The Tully Family

Getting the Christmas Tree

2009-12-13T13:03:00.004-05:00

While in Summersville on Friday, we took the opportunity to go get our Christmas Tree. This was Jackson's first Christmas Tree cutting adventure- we left him home last year.

He wasn't super sure of the whole thing. First of all he really did not care for the toboggan on his head, but surprisingly he left it on.

Jackson and Daddy in front of the Christmas Tree contenders...

Looking for the perfect tree.

Could this be the one?I think we found it! Jackson also enjoyed his first candy cane- he really liked it! Unfortunately, right after this picture was taken he dropped it and a complete melt down occurred. Jackson and I headed back to the Jeep to get warm and poor Daddy had to cut the tree and drag it out by himself.

Long day- warm and cozy in the car means you are almost forced to take a nap!

Thanksgiving Part II

2009-12-13T12:54:00.002-05:00

On Friday we went to Summersville to celebrate Thanksgiving with the Tully's. We had a great time! We didn't get any pictures, but it was beautiful with all the snow that was falling, really put us in the holiday mindset.

Jackson and Nana had a great time playing with blocks.
This step is apparently the time out step. Jackson wasn't in time out, but he seemed to think it was great fun to sit there! He's peeking around the corner to see if anyone is paying attention!

He and Papa wrestled around and growled at each other- Jackson could not stop giggling...

We then ran up to his Great Nana's house to visit with some more family. Jackson and his little cousin Jack played very well together in the floor. Jackson liked Jack just fine as long as Jack wasn't sitting on mommy or daddy's lap!

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-12-13T12:32:00.003-05:00

We had a great Thanksgiving this year, even though we missed having Uncle Evan at home. Jackson helped me in the kitchen on Thursday morning while I made the dressing for dinner.

He had a great time playing with his cousins. It's pretty clear that he thinks Holt is really cool!

And he had a great time giving Sarah more hugs than she could handle!

Finally, he treated us to an after dinner concert!

Trick or Treat

2009-11-01T20:37:00.005-05:00

Trick or Treat was on Thursday night here from 6-8 pm. Last year Jackson was too little and slept through all the excitement, but this year, he was right in the middle of it. We dressed him up as a puppy dog and had decided to take him to just a couple of the houses near ours.

As you can see his initial reaction to the costume was one of complete disgust!

But, once we got outside he perked right up.

Here is Jackson going to the house across the street from us on his first Trick or Treat. Although Jackson has never had candy and had no idea what it was he was getting, he quickly decided that this was a lot of fun!

Jackson was having such a great time we decided to take him to all the houses on our street. Jackson and mommy off to hit some more houses.

Trick or Treat in our subdivision is great because everyone sits out on their driveways with their candy, so it's super easy for little kids to go from house to house. At couple of houses after Jackson would get his candy he grabbed himself a couple of extra pieces from the bowls and took off! Here are Jackson and Daddy heading back home. Notice Jared is now carrying the loot bag. I guess it got too heavy because Jackson just sat it down in the street and continued on!

One of the houses gave out dum-dums, now how Jackson knew that he would like dum-dums, I have no idea, but he immediately gave it to me to take the wrapping off and start chomping down.

He also decided that he did not need Jared or I because he totally left us in the dust and headed back home!

Enjoying all his hard work...

Hope everyone had a great Halloween!!

Pumpkins

2009-09-30T09:47:00.002-04:00

On Sunday we took Jackson and his wagon to the Capital Market to buy some pumpkins. Fall is my very favorite time of the year, so I had been looking forward to this. Jackson had a great time tooling around the Market in his wagon!

We got home and he tried to help carry the pumpkins to the porch, but quickly found they were a little too heavy for him to carry.

Notice the change of shirts between the picture above and the pictures below- he took a header off the sidewalk into the mulch. Poor guy had mulch EVERYWHERE- it was in his mouth, his eyebrows, up his nose, in his ears- thank goodness it didn't get in his eyes...so after a quick clean up and shirt change we came out to enjoy the new pumpkins and mums on the porch. Jackson's favorite part was ripping the flowers off the mums and throwing them on the ground.

Finally, a little family picture on the front porch...

Happy Fall Everyone!!

Fun Times with Uncle Evan

2009-09-21T20:07:00.010-04:00

My brother flew into Baltimore last Friday and my parents, Jared, Jackson and I made the trek up the road to Maryland. We spent the weekend in Annapolis and visited Evan's alma mater, the Naval Academy.

Uncle Evan and Jackson in front of Bancroft Hall, which is the dorm for all the midshipmen.

Have I mentioned that Jackson is walking like a champ? He is off to Bancroft...

The family in front of the Naval Academy mascot, Billy Goat.

After our visit to the Academy we went to Cantler's and then were off to a football game. Go Navy, Beat Army! This was Jackson's first football game and he seemed to do really well. By this time we had been going non-stop. Poor Jackson was a little under the weather. I'll spare the yucky details, let's just say that Jackson ended up completely naked in the parking lot of Cantler's and I had to make a quick run to the mall to get the J man a new pair of jeans...but he rallied and off to the game we went.

Jackson and Uncle Evan discussing the game...

TOUCHDOWN NAVY!!!

Jackson and Daddy watching the game...

We went out to dinner following the game and poor Jackson ended up completely naked again in a parking lot! I hope this doesn't become a habit!!

On Sunday we went back to the Academy for another quick stroll around. Jackson didn't see much of it, he napped most of the time...here we are inside Bancroft.

Daddy and Jackson inside Bancroft.

Here is the Chapel on the yard, it's beautiful on the inside, but Church was going on, so we didn't go in.

Evan was on the crew team at the Academy, so we walked the 400 miles down to the Boat House to check it out too.

Uncle Evan and Jackson in front of Herndon (I think). All I know is this is greased up at the end of the Plebe year and the plebes (freshmen) have to climb to the top and switch out their covers. At least I think this is true- Evan correct me if I'm wrong!

Hanging out in the yard in front of the Chapel.

We all came home on Sunday and Uncle Evan spent the week here. We hadn't seen him since December and we probably won't get to see him again until June. It was nice to hang out with him and we'll miss him terribly while he's gone.

We love you Uncle Evan, can't wait to see you in June!!!

Happy 1st Birthday!

2009-08-11T20:48:00.005-04:00

One year! The past twelve months have flown by. It seems like just a few days ago that my water broke at 5 am and Jared and I made a mad, crazy dash to the hospital. I will never forget that morning, as I am certain that Jared won't either.

I could not have imagined when I first found out that I was pregnant the incredible amount of love one person could have for another. I cannot remember life without Jackson now and wouldn't trade one minute of the past year for even a second of my life before.

We had a few rough patches early on with his breathing issues and all the time spent on the apnea monitor and the ear infections, all the ear infections! But for the past several months we have been doing well.

He's crawling like a champ and is taking a few steps here and there. He says dada all the time and occassionally mama (normally when things are not going well for him). He is starting to say a form of "thank you" and "kiky" for kitty and something similar to dada for doggy. When the phone rings he gets really excited and yells dada, even if Jared is right beside him. He "talks" all the time and is so funny with his expressions and his personality. He has 7 teeth and has a fourth tooth coming in on the bottom and a molar.

Here are some pictures we had made for his first birthday at Sears- poor guy hadn't slept a wink the night before and refused to take a nap that morning, so given that I think the pictures turned out wonderfully!

Little boy, mommy and daddy wish you the happiest of 1st birthdays. You are truly a joy and a blessing in our lives. We love you so very much! You have changed so much over the past 12 months, we cannot wait to see the incredible changes in the upcoming 12 months.

Happy Birthday Jackson!

Swingin'

2009-06-08T22:42:00.005-04:00

Weekend before last we attended the 2nd birthday party of Miss Bella. While the entire party was really nice and included a special celebrity guest (see last picture below), the hit of the party for Jackson was definitely the swing in the backyard. We have this same swing at our house attached to the deck, but I'm not sure that it compared to Bella's swing attached to the giant tree in her backyard.

Loving it!

He swung forever and laughed and giggled the entire time.

As for the special celebrity guest...Miss Bella's favorite Sesame Street character, Elmo! Jackson could have cared less about Elmo, of course he was busy swinging!

Snowshoe

2009-06-08T09:41:00.005-04:00

We wento Snowshoe over Memorial Day Weekend and had a great time! We stayed with mom & dad at the cabin. On Saturday Jared went golfing with Steven and Dave while Jackson and I went swimming with Kim, Sophie, Katie & Jordan. Jackson LOVED the pool- I forgot my camera, so no pictures, sorry. But we did manage to get a few pictures of us all at the cabin:

Jackson & Grandma

Jackson & Grandpa

He played for a long time out on the back deck and went for several walks around the yard and even one down the road.

Jackson & Daddy out in the yard

Jackson & Mommy on the front porch

And finally, Jackson, Mommy & Morgan (Jackson's best friend for sure!!)

We had such a fun time. We went out for dinner on Saturday night to the Elk River Inn which was delicious!! Jackson had such a great time playing in the pool that we are starting swimming lessons at the University of Charleston tomorrow evening.

9 Months...1 Month Late

2009-06-07T22:19:00.007-04:00

Jackson turned 9 months old in May. While we took his pictures on time, I have just not been on top of actually posting them...I'll try to do better after we take his 10 month pictures on Thursday.

We actually got a picture of the blocks as they should be.

But you knew it wouldn't last long!

The "calm before the storm"

Rotten to the core!

Now, in my defense, within just a day or two of these pictures being taken Jackson was diagnosised with strep throat. He handled it fairly well, but was a little cranky and clingy. He has also battled an ear infection in the past couple of weeks.

But we seem to be on the mend now. He is crawling on his hands and knees and pulls up on EVERYTHING! He would love to be walking but just can't get it all together quite yet.

We've been to Snowshoe and Jackson has had his first official haircut recently- pictures coming soon! Have a great week...

On The Move

2009-05-04T21:56:00.008-04:00

This boy is on the move!! He started out last weekend up on his hands and knees, rocking back and forth. He just couldn't quite figure out what to do next.

But...by this weekend he was totally mobile. He's doing the full belly scoot, but he can get around quick! He looks like a little inch worm moving thru the house. On Saturday we were in the guest room, next thing we knew he had scooted out of the room and was heading down the hall to the bonus room to play...

It's a LONG hallway when you are inch worming your way around!

But he kept on moving, little by little.

Sometimes you have to take a little rest on your way down the hall.

But, he finally made it- the trip literally took him about 15 minutes- but he was immediately rewarded with some play! And then continued across the room to the bookshelves where all his toys are.

On Sunday, after a nice visit with his Nana and Papa, he did some more scooting down the foyer to Daddy- it's much easier to scoot on hardwood rather than carpet!

After he made it to Daddy we played with his new alligator that scoots around all on his own.

He has gotten much quicker and can get around all over the place now. He starts out sometimes on his hands and knees, but still isn't certain as to what to do, so he drops to his belly and off he goes. Watch out world, here comes Jackson!

8 Months

2009-04-12T21:50:00.006-04:00

Yesterday Jackson turned 8 months old. He was a little under the weather on Friday. He ran a temperature all day long and nothing would bring it down. So, we thought Easter would be marked, as all holidays have been, with Jackson being sick. But...on Saturday he was clearly feeling better, so we decided to be very brave and color Easter eggs.

It started out fairly calm and seemed like no big deal...

Then Jackson decided it was so much fun!

Things ended fairly quickly once the blue egg dye went all over the table and the floor. We came very, very close to having a blue Morgan dog!

But, we did manage to get all the eggs colored and I think they turned out well!!

We took his 8 month pictures this afternoon. Needless to say, that little boy who just sat in the chair and didn't bother the blocks is long since gone!

And again, everything must go in the mouth these days...

Here is the complete Easter outfit. It was a little chilly, but we managed to get it on long enough for a few pictures and dinner at Grandma & Grandpa's house.

Everyone have a great week!!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T09:00:00.005-04:00

We woke up this morning, came downstairs and discovered that the Easter Bunny had hopped by last night!

Jackson was pretty excited. He had 5 board books and a First Easter bib in his basket. Plus the Easter Bunny left Jackson a bunny and blow up toy with balls in it- which is supposed to promote crawling.

Of course the first thing one must do is dump out all that colorful grass in the floor- thanks to the Easter Bunny for using the paper grass and not that plastic kind that used to be in my Easter Baskets. Then we checked out our new books. Books are a big hit around here, so they will get a lot of use.

And of course, the basket must be tasted! Everything goes in the mouth these days!! All in all, I think Jackson has enjoyed his First Easter- it wore him out, he's upstairs taking a nap.

Happy Easter Everyone!!

Quick Update

2009-03-20T10:38:00.002-04:00

Sorry no pictures with this post...but I have great news!! Jackson is officially off the apnea monitor!! WOO-HOO!! I spoke with the pediatricians office yesterday and he said after reviewing the latest report that he did not believe that apnea was a concern anymore!!!!! So last night was the first time since Jackson was 7 weeks old that he slept without being hooked up to an alarm- and he did wonderfully!

He is back in daycare today and seemed to be okay when I left. He did give me a pouty look, but there were no tears, so I think he'll do fine down there today.

We'll try to get some good pictures this weekend and get them posted. Have a great weekend everyone!!

7 Months

2009-03-16T21:20:00.003-04:00

Jackson turned 7 months old last week. He is doing great! He is sitting up all by himself and playing peak-a-boo. Rolling over is still not something he is particularly fond of. He can do it if he has too, but for the most part he just cries if he wants on his back when he's on his tummy. If he could get it all together he would be crawling, I think within the next month he'll be up and about. He can stand for several seconds at a time and is a good stander when holding on to the coffee table.

Jackson seems to be doing so much better now that he has his tubes. He had a little cold last week and believe it or not did not get an ear infection! We're hoping now that he can actually hear us that he starts putting together some sounds. We've been working on "da-da" but he just laughs when we say it- I'm sure that is not a reflection on his da-da!

I'm not sure what prompted the tongue to be stuck out when he smiled the other night, but most of his pictures are of him smiling with his tongue out. The little dog beside of him has become his little buddy recently. And of course, the blocks were not safe for long...

We've kept Jackson out of daycare for the past two weeks in an effort to make sure that he is healthy before heading back to daycare. He is going back on Thursday- wish us luck!

Warm Weather

2009-03-12T20:48:00.003-04:00

The weather was so warm last weekend that we tried to keep Jackson out in it as long as possible. He loved being outside and especially loved the wind blowing in his face. The tubes seem to be treating him well. We went to the pediatrician today and he said the ears look good!

Jackson was obsessed with this Easter flag blowing in the wind- he almost did a header off my lap trying to get to it, so we had to get down and check it out.

We haven't gotten the 7 month pictures taken yet, but we will this weekend (since it's going to be too cold to be outside anyway!) and I'll post them soon.

Have a great weekend!!

We Have Tubes!

2009-02-27T20:00:00.004-05:00

Jackson has tubes in both of his ears! The whole thing went fairly smoothly. As I feared, the worst part was last night...Jackson woke up at 3:45 and did not understand why we would not give him a bottle (now understand he had a full bottle at 11:55 and therefore was not starving by any means). I rocked him and he fell back asleep for about 15 minutes at which point he woke up and REFUSED to go back to sleep. Jared and I took turns trying to convince him that a bottle was really not needed and that it would be much better if he would just calm down and go back to sleep. Jackson did not agree and just continued to scream. Finally at 4:30 I gave in and let him have 2 ounces of Pedialyte, which did the trick. He fell fast asleep, after giving me a look that said "why couldn't you have just given me this 45 minutes ago, what was the confusion?"

We got to the Eye & Ear Clinic at 6:30 this morning. Jackson was in the best mood, he played and smiled at everyone he saw. At 8:00 they took Jackson and his Elephant back to get tubes. By 8:15 the doctor came in and said that the surgery went well and they removed a bunch of fluid from his ears.

My happy baby was not who returned to me. Poor Jackson came back SCREAMING!!! We were finally allowed to go home around 9:30 (about the same time he stopped screaming). He took a little nap in the car and when we got home he was better then new.

We go for a follow up in 3 weeks, but so far Jackson seems to be doing great!

Tubes

2009-02-26T21:42:00.003-05:00

Jackson goes at 6:30 tomorrow morning to get tubes put in his ears. He had another massive ear infection that required an injection of antibotics on Monday. The pediatrician said it was so bad that if we didn't get it cleared up that the ENT doctor probably wouldn't have been able to see in his ears well enough to perform the surgery.

We are waking him up at 11:45 tonight to give him a bottle because after midnight he can't eat until after the surgery in the morning. Wish us luck!!!

Teeth!

2009-02-18T12:01:00.003-05:00

This picture is several weeks old, but I just love it and forgot to post it earlier. I think it looks like he is in deep thought about something very important! Probably, it's why have my parents dressed me up like a sock monkey?!?!

Jackson has been drooling like a champ for months and on Monday morning we noticed a tooth had come through on the bottom. Then yesterday evening, I discovered that a second tooth has poked through on the bottom as well! He seems to be doing well with cutting teeth. We have a had a lot of drool, but not very many tears and he hasn't run a fever either. Hopefully we will get his ears straightened out next week and then maybe he will get a teething break and start feeling better!

6 Months

2009-02-16T14:43:00.004-05:00

I cannot believe my tiny baby is 6 MONTHS OLD!!! He's half a year- where has the time gone??? We saw the ENT this morning and are scheduled to have tubes put in both ears next Friday morning. He said there was still a bunch of fluid in his ears, no infection, but still fluid. He said that the fluid will only get thicker over time and eventually another infection will set in. So...it's tubes for us next week. Honestly though I think tubes are for the best, there is no reason for Jackson to continuously have ear infections.

We then saw the pediatrician for his well baby visit. Jackson weighs 16 lbs. 9 oz., which is the 25th percentile in weight and he is 26 1/2 inches long, which is the 50th percentile. He's a small guy, but seems to be right on track.

We took his pictures the other night and this is one of the only ones where the blocks are where they should be!

Most of the pictures look more like this one!

After the photo session, he and Morgan got in the floor to play. I think these two are going to be partners in crime in the near future!

Finally, we hope everyone had a Happy Valentines Day!!!

Lazy Sunday

2009-01-25T19:21:00.004-05:00

We have had a lazy Sunday afternoon around here. Jackson's Nana & Papa came down from Summersville for a quick visit. Jackson enjoyed hanging out with them and wishes they would come for visits more often!

He and I then hung out on the couch for a while.

He then moved down to the Bumbo...

What is he watching so intently you ask?? The WVU/Pitt game of course!

He sat in his Bumbo and watched the game until he got so excited that I thought we was going to flip himself out of it onto his head. He cheered the 'Eers on the whole game. Finally, when I decided that it was just to dangerous to let him sit in the Bumbo anymore, he moved back to the couch with daddy to finish watching the game.

He is definitely a sports fan! He watched football all season long and apparently has a love of basketball as well. We go back to the doctor tomorrow for our RSV follow-up. I think he is feeling much better- definitely not as congested as he was this time last week. Keep your fingers crossed that we get a good report!

Have a great week!

RSV

2009-01-24T19:58:00.005-05:00

I took Jackson to the doctor on Monday because he had a runny nose and a TERRIBLE cough. Just as I was afraid of, the doctor said he had RSV. So, Jared and I have been alternating staying home this week. Jackson has been so cranky and clingy. We have not seen very much of this at all:

Instead, we have seen a lot of crying and many, many melt downs. We have been doing breathing treatments every 4-6 hours with our new friend Penguin Nebulizer:

Jackson comes and goes with the breathing treatments. Sometimes he could care less and other times you would think we were chopping off his legs.

I think he is starting to feel better though. He is sleeping better and doesn't sound near as wheezy when he breathes. He also is not a clingy as he had been. But, with these rosy cheeks, I fear that on Monday when we go for our follow up that Dr. Childers will say we now have an ear infection!

Jackson has had 5 ear infections since Thanksgiving! We go to the ENT doctor on February 16th. I'm thinking we are headed towards tubes.

Finally, Jared took this picture of Jackson and I today and I love it so much that I had to post it!

Have a great weekend everyone!

5 Months

2009-01-11T19:37:00.007-05:00

I cannot believe that he is 5 months old!! We have been pretty lazy on Jackson's 5 month birthday. The only reason he got out of his pjs today was to take his pictures. He's doing pretty well. We're still on the apnea monitor. We thought he was going to be taken off of it right before Christmas, but when the report was downloaded it showed several episodes of apnea- the scariest part was the monitor didn't go off. So the monitor has been recalibrated and we are still on it for now. The pediatrician says that baby apnea is somewhat common and that he will grow out of it. Hopefully that will be soon, because it is a very stressful and scary thing.

But onto more fun things...pictures of Jackson!

He smiles now all the time and is doing great with sitting up. He can sit unassisted for several seconds at a time.

Cracking himself up!

He is really getting to be so much fun. He coos and gurgles and giggles now all the time.

Another face plant! I can't believe is now as long as the chair is wide!

If he could get it all together he would be a boy on the move for sure. He is still refusing to rollover, although he is plenty strong enough and knows exactly how to do it.

Everyone have a good week. I am in trial mode this week (again) so this may be the last post for a little while (I know you would be more shocked if it wasn't the last post for a while!) because trial starts next Tuesday.

By the way, these pictures were all taken with Jared's Christmas present. He got a Cannon Rebel XSI something or other camera. I have to admit that it does take some pretty spiffy pictures.

Christmas 2008

2009-01-11T18:04:00.007-05:00

I know that it has taken a while, but here are pictures from Christmas. It was definitely more fun this year with Jackson! We started off in Summersville with the Tully's on the 23rd and 24th.

Jackson and Papa sporting their antelers...
Here is Jackson playing with his Nana (and his Elephant that my friend Nikki sent him- he LOVES it!)

Opening presents...

Jackson and his Great Nana...

We came home from Summersville on Christmas Eve. Jackson woke up at 5:30 Christmas morning and refused to go back to sleep. When we came downstairs we discovered Santa had been to our house! Jackson has been a good boy this year, so Santa left him lots of fun presents under the tree!

Checking out his Santa presents. Santa doesn't wrap his gifts at our house, so they are out and ready for immediate action. Except for the Exersaucer, which Santa didn't realize required 1000 different batteries, so it had to wait.

Family picture on Christmas morning...

We then opened all of Jackson's presents before he fell asleep.

It was then off to my parent's house to open gifts. Jackson got to spend some time with Uncle Evan.

We then piled in the cars and headed to Cincinnati to open gifts with the rest of the McNeers.

He seemed to enjoy the whole experience although he had no idea what was going on.

Jackson and Grandpa hanging out.

The exersaucer is now fully loaded with batteries and Jackson LOVES it!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Years!!

4 Months

2008-12-16T21:04:00.006-05:00

Here are some of Jackson's 4 month pictures. His personality is really starting to show and he was pretty funny the other night when we took his pictures.

I think this picture is hilarious! It's like he's Joey from Friends..."how you doin'?"

Just chillin out here...

He's getting pretty good at sitting up, but has apparently decided that he should lean forward when sitting, which sometimes works out well...

And sometimes it doesn't! He clearly found this to be extremely funny!

Jackson seems to be doing well. His breathing is much improved. The ENT doctor today said that while his breathing is still a little loud, he isn't concerned. We go on Friday for our 4 month well baby visit and for a follow up from the last ear infection.

Here are a couple of pictures from Sunday morning of Jackson wearing Daddy's WVU cap.

Uncle Evan Knows Santa!!!

2008-12-09T09:54:00.003-05:00

On Saturday Uncle Evan flew Santa Claus and 2 of his Elves into a Christmas Party on Evan's base in San Diego. If Jackson were just a few years older he would be totally impressed!!

Look close, there's Santa waving and that's Uncle Evan in the seat in front of him...

Jackson has yet another ear infection- that's 2 in 2 weeks- so he's been a bit grumpy and not himself the last couple of days, but he seems to be on the mend today.

Laundry Day

2008-12-07T21:27:00.007-05:00

Some know today as Sunday, but around here it's known as Laundry Day. After a 2 1/2 hour nap (woo-hoo!) Jackson volunteered to help his mommy match socks. He wasn't so sure about it at first...

but he soon decided that sock matching was actually not too bad. He only made it through the white clothes and we are now up to our 7th load today and he's sound asleep in bed.

Actually, the laundry was so exhausting that he wasn't able to completely make it through his cereal tonight.

He slept for about 30 minutes this way. Jared ran the vaccumm and I used the blender, he never moved!

When he did wake up he had the cutest smile on his face as though he was thinking "oops, I didn't mean to doze off!"

O'Christmas Tree

2008-12-06T22:07:00.004-05:00

The Sunday after Thanksgiving Jared and I ventured out to Pliny, WV in the pouring rain to choose the family Christmas tree- luckily Grandma and Grandpa agreed to watch Jackson and loan us their truck! We hadn't been to this place before and will probably not go back there next year- although the experience was ruined somewhat by the rain. The trees were a little holey and not as pretty as the trees from last year's tree farm.

But, we finally found one that we thought was suitable. We got it decorated on Monday night and I have to say that I think it turned out quite nice. Jackson has been less then impressed, although in the past several days he has really started noticing it and seems to be enjoying it.

Now if I could just find some time to get some presents wrapped and under it! Here is a picture of Jackson "helping" us decorate the tree on Monday

We have started reading books often and Jackson clearly has a love for "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish" he can be crying but will stop to listen. We tried "The Cat in the Hat" tonight and he didn't seem to be as into it.

We had Christmas pictures taken today at JcPenney's. Picture taking in studios is not going well. The first attempt at Walmart in October was a 30 second session that ended in a total melt down. Today he was happy as he could be while we were waiting, but the minute we went back to the studio he turned on the tears and turned up the volume! We took a quick bottle break, during which he was smiling and having a great time, but again the minute we went back to have pictures taken things totally fell apart! But we got a few good ones anyway, if I can figure out how to post scanned images I'll post some once we get them.

We have a fairly busy week ahead, hope everyone has a great week!

Jackson's Baptism

2008-11-29T22:28:00.007-05:00

We had Jackson baptized today. He was awake for the first 5 minutes of it and then went to sleep until it was all over.

He didn't even wake up when the water was put on his head! We thought for sure that he would wake up then, but it didn't even phase him.

Here is Jackson with his Godfather Tony and his Godmother Kim. For those of you who don't know Tony and Kim, they are good friends of mine and Jared's from law school. We are really grateful to them for agreeing to take on such a special role in Jackson's life.

And it's all over, so Jackson woke up for a few pictures. After the service we had a reception at our house. It was a wonderful Saturday and a special day in Jackson's life. Thank you to everyone who travelled so far and scheduled their holiday plans around today in order to be part of it!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2008-11-28T10:14:00.009-05:00

Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving!! We celebrated with the Tully's yesterday and had a great meal!! Jackson seemed to really enjoy his first Thanksgiving, even though he is currently fighting an ear infection. He had a great time hanging out with his great grandmothers and I think they had an equally great time hanging out with him...

We came home after dinner and Uncle Evan came over to meet his new nephew. Jackson really liked Uncle Evan, he couldn't stop smiling and laughing. Evan's Naval Academy class ring was really a big hit with Jackson, he couldn't take his eyes and fingers off of it- we may have a future midshipman here.

Here are a couple of pictures from this morning. Jackson now definitely knows he has a dog and he thinks she is pretty fun. Morgan may not be quite as taken with Jackson as she once was- in her mind Jackson is taking valueable attention away from her!

Finally, it has been a long weekend so far and Jackson is clearly exhausted! We are off to celebrate Thanksgiving with the McNeers this afternoon- Round 2! Then tomorrow Mr. Jackson is being baptized- stay tuned for more pictures.

3 Months and so much more

2008-11-20T20:29:00.009-05:00

WARNING: PICTURE OVERLOAD

Since it's been a month since I've updated the blog (I apologize to the faithful readers) I have a lot to catch up on. So, to kick things off...here is Jackson's 3 month picture taken on November 11th. He is able to sit up really well when propped up and is smiling all over himself these days. He is not too far off from laughing.

We did end up visiting the hospital again at the end of October for another 24 hour test- this time I didn't have to be a patient as well! Jackson was tested for acid reflux, which thankfully he does not have!! While in the hospital he was also seen by the pulmnologist, who determined that he does not have asthma either!!! An ear, nose and throat doctor also came for a visit and he was able to give an answer to Jackson's breathing/respiratory issues that so far has made the most sense. He thinks Jackson's nose makes too much mucous. Hopefully this is something he will grow out of (or his nose will grow into) and for now we are just suppose to use saline drops and suction out his nose. He is really doing a lot better with his breathing. Jared and I have noticed a steady improvement over the past month with the suctioning.

So Jackson spent his first Halloween in the hospital, but was released just in time to go to Emma and Ethan's Halloween party. He went as a "Jackson-O-Lantern!"

Finally, we have started eating some cereal in the evenings like a big boy. I keep it pretty runny and he seems to love it!! Although not so sure at first, he quickly came to really like it and now when we put him in his highchair in the evenings he smiles and gets so excited because he knows what's coming.

This is a picture from the first night, not too sure about all this...

But here are some pictures from last night, as you can see cereal is a HUGE hit!

I had surgery at the beginning of the month to remove the kidney stone that landed me in the hospital with Jackson. The surgery went well and the doctor didn't seem to think that I would have any future trouble with kidney stones- which is great since the pain was worse then anything I experienced giving birth to Jackson!

We are having him baptized next Saturday while his Uncle Evan is home for Thanksgiving. It will be the first time they have met and Jackson is pretty pumped up about it.

I will try my very best to be better about posting in the future, but stick with me, I have a trial coming up in just a few weeks that is taking up a lot of my time, but I will do my best! I am working on downloading our videos to the computer, once I get it done and if I can figure out how to get them on blogger I'll post a few.

Everyone have a wonderful Thanksgiving next week!!!

I Promise

2008-11-20T08:29:00.003-05:00

I promise I will post new pictures soon. Things have been pretty busy lately! I had surgery to remove my kidney stone and now I'm getting ready for trial, Thanksgiving, Jackson's Baptism and Christmas all at the same time!! HECTIC!!!!!

But everything is going well. Jackson had a good report at his well baby visit last week and weighed almost 12 lbs- we've doubled our birth weight. The respiratory issues seem to be resolving and he now is only on the apnea monitor at night. WOO-HOO!!! He is really growing and changing everyday. He has become pretty vocal and I think is getting closer and closer to rolling over. He is also smiling all the time now! He ate cereal out of bowl for the first time on Sunday evening- pictures coming soon (maybe even video if I can figure out how to do it)- and seemed to really enjoy it.

Stick with me, pictures coming soon-hopefully tonight!!!

The Perfect Fall Day

2008-10-20T09:03:00.007-04:00

Yesterday we decided to go on a drive to check out the fall foliage. We drove up the mountain through Montgomery, Gauley Bridge and into Fayetteville. It was a beautiful drive and a great day! We stopped in Fayetteville and ate at our favorite pizzeria Pies and Pints- so delicious!! Then we drove down into the New River Gorge and stopped to take some pictures under the Bridge.

I think this one turned out great! We used the timer and did it ourselves.

Different view of the Bridge...

Jackson seemed to have a good time, although he was not impressed with having to get in and out of his car seat. After that we headed to Summersville to visit with his Nana and Papa. I know that Jackson enjoyed that visit (as did his Nana and Papa!).

On Saturday Jackson was all set to go to a Pumpkin Carving Party, but not 5 minutes after this picture was taken he had a complete melt down. He and I ended up opting out of the party. He fell asleep at 6:30 pm and slept until 10:30 pm, so he probably would not have been much fun at the party. But I love this picture because it looks like he's dancing!!

On a side note, he seems to be doing much better. We have not had any alarms with his monitor and his congestion is getting much, much better. I too am feeling better. We are both still waiting for our referrals, which hopefully we will get this week.

2 Months & an ER visit

2008-10-16T09:02:00.008-04:00

Sorry to have not posted in a while, but things have been HECTIC!!! Jackson turned 2 months old last Saturday. Unfortunately he spent his 2 month birthday in the hospital. Last Thursday I had him to the pediatrician because he has been so congested. Well the pediatrician didn't like the sound and the way he was breathing, so we did a whole bunch of tests- all of which came back normal. But he told me that if Jackson started breathing fast again to call immediately. Well of course he started breathing really fast on the way home. So I called and off to the ER we went.

Jackson was admitted to the hospital from the ER for observation overnight because he is so young and they didn't want to send us home late at night with an infant having breathing issues. So we had a pneumogram performed, which is a 24 hour test that measured his oxygen saturation, heart rate and something else. We finally got to come home on Saturday evening with an apnea monitor.

So we got all the test results back yesterday and everything came back normal. But because his breathing is still out of whack we are going to stay on the apnea monitor for now and are being referred to a pulmonlogist.

But that is not the end of this tale, I left out a small detail...

While we were in the ER for Jackson, I had to be admitted as well!! I began having terrible pain in my left side and started throwing up- turns out I have kidney stones (big ones!). Poor Jared, there he was with his baby and his wife both sick and in the ER. Jackson got sent upstairs before I was released from the ER, so Jared finally called my parents at 2:00 am to come to the ER to be with me so that he could stay with Jackson. I follow up with the doctor tomorrow and will probably have to have the stones lasered.

It has been quite an adventure the past week, I'll keep everyone up to date on Jackson. He seems to be doing better, just a ton of congestion. We've only had a couple of alarms, but I understand these apnea monitors have a lot of false alarms.

But on to more fun things, here are some pictures we took the other night...

Gearing up for Halloween...

And one from yesterday morning...Jackson is very into the environment!

Two Days Down

2008-09-30T16:20:00.002-04:00

Well we are two days into our "return to the real world" and I think we are doing okay. Yesterday wasn't too bad leaving Jackson at daycare and then going to the office all day. Sunday on the otherhand...well that was hard because I thought about everytime I looked at him.

I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things here at work. I think by the end of the week I'll be totally back in the groove. Jackson seems to be doing well with daycare- I haven't heard any complaints anyways.

The hardest part has been dragging my butt out of bed in the morning. I didn't acknowledge the alarm was going off this morning for 45 minutes, which then made us all (Jared included) late for work. Jared has been great about helping in the mornings. He gets up and gives Jackson his 6am bottle and then gets him cleaned up and dressed. He also washes the bottles from the nighttime feedings so they are clean and ready to go when we get home.

I'm not sure what Jackson thinks of this whole thing, but he does seem to be adjusting well to it. Hopefully that will continue!

Last Week

2008-09-22T16:50:00.007-04:00

This is mine and Jackson's last week at home. Starting on Monday I go back to work and he starts daycare. While I am excited to get back into a routine and be back at work where I can have conversations with adults before 5:30 when Jared gets home, I am really going to miss the time that Jackson and I share together during the day. He and I have really enjoyed the past 6 weeks together (or at least I have, I'm assuming that he has!)- but the time has really flown by quickly!!

It will be nice that Jackson's daycare is in my office, he will just be one floor below me. So I will be able to sneak down and see him during the day and go down at lunch and give him a bottle. I think that will make it a little easier.

Of course he's crying right now for no reason whatsoever, so maybe Monday won't be so bad! :)

Let's Go...Mountaineers

2008-09-18T21:22:00.004-04:00

Just a quick post tonight because we are watching the 'Eers. We are hoping that Jackson's second WVU game goes better then his first (although it's not looking to great at the time of this post).

Not much to report on this end. We have changed formula in an effort to help Jackson's gas problem (he'll be so embarrassed in a few years!) and we are working very hard to learning to sleep in the crib rather then in the papasan chair in the crib. Some nights it goes better then others. He is much more alert during the day, so he is learning his days from his nights.

One Month Old

2008-09-12T21:08:00.005-04:00

Jackson turned one month old yesterday. It is hard to believe how much he has changed in such a short amount of time. When he was born he weighed 6 lbs. and newborn clothes were huge on him. This week at the doctor he weighed 8 lbs 6 oz! He can no longer wear newborn clothes and is wearing 0-3 month without any problem.

How tiny he was here...

He is changing every day. His hands were so teeny tiny when he was born, you could almost see through them they were so little. His hands today have really filled out and gotten so big. He is starting to stay awake more during the day and will hopefully start sleeping better at night.

We want to say a big thank you to Uncle Evan who sent him a Baby Pluto for his one month birthday. Uncle Evan is in the Navy and is stationed in San Diego, California, so they haven't officially met. Sadly they won't get to meet in person until Evan comes home for Thanksgiving. But we know that they will be best buddies, even if it is long distance. So, Thank you Uncle Evan, we can't wait to see you in November!!

Bath Time

2008-09-05T14:47:00.006-04:00

Now that Jackson's belly button is umbilical cord free he has gotten a few "real" baths as opposed to the wipe downs that he was getting before. Although we didn't get any pictures of the actual bath itself, here are some post bath pictures.

He really wants to hate bath time, but he always gives in and enjoys it. He really likes getting his hair rinsed. But cuddling in the towel and then getting lotioned up is really great too!

But his very favorite part is cuddling with Daddy afterwards (and I think that's Daddy's favorite part as well)!

If you all are enjoying our blog let us know! Jared and I get to see Jackson and experience his life everyday, so we are doing this blog for our family and friends (and those of you we don't know) so that you all can see and experience Jackson's life as well. If you want us to continue let us know!

Meeting the Tully Family

2008-09-04T22:10:00.008-04:00

Over Labor Day Jared, Jackson and I made our first car trip to Summersville to show him off to all of his family up there. He did really well on the car ride up and back, sleeping the entire time both ways. Of course he was a big hit during his visit!

Aunt Mariah with a laid back Jackson.

Jackson spending some time with his cousin Maurine, Great Nana and Great Mamawa.

Next up was some time with cousin Elizabeth and Great Aunt Tandy.

And of course some some good quality time with his Nana and Papa, who like my parents I think are going to spoil him rotten!!

I also have to post a picture of his cute as can be cousin Julia...

We had a great visit with everyone and can't wait to come up again for another visit. Of course the best thing was the trip completely wore Jackson out and he slept GREAT on Saturday night!!

Meeting the McNeer Family

2008-09-03T21:35:00.010-04:00

Jackson has had two big weekends recently meeting all of his extended family.

First up was last weekend when he met his Great Aunt Kim and cousins Sarah and Holt. They live in Ohio and weren't able to come in when he was born. Kim and Sarah both thought he was pretty great. I think Holt was a little disappointed that he wasn't big enough to play legos!

Sarah and Holt had never seen anyone so small and I think they a little taken aback by how small Jackson is. He also spent some quality time with his Great Mamawa, who thinks that he is pretty fantastic.

It took some asking, but Holt finally agreed to hold Jackson for a picture...

And of course he had to spend some quality time with his Grandma and Grandpa

Of course being the first grandchild and great grandchild on the McNeer side of the family I think there is a bit of potential for him to be spoiled!

Baby Shower # 2

2008-09-02T21:18:00.010-04:00

Exactly 48 hours before the arrival of Jackson my mom threw me a very nice baby shower at my house since I was on bed rest at the time. For obvious reasons I didn't get a chance to blog about it at the time!

Miss Sarah was my big helper at this shower and we got a ton of really nice gifts from family and friends. Who knew that it would all come in handy so quickly!! The gift that has definitely come in handy so far is the Baby Papasan Chair that my parents got us- it has helped to lull a certain someone to sleep on more then one night. In fact we have taken to putting Mr. Jackson in his chair and then putting the chair in his crib at night- some nights this works better then others.

Thanks to everyone for all the wonderful gifts!

So here a few pictures from the second baby shower (and a few of Jackson, since we can't have a post without a few of him!)

A great gift basket from Helen and Lisa!

I think it's obvious why Jackson came early- I think he was running out of room!

Sarah was a great helper!

And here are a few of Jackson in that fabulous papasan chair!

So cozy...

Big Day Out

2008-08-26T19:17:00.004-04:00

Jackson had a check up at the doctor this morning. Who knew that it be so hard to get up and get to the doctor by 9:20! He was very agreeable all morning long until I was ready to dry my hair and that's when he decided he needed some quality mommy time.

He is doing really well. He is now 6 lbs. 13 oz. and is over 20 inches long. The doctor said that Jackson is right where he should be and that within a couple of months you would never know that he was 4 weeks early. We are increasing the amount of formula he is taking, so I'm hoping that in turn will increase the amount of time he sleeps at night.

After the doctor we made visits to both Jared's office and mine- he was a big hit at each place. And the three of us went out for a nice Indian food lunch. Jackson and I then ventured up to Target to buy more diapers for him to dirty up.

So all in all it was a big day for both of us, hopefully it will be a restful night for us both as well!

You've Heard Of A Boy and His Dog...

2008-08-23T12:55:00.006-04:00

Well this boy doesn't even know that he has a dog, but his dog sure does know that she has a boy! Morgan is quite taken with Jackson. She sticks with him night and day.

When Jackson gets up in the middle of the night to eat Morgan gets up and comes into his room until we go back to bed. We've had a couple of rough nights recently and Morgan has been right there with us making sure that Jackson is okay. She has also taken to sleeping right beside the bassinet during the night- so that she's the first to know if he needs someone I'm sure.

When Jackson was born Jared brought some blankets home from the hosptial and gave them to Morgan in order for her to get use to his smell. Well when Jackson came home, Morgan was ready and waiting to be a momma dog.

She keeps her eye on dad and Jackson most of all to make sure that Jared knows what he's doing...

Now Connor on the other hand...she's not so excited about our new addition.

One Month Early

2008-08-18T13:04:00.008-04:00

Last Monday morning I woke up at 5 am due to my water breaking! Needless to say Jared and I were totally unprepared to rush off to the hospital given that we thought we still had an entire month to get ready. In fact my plan for Monday had been to get some things together for my hospital bag and Jared was going to put the car seat in the car that evening! Luckily I had packed Jackson's bag.

So we rushed around like maniacs trying to get ourselves ready and out the door to the hospital. It was like out of movie! At 2:59 pm Jackson Marshall Tully made his appearance into the world. He weighed in at 6 lbs. 0 oz. and was 18 7/8 inches long.

It was by far the most overwhelming emotional experience that I have ever had and I know that Jared feels the exact same way. It was definitely love at first sight! I don't know if it's possible, but we love him more and more every day.

We've been home since Wednesday evening and have been getting along great. He eats every 3 to 4 hours and pretty much sleeps in between feedings. He gets up 2 or 3 times a night, but pretty much goes right back to sleep, except for that 3 am feeding, when he wants to stay up and hang out! We've taken a million pictures, so for your viewing pleasure I am posting a few more recent pictures of our little boy...

Our first family picture...

This is pretty much what he does all the time...sleep-which is much better then crying all the time!

We will keep you posted with new pictures of our favorite new form of entertainment! And thanks to everyone for all the well wishes and visits!

The Nursery

2008-08-06T15:29:00.005-04:00

I thought I would post a few pictures of the nursery. My mom helped us out by painting the room one weekend while Jared and I were out of town. Jared has taken care of everything else. I think it has turned out really great!!

I love the little rocking chair that I found on sale 40% off!! It matches the room perfectly and Jared got him the Pooh Bear, which I thought was pretty sweet.

I found these pictures online for $15 and then got frames at Michael's-quite a deal I thought!! And I became obsessed with those stuffed animals from Pottery Barn, so I splurged on them.

This chair is for giants!! I had NO IDEA how HUGE it was until it was delivered. But it is a swivel, glider, recliner, so I think it will be a good spot for Jackson and I to hang out during middle of the night feedings. Plus it's green, which I love! The only thing left to do it hang a couple of planes in the corner above the chair.

I go back to the doctor tomorrow for my second weekly visit. I'll have another fetal scan and ultrasound. This time they are going to measure Jackson to see how big he is. I'll fill everyone in tomorrow on our progress!

What a Sweet Husband!

2008-08-05T16:09:00.004-04:00

Jared has been so great since I have been on bed rest! He has been making dinner every night- real dinners too, not just mac & cheese! We had company over the weekend and he made all 5 of us dinner on Saturday and a full breakfast on Sunday morning! Although he's had some help from both my mom and his parents, he is really taking good care of me and the house and hasn't complained one time.

During the day I get up and get my own drinks and food, but once Jared gets home he won't hear of me getting up and doing anything myself. On top of all this, he has been working outside to spiffy up the house. He has recently stained the entire deck and has been working on the landscaping.

Well on Sunday I mentioned that I would like to have a Vera Bradley duffel bag to take to the hospital when I go because I just didn't think the ones that we have were going to work. So last night he came home with this one:

He picked it out all by himself and had it gift wrapped! I'm not sure what I would do without him- he's such a sweetie!!

Baby Shower # 1

2008-08-04T14:32:00.005-04:00

On Saturday several of my friends hosted a wonderful baby shower for me at Marsha's house. It was very nice, we had tons of good food, a beautiful cake and I ended up with lots of great baby gear!! We were given a ton of clothes and baby bath products, bath toys and a bath tub, baby medicines, toys, bibs, wipes, hooded towels, rattles. We got a "Jackson" puzzle, a cool wooden car and a BEAUTIFUL Vera Bradley diaper bag.

Here are a few pictures from the big event...

The beautiful and very yummy cake...

Since I am on bed rest, the girls set me up in this chair and then waited on me! So nice...

Here is a picture of one of my big helpers on Saturday, Emma. My other big helper Marley must have been taking a break. These girls are fast and furious when it comes to opening gifts- although without them I'm not sure that I could have actually gotten everything out!

I just want to thank the girls for hosting such a wonderful shower. And thank everyone for the wonderful gifts- Jared and I are very appreciative!!

And just to give those of you who haven't seen me in person recently the understanding of how ENORMOUS I am, here is a picture of me on Friday...

Why Bed Rest?

2008-07-31T21:39:00.004-04:00

I had a lot of emails this morning about why I am on bed rest, so I thought I should fill everyone in. My blood pressure has been a bit too high, so my doctor decided it was time for me to get some rest at home. Since hanging out at home, the blood pressure seems to be in check and the massive swelling in my feet, ankles and legs has almost completely gone away- although it is apparent if I am up at all during the day because it comes back very quickly!

Otherwise I am in good shape and Jackson is doing great! He weighed 5 1/2 lbs at the doctor yesterday and was measuring right on schedule at 34 weeks. The doctor gave me a series of steroid shots to help his lungs mature in case he decides to make an appearance before September 10th. This is a picture of him taken on July 11th, I hope you can see the mischievous smirk on his face! I think he is going to be a handful!!

Bed Rest- Day 6

2008-07-30T21:19:00.000-04:00

Well now that I am home on bed rest and have nothing much to do, I thought I would start a blog about our family. Jared and I are expecting our first child on September 10th (six long weeks away when you are on bed rest!). His name is Jackson Tully and we are pretty excited for his arrival.

I went to the doctor today and he said that my blood pressure is holding it's own now that I am on sitting around all day. He did give me good news that I will be able to attend my baby shower this Saturday, which I'm very excited about!

I can't promise that this blog will be very exciting or that I will even be good at keeping it up to date, but I will try. Once I figure out how to post pictures I will put up some of the nursery and maybe even one of me...