Updates galore!

I actually wrote these early on as it is my journal but never got around to posting it which is why you will see most of it isn't written in the present. 5/18: Came home from the hospital today. The dogs didn't know what to think, Zoey just kept barking anytime Jaxon would make a noise. Thank goodness at this age he can sleep through anything. They were very curious. I could tell they didn't really like it when I was holding him but it only took me telling them twice to stay away while I had him and they didn't bother him anymore. Zoey was quite a bit more inquisitive and kept a close watch on us, Belle decided he was boring and went upstairs and didn't really seem to care. My mom wasn't scheduled to come until Monday but since I went early she changed her flight. She really wanted to be here tonight but she got stuck in Atlanta so we are here on our own but he is a good baby so it should be fine. My good friend Heather set up some meals for us for the next few days so that will be really nice!!

The poor neglected girls. We still try and give them their own attention. Sometimes they seem to be pouting, it's hilarious. Eventually we got to the point where they know their boundaries and they like to cuddle up right by Jaxon while we are holding him.

5/19: Mom got here at 10 am. Shayne had Ohio Project for school that he couldn't miss (his friends were nice to cover most the week for him already) so our friend Megan was nice enough to pick my mom up at the airport. I was so excited to see her, it will be so nice to have her here. Shortly after she arrived my sister in law Kasey came over with her two kids. She had made Jaxon's bedding for the nursery and wanted to bring it to us. She was so sweet, she brought lunch for the day and then 2 freezer meals with some rolls and cookies, so thoughtful. All this with her two crazy kids and she had to drive 3 hours from Michigan. It was fun to see them and have Jaxon meet his only cousins on my side of the family since they will be moving further away soon.

Cousin Sarah and Aunt Kasey Cousin Grant

Grandma Later with her grandkids

5/20: Had his 1st doctors visit today. His pediatrician is Dr. Plachta at Emerald Pediatrics and I just love her! Most babies lose about 7 0z after they are born and don't go back to birth weight until about 2 weeks but Jaxon had lost a little too much weight (I'm not making enough milk). He dropped to 5.4lbs (3rd percentile), I told the nurses in the hospital I thought he was losing too much and I was right, not sure why I thought or knew that, I guess it was just that mother's instinct kicking in that everyone talks about. I'm glad we had a doctor's visit so soon because originally they wanted us to wait until Monday, I can't even imagine 3 more days and he would have wasted away! Thus, he had his 1st bottle later today, and took it without a problem which I was grateful for. Dad gave it to him and he acted drunk (for lack of a better word) afterwards it was pretty funny, guess it's nice to actually feel full for once - poor guy! Newborn Visit May 20th 5 days old: Weight 5 lbs 4 oz (3rd percentile) Length 19.5 in (25th percentile) Head Circumference 32.4cm (5th percentile) Look how tiny those legs are!! 5 days old and not much bigger than dad's hand!! His foot is no bigger than Dad's thumb! 1st bottle with Dad, and loving every minute of it. He sucked it down in a matter of minutes!!

5/21: Jaxon developed an eye infection, not sure how or from what, but it looks so sad. It came on out of nowhere, poor guy. We called the doctor but since it's the weekend they are only open for emergencies. Since he doesn't have a fever and seems to be acting ok they are going to have us wait until Monday when he goes in for a weight check anyway. I hate to have to wait that long but they said to call again if it gets worse. This picture doesn't look half as bad as it did in person.

5/23:We went back today for a weight check after supplementing with the bottle all weekend and he was back up to 6.0 lbs so, much to my dismay or maybe my relief I can't decide which, we are now bottle and breastfeeding. They checked his eye and decided that it was a clogged tear duct. They said this is very common in babies especially preterm ones like Jaxon. They gave us some antibiotic drops to use and said it should be cleared up in about 3days. Grandma and Jaxon sure love cuddle time! 5/24: The dirty 30, am I really 30 already? Such a weird day, doesn't feel like a birthday at all and I am just fine with that! Mom and Shayne were sweet and both gave me a nice card and some nice gifts. Shayne's mom sent a card and money and I got a lot of phone calls and wishes on facebook. It was nice to know people were thinking of me but other than that I would like to just have this birthday go right on by. Not sure why I was so worried about turning 30, it is just a number after all right, but thanks to this little man I could care less and he is the best gift I could have ever hoped for!! Mom and Shayne also surprised me with an ice cream cake. It was really good!! I did have my first official melt down today. You know the one's you hear about where they say you just cry and don't know why. I guess I could attribute it to turning 30 but that really wasn't it. It's been a week and I guess my hormones are getting the better of me. I feel bad cause Shayne will just ask me what's wrong and really I have no way to explain it. He and my mom were just good about being there though, love them. Here's to hoping this was the first and last, ha! of melt downs.

5/26: Back to the doctor again today, Jaxon's little eye never got better with the drops, in fact it seemed to get worse. It was really red and swollen to the point he couldn't even open it. Every time he would wake up it would be crusted shut with gunk. They have us expressing the tear duct to help it drain. We push on the corner of his eye right by his nose where the tear duct is and tons of pus comes out, it is so gross. If it bothers him he doesn't show it, never even cries when we have to express it. We have been doing warm compresses too which seem to give it a little bit of relief or make it less red for some time. He seems to like this, or at least doesn't mind it, I'm sure it makes it feel better. I know he probably doesn't know any different but I feel so bad for him. They gave us different antibiotic drops this time and Dr. Plachta gave us her cell phone number and told us to call her immediately if it wasn't looking better in 24 hours. They also weighed him again since we were there to make sure he was still gaining weight and he is now 6.2lbs - back to birth weight already and it hasn't even been 2 weeks, this boy likes his food!!

5/28 - Jaxon's eye started clearing up right away with the other drops and today it almost looks like it is back to normal. I am so glad, it looked awful!!!