two months

i can't believe it's already time to write your two month post. i'm actually already a week behind! you certainly are a BIG boy! at your last doctor visit, they said you weigh 12 pounds 6 ounces and are 24 1/2 inches long. whoa. you are eating about 6 ounces at a time every three or so hours, but sometimes you prefer to have little snacks throughout the day. it's pretty exhausting when you play that game. you are working SO hard to hold your head up. you've pretty much mastered it. you also LOVE to be propped up to sit.  i think you like watching everything going on around you.  my "books" say you should be smiling by the end of this month- but once again you are ahead of the game.  you are FULL of smiles. i can't tell you how sweet it is to see you smile at me. it's like your way of telling me "mom i love you- you're doing a great job!" you are starting to make lots of baby noises. you goo and gaa and LOVE to hear your own voice.  we often mimic each other. that keeps you satisfied for a long time.  you still like riding in the car but get pretty frustrated if we stop moving.  something tells me you'll be quite the busy toddler. you are officially wearing size two diapers and 3-6 month clothes. i've been packing away clothes as you outgrow them. we have two boxes filled to bursting.  it makes me pretty sad to put things away... just a tangible reminder of how big you are getting and how fast you will grow up. i'm not doing well with this whole thing. you have already changed so much. i want to soak up every little thing you do. every face you make, every outfit you wear.... that sounds silly, but every moment with you m akes me want to just sit and watch every move you make! i know i can't do that, so i've been doing my best to keep up with it all through pictures. these were taken over a few days recently--

2.23.12

you're official!

i'm only a month late...

Photo Card

View the entire collection of cards.

one whole month!

i've sat down to update this thing a zillion times but we are so busy these days i rarely have the time to write more than a sentence. we aren't busy as in going places. we are busy as in eating, sleeping, pooping, peeing, spitting up, changing clothes, pooping again, crying, and starting all over to eat again. i wanted this blog to be perfect. i wanted the words to be carefully chosen, well written and thoughtful. i've now decided to just let things being "alright" be okay.

i am taking pictures like a mad woman but i never sit down to upload them, print them, share them, post them or do much of anything except let them collect on my camera. hm. i'll have to change that.

we've been to the doctor twice and she says you're doing great! the cardiologist released you, and, in fact, told me to never bring you back again. when you were born and we heard about your miracle they told us your heart would be assymetrical and the wall between your ventricles would be thin. at your last appointment, your heart shows NO signs of defects. God didn't just heal your heart- he perfected it! WOW!

you are eating every 2-3 hours. i can't keep up with you so we started giving you formula when you want it, which is pretty often. i think you got your eating habits from me. i always choose to graze throughout the day. snacks? yes please! you are a LOUD eater. you groan and mmm and slurp. those noises are just TOO sweet! you are also a LOUD tooter. you make dad and me laugh out loud all the time with your gas.

sometimes i catch you smiling. everyone says that's just from gas but i choose to think otherwise. you little gummy crooked smile is precious. you've also learned how to frown. it breaks my heart. i think i'd stand on my head if i thought you'd stop frowning.

you wear 0-3 months mostly. you are so long and have such long legs we need 0-3 for length but your belly is so skinny your pants won't stay up. that, you did not inherit from me. ;)

you LOVE your daddy and you LOVE tummy time. when you have the two of them together- you are in heaven. when i see the two of you together- my heart melts. more on that another day.

sleeping is something you're quite particular about. you prefer to sleep on your tummy- which is the least safe of all sleeping positions. you also prefer to sleep on your mommy- which is the least convenient of all sleeping locations. i love cuddling with you and have decided to be thankful for such a cuddle bug instead of being upset that you refuse to sleep anywhere else.

being your mom is a blessing. i've learned to let the dishes sit in the sink, watch the laundry grow into a mound instead of a pile and let my hair go an extra day between washings. living in the moment and soaking up every memory is life these days. i wouldn't have it any other way.

i love you little man.

-mom

One "Rucky" Dragon

being obviously pregnant is kind of fun- people ask you when you're due and you just feel so.... well.... i felt great knowing people knew the basketball in my stomach was a baby not just (completely) because of over indulgence in cotton candy ice cream. so i had gone to get a pedicure and the sweet asian nail lady asked me about you. when i told her you were being induced on the 23rd, she smiled SO big and told me you were going to be one "rucky" (translation: lucky) boy! not realizing your birthday was the first day of the chinese new year, and the year of the dragon at that, i had no idea you were considered lucky. in fact, i remember thinking to myself how wrong she was knowing your little heart would be in need of surgery so quickly on your supposed rucky dragon birthday. the whole story is pretty funny really- and I ended up with possibly the ugliest, cheapest pedicure i've ever received. i left the place laughing at my toes, your ruck, and the day in general.

Apparently rucky dragon baby mamas need firework/flower power design for you honey (to make you look so pretty)

PS you did NOT inherit my ugly second toe. PHEW!

so anyway, your birthday came and we found out that you ARE in fact a really really rucky dragon! what i had expected to be some of the worst news i'd ever received from a doctor quickly became the one of the most emotional, humbling, praising, moments of perfection i will never forget. ever.

i really need to sit down and write about the exact moment we found out about your heart but i wouldn't even know where to begin. would i start with your cardiologist's surprise and amazement? some of the only tears, in nearly a decade together, i've ever seen your daddy cry? my overwhelming sense of relief? getting to tell everyone all at once about the miracle? perhaps our family standing in the delivery room praising God through prayer, praise and thanksgiving? it's something i couldn't begin to describe even if i was an eloquent, wonderful writer.

i started this blog to tell you your story, but your story has made you pretty much famous by now. at the hospital you were known as the miracle baby. doctors and nurses made special trips to our room just to meet you. i've received messages, emails, phone calls and more not only congratulating me on having a baby but telling me that your story has restored people's faith in miracles. so often we only talk to God when we need His help, we fail to notice Him and appreciate Him during times of joy.

let me tell you, miracle boy, you are a rucky dragon we praise God for every day!

love you-

mom

drama IS your mama

my dad has always called me a drama queen-pregnancy sure hasn't helped my case.
we spent new year's eve in the labor and delivery section of our hospital because i was convinced i was dying. yep thought i was on my death bed in pain. what started out as a fun night at nana and pawpaw's quickly became the ultimate jaymie drama fest 2011. it was one for the record books, sweet boy. i got poked and prodded for hours. i had a sonogram. i got a catheter (OUCH). i had blood drawn (THREE times). my gallbladder was checked. my kidneys were poked. finally around 5 am, the doctor decided i was just fine. yep. perfect bill of health. how embarrassing..... he said you're just a big boy and you likely pulled some muscles of mine making it next to impossible to sit/stand/lay/wallow/breathe/live comfortably. such a proud moment of my life. so yeah sure, i am quite the dramatic person, but the pain you've put me through certainly warranted that response. you better plan on being a perfect teenager mister.

i'm sitting in my classroom- avoiding the countless papers that need to be graded- because i just can't get you off my mind. the past few weeks have been quite emotional for me. i constantly ping pong between feeling blessed for the information that i do have about your heart and annoyed that this mess is happening to us. in fact, i've found myself in a pretty foul mood quite frequently lately. i like to blame it on the last weeks of pregnancy dragging on, but i know it's really a woe-is-me, life's-not-fair, whiney-brat attitude.


when i came back to school after our oh so adventurous break, i decided to tell all my students what was going on. living and growing up in a small town can certainly be a pain, but we are certainly blessed to have a community that cares! they are all so worried about you. so many of my kids at school ask me daily how you're doing. they want updates on you, on me, on our doctors and daddy. i think it's pretty neat you're so famous with 7th graders. we've received countless phone calls, emails, text messages and notes of encouragement. just this afternoon someone came by my room to let me know you are being prayed for. she said she stayed up one night throughout the night just praising God for you and thanking Him for giving me you. WOW. this lady isn't like my best friend or anything. i have her sweet daughter in class and have only talked to her once or twice all year. she's just someone who heard your sweet name and knows you need to be wrapped up in prayer like a warm blanket. i just love to talk to people with a faith like that. i want that. i want to be so broken for other people and overhwhelmed with love for others that i can't fall asleep without talking to God about all He does for us. who would have known that through such a seemingly tragic time, i would learn about myself.

if i'm being completely honest, i have a hard time some days praying for you. when i really get to talking to God about our situation i get so upset and nervous i find myself sobbing. that lady coming in my classroom was just what i needed today. she gave me a scripture which seems to fit us just perfectly.

"I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I WILL heal you." 2 Kings 20:5
Let's keep praying for a miracle sweet boy!

i love you
mom

nursery

you'll find out soon enough that your Aunt Lindsey and i are pretty much sisters. she's been on my booty for weeks to get pictures of your cute little room online so people can gawk, stare and think i'm a wierdo for decorating a nursey with dead sticks. sorry- i LOVE sticks. so here they are. for you (kind of), but more for Aunt Lindsey.

very masculine prints picked out by daddy. reframed by mom.

your cozy bed.

notice the curtains- handstitched by Joycee

your name letters. Aunt Lindsey forced me to pick a for-sure name this summer just so she could go garage saling for these letters.

more boy stuff on your pallet shelves made by daddy. he sure is handy.

side table with fun boy stuff. all the antique cars were your great-grandaddy batten's! cool!

my most favorite thing ever. once again, compliments of dad. i'll have to tell you the sweet story of the day he surprised us with it.

your first choice in clothing? overalls of course.

the most special letter on your alphabet wall.

okay i'll admit it. i stole this idea. i hate not being original. however, yours is obviously the most special alphabet in all the world (or at least in all of pinterest) because, most of your letters are made by mom and dad.

meet chris moose- your dad's favorite toy EVER when he was little. apparently they were inseperable.

even with our long journey ahead- this sign sums it up. i prayed for a baby. God gave me the perfect one. yay. now hurry up and get here. i need to hold your hand!