Meemaw Reunites with Pawpaw

Unfortunately, I don't have a very happy reason as to why I haven't posted in a while.  This past Sunday, Josh and I got text messages early in the morning letting us know that his grandma, Dottie/Meemaw, was in the ICU and didn't have much longer to live.  We were surprised by this news, and immediately started packing to leave for Covington.  We have amazing neighbors who took care of Paxton at the last minute allowing us to go dog-free.  We got to the hospital Sunday afternoon and got to peek in on Meemaw.  Apparently she had a stroke Saturday evening and had bleeding in her brain.  We knew she was on the verge of needing some more assistance in terms of her living situation, but we didn't expect anything like this at this point.  Josh stayed at the hospital with his aunts, uncles, and other family members and good friends.  Jackson and I headed to Meemaw's house to get settled in and have a nap.  We went back to the hospital after naptime to meet up with Josh and the rest of the family.  Some more family members had arrived, and we all headed out for dinner.  I know so many people that say the same thing, but it was really nice to get to visit with family members we don't see often, even though the circumstances weren't very happy.  We weren't really sure what the next steps were for Meemaw, but Josh, Uncle Larry, and Aunt Jeannie were going to meet with the social worker in the morning to discuss Hospice options.

I LOVE this picture of Meemaw and Pawpaw!  SO sweet!

The decision of what to do next was made about 2:30 Monday morning when Dottie (Meemaw) passed peacefully away.  Neither Josh nor I had really slept much, and then Larry called around 2 saying there was only an hour or so left.  Josh went right to the hospital and he, Larry, and Jeannie were all there when she passed.  Josh got back home around 4:30 and we just both stayed awake.  Jackson decided to join us an hour later, so it was an early start for us all...  Josh and Larry spent the morning running around making arrangements.  There was availability at the funeral home, church, and cemetery allowing us to have the visitation Tuesday evening and the funeral Wednesday afternoon.

Dottie and Jeannie

Ronnie (Josh's dad), Dottie, and Pawpaw

Josh, Dottie, Larry, and Jeannie

We used the time in between the events to visit with family members and friends of Meemaw.  She certainly was a well-loved woman both in the family and in her church :)  I know Josh and I have both found peace in the fact that she is now reunited with both Pawpaw and Josh's dad, Ronnie.  Josh and I also were able to start making some progress on the house. We got lots of sorting done and it looks like the plan is to place the house on the market this coming spring.

Meemaw and Jackson

This was quite a challenging time for our little family within the larger Smith clan.  Josh rose to the challenge for sure.  He was quite amazing to watch.  He was the perfect mix of strength, compassion, help, love, and concern.  He filled the roles of grandson, brother, nephew, uncle, cousin, father, husband, and friend.  He jumped right in and helped make decisions and just got a lot of things done!  I struggled as I tried to completely support him while also taking care of Jackson.  I know that was important since the happier he was the more productive Josh and I could be, BUT I couldn't help but feel I wasn't doing enough.  I think we did ok, in the end :)

Dottie and some members of her church family (Peggy Yancey is in the pink shirt in the middle of the back row and Ed is right next to her)

The Yancey family was indispensable during our time in Covington.  Joe's mom, dad, grandma, and sister and her family live in Covington.  Joe was away for work, but Susie and Rachel came right down to support us.  Susie kept Jackson a couple of different times and shuttled him around--so helpful!  Joe's sister, Erin, kept Rachel and Jackson (along with her own son, Brayden) the night of the visitation.  Having Susie at the visitation was really nice.  It was wonderful having one of my best friends right there as a friendly face to focus on.  I know Jackson had a much better time playing with his friends at his "jammy party" than he would have at the funeral home.  On Wednesday, Jackson played at Joe's mom and dad's house and then napped while the rest of us were at the funeral.  Again, so helpful to have him otherwise occupied and on a "normal" schedule!

A few years ago, Larry and Murph took Dottie and Goldie on a resort vacation!  They had a great time--good memories!

The service at the church was really very nice.  The pastor is a very nice man, and he had lots of nice things to say about Dottie.  Josh, Josh's cousin, Danny, and a couple of ladies from Dottie's Sunday School class spoke and told some funny stories.  It was a gorgeous fall day, so our time at the cemetery was quite pleasant.  The flowers sent in memory of Dottie were all beautiful! After the cemetery we went back to the church where there was a yummy meal served for family and friends.  It was nice to have that chance to chat and visit with each other. 

We stuck around Covington most of Thursday before having an early dinner at our favorite non-Lou-Malnati's pizza spot.  Jackson was a trooper while Josh and I were busy with "business" things--it really was a blessing that he had a few opportunities to play with friends.  Things certainly will be different now that Meemaw is no longer with us, but we all know that she is more comfortable and in a happy place :)


The pictures in this post are from the amazing photo montage Josh created in memory of Dottie.  He created an amazing photo montage that played at the visitation and after the church service.  He found quite the collection of photos and got it all together in a very short amount of time!

The Benson Sisters: Lil, Dottie, Bettie, and Patti

A more updated picture of the four sisters :)

The Belly Report: Ten Weeks!

On Sunday we celebrated reaching double digits with this pregnancy--ten weeks!!!  The past week was a rough one since it's the week that Dottie/Meemaw passed away :(  We had planned on telling Josh's family soon, but this was clearly a good time to announce a little distraction.  The news spread pretty quickly, and that was a little weird having some people we didn't know or barely knew find out before good friends at home.  I CANNOT wait to get home to tell the rest of our good friends and family!!!

Jackson is absolutely A.DOR.ABLE about the baby in Mommy's tummy :)  Most chances he gets he points to my belly and asks, "Mommy, baby still in your belly?"  We have talked about how the baby isn't coming out yet because it needs to grow and get healthy before it can come out.  Periodically he says, "Baby will walk?  Baby will talk?  I remind him that the baby won't be able to walk or talk right away.  We talk about the things that would be nice and gentle.  Every few days Jackson's answer as to whether he wants a baby sister or a baby brother changes...maybe that's good since we can't really do anything about it now!  He is going to be SUCH a good big brother!!!

On a brighter note, we had an excellent doctor appointment today!!!  Dr. Hibshman did another ultrasound (YAY!) and we saw a bigger blob--the heartbeat was easier for me to see this time.  It looked like tiny hand clapping really fast :)  We also made sure there was just one heartbeat...  LOL  I feel like everything is going faster and happening sooner this time around--I just started panicking that there were twins in there!!!  I only gained two pounds which bodes well for heading to Chicago to kick off the holiday season...  HA!

Our baby is the size of a kumquat now!  He/She is about an inch long and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce--how can something THIS small make me feel SO different???  CRAZY!  This tiny thing is busy too: this is the beginning of the fetal period when tissues and organs grow quickly and mature.  The kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver are starting to function already!  If we could see that closely, we could see finger and toe nails and peach fuzz growing on his/her skin.  His/Her limbs can bend and the outline of the spine is visible.  For some reason all of the development milestones are more amazing to me this time...

Flashback: Double Digits!

Tour of 1200 Davis St.!

I could not WAIT to get a tour of the new location for Roycemore!!!  My dad has been CRAZY busy pulling together all of the details, overseeing the construction progress, and planning the logistics for the big move over Winter Break!  We got to tour the building before Thanksgiving, but I couldn't post this picture (which I LOVE) since I look pregnant already!  So, here is the report and a couple of pictures!  I would be so excited if I was a teacher at Roycemore--these classrooms look AMAZING!  They are all big, have excellent storage cabinets and counters, and they all have a painted accent wall!  "Huge project" doesn't even really begin to cover this transition, but it is going to be SO worth it!  There will be tons more parking complete with underground parking garage!!!  The garage will also include the car line for the Early Childhood Programs--parents will love that convenience.  Basically, the school is going to show SO well: elevator access, brand new bathrooms and locker rooms, floor to ceiling windows in the majority of rooms, gorgeous science labs, more "stylish" cafeteria space, and just more space for everything!  I am SO excited for this next step for Roycemore :)

Josh, Jackson, Uncle Larry, and Dad in the BRAND NEW REGULATION SIZE GYM!!!  This is HUGE!

Up and Coming Big Brother: Jackson Albert Smith!!!

We are nine weeks today!  Yesterday we took Jackson out for a special lunch to tell him the exciting news that he is going to be a Big Brother!!!  He seemed pretty excited, but for the most part he kept on eating his chicken nuggets and fries ;)  We asked him right away if he wanted a baby brother or a baby sister.  I was SURE he would want a baby brother because that is what his other friends have gotten!  He said he wanted a baby sister: "A baby sticker!"  I LOVE that :)

Now that we are nine weeks, our baby is the size of a grape!  The baby's main body parts have begun their basic formation.  Our baby's heart is finishing dividing into four chambers and he/she is growing teeny, tiny teeth!  There is no more embryonic tail, but there are itty, bitty earlobes, a mouth, a nose, and nostrils!  Apparently the baby is ready to gain weight fast now that the basic physiology is in place--does that mean me too???  I hope not yet--I've only gained two pounds so far!


Red or Green?

THREE Year Check-Up!

Last Thursday I took Jackson for his three year check-up!!!  It had been a while since we were at the pediatrician--I guess that means he's been pretty healthy this year!  I didn't really talk this visit up, so the first Jackson knew of it was when he woke up from his nap and I told him we were going to the doctor!  He has some experience with me going to the doctor for random things and taking Pax to the vet.  He assumed we were taking Pax to the doctor for his tummy.  I told him that it was HIS turn to go to the doctor since he is now three and needs to get checked out!  He was all about this outing!

Jackson played right along with the nurse as she asked him all sorts of questions--he did awesome!  This was the first time in three years that Jackson did NOT cry when he was weighed--LOL  For some reason the scale was always traumatic...  He liked the slider on the height ruler that went up and down to get an accurate measurement.  He even completed an eye exam!  (They used shapes instead of letters.)  Once in the exam room Jackson was asked to stand on one leg and to copy a circle the nurse drew.  He got his blood pressure taken for the first time, too.  By the time Dr. Kernan came in, he was warmed up and quite chatty.  He told her he was three, what foods he liked to eat, that he likes to ride his bike, and what he likes to play with.  I have to brag that Jackson didn't even cry when he got his flu shot!!!  He did get this quick look of horror on his face, but the nurse was awesome and was all peppy about it telling him what a good job he did when she was done.  SOOO proud!  We got a Mickey Mouse sticker on the way out and were good to go :)

Height: 38" (59%)

Weight: 34 lbs (72%)

Jackson loves playing with Josh!  He usually attacks him as soon as he gets home:

"Daddy?  Wanna play with me?"

play ball

wrestle

Baggo

swords

Hide and Seek is also a favorite.  We LOVED this hiding pose :)

Jackson's favorite activities to do with me are probably baking and reading :)  Tonight he called me from the other room just to cuddle!

He LOVES the reaction he gets from being silly with props--hats, dresses, capes, goggles, sunglasses

Things Jackson can do or loves doing:

speak using longer sentences

point out pretty flowers/clouds

remember locations once we pull up (and which way to turn sometimes!)

playing outside with friends in neighborhood

excellent on his trike

identify all letters and most numbers

plays a categorizing game that Josh made up

"reading" books

singing songs (finally!)

When getting ready to go somewhere I often say, "When it's time to go, it's time to go!"  A couple of weeks ago, Jackson took it one step further and said, "When it's time to sing songs, it's time to sing songs!"  This was in reference to storytime at the library.  Sure enough, Jackson was super excited for the songs during storytime--this is definitely a new phase!  I love it :)

LOVES Waxie Bear (Paxton)!!!

LOVES Baby Levi (our friends'/neighbors' little guy)

"Daddy, you're my best friend!"

"Baby Levi is my best friend!"

"That's my favorite!"

"That's my special ________"

I just love the expression on both of our faces!

Pawpaw's Tradition Lives On!

Yesterday was Josh's Pawpaw's birthday!  Josh tells the story of how each morning Pawpaw would come down the hall saying, "Joshua Alan...!"  Josh has continued this tradition by coming down the stairs saying, "Jackson Albert..." when he comes downstairs after sleeping in.  Jackson loves this and gets excited when he hears Daddy's voice.  Now Jackson will call out to us, "Daddy Albert!  Mommy Albert!  Waxie Bear Albert!"  It is super cute :)  The sweetness is unbearable...

The Belly Report: First Belly Pics...and Some Other Stuff!

 These pictures are just after we were eight weeks.  I must admit, I was slow going to take any pictures since my belly has already started growing--much faster than last time!!!  Apparently that is normal...  Yeah, we'll go with that ;)  Here is the link to the first pictures we took of my belly when we were pregnant with Jackson: We're Growing a Lima Bean!

I LOVE my husband!  One of the things I specifically love is how geeky excited he is about this next child we (I) are (am) growing :)  He is even more excited than I am to check Baby Center each week to see the food comparison to the size of our baby!  We had SUCH a good time doing this last time around, and it's been just as fun so far this time.  Starting at four weeks our baby was about the size of a poppy seed.  Since then we have had a sesame seed, a lentil, a blueberry, and a kidney bean!

We noticed some changes in Paxton when we were pregnant with Jackson (Finally!  A Watch Dog!), and he is coming through again!  He wants to be WHEREVER I am!  Thank goodness we moved to a bigger house--I would have surely tripped and broken a limb between the dog and toddler both in my personal space...  (Don't get me wrong, I really wouldn't have it any other way!)