Will is One Month Old!!

Whew, we have made it through the first month. Exhaustion has completely set in and I'm feeling very much the frazzled mother. Thank goodness Jackson went back to Mother's Day Out this week - he's been quite the handful lately. Just this past weekend, I had Will sitting on the couch in his boppy and when I turned my back for a second, Jackson had covered him with pillows. Now, he was only playing hide and go seek but he doesn't understand how fragile Will can be so I took Will to the bedroom, had a good cry and let David explain to Jackson that his brother is a little young to play games right now and can't be covered with anything. This is only one example of how stressful it is to have a two year old around a baby - I wish I had eyes in the back of my head but instead I stay paranoid all day. However, the way Will is eating, he may be bigger than Jackson by his first birthday and can finally protect himself. That reminds me, my little man (Will) now has a double chin. He loves to eat!!

Because I have little time and less energy, I'll end my ramblings here and post some pictures since that is what most of you want right now any way.

2 Weeks Old!

Will has made it through his first two weeks - and so have we! Upon the urging of my Auntie, I am going to be making a big change to the blog. It will have a new title - "The Little Boys". I don't plan to change the web address so it will remain jacksonlittle.blogspot.com but hopefully the new name will make it a little more "fair" to both boys. Though I would like to point out that I was a second child and things weren't always fair for me but I turned out okay, I think (maybe?). Oh well, she guilted me enough that I'm going to do it...
On that note, Auntie, Maw and Whitney visited us here last week/weekend. We had a great visit and Will got plenty of cuddling from all of them. Jackson also was doted on and made to feel very special. He, of course, loves all the attention and can't get enough of it! He especially clung to his Maw Bush who spent hours going through Christmas toy magazines with him. He also let Whitney put him to bed a few times which is amazing considering that NO ONE can do that but daddy. When they left here on Sunday heading home to "Newsyana" as Jack called it, he asked to go with them. We had to convince him to stay with mommy and daddy!

Papa Wreck and Nana are now here with us for the weekend and we're so excited to see them. Jackson will again enjoy all the cuddles, love, books, kisses, and special time.

We are thankful for all of our family...

Beautiful Baby Will

William Roy Little

Our Newest "Little" Baby Boy was born Nov. 1st at 8:35 am via C-Section. He weighed 6lbs 4oz (1/2 pound more than Jackson) and was 19.5 inches. He has a beautiful head of dark black hair which makes his mommy very, very proud. He even has dark hair on his back and arms. This will fall out but makes me feel comfortable that the dark hair isn't going anywhere. My mother said I had the same hair on my body. This further confirms my opinion that Will looks like me. Yes, I finally have a little boy that looks like me! Don't get me wrong, Jackson is the most beautiful thing in the world, but it's so exciting to carry this baby and have him come out with my features. Now our boys will be beautiful and unique in their own ways...

So far, Will is a great baby - he eats very, very well (from day 1) and often, dirties his diapers often, and has even gone 4 hours sleeping at night. He likes to have his head rubbed and looks at us so sweetly . He doesn't cry much unless he's hungry and he's very adamant about eating as soon as he wakes up. He also doesn't like to be cold and really likes being swaddled.

Jackson is smitten with his little brother but we have to keep a close eye on him so that he doesn't get too rough with Will. He's very sweet and only wants to hold him, play with him, etc. but he doesn't understand his own strength and can make us nervous. He likes to climb on the bassinet and bring Will things, talk to him, touch him, etc. He also likes to put him in the baby swing when he's not swinging on it himself (yes, this is a funny sight to see a 2 year old in a baby swing).

I'm recovering slowly but am hopeful that once I get past this week, things will get better. The recovery time is longer and harder than I thought it would be. Ahh, naivety...

We'll post more as soon as possible - time is very short these days (imagine that!).

The Countdown Has Begun...

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am proud to announce that this will be my last blog as a pregnant lady. The next time you hear from me, I will be the proud mother of TWO boys. As of Thursday, I had dilated to 1cm but have not had any major developments (so far) this weekend so it appears that unless my water breaks or major contractions start happening, we will be prepped and ready for a C-Section at 8 am Monday morning. I can't wait to meet my new little boy. I hope and pray he is as wonderful, beautiful, sweet and loving as his big brother - which I have no doubt he will be. I am also aware they will be so very different in many ways, making this an entirely new adventure. Our lives will be forever changed, again, as we know it. David has promised he will keep everyone informed with information and pictures as much and as soon as possible. Luckily, the hospital has Wi-Fi so we will have easy access to the internet. It's a mystery to me if this little boy of mine will actually look like me - I think about it all the time. We know he is healthy and beautiful, but what we don't know is how he will look. In some ways I would love for him to resemble me but in other ways, I find his brother and daddy so beautiful that I wouldn't mind another look-alike. God and time will only tell...

I've posted some pictures from Green Meadows Farms (as promised in a previous blog).

As you can see, Jackson and his cousin, Megan, had a wonderful time petting, holding and feeding all the animals. This has become one of our favorite things to do each November when the farm comes to Dallas. And, next year, Will is going to be there with us to experience it! Enjoy and Happy Halloween to all...

*An especially important note: We want to thank you for your well wishes, prayers and thoughts - we are lucky to have such wonderful family and friends in our lives and the lives of our boys. Until Monday...*

Jackson's 1st Ever Costume Parade

Let the parade begin!

Jackson, the cowboy, leads his class.

Hi Moms - look how proud they are!

Class Photo

Jackson's preschool, Fellowship Friends, had their costume parade this morning. Each class dressed in their Halloween costumes and paraded outside for all the parents, grandparents, etc. After finishing the parade, they posed for class pictures. Jack wasn't quite sure what was going on but seemed to go with the flow pretty well. We LOVED seeing them together, having fun and trying to figure this whole thing out. It made me realize this is one of those great parts of parenting - these are the special moments I'll never forget. Especially the look on his face walking by me and his MawMaw trying to understand why we were watching and waving. Then he continued to stare until they rounded the building and he couldn't see us anymore... but, he never cried! When I was getting him dressed in play clothes after the parade was over, I told his friend Jack Jack, "You're a big boy" and Jackson told me, "I'm a big boy too." The things kids say! He also told his daddy and me last night that he wanted some coffee... then when I tried to give him a sip of mine (decaf) he touched the cup and said, "that's too hot." I love this age!!

Ride Em Cowboy!

Ready for his duel!
Discussing gun safety with his buddy Jack Jack.

Emma, Katherine, Jack Jack and Jackson

Trick or Treating through the bible - each room was a different character they would learn about before getting their goodies.

Yesterday was the annual "Trick or Treat through the Bible" and "Trunk or Treat" at our church so it was our first time to try out Jackson's new costume. It is great - he's the cutest little cowboy in Texas (or the country for that matter!). He's actually supposed to be Woody from "Toy Story" but some people may not get that unless you are a big fan like we are. He had a great time, especially once he got the hang of it and realized they were putting CANDY in his bag. He loved being there with his good buddies - Jackson and Katherine, Emma, Grant and Bennett. Have I mentioned before how much fun this age is?!? We had a great time watching him have so much fun. I guess he was just so young last year that none of it made much sense to him, but he really gets the idea this year and loves it! Next weekend will be his second try and I know he'll be an old pro by then (I'm going to work on teaching him to get all the good chocolate candy instead of smarties)... P.S. thanks to MawMaw for making the perfect little vest for him.

Uncle Lee visited us this past week - hence the lack of blog postings for over a week. We stayed very busy and I enjoyed my last "hurrah" before I'll be down for a month or more. We shopped, lunched, visited with friends, and saw "Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" at Casa Manana. Our week was so full of activity that I'm going to need to rest all week to recover but it was definitely worth it. I always have so much fun with him. Jackson also became quickly attached to Uncle Lee and wanted him to carry him places, play with him, read books to him, etc. Now that I have one more week to go, I've begun my nesting in full force...

And, that leads me to the latest Baby Will update. We had our doctor's appointment on Thursday of last week which included an ultrasound to get an idea of Will's size. It appears he was about 6lbs at the time. I had a large "growth spurt" and gained 4lbs over that previous week. It is definitely due to his growing rapidly and my retaining water (which goes right to my feet!). There has been no advancement toward my dilation so we've scheduled a C-Section for Nov. 1st; this will put him at about 7lbs by then. If Will decides to come before that date, we'll try to deliver him. It's all very complicated, and so hard to figure out - everyone is making their "best guess" of his size at this point to avoid unnecessary complications with the delivery. I wish we could know for sure but I do know that I want to do what is best for myself and, especially, Will. I would hate to have a difficult labor (especially if we induce) only to end up with a C-Section which seems likely anyway. We just pray everyday for God's guidance and have complete trust that the right thing will happen. Dr. Neal has been great about giving us the facts and allowing us to make a decision based on them, so we also have complete trust in him.

I did not get a chance to post a blog about our visit to Green Meadows Farm last weekend but will do that this week. The pictures turned out great - Jackson and Megan had a blast with all the animals on the farm. Jackson especially loved the 1 week old baby goats and the baby ducks. More on that to come...

The Pumpkin Patch and Baby Will's Progress (or lack thereof)

I love my little man more than words can say... my little snuggle bunny!

Check out that face - is he something or what?!

Side Shot of the Belly at 36 weeks - Will is riding "low and slow" baby (I've watched Cars too many times with Jackson).

3 Feet Tall and Bulletproof...

"Wowww, look at all the pumpkins..."

Jackson and Mommy

Jackson and his good friend Lillian, they're tight!

We had a great time at the Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch last Friday. Jackson's playgroup met there that morning and we were the last to leave. I'm not quite sure how this crazy mother, nine months pregnant and waddling, allowed my lovely son to keep me there so long but I'm beginning to believe he is taking advantage of this guilt I feel that he will no longer be "an only". Toddlers are very perceptive - trust me - and mine has me all figured out! Regardless, he was having so much fun that we stayed for over three hours and enjoyed the hay ride, bounce houses, pumpkin pictures, farm animals, wooden cutouts, and so on. When we finally left, I wasn't sure if my feet could carry me (and Jackson, who was so tired that he was insisting to be carried at this point) to the car. We made it without major incident and brought our tired selves home. The rest of the weekend was a blur as we held our semi-annual garage sale,along with many of our neighbors in Trophy Club. We made enough money to buy ourselves some trees. Yes, you read that correctly, we bought trees with our profits and they are beautiful. Only one has been planted in the backyard - the magnolia is right outside my bedroom window- so David has three more autumn blaze red maples to plant but even in pots they look great in our backyard. It's wonderful to imagine watching these trees grow in tandem with our boys (to also know we planted these right at Will's birth is special). Maybe we'll put notches on the trees for each year at the boys' heights...

Jackson is doing very well at school; he no longer cries or whines when I leave him and seems really excited to start his day there. They usually begin with painting/coloring so he's right in the middle of it as I leave him. He's acutely aware of my growing belly and even talks about Baby Will coming out and playing trains with him. We haven't broken the news to him that Baby Will won't be much fun for a few months (or 6 or 10). He has been holding dolls and practicing giving them a bottle which is fun to watch; he got frustrated on one occasion put the baby on the ground, sat on it and tried to force the bottle in its mouth. This is hopefully a behavior we won't repeat with the actual baby!

We had our checkup with Dr. Neal yesterday to see if we've made any progress towards delivering Will. In one word - nothing (nada, nope, no way)... This boy is head down, really low and not going anywhere. He's measuring above average - I should have measured 36 cm and measured at 37 cm already. This is of concern because we're all aware that any baby much bigger than Jackson will likely be undeliverable for me. Dr. Neal feels that Will has probably already crossed that 5 lb 14 oz mark (which was Jackson's birth weight) so we might want to begin considering other options - i.e. a C - Section, especially since I've had absolutely no dilation. Our plan is to return next week (Thursday to be exact) and have an ultrasound to get the best approximate weight of the baby and we'll go from there. There are a lot more details (some not so pleasant) so I'll spare you all. I just ask that you pray for us that we have peace of mind and that God helps us make the best decision for Will's health and mine.

Stay tuned for more information and updates...