The Cuthbert Family

My Latest Obsession

2012-02-10T10:54:00.000-08:00

I love that picture of Jaden swinging, so every time I come on to post something, I stop because I just love looking at my handsome son! But it is time....

So what have I been doing lately? Well, my latest obsession is this:

I got the Beaba baby food maker for my birthday from my family, and I am obsessed! I love making his baby food! The "recipe book", and I use that term loosely, that it comes with really wasn't as good as I wanted it to be, so I also bought this on Amazon to help out with my creativity:

I am hooked! For dinner the other night he had a carrot and cauliflower puree and then for dessert a banana and blueberry puree. I love that I can provide this for him, and I love that I know what he is eating is fresh and doesn't have any additives or anything. It's honestly the best! And SO easy! Also, now that I am making purees, it means I can start using recipes from this book:

I really don't like the taste of vegetables, so I was always intrigued by the idea of hiding veggie purees in everyday foods. Now that I have an easy way to make purees, I decided to try a few recipes. Some have turned out better than others. The author (wife of Jerry Seinfeld) is super healthy and so I usually end up tweaking the recipes to make them a little more my taste. :) Most people will tweak a recipe to make it a little healthier. Not me! But that has been taking up a majority of my time. That, and packing. We all leave for Pensacola on the 22nd! That is crazy close in case you were counting!

Product Review: Goody Modern Updo Pin

2012-02-10T08:30:00.000-08:00

Many of you remember how much I love the Spin Pins so I was excited when my mom gave me this Modern Updo one for Christmas! Result? I love it! It is fast and easy and elegant and holds all day long! In fact, here are some shots of my hair after a LONG day:

It's not exactly like the pictures on the box, but it's a twist on the traditional bun.

However, I do have some advice for those of you thinking to use this: The directions tell you to inset pin into the base of you bun and then rotate up. DON'T!!! If you do this you will hurt yourself greatly and possibly pull some hair out in the process. I suggest inserting it into the middle of the bun, rotating up, and wiggling and adjusting to your comfort level. It takes some practice to get this just right - if it's too tight, you think you'll just live with it instead of trying to fix it, but by the end of the day you'll have a pounding headache. But overall I love this! Also can be used with a half up ponytail and it is seriously adorable!

Swinging in Our 200th Post!

2012-01-31T20:22:00.000-08:00

Had a freak warm day so we headed to the park! Jaden LOVES to swing! Last time we tried it, he wasn't so sure about it, but he's been swinging some in therapy so I think he's more used to it. It was a blast to see him enjoying it so much! It was a great family outing until he tried to eat the swing.... That was when we headed home. Gotta love that kid!

One Crazy Year

2012-01-28T05:55:00.000-08:00

I can hardly believe that one year ago today my amazing child was born! And so, in his honor, and for your viewing pleasure, the required year in pictures! Enjoy!

January 28, 2011

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

January 2012

It is so hard to look at him today and imagine that he is the same 1 pound baby I gave birth to one year ago. He is just so healthy and so beautiful and just so normal!!

To describe my feelings on that day is nearly impossible. I was so confused by what was happening to me and what all of the doctors were telling me and not telling me. I was angry at my body for failing me yet again. I was angry at God for taking away the one thing I've wanted and waited for my entire life. I was grieving the baby I would never get to know because, at this point, I knew he was going to die. I was hurting terribly for Jake that he would never even get to see his son alive. I was also hurting for Jake to have to deal with this all alone in a place that offers no sympathy. I was feeling completely overwhelmed with all of these emotions, all of the information I was getting, and I wasn't able to process it all completely because of the magnesium sulphate they had me on to stop me from having a seizure. I felt bad for my Mom who had to hold my hand the entire day and help me through this while trying to stay positive herself. I felt dread at having to tell everyone that was so excited for me to be a mom that I now had a funeral to plan. But most of all, I was just plain scared. I didn't want to die. I didn't want my baby to die. I didn't want Jake to be gone and have to process this by himself. I didn't want to be without Jake and have to process it by myself. I wanted to hold my baby in my arms. I wanted him to look at me and smile. I wanted him to want nothing but to be held by me. I wanted to see his eyes light up with love whenever he would see me.

Little did I know, I would get everything I wanted, and so much more!

He will never be able to comprehend how much he was wanted, how many prayers and tears were shed just getting him here, how many people cared and prayed and fasted for him because they didn't know how else to help, and how much he is eternally loved, but that's okay. He has his entire life to figure it out! We love you Jaden! Thanks for fighting!

Ragamuffin Child No Longer!

2012-01-26T13:19:00.000-08:00

Before:

After:

(In this last picture he is getting ready to blow a raspberry)

I handled his haircut much better than I thought I would - he doesn't look too different and I'm glad it's not hanging in his eyes anymore. Unfortunately, I had my camera to catch the big moment, but I forgot the camera battery at home, so no pictures of the event. Oh well. He's getting to be so grown up!

My Handsome Man

2012-01-25T15:07:00.000-08:00

He has finally moved into 3-6 month clothing!!!! Someone from our ward is done having kids for awhile so they are giving us all of their little boy clothes so now Jaden can dress appropriately for church! I always said that no child of mine would wear argyle, but free clothes are free clothes. :)

Now that Jaden is moving, he bonks his head a lot and cries pretty much every time. His therapists have taught us to make him come to us when he is crying to make sure he remembers that he can move even when upset. It's funny to see him really think about if it is worth crawling all of the way across the room to get to mom or dad. Usually, he will start crawling and then get distracted with a toy along the way and forget that he was ever hurt in the first place. But I love when he comes all of the way to me because how can you not want to comfort this face:

Also, now that he is moving, these are what my pictures of him usually look like:

And I have two pieces of big news:
#1: Jaden has officially passed the 15 pound mark! As of yesterday, he is a whopping 15 pounds 3 ounces! You go kid!
#2: Jaden will be getting his very first haircut tomorrow! Boy do I wish Buffy were around for this one, but she's not and I don't trust myself to do it so we are going to have to shell out the big bucks, but it's worth it. And here is why he needs a haircut so badly:

Don't worry - it won't be a drastic cut. Just an overall trim so he doesn't look like an orphan on the street.
P.S. Don't his eyes look piercingly blue when I turn the flash on the camera? Love it!

P.P.S. Still don't have any final plans on Florida yet, but Jaden and I are for sure going down there with Jake the end of February/early March. We just need to decide whether to get a furnished apartment and put stuff in storage or get an unfurnished apartment and have to move everything in and then out again 5 months later....

Did I Turn 27? I'm Not Sure... But Hana Got Married!

2012-01-25T14:46:00.000-08:00

So my 27th birthday passed by almost unnoticed (except for the MOST AMAZING FAMILY DINNER EVER!!!!) because Hana and Nolan decided to get married the day after my birthday. First Robbie steals my thunder by being born 2 day before me and now this. *sigh* Oh well. But on to more important facts: I have a new brother-in-law and a sister that's married!!!! (fun fact: we figured out that Nolan is Jaden's 14th uncle!)

They got married up in Draper on a beautiful (but COLD) day. Everything went pretty perfectly and it was great fun, although maybe too much fun for our little guy. What with the traveling, wedding preparations, and the actual wedding he was ready to come home to his routine. I'm glad that Hana actually found someone to put up with her, and I think Nolan is a GREAT addition to our family!

Oh, and thanks to Conner for the pictures!

A Master of Disguise

2012-01-06T09:48:00.000-08:00

Updates on Orders!!!

2012-01-06T09:47:00.000-08:00

Jake officially got his orders! He is to report down to Pensacola, Florida on February 26th! He will be there until July at least, which is a lot longer than we originally thought. However, it is just a month shy of the 6 month requirement for the government to move us down there. We still aren't sure what Jaden and I will do while he is down there. We are getting ready for a trip to Utah next week, so we are kind of focusing on that right now and we'll figure out the rest once we get home. But we are so excited for official orders and for the timing of it all!

Lock your Cupboards and Put up your Gates!

2012-01-06T09:44:00.000-08:00

Jaden is crawling and NOTHING is safe! Can you find the Bubbas?

I turn my back for one second and he is in the kitchen quick as lightning!

He is SO much happier now that he can move where he wants when he wants. I am happier too, to some extent. It does mean I have to be more vigilant to keep the floors clean! :)

This is where he noticed me watching him:

This is where he started to crawl over to me:

This is where he got distracted by the highchair:

This is where he decided it would be a good idea to try to stand up using something on wheels:

This is where he fell over because of the whole wheels thing:

And this is where he decides to stop his fall and suck on the legs instead:

He has a personality all his own! And we adore him for it!

Christmas 2011

2012-01-06T09:33:00.000-08:00

We had a great little Christmas just the three of us! It was great and informal and I learned that if you want to make a dish from your childhood to actually ask for detailed instructions on how to make it and not just wing it with a general idea! :)

Jaden had a great Christmas but got overwhelmed after just opening the things in his stocking! We are so grateful that he is here with us to celebrate and had a blast with his first Christmas!

5 Crazy Years!!!

2011-12-28T19:49:00.000-08:00

I can't even believe that Jake and I are celebrating 5 wonderful years together! If you would have told me on my wedding day that five years later I would only have one child, I would be surprised. If you would have told me I would be a military wife, I would have thought you were crazy. And if you would have told me that I would be a cancer survivor, I would be shocked!!! It's crazy what life throws at you, but I wouldn't have it any other way! Thanks Husby for being through my side through thick and thin! I will make a better effort to not almost die so much in our next five years!

P.S. We are still waiting on Jake's orders, so no word on when we are moving.
P.P.S. Jaden is crawling!!!!!!

Feliz Navidad!

2011-12-25T10:30:00.000-08:00

See Our Beautfil and TALENTED Family Here

What's More Fun Than Toys For Christmas?

2011-12-21T14:47:00.000-08:00

A Box!!!

And mom's happy because it's a make-shift playpen for the baby that now gets into everything!

Slow and Not So Steady

2011-12-20T11:28:00.000-08:00

Because of Jaden's extremely low birth weight (600 grams) he meets the requirements for the Synagis shot. It is a once-a-month shot that is extremely expensive (good thing our insurance covers it 100%) and helps to protect him against RSV. In normal immunizations, you are given a strain of a virus which is usually dead so your body can produce the immunity cells for them. There isn't an immunization for RSV, so when children get it, it can be extremely dangerous, especially for those like Jaden who have chronic lung disease. So what the amazingly smart people figured out is that they can take the blood of someone who had already battled RSV and created their own immunity cells for it, extract those immunity cells, and give them to the kids who are most at risk. It is an extremely difficult process, hence the high price tag, and since the body didn't create the immunity cells itself, it sort of discards them after awhile, which is why he gets it monthly.
Once you qualify for it, it is given in doses based on your current weight, so we get a weight check for Jaden once a month. I was so sure that this month he would finally be over 15 pounds, so I was SHOCKED when the scale said 14 pounds 12 ounces. What!?!?! He's been eating solids like crazy, and he drinks fortified breast milk, and he sleeps all the time!!! And yet he only gained 200 grams in a month?
And then I remembered - he's a mover now. He can roll over, get up on hands and knees (but not crawl), and move to sitting. In fact, try to stop him from doing that every time you put him down! So he is burning a lot more calories. After I thought about that, I guess it made more sense. But still - I know 3 month old babies who weigh more than my kid who is almost 11 months (almost 8 months adjusted).
It's a good thing he is so darn cute!

On a different note - here is a slightly funny story of our crazy kid:

Jaden doesn't really like pacifiers anymore. The only thing he likes them for is to chew on them (no sign of teeth yet) and especially on the little nub that sticks out from the green ones you get at the hospital. So yesterday he was so gung-ho on chewing it that he somehow got his thumb stuck inside of the pacifier, but he didn't mind because it meant that he couldn't drop it. In fact, he got a little mad when I finally took it off because it looked like it was hurting him. What a funny boy!

*that's his thumb stuck inside of the pacifier. I'm sure you'll agree it looks painful*

Military Life: Expect the Unexpected!

2011-12-15T15:18:00.000-08:00

Well, We Are Moving!!!!

That's right! To PENSACOLA, FLORIDA!!!!!

Well, here is the long story, in case you were wondering.

On Tuesday, Jake called me on his way home from base early in the morning saying that they had made an announcement that all FC's waiting for orders who wanted to cross-rate were to go to this certain meeting. That is military mumbo jumbo meaning that there were too many FC's (fire controllman - Jake's job in the Navy he kind of got placed in that he didn't really want) waiting for orders (waiting to get those papers that tell you where and when you are going next and what your speciality will be) so they were willing to let some of them cross-rate (change their jobs). Well, Jake went to just see what was available. He texted me all of the jobs available, and after I had looked up the details online, I told him it didn't sound like he wanted any of them. Most of them were seabee stuff, and they are gone a lot and there is a ton of manual labor involved.
But then Jake happened to ask if a CTT (cryptologist technician) was available. They didn't know so they told him they would email to find out. That is the job Jake wanted in the beginning. It deals with intelligence, which is what he has always had an interest in, and computers, which he is really good at.
Turns out, they did have a CTT spot! So on Wednesday, Jake and I went in, asked all of our last minute questions, filled out the security questions (he will have top-secret clearance which is something he was really excited about), and signed the contract!
He is now officially a CTT. Their schooling (I know he just did almost a year of schooling but that was for FC and he will have to start his schooling all over for CTT but I guess that's just that much longer that he won't be deployed) is in Pensacola, Florida. We don't know for sure, but it looks like his school will start around the middle of January (possibly on my birthday, which will be 2 years in a row he will have missed it) but it is only 8 weeks long. We think. No one seems for sure able to tell us just how long it is. Oh well. For now, the plan is for Jaden and I to go down there as soon as we can after Jake leaves and find a temporary apartment and enjoy the good weather!

And by the way, have you noticed how many parenthesis I have used (kind of annoying, huh!)?

The Magic of Prunes

2011-12-12T16:28:00.000-08:00

A LOT of Catching Up To Do

2011-12-05T16:02:00.001-08:00

So, many of you have pointed out that I have been very absent from blogging lately. Some of you pointed it out nicely. Some of you - not so nicely, and you know who you are! Either way, get ready because I have posted a TON of catch up posts. If you don't have the time to read through them all, here are the highlights:

Jaden now sits up and rolls over
He is almost 15 pounds
He is eating solids once a day
I am now officially a grown up
I have the cutest baby in the entire world!!!!!

As a warning - some of the videos are really long (I usually say that I'm going to end the video halfway through and then I'm just so sure he is about to do something super cute so I keep filming and end up with a really long movie) so I won't feel bad if you just skip them entirely. They are mostly for the family who can't see my adorable miracle every day like I do.

Enjoy!

Tickle Me Jaden

2011-12-05T16:00:00.001-08:00

Jaden has recently become VERY ticklish! His therapists say it is good because it shows he is getting good body awareness. I think it's just plain fun!

Jelly Belly Here We Come!

2011-12-05T15:57:00.001-08:00

We live not far from a Jelly Belly warehouse so we made the trek up there last Friday. It was so fun! They take you on a train tour of the warehouse where videos tell you how they were founded and made and packaged and all of that. Then when you were done you got to go to the store where you can taste every single candy they make! It was super fun and really yummy! And Jaden really liked the hats they had us wear.

They have artwork all over the warehouse that was made entirely from Jelly Bellys. This one of the queen was one of my favorites. Or maybe it was one of the only ones they let us take a picture of....

Baby It's Cold Outside

2011-12-05T15:54:00.001-08:00

I am finally all grown up!

2011-12-05T15:49:00.001-08:00

Jake and I went out on Gray Saturday (the day after Black Friday of course) and bought ourselves a brand new couch! Besides our TV (which we bought using our economic stimulus money) and Jaden's crib (which was on sale at Walmart), this is our first piece of real furniture! It's not second hand or a hand-me-down. It is brand new and fabulous! So I told my dad that I now feel like I have advanced to the status of a grown up. He thought it was funny that it wasn't graduating from college, getting married, moving across the country, or having a child that made me feel grown up, but buying a couch! I'm sure some of you out there can understand!

Lite Weight

2011-12-05T15:46:00.001-08:00

My mom got Jaden a jumper.

I was excited for him to use it so Jake put it together and we put him in it. It uses the baby's weight to pull down the springs so the baby can jump around in it. That is how it works in theory. But when your baby doesn't weigh enough to put his feet anywhere near the floor, it just leaves him hanging and frustrated:

Maybe someday he will weigh enough....

My Stubborn Little Mover

2011-12-05T15:29:00.001-08:00

For the longest time Jaden refused to roll over. He knew how to. He just refused to. His physical therapist and occupational therapist both tried for months, but we never found something motivating enough to get him to roll over.

He has been sitting up on his own forever (meaning a couple of weeks).

But it wasn't until this weekend that he really started to roll on his own. I am glad he finally figured out how to roll, but it also means I can't just expect him to stay put anymore. Also, he rolls onto his stomach and then he gets so tired and frustrated that he can't remember how to roll back. So he just puts his head on his arms and cries until someone comes and flips him back over. Super cute until it happens at 2 in the morning!

Family Pictures

2011-12-05T15:25:00.001-08:00

That last one is everyone's flat out favorite! Thanks again Holly for the perfect pictures!

Utah Part 2

2011-12-05T15:14:00.001-08:00

So the reason I mostly split this vacation into 2 posts was so I could post a ton of pictures of my son. No surprise there! But I think you will really enjoy them. Let me set them up for you:

One of our last days in Utah we took Jaden to the cemetary to Jake's mom's grave. We wanted to spend some time there and take some family pictures. Or, at least, we would have taken some family pictures if there had been someone else around to take them. Anyway, I wanted some pictures of Jaden by himself so I had Jake sit him up on his blanket and then I told him to get out of the picture while I quickly took some pictures. This was the first time that we realized that Jaden could sit up on his own for short periods of time! And when I say for short periods of time, it was really a short period of time. Here is what happened:

Don't you love how I just sat by clicking picture after picture as my son is tumbling down? Yup - I'm a good mom! In my defense, Jake was right there ready to scoop him up, and it looks a LOT steeper than it actually was. And in case you didn't appreciate it enough earlier, here is my favorite out of all of those pictures:

Opposite Day

2011-12-05T15:01:00.001-08:00

Jaden likes to do things his own way. I think it definitely comes from me! He doesn't want to conform to the carseat:

or to sit on the couch the right way.

And for those of you wondering about his size, at the time of the couch picture we would say that:

He is 9 months old

He is developmentally a 6 month old

He wears 3 month clothes

But we can't say that anymore since now he is 10 months old and developmentally a 7 month old. But he still wears 0-3 month clothes. :)

Solids!

2011-12-05T14:50:00.001-08:00

For a long time Jaden wasn't gaining enough weight, even for his adjusted age. They were charting him as if he were born in April like he was supposed to be, and he was in the 0 percentile. Yup - that's a zero. Our pediatrician (who I LOVE!) told me we were going to have to squeeze one more feeding in a day and I had no idea where to fit it in. He also told me that one of our other options was to start him on solids, so that was what we decided to do. Apparently Jaden thought he would try both! Before this, he was sleeping a solid 12 hours at night (it was absolute heaven!) but then he started to wake up at around 3am for a feeding before going back to bed and then ultimately getting up around 7-8am. Even though that schedule isn't too bad, I still missed my 12 hour nights!

Jake and I decided to start with rice cereal and he did better than I thought. We took some really cute pictures!

He didn't last for too long on the rice cereal and quickly let us know he was done.

Since then, we have tried him on peas, sweet potatoes, carrots, prunes, squash, and pears. He really likes all of them except for peas, only likes prunes when they are chilled, and will down an entire container of carrots and pears in no time flat!! In fact, here he is loving his carrots!

All of this has really started working - Jaden in now officially almost 15 pounds!!!! That puts him at 2%! But I really like that he's small. It makes him easier to cuddle!

Jaden and his Daddy

2011-12-05T14:47:00.001-08:00

It is so fun to watch Jake and Jaden together! I knew that Jake would be a fabulous dad. In fact, that was one of the main reasons I married him. And it has proven to be exactly true! I wish you could all see how Jaden just lights up whenever Jake walks in the room! His whole face just gets so excited and he does everything he can to get over to Jake as fast as he can. And if he wants to be held by Jake and Jake doesn't pick him up - watch out! The waterworks turn on fast!
Here is a video of Jake making him laugh - one of many I assure you!

Jaden's Exersaucer

2011-12-05T14:44:00.001-08:00

So my mom got us an exersaucer for and he usually loves it. But the first time he was in it he didn't know what to think! He definitely didn't want to touch the ground with his feet! He has now gotten used to it and will be very happy in it, as long as he doesn't see anyone else in the room who could come and pick him up and play with him. But here is a video of his first time in the exersaucer:

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T13:45:00.000-07:00

I was excited for Halloween this year. I figured it would be the only year where I could pick out Jaden's costume before he started making his own decisions. We thought about a little gangster (since his name in the womb was Coolio)

(Here's his *stank* face:)

But in the end we thought a Baby Harry was cuter

but he is apparently terrified of wizards.

So that one didn't fly either. So Jaden did what he always does and took matters into his own hands.

Doesn't look like much? Let me give you a different view:

He decided to be a Poop Monster. And he worked hard getting it authentic.

What a mess! And so much for me choosing his costume. Oh well!

Also - this huge temptation has been sitting on the counter for days and mocking me:

You are mine tonight! Here's to hoping we don't have too many trick-or-treaters!

Utah! Part 1

2011-10-28T16:36:00.000-07:00

Since Jake is on hold now, we got the chance to go back to Utah for a visit!! So many people out there had never seen or help my baby, and we missed our families and the mountains, so it was wonderful to go back! Of course, even on vacation, it's really just business as usual - my boys playing on the computer!

Jake's parents had never even held Jaden, so we stayed with them and they had fun just loving on him!

We had a lot of people to see and a lot of places to go, so by the end, we were exhausted! Jaden slept practically the entire day after we got home. But it was so fun showing off our beautiful son! It was funny - if we were showing him to someone Jake knew, they would exclaim at how much of a Cuthbert Jaden looked like, and if it was someone I knew, they would tell us how he looked like a Doggett. So far, we know that he got my eyes, and other than that, he must be a good mix of the two because we don't think he looks just like either one of us.

More on our trip to Utah later, just as soon as I upload the pictures. Depending on when Jaden lets me put him down, that could be in a couple of hours or a couple of days....

Graduation and More Poop

2011-10-09T19:35:00.000-07:00

Jake graduated from "A" school!! And not only did he graduate, but he was an honor graduate! That means he had one of the highest GPA of all of the students in his class! Here he is getting his diploma from the Lieutenant:

We were so proud of him! He has worked SO hard!

Jaden, one the other hand, wasn't so excited...

Just kidding!!!!

It was kind of mass pandemonium after the ceremony, so it was hard to get Jaden to look at the camera.

He was also apparently hungry as he tried to eat my face several times.

And then when I asked for a kiss I got a face plant instead

What a silly kiddo!

But, OH BOY, does he make me happy!!!

Here is Jake with part of his graduating class (he is on the far right)

What a cute sailor I have!

So now we go on to "C" school, but we don't know where or when yet. Jake put together a "dream sheet" of his top three choices of jobs within his field, so now we just wait until they tell us what job he will get, where he will be training, and when he will leave. Some people get their orders right away, and others wait for months and months, so we have no idea. Depending on how long his "C" school is depends on if Jaden and I get to go with him, so Jake made sure to put all of the jobs on his dream sheet with the longest training times. I'll let you know when we know more.

So Jaden flunked out of church today. Or should I say, Jaden pooped out of church today. I took him to change him, saw the extent of the damage, went and got Jake, and told him we were going home. It was one of those that really required a bath tub! Jake told me to take this picture quick because if he had to smell it any longer he was going to puke!

This innocent little face really hides what was lurking below:

Don't let the innocence fool you

But boy did he feel good afterwards!

Oh, and did I mention that was the first time he ever wore that outfit? Just breaking it in I guess....

My Sharing Issues

2011-10-03T06:28:00.000-07:00

My camera charger is lost and I am too ~~busy~~ lazy to find it. So no pictures of my little man.

One of the things that you learn as a small child is how to share with others. For the most part, I am pretty good at sharing. I like sharing because it makes me feel good and I like to help others. But there is one aspect of my life that I do NOT like sharing, and that is my son. Sure, I will share his story and his pictures, but when it comes to holding him and playing with him, I have a really hard time letting others in.

As many of you know, I have waited my entire life to be a mother, but more specifically, I have waited, yearned for, prayed for, and cried for want of a baby in the last 4 years. At one point, the doctors told me I absolutely could not try for children for a few years until my health was cleared. That was one of the darkest days in my life. So I think it's understandable that I have such a hard time putting Jaden down.

But it's been a tug-of-war between Jake and I. When Jake comes home, I understand that he needs to have his time with Jaden too since I am with him all day. But I have such a hard time giving him up. We have to set a schedule for who gets to change the diaper, who gets to give him his bath, who gets to take him out when he gets fussy during church, who gets to take him to class at church, who gets to sit next to him in the car, who gets to push his stroller, and who gets to play with him and do tummy time with him.

There is a reason that Jaden doesn't nap in his bed during the day but in my arms instead. It's about 25% that he doesn't sleep as long in his bed and 75% that I can't bear to put him down. I just love holding him and marveling over his perfection. Jaden sleeps about 12 hours at night now (you put him down at 8pm and you don't usually hear him again until 8-8:30am) but occasionally he has his 5am "you get to come in and love me! Aren't you lucky!?!" wake up call. I really don't mind those. He isn't really hungry. All he wants is a pacifier, being cuddled, rocked, and an occasional bum pat. It is a time where it is just him and me and there are no other distractions and I can just stare at him, marvel at him, and kiss him.

It is easy to be selfish with him when you live hundreds of miles from anyone you know and you are home all day with him, but I am really going to struggle when we go back to Utah in 2 weeks for a visit. There will be other people that will want to hold him and love him and that's fine. But I am worried because I won't get my exclusive one-on-one time with my miracle. So if I let you hold him and then after a little while I yank him from your arms with no explanation, now you know why.

10,000 Overall Page Views!

2011-09-23T18:42:00.000-07:00

First of all, I would like to thank you all for putting this blog at over 10,000 all time views! That's a lot of people checking in on us! :)
So Jaden is going to physical therapy once a week and occupational therapy once a week. I took a camera to his last session (I don't know if it was physical or occupational - they seem pretty much the same to me) so you can know what happens in his sessions.

They are working on him sitting up on his own. They use the Bumbo a lot and dangle toys in front of him to see his reaching and grasping abilities. His favorite toys, believe it or not, are the Mardi Gras beads!

They have noticed that he favors his left side more. That doesn't necessarily mean he is left-handed, but that his right side is just weaker. So they are working on getting him to reach and grab more with his right hand. He had fun sitting at his little "table" (I think it's a stepping stool for most kids)

And of course, tummy time is a big emphasis! We finally figured out that the reason he hates tummy time is because he likes his hands free to play and explore, and on the tummy time I was doing he was using his hands to prop himself up and when he took his hands out to play, he would face dive. So now if we prop him up ourselves, he still gets all of the benefits of tummy time but he still gets to play.

He also loves to do tummy time and sitting time on the big exercise ball!

I really love both of his therapists, and so does Jaden! While up on the ball he started striking some really cute poses, so get ready for a bunch of pictures of my miracle baby!

And no, that's not a freckle or a beauty mark, but where he scratched himself because I didn't keep on top of cutting his finger nails! :)

Jaden's Favorite Toys

2011-09-14T17:13:00.000-07:00

Jaden's favorite things ever to play with are his hands

and his feet

and playing with them makes him happy!

His new tricks are to roll from side

to side

but not all the way over yet. He is going to occupational therapy once a week and physical therapy once a week. He loves it because he gets someone other than mom to just focus on him and play with him for one hour. One thing everyone tells me is that he needs more tummy time. Here's what Jaden thinks of that:

And I don't know if I ever mentioned, but 12 pounds 3 ounces as of last Friday!!

It's Always Fun When Grandma Comes!

2011-09-07T20:25:00.000-07:00

So much has been going on! I always meant to post, I just never got around to it. So to catch you up, Jaden is 7 months, almost 12 pounds, and cute as ever! To prove the cute point, here is a picture taken after he fell asleep on his hand: We have all been getting over some sickness in this house. Jaden had Bronchialitis (spelling?) and so he had some medications and had to have an inhaler. This is what a baby inhaler looks like: Grandma and Uncle Robbie came to hang out. Grandma was only too happy to take over my precious cuddle time with Jaden. Jake and Robbie had a blast hanging out together! Boy did we have fun with them, but we were pooped out after they left! And because the movies went over so well last time, we decided to add some more. Some are kind of long, so you don't have to watch them if you don't want to. We have some of Jaden's first time at the beach

Jaden laughing at Grandma

and Jaden with his teething ring.

Our Beautiful Boy!

2011-08-18T16:34:00.001-07:00

Aunt Alex!

2011-08-11T12:57:00.000-07:00

My sister/best friend Alex came out to visit us! We had so much fun together, and it was SO nice having someone here to help with Jaden so I could actually get things done. Well, at least that was the idea, but really it just left me with someone to veg on the couch with and watch our favorite shows with. But isn't that vacation? Her last night here we all went out to eat at Rainforest Cafe! So fun! Until Jaden decided he was too tired to stay, and then it wasn't quite as much fun.

If you can enlarge the picture where we are both kissing Jaden's cheeks, it will be worth it. His expression is priceless!!

How could you not want to just smother him in kisses?!?

Six Months?!? Get Ready For The Pictures!

2011-07-28T11:25:00.001-07:00

(I can't make those large spaces with nothing go away....)

Can you believe my little man is 6 months old?! Crazy! So in his honor, here are 6 things you probably don't know about Jaden:

He NEVER spits up. I can count on one hand the number of times he has spit up. He also doesn't drool, but that will come with the teething I'm sure.

He has to have about 9 medications given to him throughout the day and he never complains. Even when it's time for those gross multi-vitamin drops he doesn't even pull a face. He just takes them like a champ.

He loves to hold your hand. Whether it's during his feeding, during playtime, when he's in his swing, or being rocked to sleep, he wants to grasp your finger.

He is a picky eater. He likes his bottle warmed up to just the right temperature and he will only drink fresh milk. I think it is partly because my milk doesn't freeze well and tastes sour after thawing it out. Don't know what I'll do with the thousands of ounces we have stored away.... Also, sometimes he wants to breastfeed, but if you force him, then he refuses to breastfeed for several days. And he goes back and forth on which bottle nipples he wants - the slow flow or slightly faster ones. Oh well.

He sleeps all the time!! I am talking probably 18-20 hours a day! And he sleeps 8-10 hours straight at night! During the day his room gets really bright and he won't sleep in his crib - only in my arms. So we get a lot of cuddle time. And all of this sleeping leads too:

He is 10 pounds!!! On Monday we went for a check up and he was 10 pounds 3 ounces! Not only that, but he had gained 1 pound in 1 week! I'm pretty sure it's from all the sleeping.

So now we are on to the pictures, and there are a lot, so get ready!!!

And, of course, the famous hands pictures:

It's really hard to get the hand picture these days. He really doesn't want to hold still. So this was the end of the photo shoot for him - he was pictured out. I'm so glad you're here little one! We love you SO much!

Unexpected Blessings

2011-07-21T08:28:00.001-07:00

You know how they say that when life gives you lemons, make lemonade? After toiling and striving to make that lemonade, you are never so grateful for instant lemonade!
I have been given many lemons during the past three years, and I have tried my absolute best to turn those lemons into the best darndest lemonade I've ever had. I feel like I've done fairly well with the cards I have been dealt. And I must tell you that when I am in Costco and I pass by those huge boxes of Crystal Light, I tear up a bit. ;)
An example of a new "Crystal Light" in my life: oxygen
Jaden had an unconventional introduction to life, to say the least. But regardless of the stress and fear that accompanied his birth, I was willing to take him however I could. Ultimately, that meant I had to deal with oxygen tanks, nasal cannulas, apnea sensors, leads, and monitors, and a baby that would rather not have those tubes in his nose. Recently we went to the doctor and they decided he no longer needed any of that during the day - only at night. I was so excited! But what I didn't realize would be the unexpected blessings that went along with that.
The first day off of oxygen, we were upstairs and Jaden was screaming and starving. So I picked him up and we both went downstairs to make a bottle for him. Did you catch that?!? I took him with me! Now, for normal babies and normal moms, they will think, "So what? I do that all the time." but for me it literally caused me to start crying! Before, I had to leave him crying so I could go and get everything for him because to take him with me meant I had to gather up his massive oxygen tank, sling it over my shoulder, untangle his apnea monitor, sling it over my other shoulder, gather up all of the excess wires and sling those through one of my arms, and then pick up the baby all while making sure not to pull out his leads which would set the monitor off with a very loud and annoying alarm. And that is only if he was hooked in to his portable oxygen tank.
Then I decided to go for a walk, and all I had to do was snap him into the Baby Bjorn, and off we went! It was as simple as that! I can't even tell you how free I feel!
And don't even get me started on the ease of getting him in the car! Taking him anywhere used to be the biggest pain. We needed two of those massive Costco carts because Jaden and all of his equipment took up one and the other was for the groceries.
I am so grateful for a baby who's lungs are healthy enough to utilize the oxygen he breaths in. Who knew that something as simple as oxygen could make me so happy? It also makes someone else I know pretty happy too:

Give Them An Inch...

2011-07-19T09:05:00.001-07:00

The doctor told me yesterday that Jaden is old enough to let him dictate his feeding/sleeping schedule. This was a huge relief, because when we left the NICU I had to wake him up every 4 hours to feed him. Not too bad during the day, but a pain at night. So slowly I let him go 5 hours, and then finally what I decided to do is to set my alarm for 6 hours from his last feeding and if he hadn't woken me up I would wake him up. 90% of the time, he wakes himself up and lets me know just how hungry he is.

So last night we fed him at 8pm and had him in bed by about 8:45. I came back down, finished watching Master Chef while Jake did some dishes. Then I got all of his meds for today drawn up and ready to go, filled some bottles, we read our scriptures, said our prayers, and went to bed. I slept so well and didn't wake up until Jake got up to get ready to go to school. I looked at the clock and realized it was 4:30am - 8 1/2 hours after he last ate. I panicked and immediately sent Jake in to make sure he was still breathing while I went downstairs to prepare a massive bottle. After eating, he went back to sleep again. I guess he's super tired. I did have a talk with Jaden before he went to bed last night to let him know that he was allowed to sleep as long as he wanted but to remember to make sure to eat. You know what they say - give them an inch and they'll walk all over you. Or in our case, sleep like a teenager.

Can You Spot The Difference?

2011-07-13T14:34:00.000-07:00

The Cuthbert family has gone wireless!!!

Surviving

2011-07-06T10:52:00.000-07:00

Our little family has survived many things during our first few weeks in Chicago:

Jake has survived:

Having his wife push him awake during the night during the weekends for feedings (I don't let him do any night feedings during the week because he needs his sleep to be on the top of his game for school)

Sharing the car

His wife ordering him around and telling him what boxes go where, what needs to be assembled, and other such things

Not being with his family every 4th day - he has Duty Day every fourth day which means he has to be in his barracks and can't leave for 24 hours, so he can't come home and sleep with us

Mari has survived:

Taking care of Jaden all on my own (except on the weekends where it's all Jake)

My first tornado warning! I was seriously freaking out, but luckily we only got the tail end of the storm and not the worst of it.

Sharing the car

Managing all of Jaden's medications and doctor's appointments

Being alone (if you don't count Jaden, which he isn't much for conversation...) 95% of the time

Living without my camera until The Best Husband Ever found the battery charger

Waiting an entire year for the best month ever: It's Tour Time!!! (for those not in the know, it's the Tour de France and I am an addict!)

Jaden has survived:

His first plane ride

Still having to put up with Oxygen. We are going up to the Wisconsin's Children's Hospital next week to see a Pediatric Pulmonologist (lung doctor) for them to analyze his apnea monitor readings, his chest x-rays, and do a room air test. Hopefully when we drive home from that we will drive home not on oxygen!

Humidity. He hates it. He doesn't like being outside. It is very hot and very humid here and he prefers to be in our air conditioned house.

Going from a home where every single person adored him and wanted to hold him, to a home where there are only two people to love and adore and hold him

Starting to smile on his own and on purpose

Growing to a chunky monkey 9 pounds 2 ounces!!!!

And now for your viewing pleasure, some pictures of Jake holding his son for the first time, and Jaden when he was in a silly mood:

Thanks for surviving my long post drought!

Getting Settled In

2011-06-21T14:04:00.000-07:00

Well, we made it to Chicago! It is hot and muggy but wonderful to be together as a family! Jaden was fantastic on the flight and has settled into his new home and new routine quite nicely. He is still on oxygen until we get our new Pediatrician squared away, but I can handle that. Jake is almost never at home because he is always in classes or doing his Navy requirements, but at least I know that if I absolutely need him, he is only a 5 minute drive away!

I still haven't found my camera charger. I know it's in a brown cardboard box, but there are seemingly hundreds of those lying around with not much time to search, so until then, I will let you see what Jaden and I did for Jake's Fathers Day present. We hired Holly to come over and take our pictures and she did a FABULOUS job! I seriously recommend her to anyone! Notice that we took his oxygen off for the pictures. Isn't it funny how different he can look without his nasal cannula? We got these developed in Chicago and framed a few. Jake loved it! Enjoy our awesomeness:

Get Ready, Get Set, Here We Go!!!

2011-06-13T09:44:00.003-07:00

I know it has been forever since I last posted. That is because life is crazy. Here are the updates:

Jake came and saw Jaden for this first time since he looked like this:

He came home for Memorial Day weekend to pack up all of our stuff and move it to Chicago without us. I do have pictures of Jake holding Jaden for the first time ever, but of course, I packed up my camera charger and my camera has since run out of juice, so no pictures for now.

Jake and my dad left on Monday morning, drove straight through, got to Chicago Tuesday morning, and my dad flew home Tuesday afternoon. Which is also the same day Jaden was released from the hospital. That was two weeks ago tomorrow, so now you know why my life has been so crazy!

Having Jaden home is wonderful but also very difficult. Any new baby at home is exhausting - getting up multiple times in the middle of the night, trying to figure out why they are screaming, having a long list of things that have to get done but having a baby who just wants to be held, and getting him to sleep only to have him become wide awake the moment his head hits his mattress - but a new baby on oxygen is even worse. I have essentially a tether attached to him. I can only go so far with him before either his oxygen tubes or his heart monitor cable pull me back. If Jaden gets up screaming in the night because he's starving, I can't take him with me downstairs to prepare his bottle (he has almost completely stopped breast feeding and so now I pump and give him bottles) so I have to leave him screaming in his room while I go get everything ready. And if I'm with him and the phone rings or someone comes to the door? Forget it! So I will be glad when we get to Chicago and we can leave this oxygen mess behind us! He is really only on oxygen to help him through the plane ride, which brings us to our next piece of news:

We are officially flying to Chicago on Friday!!! It will be a nightmare to get the paperwork and equipment needed all squared away, but I can't wait! Neither can Jake! I will miss having my family around to help, but I will be so happy to have Jake and to have Jaden's swing! And my family is already figuring out how they can come visit me because they will all go through Jaden withdrawals when we are gone. So life is crazy!

Miralax + Suppository = BLOWOUT!!!!

2011-05-20T21:36:00.000-07:00

And wouldn't you know it, this was his first time in this brand new outfit. Of course!

I'm A Great Housewife!

2011-05-17T12:33:00.000-07:00

For the past 3 1/2 months my life has been completely taken over by all things Jaden. Don't get me wrong - that is where all of my time and attention is supposed to be, but it does mean that other things, like my family, my calling, and my friends have all been seriously neglected. One aspect of my life that has been completely left out lately is my apartment. If you were to come over today, you would find: junk everywhere, dirty laundry piled high, clean laundry folded but not put away, a bed that isn't made, bills and other important papers that need to be paid and then filed away, a sink piled high with dirty dishes, a dishwasher full of clean dishes, a fridge that is almost completely empty, cupboards that are equally empty (I eat on the go most of the time), baby things all over the apartment, packing boxes both filled and empty, and just a general feeling of disarray. To prove my point, the other day I was actually cooking something on the stove when I found this: (and may I say it scared me to DEATH when my wrist brushed by it!)

I had no idea why this plant like thing was growing out of the cupboard (and if you look really close in the upper left hand corner you can see another one coming up too) so I opened the door and found this:

Apparently this is what happens to a bag of potatoes that is left forgotten.Very Creepy.

Now on to Jaden news: He did get the sore throat that I had so that explains why he didn't want to swallow. We gave him several days of no feedings to let him rest and get better. We started back up on the breastfeeding yesterday, and while he is not doing stellar, he is doing as well as I could have hoped. It's nice to just have that time back where we can bond again. He is still chunking up and is now at 6 pounds 8 ounces!!! Other than that, not much else has changed. So we just need to get him working towards eating, and then we can FINALLY come home!

Hold That Thought

2011-05-11T14:36:00.000-07:00

So we roomed in last night, and it was exhausting. And then near morning, Jaden decided that he didn't need to eat anymore (or at all) so his feeding tube went back in. They are giving him 24 hours of rest to see if that helps him to eat better. It will be a few more days before we come home now, but after last night, and how hard it was to take care of him and his monitors and oxygen and medications all on my own, I'm fine with them taking care of him for a few more days.

Just Kidding

2011-05-09T23:00:00.001-07:00

I woke up with a stomach bug, so no rooming in tonight.
:(
Hopefully we can room in tomorrow and he can come home on Wednesday.

So Much Good News, And The Best Is......

2011-05-09T07:04:00.000-07:00

We may be coming home TOMORROW!!!!! Crazy, I know. I'm scared to death to take him home. I mean, I'm not a nurse. How can they expect me to take care of him 24/7? He will be coming home on oxygen with a monitor to let me know if he stops breathing for 20 seconds or if his heart stops, so that is at least a little comforting.
In other news, he passed his hearing tests! So as of now (and this can change in the future) both of his ears are all clear!He did his 12 hour request where for 12 hours they let Jaden tell us when he is hungry and he gets all of his feedings orally instead of through his feeding tube. We didn't expect him to do too well, but everyone was shocked at just how awesome he did! So the next day he did a 24 hour request (he has to get 4 bottles a day with fortified breast milk to keep up his weight gain) and he again, did amazing! We have now done 3 days of successful 24 hour requests without any problems! This is such a miracle!
We tried him on room air to see if he would need oxygen, and he failed, but we knew he would. Not a big deal. They have also pulled his feeding tube because he is such an awesome eater!

We also did his car seat test to make sure he gets enough oxygen when sitting in his car seat, and he passed!Even though he is huge to me, all you have to do is put him in a car seat to put his size into perspective. However, he is 6 pounds now! By the way, they put the towels in around him to help him to fit better.
He is getting his last rounds of immunizations today and then I will room in tonight, which means I will sleep at the hospital with Jaden in my room to make sure I can give him all of his meds and that I can operate all of his equipment and monitors on my own. If all goes well, Jaden will walk into the sunlight (unless it's raining) for the first time tomorrow! If you want to come see him just let me know since he will need LOTS of sleep once he is home, and be prepared now that I won't let you hold him. I will be the ultimate mommy bear - I'm not going to let very many people get close to him since he is still so fragile. We are so excited for him to come home!

My 2nd Heart and 2nd Soul

2011-05-04T21:24:00.000-07:00

When I married Jake a little more than 4 years ago, I knew I was crazy in love with him. I knew that I was with someone who crazy loved me back. In those four short years, my love for him has only increased. I feel like there are times when my entire body is going to burst because there is just so much love for Jake inside of me. I can honestly say without any doubts that I love Jake with my entire heart and soul.

I was worried with the addition of our first child how the whole love thing would work, because my entire heart was already taken up with my love for my husband. However, I have found what most moms know - once you have a child, you grow a second heart and a second soul. I can now honestly say without any doubts that I love Jaden with my entire heart and soul. Every single day as I hold him, I just look at him and marvel at how much I just love and adore him! And yet, not only has my love for my husband not decreased, it has only grown! I love that our Heavenly Father has created such a plan that love can grow and grow!!

My first heart and soul are consumed with this boy:

My second heart and soul are consumed by this boy: How in the world did I ever get this lucky!?!

The Little Chocolate Baby

2011-05-03T10:30:00.000-07:00

One of the things Jaden is known for in the NICU is Dove Chocolates. Early on in our stay there my mom decided it would be a good idea to have a bucket by his bedside that is constantly stocked with every kind of Dove chocolates imaginable. It has proved to be a very smart idea - Jaden gets more attention from the nurses, doctors, and therapists than any other baby in there because they come to get chocolate and then they peek in on him or ask how he is doing. They also tend to congregate around the chocolate, meaning if any his alarms go off, someone is always right there to check on him. So for his 3 month photo shoot, the night nurses thought it would be funny to put him in his chocolate bucket. Hilarity ensued:

Welcome Baby Jaden! Oh Wait...

2011-04-29T20:11:00.000-07:00

Yup! Today is Jaden's official due date! And yesterday was his 3 month birthday! Crazy how life works. He is getting HUGE! And I mean HUGE! 5 Pounds 10 Ounces!!! He is also doing so well on his breastfeedings! Our last 5 feedings have all been full feedings (meaning he got all of the milk he needed for a single feeding on his own) and two of those were back to back! Usually, we do a feeding and then let him rest for the next one because feedings takes a lot of effort, but today we did our first back to back feeding, and he got full feedings both times! We are going to move on soon to introduce the bottle, and then there are only a few more steps until we get out of here! So here is where my son has come in 3 short months:

The NICU is a place where miracles occur daily, and I'm so glad my son is one of those miracles.

Just so you know, my son is very advanced (obviously). He is already playing peek-a-boo! Or maybe it's hide and seek.... So Cute!

Hello 5 Pounds!

2011-04-26T06:23:00.000-07:00

It's nice to Finally meet you!

Lots of Catching up to do

2011-04-21T18:22:00.000-07:00

It's the pits not having the internet for a few days, so I had a lot of catching up to do, so enjoy all of the new posts.

In the world of updates, Jaden is no longer in isolation but we got to keep our private room for now. We like our little room - it's much quieter, it has a window to the outside so Jaden can enjoy sunlight for the first time, and it has it's own temperature control. However, we still don't have a way for people to come and admire him, so we'll just have to wait on that.

He is down to 1 liter of air per minute, which is really good!

He weighs 4 pounds 15 ounces!!

We are doing 2 breastfeedings a day, and he is starting to get some full feedings, which means that he is getting all of the milk he needs for a feeding on his own! He just needs to keep doing that consistently, and then we can come home!!!!!

Our Fifteen Minutes of Fame

2011-04-21T18:18:00.001-07:00

BYU just released a new study they did where they were trying to predict whether a woman would deliver preterm. Jaden was featured in their study (between our amazing story and Jaden's awesome hair, they just couldn't resist!) and you can find the links to all of the stories here:
For the BYU study, click HERE
For the KSL story, click HERE
For the ABC4 story, click HERE

Movin' On Up

2011-04-21T16:53:00.000-07:00

First we were in our space pod:

Then we got moved into his little home:

And now Jaden is in his big boy crib (also known as the jail cell):

He can finally hold his temperature on his own, but only if he has his sleeper pajama's on, his hat on, he is swaddled in 2 blankets, and then a warm blanket is placed on top of him. But he can do it! And, he is just a few grams away from being 5 pounds!!!!! What a big baby!

One Of Our Favorite Things

2011-04-21T16:45:00.001-07:00

Now I have to go buy one...

The Crazy Hair Kid

2011-04-21T16:37:00.001-07:00

We L-O-V-E his hair! It is only fair that since I didn't get a girl for my first child, that I got a boy with LOTS of hair to play with!!

And then once we towel dry it, it goes CRAZY!!!

Our Family Pictures

2011-04-21T16:30:00.000-07:00

Here is our very first family picture:Our newsest family picture:
Hopefully we can move to Chicago soon so we can get a real family photo!

Those Night Nurses Strike Again!

2011-04-17T08:05:00.001-07:00

He is starting to get a really expressive face! My mom loves how his eyebrows move!

Obviously you have to do something to keep from falling asleep if you work the night shift. Jaden has many many admirers among the night nurses! He is already a hit with the ladies! I am SO in trouble when he grows up!

We are still in isolation. His cold is almost gone and you can tell that he feels much better. He is now up to 4 pounds 10 ounces! We had our first successful breastfeeding last night - he still can't extract milk on his own but he is latching much better.

Jake has a house for us in North Chicago! 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths with a dishwasher, washer/dryer hookups, garage, and shed. Now we have to buy a washer and a dryer and a freezer for all of my milk! If you know of a good deal, let me know. :) Jake has a key, but can't move in until Jaden and I do. These last few days have been torture - I think now that we have somewhere to live out there I am going stir crazy in the NICU! I am ready to be done. I am ready to be gone. All Jaden really has to do is to eat to get out of there, so pray that he figures it out soon!

The Progression of the Yawn

2011-04-13T08:41:00.000-07:00

Banished Into Isolation

2011-04-12T15:05:00.000-07:00

Jaden caught a cold, so we were put into an isolation room. That means that any nurse or doctor that comes in has to first put on a robe, gloves, and a mask before they can work with him, then they have to throw them all away when they leave the room. It's quite the hassle for a cold. He doesn't seem to feel too badly from the cold, so it's not affecting him too much. It definitely isn't affecting his weight gain - 4 pounds 5 ounces!

Hopefully we'll be out of isolation soon, and then maybe we'll get a spot next to a viewing window. Because he's sick, he's back on high-flow at 2 liters per minute but handling it really well. He is way more alert lately - he loves looking around and staring at everything! It is so fun! They say he should get a mobile soon to focus on! We just love him!

4 Pounds 2 Ounces!

2011-04-10T22:20:00.001-07:00

Those extra calories sure are doing their job! He is gaining about an ounce a day! He is doing absolutely wonderfully! He is tolerating his feedings so well, although he does have acid reflux so he is getting Prevacid to help that.

He is now down to 1.5 liters of air, and they will probably move down to 1 liter tomorrow. He is still on about 23%-28% of oxygen. Because he is over 1800 grams (1872 as of last night) he can now go into an open crib. It's weird to think that after two and a half months in his little Giraffe Isolet that he will move to a new home, but also exciting! Two things need to happen before he can move - he needs to hold his body temperature better on his own and a large open crib needs to become available. We also might be moved to the less critical side of the NICU soon - and we have requested (in a sort of demanding way) to have a spot by a window so everyone can marvel at his little white boy fro.

(he is yawning in this picture, not screaming)

Jaden is now the "Grandpa" of the NICU - he is the oldest boy in the whole place! There are two twin girls that have him beat by about 5 days, but he is definitely the Patriarch of the babies!

The breastfeeding isn't really happening - he is munching rather than sucking - but it will come with time and experience so we keep trying twice a day. This is a picture of his favorite thing - having his head scratched! You combine that with "You Are My Sunshine" and the kid is defenseless!

He's Growing Up So Fast!

2011-04-06T08:47:00.000-07:00

He has tripled his birth weight! 70 days ago, he was born at 1 pound 5 ounces. Now he weighs 3 pounds 15 ounces! I am so proud of him!

Grandma loves to hold him. Too bad I trump her! I get to hold him for hours every day!!!

Jaden is working on breastfeeding. Monday was the first day, and he did so well! He latched on, did a lot of sucking, and was just so cute! The lactation specialists were amazed! Yesterday he was so exhausted from all of the fun that when I took him out to try again, he just fell asleep. So we tried again at night, and even though he has been sleeping the ENTIRE day, he was apparently just too exhausted with just the thought of it and fell asleep. So we'll see what happens today.

And the big news is: he had his first real bath!!!

After he figured out that it was like sitting in a tiny baby hot tub, he settled right in and zonked out. In other words, he loved it! It was fun to see him progress to a real bath, rather than the sponge baths he's been having. And I didn't swaddle him up for modesty's sake, but that is how they wash him in the tub - they just uncover the parts that need to be washed and then cover it back up and move along. Of course when we were done, I had to do his hair, so I gave him a proper missionary part: His is now "eating" 30 mL of milk every 3 hours. The 26 extra calories they are fortifying with are obviously working (he is getting fat! Well, fat for an almost 4 pounder) and he is tolerating it well. He had to have another blood transfusion the other day because his count was low, but it made him feel better and gave him better color. He is so cute!

Jaden's Kryptonite

2011-04-03T21:26:00.000-07:00

You will never guess what will calm Jaden down almost every time. It's amazing - he will be getting agitated and turning red and I just have to use this simple trick and he will calm right down. What is it do you ask? What could possibly knock him out like this?I just have to sing You Are My Sunshine. It works like a charm.

Well, they moved us from our prime spot. We are now shoved back in a far corner not near any window, so if you wanted to come and see my beautiful son, you are out of luck for the time being. Soon enough (in about 2 weeks) he should be moved again to somewhere more accessible.

We are on an air flow of 2 liters per minute. And the extra calories going into my milk seem to be working - he is now a whopping 3 pounds 10 ounces!!!! Just 5 more ounces and he will have tripled his birth weight!

We are starting real breastfeeding tomorrow. We don't expect him to get much, but he was getting really frustrated the past few days because he was sucking but not getting anything so we are going to let him try the real thing. What a big boy!

I love holding him twice every day. It is so fun to just look at him and watch him! I feel like I notice something new about him every single day! Here is what I noticed recently: Jaden has a slightly down-turned mouth.

He has recently started to figure out how to move his mouth muscles, so every now and then he will lift one side repeatedly, then the other, then purse his lips, then pout, then smile, then repeat it all over again! It is fun to just sit and stare at him.

Another Tube Out.... Sort of

2011-03-30T20:37:00.000-07:00

So they took Jaden's OG tube out of his mouth, and put it down his nose instead. This is in preparation for him to start breastfeeding. I think he prefers to have it out of his mouth, and now he can't force it out of his mouth with his tongue and get milk all over his bed. You think I'm exaggerating, but he's done that three times in the last two days alone! Also, you know by now that the night nurses love dressing him up, so last night they decided to gel his hair!

I'm not so much a fan of his hair, but at least his night nurses love him!

Here is one of our favorite nurses weighing him:

That shows that he is now 3 pounds 6 ounces!! But he's not gaining weight like they want him to, so they are now fortifying my milk with 26 extra calories each time he eats.

Jaden has started to do non-nutritive feedings, which basically means he breastfeeds without getting any milk. I make sure to pump before hand so he can just practice latching on, sucking, and generally just being comfortable. I love it! We do it once a day and it is just so fun to watch him try to figure this whole feeding thing out. When you are born that young, breastfeeding isn't second nature - they have to learn it. So we are working on that right now. Maybe in about a week we can start working on actually letting him get some milk. He's adorable!

Happy 2 Month B-Day!!

2011-03-28T19:06:00.000-07:00

And what did we do to celebrate? A photo shoot of course!

I had so much fun dressing him up! At first we had his little hat on

but it really just didn't fit or look good. Plus, he's indoors, so he's really not supposed to wear the hat... so i took picture after picture after picture.

(that picture shows his herniated belly button - so no, that's not his wee-wee, but it is actually his belly button) After awhile he asked me to stop

but I didn't, so he started to get mad

but it had the reverse effect on me because I just thought it was cute so I kept taking pictures, which made him even more mad so I handed the camera off and picked him up (he LOVES being held) Then I finally decided he had had enough, so we took off his cute sailor outfit and put him in normal baby clothes He slightly opened his eyes, gave me a look that said "Thank you for getting me out of those crazy clothes" and then promptly fell into an angelic slumber. There's his crazy hair from the front, and here it is from the back:I have a feeling his hair will NEVER lay flat. That's ok. I'll keep him! :)

As far as updates, there really aren't any. Everything is still pretty much the same. He's still doing absolutely awesome!

Those Fun Night Nurses!

2011-03-26T21:33:00.000-07:00

I love Jaden's night nurses. They have way too much fun at night trying to pass the time! Here are the pictures they took of Jaden at 3am this morning: (doesn't he look like he's saluting you with his other hand over his heart?)

I guess they decided that since Dad's in the military, Jaden needed to show his support. And where did they get the outfit you ask? From Build A Bear. Yup - it's meant to go on a teddy bear! I got excited when I found that out because I know they have a sailor's outfit at Build A Bear so I'm totally going to go and dress Jaden up as a tiny sailor!

Then he got so tired of modeling he slept the rest of the night!

Not too many new updates. He's down to 2.5 Liters per minute of air, and they have started to contract his feedings, meaning that he is no longer getting milk continually pumping into his stomach. Now, every 2 1/2 hours they stop his feedings for 30 minutes. They will gradually increase the length of time between feedings until they get him on a schedule where he gets fed once every three hours. He is just doing so well!

Eight Weeks Old! Can You Believe It!?!

2011-03-25T19:37:00.001-07:00

We'll cover the good and bad news first, then pictures later.

The Good News:

*Jaden is doing so well on the high flow! He is down to 3 liters per minute and they might try weaning him down more tomorrow or the next day! I am so excited about this!
*He had his third eye exam, and the doctor said that he is doing so well and his eyes looked so clear that he doesn't need to have any more follow up eye exams for the time being!
*They stopped his daily caffeine jolt. He was getting caffeine into his stomach twice a day. It is a respiratory stimulant to help his brain remember to breath, but it's been such a long time since his last apnea, that they just took him off of it.
*He is able to self soothe enough now that they are no longer giving him any medication (like Versed or Ativan) to help him.
*They took out one of his tubes going into his stomach so that he now only has one tube and he is doing really well on his feedings! And the OJ tube going into his intestines is gone, so now he gets my milk right into his belly.

The Bad News:

*I bet some of you were so worried about the bad news that you skimmed right over the good news. Well, there isn't a single shred of bad news, so you can go back and read through all of the good news for him! :)

I love this kid so much it's incredible! I think he is darling and hilarious and stubborn and perfect!

And to document my mad burrito wrapping skills:I think I should put that skill on my resume. I could seriously get a job at Taco Bell or something.

The CPAP is Gone!

2011-03-24T09:36:00.001-07:00

It was a success!! So far (and he could have a relapse and have to go back on CPAP), he has handled his high-flow nasal cannula great! He is usually between 21%-25% oxygen and he is getting 4 liters of air per minute. As he does well, we will wean that down, and once he is down at around 1.5-1 liters per minute, he will be able to start to try to breast feed. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get a really cute picture of him, especially since he had just had tape pulled off of his face and made him really mad by bugging him so bad, but I sure tried!

Notice how his clothes are really close to fitting him now!He had his first hair washing with actual soap today, and he really liked it! It is so funny to see how he is photographed verses how he looks in real life. In real life, he has a TON more hair and it is a lot darker than in the pictures!

Goodbye CPAP!!! I hope we never see you again!!

Wow! Look at the difference in his hair from when he was on CPAP to when he is off of it! Maybe it was a combination of the hood and a good hair washing that suddenly makes him look blonder... Interesting....

Another Milestone!

2011-03-22T20:11:00.000-07:00

Our little boy is now 3 pounds 3 ounces!!! So huge! And I can definitely tell a difference. Here he is at 1 pound 5 ounces:

And here he is at 3 pounds 3 ounces:

Here is his hand size at 13 days old:

And here is his hand size at 54 days old (today):

Here he is with his elephant at 3 days old (it's hard to see the elephant because it's in the plastic bag):

And here he is with his elephant today:

He is doing much better on the CPAP and, cross your fingers, he may be taken off of it tomorrow and put on a high flow nasal canula. We can only hope! It will still have the nasal prongs but they will be smaller and the whole hood/elephant trunk/cumbersome set up that is the CPAP will be gone. Here are the nasal prongs for his CPAP:

Even though he is a whopping 3 pounds, he still has the tiniest nostrils!

And here are some pictures of him that I just like:

I went and spent 3 whole days with Jake this past weekend, and we had so much fun we didn't even take a single picture, so you'll just have to take my word for it. I miss him SO much, but I guess this is how it's supposed to be right now, so we'll deal with it. At least I have this little guy to keep me company!

A Much Better Day

2011-03-16T19:54:00.001-07:00

I don't know what the difference is, but Jaden was so much happier and more mellow today. Thank heavens! It has been hard because the things that we used to soothe him when he was on the ventilator don't seem to work as well now that he is on the CPAP, so we have had to find out new ways to calm him down. Here is what we have found works:

A warm blanket wrapped around his head
a squirt of warm milk into his mouth and then pop in the pacifier
a squirt of sugar water into his mouth and then pop in the pacifier
light pats on his body
lightly scratching/rubbing his head

Note - the pacifier tricks will only work if he isn't screaming his head off because then he won't take the pacifier, but if you can get him to calm down a little bit, then squirt the milk in and put in the pacifier, it works like a charm and you'll have him sleeping in no time.

I have found it is impossible to take a cute picture of a CPAP baby. But you can be sure that I tried really hard! And here are my best efforts:

My little boy is so reverent!

Look how much hair he has and look how LONG it is!!!!

He foams at the mouth a lot, especially on the CPAP.

I love pictures where it looks like a giant is attacking him!

We love our little angel!!!

And the Results are...

2011-03-15T08:37:00.000-07:00

Well, Jaden was extubated yesterday, and telling you how he is doing depends on what set of facts you want to look at.

If you want to look at the numbers, he's doing GREAT!!!

His x-rays look really good - definitely not as hazy as past ones
His Oxygen levels have been awesome at 21% (room air) to 26% and his blood saturation levels are usually 92%-97%.
His heartbeat remains normal.
Even though he still has periods where he forgets to breath, he is starting to have less of them.
His pressures on the CPAP are pretty low.

However, if you ignore the numbers and just watch him, he's not doing as well. He absolutely hates the CPAP. Last night was one of the worst nights of my life, because they let me hold him (because he is the happiest in my arms - an awesome mom moment!) and he just sat in my arms for almost 3 hours and just screamed his little lungs out. He would fall asleep eventually and be the little angle he is, but then he would startle awake, remember what was going on, and start screaming again. And when his mouth is open like that, the pressure from the air going in his nose goes straight back out through his mouth and his oxygen levels fall and his heart rate falls and now he can cry, so I hear his tiny little scream. It was awful. He even was on a double dose of Versed to help calm him. But he is on steroids, which makes little babies mean, so hopefully he will get better in 2 days when his steroids are discontinued.

And I do get why he is so mad. If I had a huge "elephant trunk" on my head forcing air down my nose, I would be mad too. But it still breaks my heart. It is almost impossible to sooth him when he gets that worked up. I guess after I left last night they changed the mask used for the CPAP (they had tried the one with little prongs that go up his nostrils but then switched to the one that is a small mask that just encompasses his whole nose) and that seemed to make him a little happier. I just hope he does exceptionally well on CPAP so he can get off of it soon!

Here are some of his CPAP pictures. They were taken during the first 30 minutes after it was put on, when he was still happy and adorable. Then he figured out this was more of a permanent thing, and you would not believe how red his little body can get when he screams. :(

(that is showing he is on 21% oxygen, or room air)

A Big Day Tomorrow...

2011-03-13T17:45:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow they are going to try him off the ventilator. It will be day 7 of his steroid regimen to help strengthen his lungs. I'm freaking out. I'm just so worried his little body can't handle it and that he will just tire himself out. So please pray for my little son. In the mean time, here are some pictures of him!

The nice nurses gave him a room with a view:Take note of the Y on the mountain - brain washing him when he's young!

Because his PICC line came out, we put clothes on him, and even though we used the tiniest preemie clothes we could find (thanks Emily!!) they were still slightly too big on him!

I am completely biased, but I think he is just the cutest thing ever!!!

2011-03-11T07:59:00.000-08:00

My Little Stinker

2011-03-08T19:10:00.001-08:00

The other day I got a call in the morning from Jaden's nurse. She was just calling me to tell me that he had been off the ventilator overnight but his lung x-ray that morning was the worst he's ever had, so they put him back on the ventilator. I said thank you for the info and hung up. But as I sat there and thought about it, I just got more and more mad. He JUST barely let us start weaning his pressures down on the ventilator. Why did they take him off the ventilator!? We were now going to lose all of the work that we had put into getting off the vent for the past 2 weeks!! Why in the world did they take him off!?!?! By the time I got down to the hospital I was boiling mad and ready to give the nurses a piece of my mind. However, I quickly found out that my anger was misdirected. It turns out that Jaden took himself off of the vent. Whoops. Apparently he was on his tummy, he lifted his head up, turned it to the side, and the tube just slid on out. Since it was already out, they just decided to try him on C-PAP, and he did horribly. So they put him back on the vent. So it was my silly son that was to blame. And we did lose all of the ground they had fought for on his pressures. This showed us that Jaden isn't going to give up his ventilator without a fight, so last night they started a steroid regimen to get him off. The goal is to have him off in 7 days. We'll see.

And now some pictures for your viewing pleasure:

This is me holding him skin-to-skin:

This is me holding him in his beloved swaddle:

This is all of the equipment it takes to keep him healthy:

And these are his cute feet!:

He is now up to full feedings, which means that he is no longer getting any IV fluid, so they took his PICC line out, meaning he has no lines going into him other than his breathing and feeding tubes, so he can start wearing clothes as long as they don't have to go over his head. He is also now up to 2 pounds 12 ounces! His steroids are going well, as are his feedings, so we are having a couple of really good days around here. Hopefully they keep happening!

It Is SO Hard

2011-03-03T19:47:00.001-08:00

To put him back in his bed after I've been holding him!!!

So here are some of his new updates:

His stomach just wasn't tolerating his feedings like they wanted, so to give his stomach a break and to help him gain the weight needed, they have put in an OJ tube, and no, that doesn't just pump him full of Orange Juice (although he does get caffeine through an IV to help stimulate his brain so it can remember to breath) but it is a feeding tube that goes beyond the stomach just slightly into the intestines so the milk bypasses the stomach completely. He still gets most of the nutrients from the milk, but his stomach can rest and grow.

At first he just wasn't letting them wean him off of his new ventilator, but the last day or so they have been able to slowly turn the pressures down, so that is a really good sign.

He outgrew his tiny diapers! He is now in the next size up, and once again his diaper drowns him!

He has almost doubled his birth weight! As of tonight, he is now 2 pounds 9 ounces! So chunky, and so cute!

We got hand molds of him tonight!

So we are really proud of him and he is just doing so well.

Well, it's time to go pump, so wave goodbye to all your fans Jaden!

My Baby is 1 Month Old!

2011-02-28T19:44:00.001-08:00

Crazy how time flies! Jaden turned one month today, and I just couldn't be prouder! Here is a photo timeline of his short 31 days! What a cute little guy! And on a crazy note: He's been wearing the tiniest diaper ever since he was born and for the longest time, it was HUGE on him, as can be seen in the earlier pictures. Now, it's almost too small! They will move him up to the next size in the next couple of days! Happy Birthday Buddy! We love you!

Got Milk?

2011-02-27T18:13:00.000-08:00

I do! Plenty! And since Jaden is only currently drinking 12mL every 3 hours, and basically there are 100mL in each of those containers, I'm not sure when he'll drink it all, but they assure me he will catch up...

4 Weeks Old!

2011-02-25T20:26:00.000-08:00

It's crazy how time flies! He is now 4 weeks old and getting cuter every single day! I know that I am biased, but all of the nurses assure me he is super good looking!

In just a few months we are moving to right outside of Chicago. There is a Six Flags Amusement Park 15 minutes from where we will be living. Jaden is already practicing for the roller coasters.

Laying with his hands both straight up in the air is one of his new favorite positions. I thought it was adorable, so I took about a dozen pictures. I think he got tired of the paparazzi, because he gave me the universal sign for "stop taking my picture!":
You'd better get used to having your picture taken kiddo!

Two Huge Milestones!

2011-02-22T19:25:00.000-08:00

Milestone #1: Jake is no longer in boot camp! He graduated in an amazing ceremony and he can now be treated like a human being again. And he has a cell phone, which I love!I took a very short trip out there and I loved my time with him, but it's so hard being apart. Luckily, Jaden keeps me pretty busy so I don't dwell on that.

Milestone #2: Jaden reached the 2 pound mark! And not only did he reach it, he soared right past it! He is about 2 pounds 3 ounces! What a porker! And I am noticing that he is gaining fat in his little body. His legs aren't as knobby, his fingers are thicker, and he is getting a slight double chin! It's adorable. They have him on a different ventilator because he wasn't responding as much to the old one as they wanted. When he gets stable on this ventilator in a few days, I can hold him because the connector lines are more flexible!

They thought he might have an infection in his gut so they stopped his feedings, but they are pretty positive now that there is no infection so they started him back on feedings but only very slowly, so he is only at 4mL every 3 hours.

He is off all antibiotics, but back on some steroids. His ART line is out, as are all his IV lines. They had to change his PIC line (kind of like a long-term IV) from his foot to his arm, but it doesn't seem to bother him too much.

He is getting more and more hair, and it is growing in completely blond! I even have evidence: Here are some pictures of his legs when they were skinny chicken legs:

And now you can see his chunky monkey legs!

Is it just me, or does he look like he is trying to be a pirate in these pictures? Can't you just see him saying in his mind "Arrrrrrgh!"?

My Tiny Valentine

2011-02-16T20:22:00.000-08:00

With Jake being gone, I had a great little backup for my Valentine this year! And don't worry - Jake was okay with being replaced this one time.

This is one of the few pictures we have of him with absolutely nothing on his face - no tape, no wires, no monitors. If he looks a little upset, that's because he had just had his breathing tube and feeding tube unexpectedly pulled out. That is also why there is leftover tape residue on his face. After I gave him his bath and changed his diaper, they decided to turn him over and give him some "tummy time" but when they flipped him something went wrong with his ventilator tube, so they had to pull it out and switch it with a new one. He didn't like it one bit:

And they had to hand bag him for a little while, which was pretty scary.

But when it was all said and done, they flipped him over on his belly,

wrapped him up in his swaddle that he loves so much,

and all was well in his world again.

He is now up to 1 pound 13 ounces! What a big little guy!

In other news, I am flying out tomorrow for Jake's graduation! It's a really short trip, because I can't be away from Jaden for too long, but I'm super excited to see Jake again.

My Husby is a SAILOR!!!

2011-02-11T08:17:00.003-08:00

I got 2 calls from him yesterday telling me that he passed Battle Stations 21 and he is now officially a SAILOR!!! I am SO proud of him! This means that he will officially graduate one week from today and that he can't be set back in training. Now they just kind of relax because all of the intense training is done. I am seriously just so proud of him for doing this really hard thing - hard for him, hard for me, and hard for Jaden. But we have already been blessed for his service, most obviously in the form of really great military insurance! So I will fly out in less than a week to see my love and I get to bring him his cell phone and laptop so we can have more contact. Originally we were going to move out there right away, but since Jaden couldn't wait to be born, that's not an option anymore. So there will just be more time apart, which stinks, but we will have more contact and ways to stay in touch, which is good.

Speaking of Jaden, today is his 2 week birthday!!! That's a pretty big milestone as far as I'm concerned. A lot of time they count by gestational age, so he is 29 weeks now. I'm so proud of him and his fighting spirit! As far as his health, he is doing slightly better. They had to put his ART line back in, so he has the big 'club' on his arm which looks super uncomfortable. He is still just doing a lot of waiting, relaxing, and gaining his strength. He is up to 7mL of milk every 3 hours! What a chunker! He definitely doesn't look as small as he used to. Whether that's because he's growing or because I'm getting more used to looking at him every day, I'm not sure. But I find him just adorable!

Here are some pictures of his ART line. It is a small tube that goes right into his artery so they can draw blood easily and it gives them an accurate blood pressure reading. However, they must keep his wrist straight while it is in, so they have to attach the "club" to his arm. Doesn't it look uncomfortable?

I changed some more diapers today. I'm starting to change them every day now. He left me a nice and colorful present in one of them! Warning: baby nudity to follow...

My mom also wanted to make sure that I got a picture of his hand in mine. I was super scared to do it because I didn't want to touch him without gloves because I didn't want to get him sick, but after a lot of convincing and a LOT of hand washing and antibacterial hand washes, here is the result:

Precious, isn't it. He is just so special! I love this little guy!

His First "Not-So-Great" Day

2011-02-10T08:23:00.000-08:00

Yesterday started out early with a 5am call from the hospital. It's really scary to get a call from the hospital in the middle of the night because you automatically assume the worst. Luckily the worst hasn't happened, but Jaden did have a hard night. He wasn't doing so well on the cPAP anymore (I think his tiny body was just exhausted from breathing all on it's own) so they had to put him back on the ventilator. When they did that, they gave him some calming meds and Morphine, so he was basically out of it the entire day, which was fine since he deserved a break. But his labs were a little off, his x-rays showed that his lungs weren't re-opening quite like they wanted them too, his oxygen was still higher than they wanted, his hemoglobin's were low, and he was just not acting quite like Jaden usually acts. So they turned the ventilator slightly up to help open his lungs up a little more and they gave him some antibiotics (they think he might have an infection but they aren't sure - better safe than sorry), and they gave him some more blood. The only problem is that they took his ART line out, which means they had to put in an IV. They had a REALLY hard time finding a site for it. His veins just weren't working with them, so eventually they put it in his little head. As a mom, that was really hard to see. But if it helps him to feel better, than I guess it's all right. So here are some of our pictures from yesterday: Proof that I do change diapers.His super tiny pacifier! It's adorable! You can also see the IV in his precious head.This is a very blurry picture of me lifting him up to be weighed. My mom is still learning how to operate my camera. :) He now weighs 1 pound 10.5 ounces! That is 5.5 ounces gained in 12 days, and that was even before his blood transfusion last night, so his weight will only increase.This is me feeding him. Not the most traditional route, but I was feeding him nonetheless. He is up to 6mL a day! I better keep pumping it out!My precious little boy! I love Jaden so much, and I keep praying for him and thank all of you for your prayers as well. Jake and I both feel them working.

Today will be the hard day for Jaden. Yesterday they let him rest and regain his strength, but today he needs to start breathing again instead of letting the ventilator do all of the work. So keep the prayers coming!

I HELD HIM!!!!!

2011-02-08T19:37:00.000-08:00

Like really held him! I was helping to weigh him and change his bedding when I commented how I haven't really held him yet, and the respiratory therapist told me that he had been stable long enough on the cPAP that I could hold him if I wanted. Oh! I wanted! They do what is called skin-to-skin contact, where they place his bare chest on my bare chest. It helps with bonding, it regulates his body temperature, it helps my milk production, and it is just about the coolest thing ever! Because of modesty issues, there are no pictures, but I got to hold him and rock him for about 20 minutes! They placed him on my chest, I put my hands (in gloves of course) on his tiny bum and on his back, and they placed warm blankets on his back. I talked to him, told him about his family, especially his daddy, sang to him and just had the time of my life! It was the most amazing experience ever! It was quite the production because they had to wheel over his oxygen machine, his IV machines, and all of the tubes and wires, but I'm so glad they let me do it! I'm not sure when I can do it again, but I hope it's soon!

In other updates, he is now up to 4mL of milk every 3 hours! And tomorrow they are going to start using my fresh milk, instead of the frozen stuff with the colostrum, which is exciting. They also took his ART line out, which was a direct line to an artery in his arm. It wasn't working fully, and they didn't really need it, so they took it out. That means that he has both hands and a foot totally free of wires! They did his 10 day head ultrasound and they found no signs of bleeding which is really good. That was the biggest danger he was in, and it looks like he has dodged it thus far. He is doing extremely well on the cPAP machine, so they don't expect to go back to the ventilator any time soon, but you never know. And last but not least, they found out last night that he LOVES to be swaddled, so he is a tiny tiny tiny burrito most of the time now! It's adorable! I love this kid!

Jaden's Big Night!

2011-02-06T08:21:00.000-08:00

So 3 VERY cool and VERY big things happened last night! In the order they happened:

1. He opened both of his eyes!It was amazing so see his eyes! And we know he has at least partial hearing because he was looking straight up and I was off to the side and when he heard my voice he moved his eyes over to where I was. And yes, I cried like crazy!

2. I held him! Not in the cuddle in your arms type of way, but it was still very cool. In order to weigh him (he is up 60 grams since birth) and change his bedding, you have to put one hand under his little bum and one hand under his head and then lift straight up. So I got to hold my baby twice! It was awesome! I don't have any photo evidence since both of my hands were busy, so I'll show you his "stink face" that he makes when he gets mad:

3. They took him off the ventilator! Now, there is a step down process, so he wasn't completely on his own. They put him on a cPAC machine (I think that's what it's called...) which puts a tiny little mask over his nose and forces air into his lungs, but he still has to do all of the breathing. I was only there for a bit after they switched machines on him, but all of the nurses and the respiratory therapist kept coming over and marveling at how well he was doing! They said if I go back today and he is back on the ventilator not to be too surprised because they will probably go back and forth to help him out, but this is a huge step for him! However, he is still just as covered up as before:

So he is doing extremely well and we are so proud of him! Because the breathing tube is now out, if he wants to cry, he can. I heard him briefly after his birth, but it will be fun to hear it again! And for your viewing pleasures, here are two more fun pictures of him.

It is hard to really understand just how small he is, so here is a dollar bill for scale.
This is what I normally see as I sit by his bedside all day - just one of his tiny legs sticking up every now and then. He loves to move and flex his feet!

Jaden's Update - 6 Days Old

2011-02-03T09:59:00.000-08:00

Wow! It has been a crazy 6 days! I am finally out of the hospital, which is both good and bad. It was nice to be just one floor below Jaden, but it's also nice to be able to sleep through the night without someone coming in to check my vitals (actually, I still have to get up twice during the night to pump, but I can handle that).
As far as Jaden goes, he is doing about as well as can be expected for someone of his size. He has gained a little weight and is now up to 1 pound 7 ounces, but we expected that because he had a blood transfusion. Don't get all concerned - it's perfectly normal for him to get a transfusion. In fact, he will probably get another one in a day or two. His bone marrow is just too young to do the job itself.
He was on the high dose of Bilirubin lights to help control his jaundice, and then he was weaned down to the lower light, and they said that his levels looked so good they are going to turn the light off completely today! Too bad, because I think the kid liked his tanning sessions: The light on the top is his Biliruben light. That is also why they cover his eyes - they are too sensitive for the light. Plus, one of his eyelids is still fused shut, so they will stay covered for awhile. The picture above is Jaden actually getting his name and a blessing. Not many babies get that when they are 4 days old, but it's more common for preemies. Plus, Jake is back at boot camp and wanted to give him a name and a blessing before he left. If you feel left out, don't worry. No one else was allowed in and you would have had to watch silently through a secure window. His official name, by the way, is Jaden Doggett Cuthbert. Kind of a mouthful for a little kid, but we like it.
He is on a ventilator to help him breath, but he is doing so well that they want to take him off the ventilator in the next day or so to see how he does on his own. He is also being weaned off his steroids, his antibiotics, and he has already been taken off his blood pressure meds. He is tolerating his feedings well and is pooping and peeing like a champ!
The nurses and doctors there always comment on how feisty he is! He is constantly moving and thrashing about, which is a good thing. He is stubborn and a fighter, and they like that about him. Hmm... I wonder where he gets that? This kid is definitely my child!
So all in all, he is doing as well as he could be. We know it will be 3 months full of up's and down's, and so far we haven't had a down, but we know it will come. He's a fighter, and so are we, so together we'll get through this!

Welcome Jaden Cuthbert!!!

2011-01-30T17:59:00.000-08:00

Jaden Cuthbert arrived in dramatic fashion on Friday, January 28th at 6:55pm. He was born by emergency C-Section and weighed in at a whopping 1 pound 5 ounces! He is 12 inches long, and is 3 months premature.

I went to the doctors on Friday morning, and they were concerned that I might be developing preeclempsia so they transferred me to hospital for observations, and after some tests, they found out that I had extreme preeclempsia with HELLP syndrome and that I would have to deliver before the day was over or they would lose both baby and me. I was immediately transferred to a larger hospital with a level 3 NICU and they began preparing me for delivery. We were able to get a hold of Jake at boot camp and he not only got to call me but was granted 5 days emergency leave! I was so grateful!

Since his delivery, both Jaden and I are doing about as well as can be expected. I have recovered really well from the surgery, and Jaden has been responding really well. He is SUPER tiny, but SUPER adorable! He is drinking 1mL of my milk every 3 hours through a feeding tube, and he is on a ventilator to help him breath, but he is breathing a lot on his own too. He is expected to remain in the NICU for the next 3 months. I'll keep everyone updated on his progress, and of course post tonz of pictures! I know a lot of people want to know how they can help, but right now we would prefer not to have any visitors. Mostly, we just need prayers, especially for little Jaden. Jake goes back to boot camp on Wednesday, so I might start needing help then. We'll see. We love this little guy so much already!

Birthday Fun and A New Letter!

2011-01-18T20:44:00.001-08:00

Happy birthday to me!! I had fun celebrating my birthday, although I was lonely without Jake. Luckily, I only have 31 more days before I get to see him again! I think I have a pretty cute niece! I'm definitely going to miss her when I move to Chicago.

Now for the highlights of Jake's latest letter:
The Best Part: "I can't wait to see your sexy pregoness!" That line just makes me smile every time!
The Worst Part: "The showers are the tree of life showers. The toilet stalls have curtains instead of doors and don't cover all the way." For those unfamiliar with the tree of life showers, they are the poles with 4 spigots and you just shower out in the open with lots of other people. Yuck.
He is very grateful for all of the letters he has received but he has limited time to write back, so if you don't get a letter from him, don't be offended. Your letters do help him through every day, so thank you for writing him, and keep the letters coming!

Holy Crap!! He Called!!!

2011-01-11T14:04:00.000-08:00

Out of the blue, he called me today! Best birthday present ever!! He has a cold so he didn't sound like himself, but I'll take what I can get! Originally they were allowed an hour to call home, but every time the RDC's had to tell them to shut up over the last couple of days, they lost 3 minutes off of their time, so we got to talk for 36 minutes and 16 seconds. It was glorious to just hear from him!

He is doing well! From some of his last letters, it sounded like he was just about to be sent back in his training, but he said that isn't the case. Although he still wants everyone to pray that he graduates on time, he really isn't in jeopardy at this point. I guess there are only 2 recruits in his division that have perfect scores on all inspections and physical tests, and he is one of them! The only strike against him is that he had to have a mental health evaluation done early on because he was just so messed up about "abandoning" me, but his return appointment is tomorrow and he is doing much better now that he knows how I am coping, so that will be good.

I asked him about how many immunizations he had to have. The problem is that his immunization records from when he was a child we weren't able to locate so they just had to assume that he never got them. He said they weren't too bad because they use the new compression guns instead of needles. Except for the penicillin one. That one had to go in the butt, and although it didn't hurt at the time, it sure hurt later when he had to go outside and march holding two 70 pound bags!

He says he has the worst glasses ever! My bishop (who is also in the military) calls them BC glasses. Also known as Birth Control glasses! I guess they are about as unsexy as you can get! I also asked him about his hair, and he says he doesn't really have any! They pretty much shaved it all off when he first got there, and he says it's now about 2cm long. And apparently they'll cut it all off again soon. Oh well. That's the military for you I guess!

He loves being section leader! He says it's the best job ever! There is hardly any responsibility other than just managing some of the other recruits, he hardly ever gets yelled at, and there isn't a whole lot of work involved. I guess some recruits have the job of cleaning the bathrooms. Yuck! I'd rather be section leader too I guess.

That's about it. It was so good to hear his voice, even if it didn't sound like him. He thanks everyone for their prayers and letters! Keep 'em coming!

Not just one, but THREE new letters!!!!

2011-01-06T19:29:00.000-08:00

It's like Christmas all over again! I went to the mailbox today and found 3 whole letters waiting for me! And not just form letters, but real handwritten letters with Jake's awful handwriting and horrible spelling! I was overjoyed! Here is what he told me:

He is doing a lot better. He was having a really hard time at first, not because of the physical hardships, not because of the yelling, not because of the insults, not because of the "prison-like atmosphere", but because he missed me so much. That made me feel good! And it comes as a big surprise to both of us - I definitely didn't expect him to miss me very much, especially when he told me he never got homesick on his mission. But after he decided to turn his worries and problems over to the Lord, it has gotten a lot easier.
He wants everyone to specifically pray that he won't get ASMO'd. Basically, it means he will get set back in his training and not graduate on time. Apparently, his RDC (drill instructor) is SUPER tough and is known as the ASMO king. He specifically looks for things that he can use to send recruits back in their training. Right now, the only thing keeping him going is the thought that it will all be over soon and he will see me. So pray he graduates on time!
He mentioned how many lines he feels like he has to wait in! Just line after line after line.
One of the exercises they make him do is called "swim on the floor" where they lay down on the floor with their arms extended in front of them off the floor and their legs are off the ground as well and then they have to move them up and down while singing the theme song to Sponge Bob Square Pants! My brother got a kick out of that!
He is a section leader, but basically it just means that when they march, he marches in the front of the group. He said that when they get the marching just right, it's really fun!
He got his dog tags, and for his religion, they put "Freewill Baptist Convention". There is one other Mormon kid in his division, and he had the same thing put on his dog tags. He can't get it changed until after Boot Camp.
He finally was allowed to go to church on January 2nd, and it was so good! He got to take the Sacrament and get a priesthood blessing. The schedule is Priesthood/Relief Society and then Sacrament Meeting, so church there is only 2 hours and 15 minutes long. He went with the other LDS kid (who has Portuguese parents, but doesn't speak Portuguese) in his division. He said he enjoys church so much partly because it is such a contrast to life with the RDC's. It is so peaceful and quiet and the Spirit is plentiful.
The food there is pretty decent. Apparently they are fed by Goodwill. Sure surprised me! They have fruits, veggies, salads, cereals, and desserts always available, and then some hot dishes for each meal.
It is SUPER cold there (not a big surprise since it's north of Chicago) but he isn't cold because anytime they go outside they make them wear a big coat, a scarf, a ski mask, a beanie, and gloves.
His daily schedule is pretty much when he wakes up (reveille), shaves, makes his bed, and goes to chow (his meal). Then sometimes they go to the computer lab to study, sometimes they exercise, sometimes they drill (march) outside. It just depends.

Wow! That's a lot I know, but it's from 3 long letters. I will leave you with his parting words, and don't forget - keep writing him and praying for him!

"I can take the standing for hours, the being pushed around like cattle, not being able to talk to people around me, but the most difficult thing I have ever been through in my life has happened here. That is being away from Mari, not knowing how she is, or being able to communicate with her for a few weeks. I never had homesickness on the mission but I miss Mari so much. That caught me off guard. You never know how good you have it till you go without. Cherish your families. You will miss them when they are away. So, now that my back is a little stronger, my bladder 3 times as big (I guess they make you wait to go to the bathroom a lot), and my faith is in God, I'm ready to do this. Thanks for your love and prayers, they are felt."I love my Sailor!

I Got a Letter! Sort of...

2011-01-03T15:30:00.000-08:00

So all I have gotten from Jake so far was his initial form letter letting me know all about graduation. Today I got another letter, but once again, it's mostly forms. It has all of the paperwork I need to get my military ID and become enrolled with the military insurance. But it did have his signature on the bottom, so at least I know he's alive! :) And I'm still waiting on that promised phone call...

P.S. I just made my plane reservations for graduation! I've been watching airline prices like a hawk the past couple of weeks, and they just went down by quite a bit, so I booked my flight and car! Now I just need to pray that Jake graduates on time! :)

4 Years of Married Bliss!

2010-12-28T13:36:00.001-08:00

Today is my 4th anniversary, and how am I spending it? Sitting at home just wishing that Jake calls home today. Today marks 2 weeks that he's been at boot camp, and he said that he could call in 2 weeks, so I'm hoping it's today. We'll see though. Until then, here are some fun Christmas pictures to hold everyone over:

My baby got really spoiled over the holiday, which is exactly what I wanted! He now owns 8 pairs of shoes (which is more than his dad!) and he isn't even born yet!!

P.S. Did anyone else see the super creepy Christmas fog? Being a fan of the Mistborn books, it creeped me out!

A Call For Letters

2010-12-23T16:44:00.000-08:00

I just got my first letter from Jake at Boot Camp, and he is very discouraged. He has to spend the Holidays there alone and obviously boot camp is not a fun place to be. He can't receive packages, but the more letters the better! So PLEASE write him as much as you can over the next 2 months!

SR CUTHBERT, JACOB, S
SHIP 09 DIV 076
RECRUIT TRAINING COMMAND
3415 SAILOR DRIVE
GREAT LAKES, IL 60088-3515

Thanks!

I'm So Proud Of My Sailor!

2010-12-15T08:59:00.000-08:00

Well, he's gone. He arrived in Chicago late last night and he'll be there for 9 weeks. I'm doing much better than I thought I would be doing, and I'm just so proud of him!
P.S. I spent my first night alone, and I actually did okay! I'm pretty scared of the dark, so being here on my own frightened me, but I'm proud of how I handled it.

2010-12-06T12:07:00.000-08:00

Now we just need to agree on a boy name!

Florida 2010!

2010-11-19T10:49:00.001-08:00

It probably seems like Jake and I travel a lot, and that is probably because we do. Not having kids for 4 years of our marriage has made it easier to travel. Now that we are finally adding to our family, and with the fact that Jake is going to leave me for 9 whole weeks at Boot Camp, we needed one last trip just the two of us. So we went to Florida! We spent a few days in the Keys, and the rest near Miami with his parents. It was a blast!

The Keys: We got the tail end of Hurricane Tomas, so it was windy and rainy most of our stay there! But we were able to go to the turtle hospital ( I LOVE turtles!) and feed some of the rehabilitating turtles. We also went snorkeling along some of the reefs, but Baby Cuthbert didn't like that very much so we sat out for most of it and didn't get any pictures of it.The pouring rain in Key WestA turtle with only 3 flippers (one was amputated) being prepared for another surgeryFeeding the turtles! Fort Lauderdale: We went on an Inner Coastal Waterway Cruise (saw a navy ship about to be commissioned and some MASSIVE yachts), drove through a wildlife zoo type thing and saw the funniest sign ever (that is, it was funny until I realized just how true it could be!), and then we went on an airboat ride through the Everglades. I could not believe how absolutely beautiful the everglades were! Definitely one of the highlights of the trip!

This yacht is the 2nd biggest in the US and costs a whopping $98 Million!

We will miss you Sunny Florida!!!

I have some catching up to do!

2010-11-19T10:33:00.000-08:00

I finally got some pictures off my camera and onto the computer, so be ready for a feast of pictures!

September: Jake took my dad, my brother Conner, and I shooting. Echo had her belt advancement in Tae Kwon Do.

October: We celebrated my one year of cancer free by going to the aquarium, and Alex had her first choir concert in Chamber Choir.

I was going to put my pictures of our trip to Florida on here, but realized that they needed a post all their own.