Dreaming of the Perfect Christmas Card...

Every year when the holidays start approaching, I start thinking of what to do for our Christmas Card. In years past I have ordered photo cards from CVS or Walgreens and they have always been pretty cute. This year I thought that I would try VistaPrint since they have been advertising on TV lately. Now that was decided we were on a mission to get the perfect picture (or pictures if I was lucky)!

So, this past weekend we took Jackson to the local park where we made the pictures last year. It was a little chilly, but if everyone cooperated we would be done in 10 minutes. No sooner do we pull out of the driveway it starts sprinkling. It wasn't that bad thankfully and almost quit by the time we made it to the park. We jump out and Jacob starts shooting. Based on what we could see on the camera, I am sure we got a few we can use. I was wrong! They we all enough out of focus that I wasn't going to use them. Jacob and I went back and forth about that and he was convinced that the focus issue was because we were all freezing along with the misty rain. Here are a few from Day 1.

This one says it all!

Seeing that we didn't get anything we could use we decided to dress Jackson back up and take the camera to Jacob's mom's the next day to see if we could get some, since she had just decorated for Christmas. We did get some good ones, but there is still an issue with the focus and there was no way Jacob could use the freezing excuse this time. Round 2...

This one would have been ok, but I didn't
like the fireplace guard behind his head.

Monday night I was determined we were going to get a good picture or we just weren't going to send cards out this year. When we arrived home from work, I climbed up in the attic to get some of our decorations down (first year it's been this late since we had Jackson) so I could set up a background. Jacob started setting up the camera and made a discovery...some of the camera settings were off, which explains the blurry pictures! I get Jackson positioned and within a few minutes I have more than enough "in focus" pictures to use.

I'm SO happy with the final product that I'm counting the days till they arrive!

Here a a few outtakes from the final shoot!

Enjoy!

Parent/Teacher Conference

A few weeks ago, Jacob and I went in for the Fall parent/teacher conference. The anticipation always drives me crazy! I talk to Jackson's teacher almost everyday, but this is where we get the details on how he stacks up against other children his age.

My anticipation stems from almost the day Jackson was born. During those months we spent in the hospital with Jackson, the nurses and therapists were preparing us for probably worst case scenario. They told us that it was very likely that Jackson would be delayed and may need help down the road due to learning disabilities. Because he was so premature, only time would tell if he suffered any long term damage from issues with low oxygen, etc. Now, he was really slow in his physical development the first year. Even by his first birthday, he could barely sit up and if he fell over, he was down for the count. After realizing that he probably should be at least crawling, I started reading ahead on where he should be. By the time he was 18 months old, he had mastered crawling and had started walking. From that point forward, I knew that this was something we would need to work on and if I had anything to do with it he would NOT be delayed in any aspect.

Fast forward back to our conference. His teacher fills out an assessment on every child that covers all aspects of physical, social and cognitive development. As I opened his assessment I'm reading down the list and he has fully mastered everything, with the exception of a couple of items. I knew he had been doing well, but when your child is being graded by a general standard it makes me a little nervous. Cognitively he's almost perfect and doesn't forget ANYTHING! Its almost to the point now I tell him things I need to remember. The only thing that he needs to work socially is saying "Please" and "Thank You". He does say "please" and "thank you", but not consistently. Physically is the only area I've noticed any differences, but as old as he is now they are really minor. It has taken him longer to learn gross motor skills like jumping, standing on one foot, etc. We are now working on learning to pedal a bike. Hopefully I will have video soon of him mastering that skill!

Jackson is also taking enrichment courses in Phonics and Math. He started just before his 3rd birthday in phonics and is now starting to read. We started him in math a few months ago and to my surprise, he can already do simple addition and subtraction.

Jackson's eagerness to learn has been the key to his success and I am VERY proud of him!

Halloween 2011

We are still coming down off the sugar high from all the candy, but I thought I would share a picture of Jackson's costumes.

At his school they have a costume parade and walk through the lobby of our building. He dressed a a pirate and is known by his pirate name "Captain SpoJack". He came up with that all on his own!

Then on Halloween for the official trick-or-treating he dressed as a Firefighter. We stopped by Mimi's church for their trunk-or-treat/festival. While we were there we actually saw a firetruck go roaring by and that was quite exciting for a "junior firefighter"! 

With all the candy that has entered our house we have had to get creative with keeping Jackson out of it and rationing it out daily. He has been known to go through several pieces before you know he's climbed to the current hiding spot. As of right now everything is on top of the refrigerator and if he can figure out how to get up there he can have it!

National Prematurity Awareness - Jackson's Story

Jackson holding Jacob's finger
at about a month old.

Four years ago I was thrown into a world I knew little about and no amount of preparation could ever make you ready. What should have been one of the most exciting events in my life turned to the scariest!

I had what most would consider a textbook pregnancy. Everything was wonderful until October 4, 2007, a date that will be etched in my mind forever. While at a my regular doctor visit the nurse started by trying to take my blood pressure, but was having trouble. She called in my doctor. He took it and told me to lie down that I would not be going home. We were on RED ALERT and as quick as you are reading this I was admitted!

I was diagnosed as having Preeclampsia/HELLP syndrome. Basically, my body was shutting down! I was monitored for 3-4 days with major up and downs and everyday was told if something changed they would have to take him to save me. The nurses were drawing blood every 4 hours monitoring my condition; I was at risk for kidney and liver failure not to mention seizures. Around midnight on the morning of October 9, 2007, my condition changed and Jackson started to show signs that he was being affected. I was moved to labor & deliver to start being prepped for his delivery. The next 8 hours were a blur, I was hooked up to multiple IV bags, they were injecting me with medications to bring my blood pressure down and a multitude of other things.

At 8:27am on October 9, 2007, Jackson entered the world. Although I didn't get to see him, I heard him cry. Being that he was what is considered a micro preemie at 2 lbs 9 oz, he was whisked away immediately to the NICU. Now the fight was on to save him!

The day I was admitted the neonatologist came to visit me to let me know of their capabilities and what could potentially happen should he be delivered early. She was SO comforting and set my mine at ease. She said they had the technology available now to support a baby born as early as 24 weeks. I believed her and never let it enter my mind that I would not bring him home.

Over the course of his stay we had many scary ups and downs, but the nurses were wonderful explaining everything to us as we progressed. I knew from early on that he was a fighter. He would pull out breathing tubes, feeding tubes and anything he could reach. I sometimes think he enjoyed keeping everyone on their toes. But after 81 days in the NICU and many ups and downs, my miracle came home!

The first year was definitely the hardest and I sometimes wonder how Jacob and I made it through! Four years down the road and Jackson is still keeping us on our toes, but now it's typical boy things like bumps, bruises and stitches.

Looking back I feel lucky to have had this experience, because it has made me appreciate the little things that I would have otherwise overlooked. I understand now how precious life really is and have experienced a love I never knew existed.

November 17th is National Prematurity Awareness Day.