for us to room in Sunday night so they can make sure we can take care of Jackson by ourself with his oxygen and monitors. Then he is all ours Monday. 2 more days! FOJSP!!! 

Jackson's Birth Story

I've been meaning to write this one for a while, and with Jackson coming home soon there's no time like the present. I'll try to leave out some of the details, curse words, and how I really feel about Dr. Arogyasami (who is horrible and downright negligent...ok I didn't leave out all of my feelings). Because however it happened Jackson is here with us, and he's a miracle that we thank God for every day. 

Jackson's Birth Story

I had been having intermittent pains since  Sunday but I just thought I had probably been overdoing it with packing and moving boxes. I figured it was probably just those Bracton Hicks you hear so much about. On Wednesday afternoon I started to worry because the pains were still happening and I hadn't felt Jackson moving as much. So I went in to the doctor and they hooked me up to a monitor. When I got there and they had me take a pee test like they do every time, I was bleeding a little bit. The doctor said that was nothing to worry about (just one of the hundreds of times as I retell this story I want to scream really?! REALLY?!?!). Once I was on the monitor they said Jackson's heart rate looked fine, I wasn't having contractions, it just looked like I had an irritated uterus. They sent me home and said it was nothing to worry about, just call if the pain or bleeding gets worse. 

Later that night the pain and bleeding both got worse. So I called the doctor and she had me go to labor and delivery to get checked. Again they hooked me up to the monitor but still said everything looked fine, no contractions. By this point the pain was nonstop, it just kept moving from my back to my stomach. They ran a blood test but apparently missed the part where my white blood cell count was off the charts. They called my doctor, who was on call, but never bothered to come in and check me. She just said if the machine said I wasn't having contractions then I was fine to send home. By this point it was 1am, I was exhausted, uncomfortable, in pain, and just wanted to sleep. 

I asked the nurse if I should be on bed rest or anything. But she said no that was not necessary, and I was fine to continue going to work. She recommended heat packs for the back pain. I didn't get much sleep and by the next morning was definitely in more pain but figured this must be normal since the doctor and nurses didn't seem worried. 

I went into work late since I didn't get much sleep. About an hour into a meeting where I had done nothing but grimace, pace around, and at one point even tried crouching on the floor in the corner I decided this wasn't normal (by this point my coworkers were probably the ones thinking really?! REALLY?! what is wrong with this girl). I called my mom to come take me to the hospital. (So thankful my mom happened to be in town visiting this week, don't know what I would have done without her). 

Hunter was in Gillette, WY so my mom called him and said we don't know what's wrong yet but I really think you should come home. Thankful she did. There is one flight a day from Gillette to SLC. He drove straight to the airport and made it there 30 minutes before the flight. He had nothing packed and had to argue with the ticket agent to let him through. I can just picture Hunter yelling in the middle of this tiny airport 'My wife's having a baby!' 

By the time I got downstairs the pain had escalated exponentially. We went to the hospital and they hooked me up to the monitor again which STILL said I was not having contractions. After an hour of me crying, yelling, and writhing in pain the nurse finally believed me when I said I think I'm in labor. She checked and, shocker, I was in labor. She got me the pills to stop labor and I immediately got nauseous and threw them up. They did an ultra sound to see how Jackson was doing and sure enough he had moved and was ready to make his grand entrance. 45 minutes after the nurse believed I was in labor, still no one had brought me more pills to stop the labor, my water broke. It wasn't until this point that I realized I was actually going to have Jackson today. 

Once my water broke it all happened so fast. The nurses kept yelling 'Don't push! Don't push! We have to get set up'. For those of you who have had a baby I'm sure you agree, yeah right! There is no 'not pushing', it is physically impossible. Might as well have been screaming don't breathe. A doctor had never come to check me during all this, but one came in who happened to be delivering next door (apparently that delivery was taking a little longer than ours). Two pushes later and Jackson was here. The doctor announced it's a girl! WHAT?! It took my mom correcting them three times for them to start saying it's a boy. (Really?! REALLY?!?! Sorry Jackson). 

Hunter's flight was delayed 2 hours but he made it that night. And the rest is history...extremely documented blog history. Welcome to the world Jackson Shaun Parker! 

After sitting in the NICU for 100 days I've seen plenty of babies come and go. I've watched them spend hours setting up for a new baby. One day when the NICU nurse who was on when Jackson was born was setting up for one I asked her what it was like for them to admit Jackson because they definitely did not have several hours. She kind of chuckled and said 'yeah labor and delivery let us know we had a 27 weeker but they didn't think you'd be delivering today. But I heard you screaming down the hall and knew yeah right, this is happening.' So glad they knew! 

They never really knew why I went into labor so early. Their best guess is my body had some sort of infection because of the extremely high white blood cell count and how fast he came. 

We're just so happy Jackson is doing well and will be coming home soon. Fight On Jackson Shaun Parker! FOJSP!!!

 

Day 99

Day 99

Jackson day 99: 2448 grams or 5 lbs 6 oz. he gained an oz finally. 14 weeks old! Jackson has been doing good off the diurel and steroid inhaler so far. Dr. Simmons took him off the MCT oil today. That is the last thing. Now we will just see how he does for a couple of days, if he continues to do well we are out of here. We learned today that when Jackson is hungry, he means now! He had a complete melt down waiting to eat while they had to fix his heart rate and oxygen monitor leads. But after he calmed down he was back to making only sweet faces. Can't wait to get this guy home, I know he'll keep us very busy and on our toes for sure. FOJSP! 

Day 98

Day 98

Jackson day 98: 2421 grams or 5 lbs 5 oz. Jackson seems to still be breathing good off the inhaler. So Dr. Simmons stopped the steroid inhaler today and we'll see how Jackson does tomorrow. It's so nice to see him getting off all these medications and getting ready to come home. FOJSP! 

Day 97

Day 97

Jackson day 97: 2412 grams or 5 lbs 5 oz. He's still doing great. He has just taken off with the eating. Now that he has that tube out and he's allowed to eat as much or as little as he likes, he's eating even more than they were requiring him to before. He's just so happy to not have that tube bugging him. So far things are still looking on track for coming home Monday. FOJSP! 

Day 96

Day 96

Jackson day 96: 2411 grams or 5 lbs 5 oz. Notice anything different about his adorable face? NO MORE NG TUBE! Last night his nurse said it came loose, so she pulled it out and decided he didn't need it anymore. (I really think they're just sick of us but I'm good with that 😉) Ever since then he's eaten every bottle! Dr. Berger thinks he'll be home by Monday! He wants to get him weaned off the diurel and the steroid inhaler before he goes home because those are difficult to manage at home and would require visits to the pediatrician every few days to have his electrolytes checked. So we are going to try weaning him from those starting today. Happy Happy Day! FOJSP! 

Day 95

Day 95

Jackson day 95: 2382 grams or 5 lbs 4 oz. Happy Mother's Day! What a wonderful day with this sweet little boy. He didn't finish yesterday eating quite as strong and only did about 60%, same today. But the cuddles just keep getting better everyday. Hope everyone had a wonderful day too! Love you! FOJSP! 

Day 94

Day 94

Jackson day 94: 2371 grams or 5 lbs 4 oz. Jackson is getting this eating thing figured out. He ate 80% yesterday and so far has eaten 90% today! Let's hope he's on a roll! Since his weight has dropped a little bit they are going to start giving him MCT, which is the equivalent of safflower oil, to fatten him up. It is the easiest to digest since he didn't really like the fortifier. He's doing so amazing! FOJSP! 

Day 93

Day 93

Jackson day 93: 2371 grams or 5 lbs 4 oz. He lost a little over an oz. We're not sure yet if it's the diuretic or being off the fortifier, but dr. Berger isn't concerned yet. The diuretic really seems to be helping a lot. His breathing seems significantly better. And his eating is getting better too. He's so excited to eat now, he's even holding the bottle himself. 😉 He's such a happy, sweet baby. FOJSP! 

Day 92

Day 92

Jackson day 92: 2412 grams or 5 lbs 5 oz. It seems like the diuretic may be working for Jackson. His breathing sounds much better and his eating was a lot better today too. Jackson was wide awake earlier today. After nursing he was still acting hungry so we gave him half a bottle and he inhaled it in 5 minutes. Then he was still acting hungry so we gave him another fourth of a bottle which he inhaled. And he was unbelievably still acting hungry so we gave him another fourth which he inhaled. After all that he still wanted to play. It was such a great day for him and so fun to see. After that he has been more tired but hopefully he'll rest up and be ready to go at it strong again tomorrow! FOJSP! 

Day 91

Day 91

Jackson day 91: 2420 grams or 5 lbs 5 oz. He's been eating a little bit better. He hasn't finished a bottle in quite a few days and he's finished 3 bottles last night/this morning. It seems like he really knows how to eat but it is a lack of energy thing because he still struggles with breathing. They think he may have fluid around the lungs because of the lung damage he has from being on the ventilator. They started giving him a diuretic that is similar to the lasix he has received after blood transfusions but it targets the lungs. Hopefully we'll see improvement in his breathing in a few days as he gets rid of some of that fluid. He has also had a bit of a tummy ache since they put him back on fortifier so we're trying him off again for 2 days to see if it helps. Hopefully these changes will help him. But he's still doing good. FOJSP! 

3 Months Old

Jackson day 90: 2411 grams or 5 lbs 5 oz. 3 months old today! Happy due date Jackson. He's getting to be such a big boy. He's 18.5 inches, he's grown 5 inches and gained 3 lbs since birth. Still loves kisses, makes him smile. He's finding his hands more and loves to put them in his mouth. He loves to toot but hates when he has to burp, gets all mad and squirms around. He usually has a couple hour stretch during the late morning or early afternoon where he wants to be awake, look around and play. He's a great cuddler, loves to lay right on your chest. Still working on the eating thing, but we'll get there. He's so strong. He can lift his head up off your chest and turn to face the other direction by himself. He's such a sweet baby and we're so happy he's here and doing so well. Lots of love. FOJSP!  

"Look at me, I'm adorable" Jackson is so strong and can lift his head up now 

"This hand sure looks tastier than my bottle!"