Jax's First Road Trip

This past weekend we took Jax on his first road trip-to see his Miami family. We left Friday morning to head to see my folks in Homestead. You can tell he was excited:

We drove straight to my grandmother's house for "Happy Hour" on Friday night when we got into town. The person most excited to meet him...

Alex, Jax's cousin. He's been wanting to meet "baby Jax" for quite a while now, and couldn't have been happier to hold him (as evidenced by the smile on his face!). He did a great job holding him and kept telling us that "babies go caca in their pants". That seemed to be the one tidbit of information on babies that stuck with him. Ha! He also got to meet a few of his aunts, as well as his great grandmother. I'm kicking myself now, but I have no pictures of them holding him!
Saturday morning I woke up and went into the little man's room but he wasn't there. I found him a minute later lying in bed in between his Grammy and Papa. The irony in this, of course, is that my parents NEVER allowed us in their bedroom, let alone in their bed!!! And so the spoiling began. He spent Saturday morning on the playmat playing with my dad (which you won't see any pics of my dad because he doesn't want to be "googled", haha!). My father was not a fan of the classical music being played by his Baby Einstein playmat. According to him, he's going to grow up drinking tea and wearing a fedora due to all the "English music". He is hilarious.

My dad and mom watched him Saturday afternoon because Jackson and I ended up going and buying a car! We weren't planning on it, but we found something we loved that gave us a lot more room and it was a great deal! So my dad went back with us to the dealership and kept the little man entertained while we signed all the paperwork. Of course he and Jax had their eyes on a slightly different car...

After that we went to my sister's house for a wonderful dinner, where he got to meet his Uncle Eddie for the first time, and of course, visit with his cousin as well...






What a mess!
Sunday some of my family came down to meet Jax, including his Uncle Danny and Aunt Mandy, whom he got to meet for the first time.



He also got to meet his "tia" and cousin Natalie, who were so excited to get to hold him!


Of course, Aunt Debi and Uncle Eddie also got their turn...


The truth is, these pictures are a little misleading, since 99% of the time Papa would not let anyone else hold his little boy!
While that was going on, so was this insanity...


My dad took Alex on the tractor and then was trying to teach him how to lasso. It was pretty hilarious-especially when my dad began trying to lasso Alex!
Sunday night, Grammy and Papa babysat while Jackson and I went out on a date, which was wonderful (actually, I think the grandparents pretty much kicked us out so they could spoil Jax without our protesting!). We went and saw the King's Speech, our first movie in almost a year, and it was wonderful. We were so thankful to get to spend some time out on our own and allow Jax to bond with his grandparents.
Monday we packed up and went to visit my "cuban family", the Lugos. I was so glad they finally got to meet Jax. After that we went out to lunch with my parents and sister and then headed back to Tampa. All in all, we had a great weekend and I am so thankful we had the chance to do that. Jax was great and did well traveling, which we were so excited about. Hopefully, it was just the first of many successful family vacations!

One Month Old

Jax,
Today you are one moth old. We can hardly believe how fast the time has gone by! You have been an absolute joy and mommy and daddy can't imagine life without you. We have enjoyed a month of firsts with you:
Your first bath


Your first photo shoot

your first visit from Aunt Debi

Your first IV (not a good first...)

Your first party

Your first Valentine's Day


And the one that melted my heart, your first smile

What you've been up to:

-You are wearing 0-3 months clothes and have just about grown out of the newborn size (you're too long!)
-You wear size one diapers
-Your weight this week was 10 pounds 5 ounces
-You make all kinds of silly faces!




-Mommy and Daddy have fun with you too....

-You like to eat, a lot! you are taking 4 ounces every three to four hours, and just last night you started sleeping well and only woke up once! You slept until 8 am and mommy couldn't have been happier.
-You have really started to enjoy your play gym


Mommy lays you down on the mat and you kick and play for a long time...

Until this happens...

-We're working hard on getting you onto a schedule, but some days you're awake for hours and other days you like to sleep all day. When you're awake, you're so happy and when you sleep, you sleep hard!


(your hair looks red in this picture, which will make Grammy happy)
-You slept all the way through your first Super Bowl Party..

-You're very inquisitive and like to look around and take it all in. Mommy thinks that's why you like to fight falling asleep and napping...you're afraid you're gonna miss something!

-You love your pacifier, but just recently have discovered your hands. We'll see which one wins out!


-You love your daddy and mommy enjoys watching the two of you together

..although you often sucker him into letting you stay up instead of napping!
-You love to snuggle, which makes mommy so happy!

-You are very strong and are just about holding your head up on your own. You do a great job pushing up on your arms.

-Your eyes are still blue and your hair is starting to get lighter. We're so curious to find out what color hair you're going to have.

-We love that you're such a happy baby, and we can't believe how fast you're growing. We love you so much and can't wait to see what the next month will bring.

Another Update & Some Sweet Pictures

Sorry for the long delay in updating about what's going on with the little man. We got the results to the studies which showed that there is damage to his left kidney, however, the upper portion of it is still functioning and may even have it's own draining system. That being said, a couple of doctors (including my aunt who is a kidney specialist) that I am close with all recommended waiting on surgery. One of them also gave me a heads up that the doctor we were meeting with would probably recommend doing the surgery. Turns out they were right and the physician we met with recommended surgery. Jackson and I had already done some research and talked about it, however, and decided to wait. The most up to date information we have is that if his kidney is at least functioning at greater than 40%, conservative management would be to wait and repeat the tests in 3 months. His was functioning at 46% and so that's what we decided to do. We feel like the three months will give us some time to see what happens with the obstruction and will allow him time to grow and get stronger in case he does need surgery. Mostly we feel it will give us 3 months to pray for healing and God's wisdom in how to best take care of him. In the meantime, he'll continue taking an antibiotic daily since he is at risk for UTI/kidney infection. Of course, yesterday morning he woke up congested and was even worse today. He's not running a fever and is still eating like a champ, but we took him to the doctor just in case. She thinks it's just a cold, which I was worried about him getting since the waiting room at the doctor's office on Monday was like a giant petrie dish of coughing and sneezing children. Ugh!
We appreciate all of your prayers and encouragement and ask that you continue to pray-that he will remain free of infection/illness, and that his kidney will be healed.
We've spent most of the week (other than the doctor's appointment) hunkered down at home, as it has been cold and wet and I didn't want him to get sick. The highlight of the week was a toss up between getting his newborn photos back, which Jackson's sweet friend from work took a couple of weeks ago and getting my first smile out of him yesterday when I was holding him and talking. I love the way the pictures turned out, and now I can order his birth announcements! Here are a few of my favorites!

Jax Update

I'm so thankful for everyone's prayers today-we definitely felt God's peace and presence as the little man went through all his tests. He didn't even cry during his IV or catheter, he just sucked on his pacifier for dear life. Anyways, here's an update on what has been going on:
Jax's prenatal ultrasounds at 20 and 30 weeks were all read as normal. I was working one night (I was 34 weeks at that time) and I was joking around with one of the doctor's that I work with about how big the baby was going to be. So we made a bet because he didn't think his weight was going to be that high and I did. Anyways, I ran down to the ultrasound area that night and asked the sweet ultrasound tech to get an estimated weight for me. While he was doing the ultrasound he casually mentioned "and there's the right hydronephrosis" (which is essentially a swelling in the kidney), which was a shock to me. There was really nothing to do about it at that time so I talked with my OB and we just decided to evaluate it after he was born. They did an ultrasound last week which showed severe hydronephrosis and we met with the Urologist who ordered some more tests which were done today. Essentially, he as a UPJ obstruction (ureteropelvic junction obstruction) which is causing backup in the kidney. We are praying for there to still be function in his kidney so that they can just repair the part that is obstructed. The other (not so good) possibility is that he won't have any function and the kidney will have to be removed. Right now that seems unlikely as the doctor seemed to think there was good tissue remaining. All this to say it's been a hard week on us, finding out that our sweet baby boy would need surgery (especially when you throw in a hormonal momma on top of it all), but we are so grateful in that we have clearly seen God's hand in it all. We should have never found out about his condition prenatally and thanks to a random ultrasound and comment from the tech, we did. He has two kidney, which means even if one is removed, he can still live a healthy life. My aunt is a nephrologist and has been so helpful in giving us information. The doctors I work with are incredibly kind and supportive and have been contacting other specialists for help and advice. Working where I do, I see some pretty awful, heartbreaking things and I'm trying to keep that in perspective. I'm thankful that this is something that can be treated. We have received so many words of encouragement, love and support from family and friends. I know there have been so many people praying for him-it was evident today when he went through those painful procedures and barely made a peep. I had been praying for God's peace to be present and it truly was. Most of all, I am praying that in all this, God would be glorified. He has a purpose in everything that He does and I take great encouragement from that. We meet with the specialist on Monday and should have the results from the tests, and hopefully, a plan. I will keep everyone updated here. Again, thanks for the prayers!
What a cutie :)

The Father's Love

I feel like this post kind of rambles on but I'm just attempting to write down my thoughts and feelings so that I can remember and look back at this time in our lives.
I've been a parent for two short weeks-half of which I was barely able to take care of my baby due to complications from my epidural. I've quickly been able to make up for that with loads of laundry, diaper changes, and middle of the night feedings. Given how much I enjoy sleeping, it surprises me that the middle of the night feedings are what I enjoy most. Being awake, sitting in a rocking chair in a dark room holding my boy gives me plenty of time to think and ponder everything that has been going on around me and the changes our young family is going through. We haven't shared much about this, but Jax is having some medical tests done this week. It's been hard for me to deal with, given all the post-partem hormones and lack of sleep. But even if those things weren't factors, it would still be hard for me to deal with. Knowing that my sweet little boy, so trusting and unaware, is going to have to be stuck for IVs and be in a strange environment just makes me want to cry. The thought of him having scars on his young, innocent body is almost too much for me. As I was sitting there feeding him last night, I began to think about God's part in all of this. I know this child is perfectly formed-exactly the way God wanted him to be. And yet he will have to go through the pain of medical tests and procedures- and as a mother, that just about kills me.
The bible gives us many names for God. He is the Creator, Savior, Provider, Healer. The list goes on and on. But one of the most tender and sweet to me right now is that of Father. It's an attribute I've never really been able to understand-I lacked the perspective. I still don't completely grasp just how much God loves us as His children and I likely never will. But I am just beginning to glimpse the powerful love of a parent in having and caring for my own child. I thought about how just like I'll have to allow Jax to go through tests that will cause him some pain, God the Father allows the same for us. He allows us to experience hurt and disappointment and failure and heartache. We rarely get to know the "why" of these trials, but we can take comfort in the truth that just like my baby's tests, it's all for our good- to make us better, stronger, healthier. Knowing that indescribable love He has for us, I can't imagine how hard it must be for our heavenly Father to watch us suffer through pain. I take comfort in knowing that His love runs deep enough to carry us through, to heal our hurts, to fix the broken. Rarely do we get to see God's purpose in allowing us to hurt. I don't know why my son has to go through pain at such a young age. But my prayer is that it will serve to draw us closer to the One who loves us most.

"The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." Romans 8:16-17

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
Romans 8:28

2 weeks old

My sweet baby boy,

Today you are 2 weeks old. It's hard to believe how fast the time has gone already. I get sad thinking about how fast you're growing and that soon you won't be my little baby anymore. You've been such a great baby and we thank God every day for bringing you into our lives and our family.
You are eating 3-3 1/2 ounces every three to four hours. You've gained 1 pound and 3 ounces since birth, weighing in at a hefty 8 pounds 11 ounces at your doctor's appointment today. Daddy and I are worried you are gonna eat us out of house and home! You're a great sleeper and usually go to bed on your own after we swaddle you and put you in your crib. You sleep through a lot of noise, which makes mommy so happy! You are a very alert baby and like to look around and take it all in. You rarely cry-usually it's just when we wake you up and you're hungry. You love your pacifier. We're working on getting you on a good schedule and so far, you've been cooperating. We've had lots of visitors, including you're Gramy and Papa, Grandpa and Grandma, Aunt Debi, Aunt Terri and Uncle Dave and your cousins. Lots of mommy's friends have come to see you too! Everyone mentions how sweet and laid back you are. You like sitting in your bouncy chair and have just started spending time on your play mat. You are a strong little boy and already roll yourself onto your side which makes me so nervous!
I couldn't put into words just how much we love and adore you. You are prayed for constantly and we ask that God will grow you into a healthy little boy with a strong character and a heart for Jesus. Here are a few pictures of you from the past two weeks-it's amazing to see how big you've gotten!
(I've included a link at the bottom of this post that will take you the pictures of his birthday/first few days)
During your first photo shoot at the hospital

Getting ready to come home from the hospital

First car ride

At the pediatrician's office for your first check-up at 4 days old

Asleep in your big boy crib

6 days old

one week...

9 days old

so smart...everything is "ok"

My boy and I

2 weeks old...(look how chubby he is compared to the other pictures-I promise I am not feeding him rocket fuel!)


What I like to call "milk drunk"


Click here to see the slideshow.