Surgery Scheduled

Well, we went to see the pediatric surgeon yesterday morning. Dr. Rogers was very nice and Jackson seemed to like him too! Maybe because his eyebrows looked like they were alive! :-) He informed us that he had two hydroceles on either side of his scrotum and that he would need to repair both sides. (usually when there is a hernia on one side there is mostly likely one on the other.) So, his surgery is scheduled for Tuesday March 6th. Most likely early morning. Since he is so young they have decided to keep him overnight just to watch his vitals. We're not looking forward to this but we know it has to be done to prevent any future problems.

I was very impressed with the nursing staff since UVA is a large teaching hospital (not the hospital he was born at) and you tend to be just another patient to them. The nurses were very attentive and comforting to him which made me more comfortable.

Oh, one more thing. They did another exam on Jackson and he weighed 11 lbs and 22 in long. Just two days prior at his regular doctor appointment he weighed 10 pounds on the nose! We couldn't believe he gained a pound in two days! I had noticed him eating a lot more often than he normally does but I guess he was going through a growth spurt. The nurses asked if I was breastfeeding and said this happens with breastfed babies. I can understand mistaking a couple of ounces since they usually gain an ounce a day but a whole pound? And in two days!!!!!

Please keep little Jackie (as uncle Nic would say) in your prayers. I'm sure I will be a wreck until he is safe at home. I know it is a common procedure but it is nevertheless....surgery. We'll keep everyone posted as to his recovery.

Love,
Steph

Will You Be My Valentine?

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

My cousin Melissa sent this cute onsie for Jackson. How cute is he?

Hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Love,

Steph

What a big boy!

We had Jackson's shots yesterday and he did so well! He had to get four shots and I had knots in my stomach all day! The nurse was so quick it literally took 2 seconds and she was done. He let out one cry and I immediately picked him up and started nursing before he could let out another cry. That evening he was a little fussy but we gave him some Tylenol and he fell asleep for a while. I was so proud of him! Boy is he growing! He weighed 10 lbs!

We have his appointment with the pediatric surgeon this Thursday. We'll post and let everyone know when they schedule his surgery.

Steph

Two months old

Well we made it to 2 months and we're still alive!!! Jackson is doing so well. We got him on a routine and he has only been getting up one time during the night to feed for the past two weeks! A girlfriend of mine told me to get this book called Baby Wise and it's all about putting them on a routine to get them to sleep through the night. Literally the day I started this routine he has been sleeping so well and not being so cranky during the day!

We have his 2 month shots Monday which I am not looking forward to! Poor baby has to get 4 shots! It will probably hurt me more than it will hurt him! :-( We also have our appointment with the pediatric surgeon this Thursday. We should find out more when they want to schedule his surgery.

Jackson is starting to stand up (with help of course!). He loves to stand up on Scott's stomach and push up with his legs. Maybe he'll skip crawling and go straight to walking! His head is getting stronger too. He loves his bath time. He actually splashed around playing with a rubber ducky the other day!

He also is now fitting into his tennis shoes! I posted a pic of them. Too cute!

Well that's all for now.

Steph

Smiling Baby

We finally caught some pictures of Jackson smiling! Too cute not to share!

Not so good news.....

Well we had the sonogram on Tuesday and it turns out Jackson will have to have surgery to repair his hernia. He has an inguinal hernia which is: Inguinal hernias: The muscles and ligaments in the groin area do not come together completely also allowing the sac holding the intestines to poke through. Some babies (especially premature ones) are born with this. In addition, adolescents particularly males may acquire these. This type of hernia generally does not close on its own.

On the sonogram when Jackson would cry you could see part of the bowel poke through into his scrotum. The doctor said that it has not yet incarcerated into the scrotum so they want to close the valves prior to this happening. This is not painful for him so that is good to hear. His pediatrician referred us to a pediatric surgeon who we have an appointment to see on February 15th at 8:45am. Hopefully they will do the surgery soon before it actually gets worse. We'll keep everyone posted as when the surgery will be. Please keep little Jackson in your prayers that everything goes smoothly. He doesn't seem to know anything is wrong and he is gaining weight and working those lungs!

On a lighter note he is doing much better during the night. Last night he only got up once!!!!! Whoo hoo!!!