Baby Jaxon

Mark and I started talking about adopting over the summer.  We couldn't decide either way so we decided to do a homestudy and see what happened.  We started and finished the homestudy in Aug and started waiting.  Nothing (ok, I know I am being a bit dramatic but for someone who can cherry pick the situations off the call list, it was a little disheartening)!  I think we had started to think that maybe it wasn't meant to be when we got the phone call at the very end of Sept.  Juanitra was due Nov 4.  She didn't know whether she was having a boy or a girl; which was ok with us because we couldn't decide what we wanted.  We talked to her on the phone on a Friday and it went really well.  We sent her an email over the weekend but started to get nervous when we didn't hear back from her.  I was at the pumpkin patch with the kids the next Thursday when Bethany called me to tell me that I might need to fly out that night.  Juanitra's fluids were low and they might need to induce.  They told her she was 35 weeks.  Luckily she wasn't induced, but the idea scared me, I didn't have anything ready for the baby.  That night I pulled out some neutral baby clothes and packed a bag.  

Tuesday morning I was in Pilates class when Bethany called me and told me that Juanitra was being induced the next morning.  Juanitra texted me to say they did a sono and it was a GIRL.  We were so excited, we all secretly wanted a girl (except Katie).  I ran home and started packing, I switched out the neutral clothes for everything pink.  My mom was going to watch the kids while we were gone; only problem, it was still summer in Charlotte and almost winter in the mountains.  So, I only had a few hours to find and pack pants and long sleeves for the kids.  I picked up Katie early from school (she spent the time singing; "baby coming, baby coming"!).  I bought a plane ticket.  I called the dog sitter to come get Rufio.  I dropped the kids off at Sarah's house (she watched them overnight and then Adam drove them to meet Bryan who took them to my parent's house--THANK YOU EVERYONE!) And finally, I drove to the airport.  Meanwhile, poor Mark, who has not had a normal night sleep in over two weeks, prepares to pull an all-nighter so he can finish the deal he was working on to fly out Wed morning.

I arrived in Kansas late Tuesday night and drove to Salina and spent the night in a hotel by the hospital.   It was a sleepless night, half nerves, half some kid jumping on the bed next door ALL NIGHT long.  Wednesday morning I met Juanitra at the hospital at 7:30am.  I had a great time getting to know her while the doctor started the induction.  A couple hours in they had to stop everything because the baby was being stressed by the contractions because of the lack of fluid.  The doctor was worried about having to do an emergency c-section so he decided to let Juanitra labor naturally.  We settled in for the long haul.  Mark arrived while we were waiting.  We had a lot of fun talking and sharing stories.  During the down time, Mark and I texted each other about girl names.  We could not settle on one that we both liked.

 Finally around 7pm things started to pick up.  Juanitra dilated from a 5 to a 10 in just a few mins--it was time to get down to business.  Juanitra wanted Mark in the room, so he tried to hide out in the corner so he didn't have to see anything.

  Right before the baby was born, it popped into my head that it would be a boy, seconds later the  doctor and I exclaim; "It's a boy".  We were shocked and surprised but Mark and I both felt at peace at that moment.

He was perfect.  

When they asked us his name by some miracle we had a name picked out.

Jaxon Ezra

7lbs 9oz, 20 ins

(the nurse said that he appeared to be 41 wks)

He was meant to be.

 

 

loving getting all his hair washed

After all the craziness, the nurses and doctors left us alone to feed Jaxon and bond.   We hung out with Juanitra until they came to take her to recovery then Mark took off to get takeout for everyone.

 

 

 The hospital was awesome and gave us a room next to Juanitra's so that we could be with Jaxon at night.  The room was huge and had a queen bed.  I guess it was a good and a bad thing because Mark and I were both so exhausted from the previous days that we could have used a full nights sleep in a hotel, but it was great to be the one taking care of him from the beginning.

Junaitra signed the next morning but didn't leave the hospital until the evening so we spent all day with her.  I did run out and grab a boy outfit for him to leave the hospital in.  (Luckily I did have one boy outfit and a couple neutral options that Mark had made me bring.)

Juanitra spent a couple hours by herself with Jaxon saying goodbye before she left.

 

Juanitra's labor and delivery nurse

 We spent one more (sleepless) night in the hospital.  Friday morning we got up and left early to meet our attorney at the courthouse. 

 

 After court we were invited to wait out our time in KS at the attorney's house.  I know them well, I worked many a situations with them over the past 8 years, but I had never met them in person, so it was super fun to actually hang out.  JoAnn spoiled us rotten cooking for us and making sure we had everything we needed.

Mark, Me & Jaxon, JoAnn, Stephanie, Dick and Libby

 This was such a crazy, fast experience, I think Mark and I are still in shock.  In love, but in shock. 

The calm before the storm...

Last week Marcus and Addy's preschool went to the pumpkin patch.  I decided to pull Katie out of school for the day so she could join us.  I love the place we went.  First, the kids went to see the chickens, lambs and baby goats. 

 Next we went on a wagon ride to pick our pumpkin.

I think his bag was a little heavy

 After the pumpkins we ate lunch and then hit the slides.  This place has the coolest slides built out of pipes and all sorts of other farm equipment.

One of the dads put as many kids as he could on his lap and slid down, of course Katie joined in.  They talked me in to doing it as well.  I had on a pair of older jeans and after of a couple trips down the bumpy pipe, I had two holes in my butt.  Luckily their teacher had a sweater I could tie around my waist.

  

 On our way out we enjoyed all the other little things the farm had to offer.  It was really fun to see how much Marcus has changed from last year to this year.  Last year, he made me slide down the slides with him, every time; this year, I barely saw his as he was running around with his friends the whole time.

 I think the thing I hate most about being a mom is being responsible for dinner every night.  In an effort to make my life a little easier I have assigned every Thursday night to one of the kids.  They pick what they want to make and do as much of the prep and cooking as they can safely do.  It is also a chance for us to be alone together in the kitchen.  Last week it was Marcus' turn.  He picked applesauce oatmeal.  He did a great job and even served it himself.

 Soccer season is going well.  Last Sat Addy scored her first goal (it was in the wrong net, but we will take what we can get).  When I told her I was proud of her, she told me that "no one was touching the ball, so I took it and put it in the goal"!  Now we know she has it it in her.

 Katie's season is also going well.  They play positions this year, and like always she is the smallest kid on the field; she is having lots of fun and learning quite a bit.  And she isn't afraid to go take the ball from the bigger kids.

Book Club

One day, the kids were playing up in their rooms and decided to set up 'book club'.  I'm not sure where they got the idea from but they came down and invited me to join them.  Sadly, we had something going on, and had something the next day, so I suggested that we plan a book club for family time on Sunday.  The kids were so excited about the idea, and even more excited that now Mark would be able to join them.

They left their room set up for book club for the entire weekend.  Sunday rolled around and we made cookies to serve.

Their idea of book club was more of a book sale then a club.  They had set a bunch of their books out and put a price on each.  I pulled out some monopoly money to use.

 

We all got dressed up.  Katie and Addy did my hair.  Marcus put on a tie.

 Katie sat a picture of each one of us as a place card so that we knew where to sit.  She also set the monopoly money at our place for our use. 

Then the book buying began.  Katie was the cashier and we all bought books until they were all sold.  Marcus read the books he bought like it was the first time he had seen them. 

 Then it was time for cookies and 'tea'.