Movie Trip

Yesterday was Gracen's & Jackson's first time to go to the movies. They both did great! We saw "The Princess and the Frog". It was really cute. I thought the "spirits" (or whatever they were) were kind of scary. But they didn't seem to bother Gracen at all.

Jase, Sadie, and Lillie enjoyed it, too.

A little girl talk. Gracen wasn't heavy enough to weight the seats down, so she rotated laps.

I attempted a little photo shoot since they had on their cute little matching outfits (that I bought 50% off after last Christmas!). It was kind of difficult, but these were the best I got.

Gracen loves to latch the safety belts together and then apparently go for a walk.

Random Pictures & Stories

Addicted to the passy? What? The other day Stephanie saw her with a doll's passy in her mouth. It was the kind that only has a little hard plastic nub to stick in the babydoll's mouth. She was holding it with her teeth!

Toy idea for Christmas: plastic cups. Gracen spent at least 30 minutes stacking them. Then she used them as individual crayon holders.

This is the expression Gracen gives whenever she hears Jackson cry.

Gracen loves to "pump". She always asks for "her turn". The other day we were in the sunroom, and out of the blue, she announced that she was going to go pump.

Our little man's back is getting so strong! Check out the paws on this guy!

Just thought this one was cute!

This is how Jackson sleeps every night: swaddled with his alligator.

The other night I heard him cry when it was time to eat. I went in to feed him, but he had fallen fast asleep. I decided to go ahead and feed him instead of being woken up as soon as I got back in bed. He was sleeping so soundly that he didn't even budge when I unwrapped him. Hmm, wonder where he got that?

Jackson's Doctor's Appointment

Jackson's appointment went well today. We talked to a genetic counselor, the doctor, and a nutritionist. The genetic counselor asked several family history questions. The doctor explained a little more in detail about MCADD and looked Jackson over. He said that everything looked really good. They all gave us more information about feeding schedules, what to do if he gets sick and stops eating, and gave us several numbers to call if any of this happens or we have any further questions. They also collected urine and drew blood to send out for the next round of tests. These results should come back in about 2 to 4 weeks and should tell us definitively if he has MCADD or not.

They were all extremely nice and helpful. And Jeffrey and I walked away feeling a little better. They all stressed to us that they see several patients that have been flagged with abnormal readings during their newborn screenings, and nothing is wrong. So right now, we are hoping and praying that we fall in this category. Jeffrey definitely needs the 3 hour drive home to unwind his ball of nerves!

Jackson's stats from appointment today:
- 10.1 pounds
- 21 inches
- 37 cm head circumference
- Not sure about what his percentages were, but I'll check those when I get home.

1 Month Already?!

Has it really already been a month since this sweet little boy rushed into this world? Aside from the exhaustion, I really feel like we just got home from the hospital.

So here's some Jackson facts:
- He has a dimple on his left cheek. It's the cutest thing, but I haven't been able to catch it on camera. Jeffrey said he's proud of it because he knows he got it from him!
- He's going to melt the ladies' hearts with his half smile.
- He's very easy going and has a very pleasant personality.
- He doesn't cry very often.
- He does not like bath time or diaper changing, especially when I wipe his package with a cold wipe!
- He loves his passy. Probably not as much as his sister, but who does?
- He has long arms and big hands.
- He is a great eater, has been since his second meal in the hospital.
- He waits very patiently for me to get ready to feed him (unlike his sister).
- He sleeps really well, with the occasional staying awake at night. But overall, he's great.
- He inevitably tries to spray or squirt me every time I change his diaper in the car.
- He is wearing newborn diapers and 0-3 months, but his onesies are getting a bit snug.
- He grunts more than anything I've every heard. He sounds just like a little billy goat!

And now for some pictures.

I had to include some of Gracen! She loves to play "night night!" She made a bed on top of some plastic tubs in the sun room.



Gracen and Jeffrey having fun playing "airplane".

Gracen laughing at her "stinky feet"

Update on Jackson

As many of you know, we got a call from Jackson's Pediatrician when he was 1 week old and were informed that he had some abnormal lab values that were discovered during the routine newborn screening. The abnormal lab values indicated that he could have a Metabolic disorder known as MCADD, which is a fatty acid oxidation disorder. (Click HERE to read more about MCADD.) Dr. Stanley needed to see him that day and wanted to do further lab work.

We were notified about a week later that the additional lab work was also abnormal, but we had to wait to hear from the geneticists office for the next step.

We were called yesterday and were told that Jackson's lab values were still slighly elevated. They scheduled an appointment for him on December 9th with the geneticist, and they will do more specific testing to rule out MCADD. We won't know the results from these tests for 2-4 weeks after the appointment.

We are all pretty anxious to know the results and are praying for the results to come back as a false positive. But we know that whatever happens, God is in control. We appreciate all your prayers!