Jennings 4th month!

Next week Jennings will turn 6 months, so its probably time I get his fourth month post written and posted.  I can't even believe how quickly the first 4 months of his life have gone.  

Jennings is really growing and changing daily it seems.  He now weighs more than 16 lbs and we are not having to go to the doctor weekly now for his intestines, although we still worry about it daily.  He seems to be doing well overall, but at his 4 month appointment, his doctor decided it is best to wait to give him anything other than breast milk, so that his intestines have more time to heal.

We also learned at his last appointment that because of his intestinal trauma he can not have certain vaccines because there is a very small chance that a random risk of the vaccine is that the intestines can envelope inside one another.  Although the risk is very small, she does feel it is significant enough that she will not give him certain vaccines as a result.  She also cautioned us about putting him in a daycare, if we can possibly avoid it or delay it until he is a bit older she suggested it as it would NOT be good for him to get sick with some of the common daycare illnesses, given how serious his situation was when he was two months. Nana and Papa have so wonderfully offered to help us on the days I go into work.    We are so thankful for the help and hope this will help him to avoid having any other major illnesses, especially during the cold and flu season.  

Some of the other big things Jennings has been doing this month is rolling over.  He's figured it out and he loves to roll from his back to his tummy.  He now only wants to sleep on his tummy too.  We moved him into his big boy crib and he went from sleeping so well, only waking up once a night, to now waking up several times a night.  I think it is because he wakes up and finds himself on his tummy and he can't turn over back to his back yet.  So we've had a lot of sleepless nights.  I've given up pumping in the middle of the night, I was just too tired, and my supply is okay so that has helped a bit, but he still wakes up.  I miss him in the bassinet, but it just wasn't safe having him roll over in it.  Again I find myself asking... how did this all happen already.  

He's also becoming so much more interactive.  He loves to reach for and grab things... like the girls babies.  I remember when he came home from the hospital, this doll was bigger than he was.  Now it seems so tiny!

As he gets older his personality is showing more and more and he continues to be a super super happy baby.  He smiles so much and is super easy going. 

I'll I have to say is "Jennings say cheese" and he smiles.  

He's such a fun joy to have around.  I am loving these baby cuddles. 

Sorry this picture is upside down, but he is starting to outgrow his growth chart.  

We are also very excited to share Jennings first Christmas with him. 

My friend Debbie shared these adorable Santa and Baby's First Christmas slippers with him and they are adorable, plus super comfy (must be) he loves to have them on!

Yep still smiling.

Madelyn loves him so much and wants to hold him all the time. She loves him so much that sometimes she smothers him with kisses.  In this photo Madelyn was holding him at Thanksgiving and she didn't get that he wanted me to pick him up.  She instead thought he was sad because he couldn't have any pumpkin pie.  

One other thing that Jennings has shown even more this month is his admiration for his momma.  He is definitely a momma's boy and I think it is because of his hospitalization at 2 months.  He is super clingy to me and loves to cuddle.  I'm not complaining. 

His hair is growing and we can even now start to spike it a tiny bit!

He loves his bath, I mean really loves his bath!

And he likes to be in the carrier... as long as he can be with me, he's happy. Yes I've mastered the art of peeing while holding him.  

Doesn't he look so grown up in this picture below?  

He's sure the most handsome, sweetest little baby boy in my eyes.

Oh and he sleeps just like his daddy.  One morning I got up early and went to the bathroom so I laid Jennings next to Jarrett in bed for a moment.  When I came back they were both sleeping like this.  Definitely like his daddy.

We also put him in the highchair for the fist time.  I wanted to cry, again I feel like we just brought him home from the hospital.  

Oh and the exerciser bouncer too!  He loves it!

Jennings is as sweet as ever and we love him so much.  God truly answered our prayers when he brought him to us.

Until next time,

Angie

Baby's First Christmas

Jennings first Christmas was one we will remember.  He is such a happy baby and while he won't remember any of it, I'll always think of Christmas 2019 as one of the greatest.  It was very low key and we spent a lot of time together, so much so that I think we are all ready to have a break from one another.  

Jennings didn't really understand all the fuss about the holiday but he went along with all the crazy things I made him pose for, because well, its his first Christmas and you just have to do those things right?  

Here are a few of the fun photos we took of him in his Christmas outfits...

He's so happy most of the time and now he loves to smile when I say, "Jennings say cheese!"  

Maybe that's a sign I take a lot of pictures of him! 

He definitely was one of our greatest gifts this year, so it just felt right for him to be in one of the present boxes.

And I love this picture because he reminds me of a baby Santa Claus... rosy cheeks and all.  

Yep he's back with his big smile!

Nana and Papa helped me get this cute personalized onesie to have him wear.  I thought it was super cute.

Big brother Michael was instrumental in making sure he didn't roll off the blanket. 

It's crazy to think he's already 5 months old.  I can't believe how quickly the time is going.  With my class finally done for the semester, I tried to soak up lots of baby snuggles and memories.  I sure enjoyed it and will say, Jennings has become quite the momma's boy in the last few weeks.  

We hope you all had as great a Christmas as Jennings and we had.

He surely is a true gift and we are so thankful for him. 

This smile and those precious eyes never get old to look at.

Merry first Christmas Jennings.  We love you!!!

Until next time,

Angie

All he wants for Christmas is a fixed knee...

On December 11, Jarrett had surgery to fix a torn meniscus in his left knee.  For months he had been in pain and even doing the simplest things of walking up stairs was painful.  Finally after going to the doctor and having them do some tests it was determined surgery would be the best outcome.

So for his Christmas break, he has spent it in pain, recovering from having his knee fixed.  Here are a few photos from his surgery experience. 

We were told the procedure would be quick, although when they got in there they realized the tear was more than they thought and so they had to screw it back in place, which took a while.  Then it took him longer to come out of recovery (anesthesia) than they expected so several hours after his procedure, and after the waiting room I sat in had cleared out, I was allowed back to see him.

The good thing about waiting is that when I snuck down to the cafeteria to grab some lunch I ran into our dear friend, Wig, who works there.  It was so wonderful to see her as we don't get to connect as often as we'd like.  She was so kind and sat with me for a bit so I wasn't alone.  It was so nice to catch up with them for a bit.

Finally I was allowed to sneak back and see Jarrett.  Poor guy he was so sleepy.  At one point they were monitoring his O2 levels as they were a bit low and they had the monitor on his ear.  He looked at me and said, "I thought I was going to get a new knee, not an earing."  We all laughed, and then his nurse reassured him they had fixed his knee.

And then after being reassured he went back to sleep. 

He ended up being the last patient to leave for the day and it was funny because the surgery staff couldn't leave without him getting checked out so he had a whole crew of people helping him get his stuff together.  In fact the cleaning crew who comes through the post-op space each day was there waiting for us to leave so they could get the space ready for the next morning.

As the sun was setting we starting to make our way to the door and drove home.  

The moon was so full that night and it was a beautiful night.  We were thankful his surgery went well. 

Jarrett's been making his way with his crutches and I don't think he will be too sad to see them go after another 4 plus weeks.  It really isn't as fun as it seems.  

We hope his knee heals well and he can get back to doing things he normally did without pain.  

Until next time,

Angie