The Evolution of a Smile

I present to you the evolution of a Jaxton smile:















And just so you don't think I've forgotten about my first born:

A month long catch up!

Warning, this post will have LOTS of pictures and may be full of too much cuteness.

I'm sorry that I haven't been diligent in my blogging and posting pictures of Preston & Jaxton. I'm thinking about just having ONE blog (probably this one) and will use it to post the daily pictures of Preston or Jaxton or family stuff. I think it would be easier that way, and would ensure that I would post more regularly. Still thinking about it though.

So it's been one month since Jaxton has joined us! Honestly it's been harder then I thought to adjust to life with 2 kids. But that could be because it's been a strange first month.

For most of the first week we were in the hospital.
The second week I was stuck upstairs b/c of the C-Section.
The 3rd week Patrick went back to work after being home for a few weeks.
When Jax was a little over 3 weeks our pediatrician sent us to the ER to have him checked out because he had an awful cough/congestion issue. He had an upper respiratory infection and they put a tube up his nose & down his throat to suction out all the mucus. It helped, but poor baby had a terrible cough for a few weeks. It's really not fun to see your newborn coughing so much that he can't catch his breath & turns blue.
The week after our ER trip we were back at the doctors office after Jaxton spent about 30 hours of projectile vomiting. Thankfully it wasn't anything too serious, but was due to a double ear infection that he had. We're still finishing the antibiotics and he seems to be better.
So yes. Strange month.
Now that everyone is healthy (we all had colds the week of Jaxtons resp. infection) I think we'll be able to get into a better routine and adjust to life better.

Preston is a great big brother, just like we knew he would be. He adores Jaxton. As soon as he gets up in the morning he looks for "Ja-Ja" and insists on giving him lots of kisses throughout the day. Hard to believe that Preston is going to be 2 next month! He's such a little boy now. He's very into airplanes, helicopters, cars and crashes. He likes to make everything crash. He has transitioned from being a Mama's boy to a Daddy's boy, which is ok by me since I'm still the one he wants whenever he's sad or hurt. Only Mama's kisses can heal things like that. He'll follow Patrick around all day wanting to see and do everything he does, especially when it comes to doing things outside. He would play outside all day if I would let him, but I wont. I'll do a more in depth post about Preston after his birthday, but just know that he is healthy, happy, and getting huge.

Jaxton is great. Even with his ear infections and infections he wasn't too irritable. He weighs over 10 pounds now, and is getting bigger every day. He eats about 4 oz every 3 1/2 hours, and some nights will sleep from 11pm-4am! Most nights he gets up once to eat though but then goes back to sleep. Now that he isn't sick I'm trying to teach him to sleep in his pack & play since he's only been sleeping in an upright position in his swing or bouncer. He tolerates Preston's attention very well, and I hope that continues. His hair color is still questionable. It seems to be lightening up around his face and on the sides while the back is still darker. But, after his bath or in the sunlight there is definitely a reddish ting to it!

As for me & Patrick, we are well. We constantly tell each other this is the happiest we've been, which is true. We're gearing up for Christmas and for Patricks work party on Saturday which is always a good time! I'll be sure to post about both.

And now for the pictures :)

I'm pretty sure this is exactly how he slept when he was inside me. Makes my ribs hurt just looking at it.

First bath!! He loooves baths, unlike Preston who wasn't a big fan of them at first.

"My Auntie is Awesome". All of them are awesome.

Sleeping with Daddy

My boys. Love them.

Thanksgiving

I really wish I could sleep anywhere like him.

Someone was trying to sneak a piece of candy!

Patrick took Preston to the Gilbert Days Parade. He loved it, especially the helicopters and airplanes that flew overhead.

We went on our first walk together Preston, Jaxton and I. This is also how we go grocery shopping for now. Preston sits in the cart, Jaxton sleeps in the backpack carrier. Strangely enough people (the old ones) will still come up and touch the baby even though he's covered and in the carrier.

I have to take turns with Preston feeding Jaxton.

Zombie hands!

It's been really cold here, so we snuggle a lot.

He's working on smiling.

I got Preston some Toy Story boots at Goodwill last week, and he loves them! He could care less that they have Buzz & Woody on them, he just likes being able to put them on and take them off by himself.

Old man. . .

His first Sunday at church. Doesn't his hair look redish?!?!

Helping with dishes. I should probably get him a more manly apron to wear. . .

I was cleaning the boys room and Preston grabbed my hand and took me to get "Ja-Ja" and wanted him to go night night by him on his bed.

He just discovered he can crawl under the crib, which he of course thinks is hilarious.

Look what we made!

Jaxton Jeffrey Reynolds
Tuesday November 1, 2011

12:38 PM

9 Pounds 8 Oz

21 1/2 Inches (although we've gotten a few different measurements this is what they said in the OR)

More details to come, but for now enjoy some pictures.

It's so strange to have a baby who doesn't have red hair, but Jax is wonderful. He's such a good baby (who makes really great old man looking faces), and we all are so in love with him.

FINAL COUNTDOWN!!!!

36 Weeks 4 Days!

18 DAYS TO GO!!!!

To say that I'm "done" would be an understatement. But I have a feeling these next 3 weeks are going to go even slower then the previous 3 did. But it's almost over!!!

I must be looking pretty pregnant at this point since people have stopped asking "how far along are you?" and are now asking "how much longer do you have?".

I feel like I'm just about ready for baby Jaxton to show up. The only things left on my "to-do" list are to buy batteries for the swing, set up the pack & play bassinet, finish cleaning my room & get the carrier ready for our trip home.

A few weeks ago I made about 14 freezer meals which was a big thing I wanted to do this time around. Now I wont have to worry so much about whats for dinner for a few weeks. Every time I open the fridge & see it all there I feel relieved.




All the baby clothes are ready! Yes. We have a lot of clothes. He probably wont be wearing the same thing twice.
Preston still doesn't really have a clue whats going on. He's a smart kid though, I think he'll figure it all out pretty fast.

As of last Tuesday I was dilated to 0 and 0% effaced. Not that it matters since I'm having a C-Section.

The baby is head down though, and as of 3 weeks ago my doctor estimated he was a little over 5 lbs. I estimate he's MUCH bigger then that at this point seeing as how I gained like 4lbs in 2 weeks.

We're very excited for Jax to be here. And very excited to be able to sleep on my stomach & not get up to use the bathroom 3 times a night. Nov 2nd (the big day) is a Wed, and we'll probably be home Saturday afternoon, but we welcome any visitors who want to stop in either at the hospital or at our home to ooh and ahh over our cute little baby :D

Let the countdown begin!

9 weeks left.

I wish I could say it was the FINAL countdown, but that doesn't begin till we have 5 weeks left.
As of today I am 213 days pregnant (30wks 4 days) and have only 60 days left!

The C-Section date has been set!!
Mark your calendars and adjust your work schedules, Wednesday November 2, 2011 around 6am will be the birthday of Baby Boy #2 :D
Unless he decided to come early that is.

But as of right now it looks like we'll be on schedule. My blood pressure has been perfect, my swelling minimal, and while there is an 80% chance I'll get preeclampsia again, right now I'm doing great.
Apparently 4,000 IU's of Vitamin D a day keeps your blood pressure down, thank you Dr. Mikel.

Me, today at 30 1/2wks

It's ok if you think I look huge, there happens to be an enormous baby inside of me.
How big?
Well as of 2 weeks ago he was at 2 lbs 12 oz, putting him in the 75th percentile for weight.
They also broke the news to me that his head is enormous.
I suspected as much seeing as how Preston's head has been in the 95th percentile since birth.

We do have a name picked out, and if you want to know what it is, ask and I'll tell you.
It's pretty awesome.

What else to update you on. . . .

I'm not as sick as I use to be. I only throw up like 3-4 times a week now which is MUCH better.

I've gained a total of 8 lbs so far, which my doctor is pleased with.

I'm trying to get things ready for the baby, but still feel like I have lots to do. Like buy diapers.

He moves around A TON, but get's the hiccups a lot less then Preston did at this stage.

Preston and the baby already fight. Preston will sit on my lap and the baby will kick him. Just a sign of things to come I suppose!

Not any huge cravings, the only thing I think I crave a lot of is soda. I don't normally drink it, and I've been giving myself 1 soda a week, but lately all I want everyday is a Pepsi. I don't even LIKE Pepsi!

I've been having a lot of pain with my sciatic nerve and my heels hurting (plantar fasciitis) both of which I'm hoping go away after the baby is born. In the meantime I'm suppose to wear tennis shoes (aka Mom shoes) around all the time. Riiiiiiight....

We're all really really excited for him to come. We just want to snuggle him & talk about how we can't remember what life was like before he came to us.

Snails, Whales and Puppy Dog Tails

Thursday we went in for our 2nd trimester ultrasound.
Can you believe we're halfway done already?!
I can't.
Lets just hope the 2nd half goes just as fast.

Yep. No doubt about it, we're having another little boy :D
While a girl would have been crazy fun, I'm excited for Preston to have a brother close to his age who he can grow up with and be buddies with.
Plus we make really really cute little boys.

I love this picture of his feet crossed at the ankles because Preston sits all the time with his ankles crossed. In his highchair, car seat, just on the floor when he plays, and it looks like this little guy will be the same way.

The technician kept commenting on how much he was moving around and kicking which is going to make the next 4 months super fun. . .

He kept putting his hand up on his forehead being so dramatic! But you can see all his little fingers, and he's got a little smile on his face, and a nose that looks familiar!

We haven't picked a name out yet, which is strange, so we are going to try to pick one soon.
Feel free to send any suggestions!

(Note to Carly- Don't even bother suggesting Raiden, it's still off the table!)

For the most part everything looks good. We're going to have another ultrasound in a few months to check up on him again. He is already measuring big at 9oz (normal for this stage is between 5 1/2-6), so he may come earlier then our planned C-Section date, which is fine with us.

As far as how I'm doing, I think I can FINALLY say that the morning sickness is subsiding. I still feel queasy around 2pm every day, but I can go dayS now without throwing up! The hormones have been up and down the past few days, but I'd rather cry all day then feel sick all day.

At my last doctors appointment on Tuesday everything was still going well. My blood pressure is still down, I'm not swelling, both of which were problems when we had Preston.
I haven't gained any weight yet, which is fine since the baby is growing and developing normally.
He certainly is an active one, seem like he's constantly moving around! Last night I was able to feel him kick from the outside, so looks like we'll be enjoying that soon.

Now that we know it's a boy it is all starting to seem more real. Now we can start preparing to welcome this little guy into our family!!

The Truth is- I haven't posted truths in awhile. Lets just blame it on the pregnancy. Everything else gets blamed on the pregnancy, so why not?!

The Truth is- Netflix is weird. When I'm falling asleep at night sometimes I like to have a documentary playing. This way I don't pay too much attention to whats going on and I fall asleep. One night I watched/slept to a documentary about Hiroshima. The next day it recommended that I watch comedian Jim Gaffigan based on my interest in Hiroshima. I just fail to see the connection!

The Truth is- The other night Patrick was playing around and pulled me off the couch. My first instinct was to yell out "NO! The floor is hot lava!"

The Truth is- When I first heard about the book The Hunger Games I thought it was a book about dieting, so I avoided it for a long time. Being hungry is not a fun game at all. Nobody wins in that game.

The Truth is- Maybe I've been watching too much Law & Order because when I get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and I'm walking back to bed I can't help but think "This is exactly how an episode of Law & Order would start...." Of course in Law and Order something terrible would happen and the only terrible thing that happens to me is when I have to get up to go to the bathroom 3 hrs later and have that exact same thought.

Crunching Numbers

So here's a look at some of the numbers for this pregnancy

107 : The number of day's I've been pregnant so far

437,987 : The approximate number of times I've thrown up. Seriously it's been bad. Worse then with Preston. I'm talking 5-6 times a day for a few weeks and then tapering off to 1-4 times a day for a few weeks.

1 3/4: The longest stretch of day's I've gone WITHOUT throwing up.

4: The number of times I've been to the doctor so far. It's more then normal, but then again I worry more then normal and my doctor knows that so he's very accommodating.

2: The number of anti-nausea pills that have been prescribed for me. 1 I can take every 8 hrs the other every 6 hrs.

4: The number of ultrasounds we've had so far. Plus another in a few weeks when we find out the big question: boy or girl.

6: About the number of Lemon Heads I eat a day to keep to pukies away.

1: The number of Dr. Peppers I limit myself to a week. This is hard.

0: The number of dreams I've had so far about this baby. With Preston I dreamed all the time about him. Of course in those dreams he was a girl...... But still!

2: The number of boy names we have it narrowed down to.

1: The number of girl names we have it narrowed down to.

100: The number of ounces of water I'm suppose to drink a day.

60: The number of ounces of water I realistically drink a day.

9: The number of pills I take every night. 1-Prenatal 1- Calcium 1-Iron 1- Folic Acid 1- Omega 3 4- Vitamin D pills.

80: How old I feel after I take 9 pills a day.

173: The number of days left till our due date!

Can you think of a better excuse?!

This should pretty much explain my absence from blogging.....

YEP! Adorable Reynolds baby #2 is on his/her way!!
Our due date is Nov. 8th 2011, which puts us at 13 weeks today - Hello 2nd trimester!! Maybe now I'll start to feel better because I have been WAY sick.

We had a genetic screening ultrasound today to test for down syndrome and other big genetic problems, but everything looks PERFECT!

It was amazing that even this little the baby was super active! It was bouncing, twisting, opening its mouth, moving its arms and legs around and everything.

We were even able to get some 3D pictures, which we've never had done before.
They looked to see if it was a boy or a girl, and at first the technician said she was 85% sure it was another boy, but then changed her mind and said she wasn't so sure anymore. She consulted with another doctor who said it was inconclusive and didn't want to even wager a guess at this point, which is fine by me. I'd rather be 100% sure then have a chance it changes.

Oh and we got this creepy view of the baby's face, and it kinda looks like Darth Maul from Star Wars.