My baby is a big boy!

Jackson is growing so fast! He is saying lots words that we can understand- and a few that we are still trying to figure out (bahdeey?)
He absolutely loves any type of ball- he just got his first bat and tee-ball set, so he is really loving that at the moment!!!
He is still quite a picky eater- he is soooo weird about textures. If he touches something he doesn't like, he just cringes!
He loves to dance - all the time!!!

Bulldogs on a roll!!

How 'bout them dawgs!

It's so exciting for your team to be doing well! I wish I were a freshman during a winning season of MSU football.
I am looking for good tickets to the MSU-Tennessee game October 13th. I would like to get them for Dan for his birthday. If anyone has tickets they would like to sell, please let me know!!

So, I am a little behind. Working from home leaves no free time to blog! My precious darling had his 6 month pictures taken and I am soooo proud! I know that he is mine, but I think he is the most gorgeous, sweetest, most adorable thing there ever was!!! A few of my favs:

In awe

Everyday Jackson looks at me and I am just in awe of the bond between mother and child. It's something that cannot be put into words. He makes me smile constantly.
Also, I think he may be sleeping in the Tebow pose.

Progress

I wish I would have done this monthly. Better late than never. He is changing so fast!!

Jackson Sharpe Ratliff

Age: 6 months
Weight: 20lbs 6 ounces
Length: 28.5 inches
Head: 46 cm
Percentile: 95 in all three. Big boy!
Teeth: 2 bottom teeth, teething on top!
Eating: 4-5 6 ounce bottles daily. Eats cereal and applesauce for breakfast at nursery. A vegetable for lunch and a fruit and veggie for dinner.
Sleeping: 2-3 naps a day. Sleeps at night from 7:30-5:30. Every now and then, he wakes up a 2-3.
Size: mostly 12 months, some 9 and 18.
Milestones:
*gets up on knees and rocks and scoots but has not crawled.
*says Dadadadada
*sitting up with minimal support
*constantly wants to stand up!
*loves his excersaucer
*decided that he does not want a pacifier any more.
*sometimes likes to be put in his bed to fall asleep rather than being rocked.

Baby like daddy

On Sunday, we had our annual crawfish boil with the Rogillio side of the family at my aunts house. All of the guys normally fish when we are there. Dan had been fishing for a while when Jackson sat in his lap.
All of a sudden, he got a bite!!!! Jackson wanted the fish!! This little boy is not scared! He wanted to grab it! Just love them to peices!!!!!

Sick Baby

First of all, the title is misleading, hopefully (fingers crossed), we are on the upswing of all this illness!! My poor sweet darling has been sooo sick. It started off with the crud. This developed into a terrible cough and then pneumonia and RSV.
IT.WAS.AWFUL.



Jackson went to the nursery last wednesday like normal and when Dan picked him up, the ladies told him that Jackson had been coughing terribly. We went ahead and called Dr. Weiland and they just told us to give him Robitussin. Then Thursday, around 10:30, Mrs. Penley called with shocking news: 102 degree fever, would not eat and had not had a wet diaper (which is very unlike my little darling). I PANICKED. When I got there, he was sooooo pitiful. We went straight to Dr. Weilands. Nurse Jodi took one look at him and said "I bet he doesnt go home tonight. Looks like he will stay." More PANIC. They needed to do a chest scan thing (excuse the medical terminology) to confirm the pnuemonia. We had heard about this contraption that they use to get a clear picture of the baby's chest. They literally put my baby in a tube. It is the most barbaric thing I have ever seen. Its a tube that keeps their little arms up by their ears and they tighten it with a leather strap. It really scared me. The technition assured me that it was more painful for the parents. She said that all babies cry because they just dont understand what is going on. That it was completely fine if he screams. So here I am, prepping for the worst. Telling myself that "its hard on me, not on Jackson. It will be over in a second. This is all for the best." They strap him in and here goes>>>...
He doesn't make a peep! Just looks at us with those sad eyes. Then he starts licking the tube. He is so stinking precious. Even when he is sick, he has the best disposition. We were admitted on Thursday and released Sunday afternoon. Once we got some pedialite in him, he was so much better.


He was even so sweet to write a note to another patient! Sweet Aunt Jan was in the hospital in Jackson having her appendix out.


On another note that I feel needs to be discussed: We are so glad to be home. We ALL needed some rest. We are so thankful that our little boy was (eventually) taken care of and is now well, but our stay in RR Hospital was atrocious. I slept in the crib with Jackson the first night. I am 5'10"- you see the problem with that? The second night, Dan and I took turns sleeping in a chair and on the floor. We begged for a bed, cot, chair- ANYTHING!!! We were delirious. Having a sick baby wears you out on its own, but not being able to rest a few precious moments when he is sleeping will knock you over the edge. So Saturday night, I am walking downstairs for some fresh air and notice thru a crack that the room across the hall looks much, much bigger. I returned to the room and ask the nurse "Is that a bigger room? with an actual hospital bed??????????" She says "oh yea, they are bigger on that side." My eyes grew three sizes. "What would it take to move over there????????" She says so nonchalantly "oh, you can move over there if yall want."
The heavens parted and angels sang. This room has a crib, a hospital bed, a fold out bed and a rocking chair!!!!!!!! this.WAS.heaven!!!!!! My excitement was immediately curbed by my thoughts that this woman watched me lay down on the floor of a hospital and never once said "ten steps that way is a BED!"
This, coupled with broken equipment (they re-stuck my baby twice because the machine broke down, the scale was broken, the thermometer was broken- see a pattern?), no initial treatment for almost 7 hours (Dr. W ordered breathing treatments every 3), and general lack of common sense. We will not return to RR for treatment. We love our pediatrician and even the pediatrician on call- Dr. Fairchild. But the hospital, no way.

Update:
Sorry, been working on this post for a while! We saw Dr. W on Monday, and we are all good! Back in the nursery, almost 100%! yay!

Updates

Jackson got christened this weekend. He did so good, never cried once! We are so proud to share our faith with this precious ball of joy.
We were also so proud to carry on the Ratliff family tradition of wearing the baptismal gown that has been worn by the men in this family for almost 100 years. It was snug, but so very beautiful. He looked like an angel.

In other news, Jackson had his first ear ache and cut his first tooth this week. It has been a long one! I seriously do not know what people do when they live far from their families. I am so thankful for all the love that Jackson is showered with. We are very lucky.
Pics from the weekend:

Confessions

My husband is a better grocery shopper than I am.
There. I said it. It's not for lack of effort, I just get distracted by all the possibilities. I day dream about what I could cook and how wonderful it would be to live in this make-believe world, where I had all this time try new recipes and a staff to do all the dishes.

Ramblings from a new mom

Motherhood: Its one of those things that you just cannot describe accurately, no matter your vocabulary. Its the most exhausting thing that you just cannot get enough of. Its emotionally, physically and mentally draining- but you would not trade it for anything. It is true LOVE.
I LOVE Jackson. And Jackson LOVES Carrots.



He has started "helping" me feed him. This results in a splattering of baby food on me, the floor, the bumbo and most of all- all over Jackson. We have decided that it is much easier to strip him to his diaper, feed him, and then straight to bath time!

We have figured out that Jackson likes his daddy's hat:



Jackson also likes his Great-Grandaddy!


We went for Jackson's 4 month check up on January 30th. We got great reports! He is a happy, healthy baby! He is in the 95% for height and 75-90% in weight. He is a big boy!! We got 2 shots :( but he did pretty good!!

4 months!

Yay! I'm four months old y'all!!!

Serenity Prayer

I have been saying The Serenity Prayer ever since I was in Mrs. Lucy DeRossette's English Class. I love it but I never realized I was only saying a small portion of it. My grandmother sent me the whole thing today and the rest of it is just as lovely as the first part.

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and the wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;

Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen

Precious

Thankful

Being a mother makes me thankful for our many many blessings. Every giggle, smile, each time he rests his little head on my shoulder, I am thankful for every moment that I get to spend with my child.
I read a quote the other day that said a mother and child are only a few heart beats away from being the same person.
I cannot imagine the terror of loosing a child. It goes against nature. It's just not right. Please pray for those that are hurting now and be thankful for every second.

Happy Friday

I woke up to a happy baby this morning!

Happy New Years!!

2011 was definitely the biggest year of our lives. We got pregnant and had a precious darling baby boy. He continues to bless our lives everyday. Best wishes for 2012!!

The Story

Just a warning- its a long one!

It all started Tuesday, September 27th. I was not feeling well and I thought I was having contractions. When I got home for lunch I decided to call Dr. Fulton and just see what she thought. She felt like I was just in pre labor, the previous Thursday I was 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced. She told me just to head to the hospital anyway and make sure everything was good. Dan was in class in Jackson already, so my Mom and Mimi drove me to St. Dominic's. The maternity ward was HOPPING! It was full! they finally got me in a room and I was having good contractions that were fairly regular, but I had still not dilated any further. So we stayed for our last Lamaze class and back home we went.

I decided to start my maternity leave, I was miserably huge and contracting, I just couldn't get over the "hump." The next two days were spent walking up and down Chambers Street and Baum Street with my mom. I also ate tons of spicy food in an effort to "smoke him out!"


Finally Thursday night something felt different. I called Dr Fulton again and she told me to go to the hospital and if I had not changed, they would give me something to help me sleep and she would see me in the morning. I just KNEW this was it- it had to be!!! Dan and I arrive at St. Dominic's and our not-so-nice nurse proceeds to tell us that I have still not changed and she doubts Dr. Fulton would do anything besides send me home in the morning, so if she were me, she would just go home now...
Back home again and feeling incredibly defeated.

We arrive at Dr. Fulton's office for our regularly scheduled appointment Friday morning feeling exhausted from all the back and forth. Upon seeing me Dr. Fulton says "You look awful, why did you leave the hospital??!" She then checks me and I was 2.5cm dilated!!! CHANGE!!! She informs me that I am stuck in early labor and believes all I need is just a little nudge to push me over the hump and that was what she intended on doing this morning at the hospital. We should not have listened to that nurse last night, we should have stayed at the hospital like Dr. Fulton said in the first place. Always listen to your doctor!!!! So, telling a "large for date" pregnant woman that she had been misinformed by a lazy nurse and that this could be over by now causes immediate tears. I explained to her what we had been told by the nurse last night and she immediately guessed her name. She tells us to go back to the hospital and that she would meet us there.

Finally! Third time was a charm. She insisted that this was not an induction, Daniel and I had decided early on that we did not want to be induced. She met us at the hospital and broke my water. That was all it took! Then the contractions started getting INTENSE! Epidural please!! The epidural itself was a little scary. I felt/ heard the "pop" and it freaked me out. I remember Dr. F saying "try not to loose it, once you loose it-- it is very hard to get it back!" This woman is so wise- words to live by!

My epidural worked very well. Too well on my left side, my leg was completely and totally numb. I lost all feeling and control of it- that definitely freaked me out. I could move my right leg slightly, but not being able to move my left one at all was horribly scary to me.

At 5:45 it was time to push. When they put my feet in the stirrups, I was immediately petrified that my left leg was going to fall. Like pop out of my hip socket because I literally had no control over it. I instructed Dan that he was to hold my leg and DO NOT move! I was so focused on keeping my leg, everything else was not so bad. At one point Dr. Fulton even told me to "quit worrying about your leg, you are having a BABY!!!" The best way I can describe it was that it was work. It was very hard work, like it was just exhausting me. I never screamed or freaked out. I did tell Dan to "shut up" at one point but that was as bad as it got. Our little baby boy was born at 6:34 pm. Dr. Fulton was amazed at how quickly we went. She said most first time moms push for hours. So, she was right. I just needed a tiny nudge!

Announcement!

As most of you know, my sweet little man made his grand entrance to the world September 30, 2011. I hope to blog our birth story soon- being a mama is exhausting!! Until then, a few pictures will have to suffice.

Exactly 24 hours before the birth:






Before we went home:

His first few moments home:

PROGRESS

Yesterday turned out to be a good day-
We went in for a root canal, but upon careful evaluation and tests, Doc determined that it was not imperative that I have the root canal immediately. Maybe even not at all. During pregnancy weird things happen to your teeth, your eyes, your feet... the list goes on and on.
Can I just tell you how wonderful this dentist was? He took his time and discovered that this (incredibly expensive and nerve wracking) procedure was unnecessary. I think its rare to find a doctor or dentist these days that is so thorough.
Bottom line: Derek White in Madison is very highly recommended by the Ratliff's :)

So, we had some time to kill so we shopped for little Jackson and we ate lunch and then we were off to our weekly appointment!
Stats from Yesterday:
How far along? 37 weeks, 5 days

Baby's size? She said I was measuring "on target"

Weight gain? 29 lbs

Sleep? not much. Hard to even roll over!

Foods I am loving? Ice Water with tons of lemon has been really good lately. The chicken spaghetti that I made the other night! YUM

Foods I am hating? nothing!

Symptoms? The usual... I can wait to wear my wedding ring again- I think it will be like getting it for the first time all over again!

Gender? boy.

Name? Jackson Sharpe Ratliff

What I miss? I can no longer cross my legs.

What I'm looking forward to? normal sized feet, fingers and ankles. A healthy baby boy and relatively easy birth.

Emotions? Emotional... highly.

Accomplishments? I am really glad we decided to take some classes. We have one more night of Child Birth Class- if you are thinking of taking it, we both would recommend it. I think it has eased both of our anxieties about what is to come. Now, we understand what is going on and will happen. We know what we can do and ask for to make labor easier and more enjoyable for us and our baby. I think it has really built our confidence. Even Dan will say that he is surprised at how much he has gotten out of it.

Last night I took Breastfeeding 101 while Dan took Fatherwise. I think this was Dans favorite. It was taught by a young-ish father of 3, and it was mostly Q & A. He said a lot of it was stuff he had not even thought of. My class was also really good- So informative. I actually feel like despite all of the negativity that I hear about it, I may be able to do it!! The first thing she told us is that the biggest myth is that breastfeeding hurts. She says that is not true- If it hurts, you are doing something WRONG and we can fix it.
So basically its easy, free, perfect, and specific to Jackson and exactly what he needs, will help me loose baby weight AND it doesn't hurt???!!!! ummm SOLD!

Progress: WE ARE DILATED 1CM YALL! Also, 50% thinned! Yippee!!!

No need to point out that some people can walk around for a month at 1 centimeter. We are happy with small victories. Also- know that I will not walk around at 1 for a month because I only have TWO WEEKS LEFT! (I am starting to think this Doctor knew exactly what she was doing by not checking me until I reached this point)

Have a good weekend!

From good day to Bad day... just like THAT.

Emergency root canal scheduled for Thursday (almost 38 weeks). I am absolutely panicking. I have never had one of those. I swear, the whole time I have been pregnant, my teeth seem to be freaking out. The dentist says it's just one of those fluke things- and after googling it on BabyCenter.com, turns out its really common. Still, any words of encouragement are greatly appreciated. Anyone heard of Dr. Derek White in Madison? Is he good? Is he nice? Words of wisdom?
There is soooo much that goes along with pregnancy that has nothing to do with folding little sweet onesies, walking in the park with your hubby- smiling at all the little babies, eating ice cream and getting foot rubs... Damn lifetime movies.

At least I will get a prize at the end. I know he will be worth it.