The day has come....

Today is the day. The day that I've been dreading for the last 8 months. The boys first day of "school". I've spent most of the day on the verge of tears and then the last several minutes looking back through my blog and the tears just started flowing. I drove by Sonic and got teary eyed because it made me think about how happy Jackson is when we can go to Sonic Happy Hour for a "special drink". He got so mad the other day when I ordered him a small (as I always do) and he told me that he didn't want a small that smalls were for babies. When the guy brought out his small Strawberry Limeade I turned to Jackson and said, "Oh wow, look that was nice they brought you a medium." Haha. ;) I went to the gym alone for the first time and felt so empty not hauling Gavin in his car seat and hurrying Jackson along as he leisurely doddles across the parking lot and then takes off to the day care area the minute we set foot inside. I stopped by to see the lady that takes care of them at the gym and she showed me where she put Gavin's picutre up on the wall. I know that I am making the right decision for myself and for my family to return to finish my last semester of school, but it's hard to leave my guys at this age.

On a positive note...this morning I prayed for comfort as I was getting ready for this day. I knew that it would be hard for me to leave them at school today. Matt and I took them in this morning and first dropped off Jackson. We knew that Jackson was going to be back with all of his close friends and he was so excited to be going back to school. His teacher Ms. Nancy is so nice. Seeing her with all of the kids and the encouraging and comforting words that she said to me gave me a great feeling as we left him. We then took Gavin to his class. In Gavin's class, we also knew a couple of the kids--Jackson's friend has twin baby brothers that were born 2 days after Gavin. Jennifer and I were pregnant at the same time and she was my principal during my field work in the Fall of '08 as well as Jackson and her Megan being friends and classmates since they were a year old. Gavin's class has 6 babies--so Gavin and the twins actually make up half the class. Gavin's teacher made me feel so much more comfortable than I could have even expected. I joked that he'll probably be better in there than he was at home with me. The room was very comforting and calming. I feel safe knowing that my boys are at a good place.

I have just a few days before my TExES exams--part of my certification process--so I'm using the next several days to study. I start back to school on the 26th and am anxious to find out where I will be for my student teaching. The next few months will be busy, busy, busy--so I'm not sure how much I'll be able to post, but I'll try to when I can.

Jackson's Stats

For all of Jackson's life he has been in the lowest percentile for his size, usually falling somewhere between the 5th and the 25th%. Well, today we went for Jackson's 4 year well visit and I am happy to report that he is in the 45th percentile for his height and 50th percentile for his weight. He measured at 39 and 1/2 inches and 35 pounds. According to http://www.babycenter.com/, he should be between 5'8" and 6" as an adult. We'll see. I was predicted to be 5'10" and I am actually just over 5'6". Jackson was so nervous on the way to the doctor's office and told me that he would probably cry when he got his shots. I told him that would be okay if he did. He was so funny, after the doctor came in to see him we were told that the nurse would be right in to administer the shots. Jackson looked at me and said, "I need to hide." He hid under the table, then under the chair, then under the counter behind the trash can. When she came in he fought it, but then got all 3 shots without even crying. He actually said that it wasn't that bad. Note that I said that he got 3 shots. He was supposed to get his MMR vaccine as well, but I reminded the doctor of the big reaction that he got to his first MMR at about a year old. He started with a fever and then broke out in the full blown measles for about 3-4 days. The doctor had said that he had never seen anything like it. He told me that we could wait and do that one next year if I would prefer. As I was leaving the nurse whispered that she remembered how awful Jackson looked that day that I had frantically brought him in and that she was glad that I decided to wait. I felt so "Jenny McCarthy". Haha. I'm glad that I brought it up again, though because it was terrifying the first time and to have the option of waiting did make me feel a lot better. Now I have to worry about Gavin who will be up for his in just a few months.

Here's poor Jackson at 12 months with the "measles" from the MMR vaccine. He looks like those "worst case scenario pictures" in the medical books. I remember seeing the pictures back then and thinking that they didn't even capture how awful it looked in person.

We had gone to a lab to get blood work done to make sure that he didn't have a weak immune system, and everything had turned out okay. So I guess it was just a freak thing.

Last weekend, my mom, my sister, my niece, and Jackson, Gavin, and I went to Port Aransas for a couple of days. We had a great time, but it went by too fast. Jackson and Evan got to play on the beach with Brooke and I, as my mom watched Gavin in the room. We all enjoyed the pool at the hotel, and the big kids got to show off what they had learned this summer at swim lessons.





Gavin is still the happiest baby ever. He is so easy going and happy 98% of the time. He still doesn't have any teeth, but has all the signs that they will be popping out soon.


Unfortunately, our days are numbered, and we've got only about 10 more days until the boys start their day school and I'll be starting back about a week later. It makes me so sad to think about how fast that this time has gone by. I keep thinking back about every month that has gone by and how much we've done. We've really enjoyed going to storytime, gymnastics, making new friends, going to the zoo without the crowds, visiting with old friends, going to the playground and being the only ones there, and so much more. I think about the good times that Jackson had going to his preschool twice a week in the spring. I have learned so much about being a parent, about myself, and my two wonderful little guys. I've had an amazing time and I wouldn't trade the time that I've had with my boys for anything. Having Gavin when we did couldn't have worked out any better. The timing was perfect. I've always worked hard at being able to balance work and home. Having my family as my one and only priority for these last several months has been nice, but now it's time for me to try and create that balance once again. Part of me is happy for Jackson to be back around his friends, to have the structure of the classroom environment, and to have someone other than me telling him what to do--hopefully he will listen to his teachers better than he listens to me. Gavin will adapt I'm sure, I'm just really going to miss seeing his smiling face all day every day. Well, this is not the post that I thought that I would be writing right now. I actually thought that I was going to post Jackson's stats and go to bed, but it's probably better that I get it out, as everyday I am dreading looking at the calendar. On that note...I better get off to bed.