The Dart Family

Swimming, getting bigger, and the 4th of July!

2009-07-10T23:08:00.003-04:00

Just some new pictures of all the kiddos!

Look how big the babies are getting! Sitting up! "Army crawling" (McCall's new trick)! Babbling (Hadden has started babbling "dada" and "yaya")!

Jackson, his popsicle, and his army man swimming!

Hadden thinks Jackson is SO funny!

McCall loves splashing in the water!

Happy Birthday, America!!!!

I'll have more great pictures of July 4th soon! My wonderful friend, Jennifer, is a professional photographer (www.jennifergraysonphotography.com) and she took some great pictures of the kids at the 4th of July BBQ at her parents' house! Cant wait to see them all and post them here!

6 month stats

2009-07-02T14:38:00.002-04:00

I took the babies for their 6 month appointment today (they're actually 6 1/2 months old today so we're a couple of weeks late getting in for the appointment!). Here are their stats:

Hadden:

20lbs 12oz (90th+ %)
27 inches (50th %)

McCall:

15lbs (just above 25th %)
26 3/4 inches (about 75th %)

I couldnt believe that they were basically the same length! McCall is going to be a skinny, tall girl! And Hadden is medium height and chunky right now!

Dr. Shelley asked me how much/often they're eating (formula) and he said that they're actually drinking more formula than most kids their age. I feed them formula first and then baby food, but I think I might try a little less formula and a little more baby food. They also love munching on their baby mum-mum crackers and like the puffs (but they cant pick the puffs up yet, so I have to put them in their mouths!). I've been guilty of breaking off small pieces of bread or whatever I'm eating and giving them some, but both of them have the chewing motion down pat, so I figure it's just practice for them!

They'll go back to the doctor in September for their 9 month appointment--no vaccines at that one, so no shots!

Jackson continues to be a great big brother! He loves his little brother and sister so much!

We've finally made some headway with Jackson being potty-trained. He's by no means there yet, because he still has tee-tee accidents in his pullups (the only reason he's using pullups at all is because I dont have enough regular underwear to last but a couple of days before being washed!), but he always poops in the potty. I havent changed a poopy diaper (of his, anyway) in days and days! It's so wonderful! We're just going to keep practicing with tee-teeing and hopefully the accidents he has in his pullups will wear off! The other night he actually woke Brian up around 3am because he had to go to the potty, so that's definitely a good start!

My kids are all growing up so fast! I just cant believe it!!!

Wedding bells

2009-06-23T15:22:00.006-04:00

This past weekend we traveled to Columbia, SC for my friend, Freddy, and his fiance, Morgan's. wedding! I've known Freddy since high school! It was the babies' first trip out of town, and they did really well! They slept in Pack-n-plays that the hotel provided. We all went--all 5 of us, my parents, and my brother (who was the best man).

Unfortunately, the first day we were there, Jackson got sick. And he stayed sick the entire time we were in Columbia. In fact, we had to take him to the ER last night for a super-high fever (105 degrees). Turns out he has a double ear infection, so we have antibiotics and hopefully he;ll start feeling better soon!

Here are some pictures from our weekend in Columbia:

Jackson in the fire truck at the EdVenture Museum

Hadden

A rare picture of me, holding the twins! Of course, neither of them are looking at the camera!

Jackson at the museum

Hadden and Grandma at the wedding reception

McCall and Grandma at the reception

McCall with Daddy at the hotel (eating one of Jackson's Star Wars toys!)

Me with the bride and groom!!!

The fam at the reception (poor Jackson was sick)

I dont know how all of the pictures always get so out of order from the way I want them posted! But, there they are anyway!

Just an update...

2009-05-23T22:28:00.002-04:00

I took McCall to the doctor yesterday because she had gotten a little congested and had a weird redness on her right cheek. I didnt really think it was anything big, but wanted to get her checked out because we were heading into a holiday weekend and the doc wouldnt be there Monday.

So, everything is fine. The congestion is very slight and she's not on any medication for it--just some saline nose drops if we want to, but I havent done it. The redness on her cheek is just some sort of skin irritation--possibly caused by the way she sleeps (and slobbers!) on it or even possibly from teething. All-in-all, a good report!

Of course, the nurse at the pediatrician's office weighed her before the doctor saw her, and I had Hadden with me and wanted him weighed, as well.

The babies are 5 months and 5 days old and their weights are:

McCall: 14lbs 4oz

Hadden: 20lbs

Hard to believe that Hadden is already at 20 pounds! I looked in Jackson's baby book to compare weights, and at 5 months old Hadden weighs more than Jackson did at 6 months old. I think we have a football player on our hands!!! He has almost outgrown the infant car seat that we have for the babies--the weight limit on it is 22 pounds, so we'll have to start looking for a convertible car seat soon! He is definitely very heavy to carry around in the infant seat already. And McCall isnt much lighter!

I started the babies on baby food and they love it! So far they've had sweet potatoes, carrots, and squash. They've also had some applesauce and some rice cereal with apples and cinnamon. I'm going to start the green veggies next, then on to more fruit!

They have also started sleeping much better (I hope I'm not jinxing myself!). They still wake up and fuss a couple of times a night, but I feed them and put them to bed around 9:45 pm and they dont eat again until around 5 or 5:30am. And this morning they slept until 6:30am! We'll see if it becomes a trend and if I need to readjust the schedule I have them on right now.

We'll be taking our first out-of-town trip next month. We're going to Columbia, SC to my friend, Freddy's wedding. I'm hoping that everything goes well and that the babies adjust well to not being at home!

Jackson is just the sweetest big brother I have ever seen! Surprisingly, he gravitates to McCall more than he does Hadden! I call Jackson and McCall the "dynamic duo" and I know we're going to have to watch out for those two in the years to come! Of course, he just loves Hadden to death, but he always wants McCall to sit next to him in the car, and he goes to her crib first in the morning, and he plays with her first. He loves his little sister (and his little brother, too!).

I've been trying and trying to potty-train Jackson, but to no avail. He just literally refuses to go to the potty! I know that pushing him to do it will just make it harder, so I'm just going to keep trying to encourage him to do it! I need to get some more bribery tools!

4 month well check-up stats...

2009-04-23T17:16:00.002-04:00

The babies had their 4 month check-up today and the great mystery of how much weight that had gained was solved!

Of course, I knew they had gained weight and grown a ton over the past 2 months, but Hadden was the biggest mystery to me. McCall is just a petite little princess--always has been and always will be. But Hadden has bulked up to unbelievable proportions since his meager 5 lbs 5 oz at birth.

Because they were premature, their pediatrician follows them on 2 different growth charts--one growth chart for their age by when they were born (so, for a 4 month old) and one growth chart by their due date (which was January 17th, so for a 3 month old). Up to now, they were barely on the growth chart for their actual age--they were so small that they were only on the charts for babies a month younger than they are. But today that all changed! They caught up with babies their same age and are now on the "regular baby" chart!

So, here it goes...the stats:

McCall (birthweight of 3lbs 13oz): 12 lbs 8 oz (25th percentile)
24 1/4 inches

Hadden (birthweight of 5lbs 5oz): 17lbs 2 oz (90th percentile!!!!)
25 inches

You can do the math--since their birth 4 months ago, McCall has gained almost 9 pounds and Hadden has gained almost 12 pounds! Both of them have grown just about 7 inches in length! Hadden is actually bigger than Jackson was at this same age--amazing!

We have a busy month ahead...we have something to do every weekend in May, wrapping up the month with the babies' baptism on May 30th! We're looking forward to it all!

Birth Announcement and birthday party!!!

2009-04-22T01:07:00.005-04:00

Yes, the twins are 4-months old now, but I have just finally gotten around to having their birth announcements printed up and put in the mail! Hey--I've been busy! :)

My wonderful friend, Jennifer Grayson (http://www.jennifergraysonphotography.com/) is a professional photographer and came to our house when the twins were about 6 weeks old and took some amazing pictures. And then she lovingly put together a beautiful birth announcement for me to print up and mail out. Thank you so much, Jennifer--you are awesome!!!

Photos courtesy of Jennifer Grayson Photography

So, onto the big birthday celebration:

Jackson turned 3 on April 3rd and we had a Pirates of the Caribbean birthday party for him this year. He loves Pirates (among other things), so we decorated the house and had some fun things set up in the backyard for the kids. But, of course, it rained that day so we were forced to move everything into the house! Jackson got some wonderful toys and had a great time playing with all of his friends. In true "Nancy fashion," all of the pictures I took are still on my camera and havent made their way onto the computer yet, but maybe I'll eventually get around to posting some!

Jackson also had his 3 year well-checkup with the pediatrician. He didnt need any shots, but did have his finger pricked--you would have thought that they tried to amputate his finger with the way he acted! He had a bright orange bandaid on his finger and all day long he refused to use his hand because he had it on and was "injured!" So funny!

His 3-year stats are:

Height: 37 inches
Weight: 32 1/2 pounds

He's right around the 50th percentile in both areas, so he's plugging along nicely! I'm just hoping that he can get closer to 40 inches tall before we go to Disney World in September so that he can ride some new rides that have a height requirement (we just might have to buy some platform shoes!) :)

The babies are going in for their 4-month well-checkup this week, so I'll update again on their stats. Hadden is huge and McCall is still a petite little girl, so I cant wait to see how much they weigh now!

Because I've been bad with posting pictures, here are a TON from way back...

2009-03-04T23:50:00.006-05:00

Brian, Jackson, and McCall

Christmas Day before we went to the hospital

Family picture on Christmas Day in the hospital

The babies' names on the baby board from the hospital on Christmas Day. They posted their first names--we've cursed the babies by calling them by their middle names!

The day after Christmas--finally going home!

The car ride home--December 26, 2008

Hadden

McCall

Sweet, tiny babies

All 3 of my angels (McCall was not so happy about having her picture taken). I cant remember the date that this was taken...sometime in mid-January 2009.

McCall with soapy hair in the tub. March 3, 2009

McCall sleeping in her crib--do you think she's comfy!? March 4, 2009

Soapy Hadden--March 3, 2009

2-month checkups

2009-03-04T23:32:00.002-05:00

I'm a couple of weeks late with posting the info from the twins' 2-month checkups. They're 11 weeks old now and are growing like weeds!

At their 2 month check-up (which was 2 weeks ago), McCall weighed in at 8lbs 4oz and was 20 inches long. Hadden was a whopping 10lbs 12oz and was 21 inches long.

I'm still in total amazement of how much and how quickly they've grown in just 11 weeks. They are both so strong--you can just tell they're itching to just jump up and run around! They are very aware of everything going on around them and Hadden is very vocal. McCall is vocal, as well, but she definitely lets her big brother do most of the "talking" for them! She is a wiggle-worm, though--always squirming and wiggling her way out of her blankets and around the floor.

The other day I put her on the floor on her back to change her diaper. I turned away for just a second to grab the diaper and she had flipped all the way onto her stomach! She hasnt done it since then, and I'm thinking it might have just been a one-time deal for now, but that's just how much of a mover she is!

Even at this early age, we can already see personalities developing in the babies. Hadden is much more laid back--he'll just sit in his bouncy-chair or the swing or on the couch and look around, while McCall is a little more high-maintenence, wanting to be held all of the time and entertained.

When the babies first came home they both got horrible diaper rash and we realized that they were allergic to diaper wipes. So, since then, I've just been using paper towels and water to change them. About a week ago I gave wipes a try again, thinking they might have out-grown their allergy. Unfortunately, Hadden immediately developed a diaper rash that we're still battling, so I guess it's back to paper towels and water for us! The folks at the Bounty factory must be loving me right now!

Just some more pictures from when the babies were born...

2009-02-23T12:12:00.003-05:00

This is me just before heading to the doctor's office on December 18, 2008. Little did I know that I'd be having my babies in just a few short hours!

Brian and his daughter--she's already got him wrapped around her finger!

What a great and proud big brother! December 19, 2008

This is Hadden in the special care nursery with his feeding tube--December 19, 2008

McCall in the special care nursery with her feeding tube--December 19, 2008

Babies' birthday

2009-02-22T16:49:00.006-05:00

I know I have been very slack with updating my blog, but as you can imagine, things are hectic around the Dart household now that the twins are here!

I never got around to posting my "birth story"--what actually happened the day my babies were born, so here it goes:

I had been on anti-contraction medication for months and was taking it regularly every 4 hours. The night of December 17th I overslept and missed my 5am dose of medication. When I woke up I could tell I was having some slight contractions, but I took my medicine at 7 am on December 18th and started my day.

As the morning went on, though, I could tell that the medicine wasnt working to stop the contractions and I was getting more and more uncomfortable. I was scheduled for a regular checkup with my doctor the next day, but I called anyway to see if I should come in and get checked out. My doctor decided to just bring me in that day, just to see what was going on.

So, off I went to the doctor at about 11 am December 18th. I went in for my growth scan
ultrasound (I had been having these every 2 weeks to make sure that the babies were growing nicely) and we found that in 2 1/2 weeks McCall had not gained any weight at all. In fact, one measurement the ultrasound tech did showed that she had actually lost a few ounces. So, before even seeing my doctor I knew things werent right.

I finally got into see my doctor and the first words out of her mouth were "What have you had to eat today?" Because I knew I was going to have a csection I pretty much figured out where she was going with her line of questioning. She said that because McCall's growth was obviously being restricted that we needed to go ahead and have the babies that day. She did check me for dilation and I was 3 cm dilated and in early labor anyway, so birth day had come at 35 weeks and 5 days of pregnancy!

They took me right over to the hospital (my doctor's office is at the hospital where I delivered) and got me in the triage area to start my IV and monitor my contractions. The nurse there told me that I was 4th in line for a c-section, but that they put my on a monitor to assess whether my contractions were regular enough and my labor was strong enough to push me to the front of the line. Apparently my labor was progressing enough (I was contracting about every 3-5 minutes at this point) that I was moved up to be next in line.

My parents and brother had come to the hospital with Jackson and were waiting in the waiting room for updates. Typically at Candler, when you have a c-section, they will wheel the baby down the hall to the nursery and stop by the waiting room to show the family, so they were waiting for the big moment!

I got into the operating room and got set up and the surgery actually started before Brian even came in the room! They brought Brian in and my doctor started my surgery at 3:42 pm. Eight minutes later, at 3:50 pm, Brian Hadden was born. Olivia McCall was born 1 minute later at 3:51 pm.

As each baby was born my doctor held them up so I could see them (I really just saw them for a couple of seconds each) and they were given to the nursing staff from the Special Care nursery. I do remember asking how much they each weighed--Hadden was 5 pounds 5 ounces and McCall was 3 pounds 13 ounces. I dont remember much of the rest of the surgery because I was given some medication for the pain that sort of knocked me out a little bit, but Brian left with the babies and headed to the special care nursery. Unfortunately, the nurses werent able to stop at the waiting room to show the family the babies because they had to get upstairs to be evaluated more closely.

After the recovery room I was taken to my hospital room and finally got to see my parents and Jackson. They had all been to the special care nursery to see the babies--something I wouldnt get to do for another 12 hours! But, Brian took pictures and video of the babies so that I could see them.

I was having some blood pressure issues, so my nurse wouldnt let me go to the nursery to see the babies until it was stable enough that I would be OK to go over there. Finally, at 4 am the next morning, I got to see my babies for the first time! It was so amazing and overwhelming--of course I cried!

I stayed in the hospital for 4 days, having to go back and forth to the Special Care Nursery to see and feed the babies. They were in the hospital for 8 days and came home on December 26th--the day after Christmas.

Brian all dressed and ready to go to the operating room with me

Brian Hadden Dart

Olivia McCall Dart

Me seeing the babies for the first time

Jackson meeting his brother and sister for the first time

The babies are here!

2008-12-20T22:24:00.003-05:00

I just spent, literally, over an hour typing a long blog with the story of the birth and tons of photos of the twins, and when I tried to post it, the hospital's internet usage agreement page popped up and erased everything! Needless to say, I'm furious!

But, I'll get to it again sometime soon! Here's a picture of the babies for now...

Born Thursday, December 18, 2008

(on the left) Olivia McCall Dart

Born at 3:51 pm

3 pounds 13 ounces

18 1/2 inches

(on the right) Brian Hadden Dart

Born at 3:50 pm

5 pounds 5 ounces

18 inches

Jackson and his friends...

2008-12-11T22:54:00.003-05:00

Addison, Mason, Jackson, and Payton

Bank of America had their family holiday party tonight at Flying Frogs, an indoor playground for kids. Santa was there handing out presents and Jackson and Brian had so much fun running around and playing! I went, but basically just sat around and watched (since I am technically still on bedrest!) and chatted with all the other moms.

We had a great time and our friend (and awesome photographer), Jennifer, took all the pictures for the event (Addison is her daughter).

In the home stretch to D-day!

2008-12-01T23:11:00.004-05:00

But, not without my share of problems popping up at each appointment!

I'm sure that nobody is truly interested in all the sad details of my doctor's appointments and how each one lasts about 2 1/2 to 3 hours or how new and unusual issues keep coming up, but here's a short breakdown of what's going on:

I had my regular weekly appointment with a nurse practitioner the day before Thanksgiving and my blood pressure was up. I begged and pleaded to not be put in the hospital over the holiday, so I was sent home with strict instructions to lay around and do absolutely nothing until today (Monday) when I was to go back in to see my regular doctor for a check-up and ultrasound to make sure the babies are OK.

So, I go in today and find out immediately that my doctor was called to the other hospital in Savannah to deliver a baby, so she was running at least 45 minutes behind schedule. I was taken in for my ultrasound to see how big the babies are and to make sure they had enough fluid...everything is great there!

Hadden is weighing in at 4 pounds 7 ounces
McCall is weighing in at 4 pounds 3 ounces

After my ultrasound--rather than sit there for an hour or more waiting on my doctor--I went downstairs and got lunch, then came back to the doctor's office and was put on the contraction monitor. Apparently I'm contracting some still (I didnt feel most of them and they were teeny-tiny contractions), but they are enough that they've changed my cervix and I'm now 1 cm dilated!

What's not helping the situation is that I have a pretty nasty cough right now and my doctor is worried that I might literally cough myself into breaking my water--I didnt even know that was possible!

So, I have to take the contraction meds every 6 hours without fail now and I'm also on a prescription strength cough medicine to (hopefully) stop the coughing.

That ended up not being as short an explaination as I'd hoped, but there's the info if you're interested! I have no clue what's going to happen in the next few weeks...I have to go back in on Friday for my second appointment of the week to be re-checked! I'm still hoping to hold on to these babies for at least 2 to 3 more weeks, but we'll see!

Oh--I forgot to add that my total weight gain for this pregnancy is 18 pounds. My doctor just says that I'm, literally, all baby and nothing else! I just hope that it comes off easily when they're born!

My doctor's appointment this week...

2008-11-21T22:38:00.002-05:00

I had to go in earlier in the week than I usually do--I usually like to go in on Fridays because I switch from week to week of pregnancy on Saturdays and I feel better going in as close to my week change as possible. But, my doctor was off Friday this week so I had to go in Wednesday instead.

I had another growth scan to see how big the babies had gotten over the past 2 (well, actually 1 1/2 weeks). Hadden weighed in at 3 lbs. 14 oz. and McCall was 3 lbs. 13 oz.

They didnt exactly gain the "1/2 pound a week" that they say that some babies do gain, but they are both in the 45% for fetal weight at 32 weeks gestation, which is great for twins.

I was put on the monitor and found out that I'm having some major contractions, so I am now taking terbutaline (an anti-contraction medicine) as-needed when I feel that they're picking up. There are some horrible side effects of this medicine--jittery shaking, nausea, horrible heartburn--so I'm trying not to take it too often.

In the past 3 weeks I've actually lost 1 pound (which I totally dont get at all--I eat like a horse all day long!), so my doctor just wants me to eat and eat and eat. As you can imagine, there isnt much room in my belly anymore (I'm already measuring 38 weeks gestation) so eating that much is just impossible. I've gained a total of 15 pounds so far.

The good news is that both babies are head down. I'm not sure how much more flipping around they're going to do, since space is limited, so hopefully I'll be able to avoid surgery!

I go back in next Wednesday (the day before Thanksgiving) for my next appointment, so we'll see what's going on then!

Updates...I have pictures, too!

2008-11-09T23:35:00.009-05:00

YEAH--I finally have some pictures of my little man to post! They're in backwards-order from how I want them posted, but this stupid blogger wont let me rearrange the order of the pics!

Jackson at Disney on Ice, November 5th

Showing off his super-cool Flounder hat at Disney on Ice

Halloween, getting ready to go trick-or-treating at Grandma and Granddaddy's house. To infinity and beyond!

My sweet Buzz Lightyear on Halloween! (He posed like this all by himself--I didnt even tell him to!)

Carving a pumpkin with daddy a week before Halloween....the finished product!

My boys playing with pumpkin goo!

I guess I cant really call him "little" because Jackson is getting so big! He is so, so smart and loves just talking and talking all day long. He has the memory of an elephant, so something he did or heard weeks and weeks (or months) ago still becomes topic of many conversations. His favorite thing to talk about is Disney World, but he also loves sports (mainly football and baseball) and snuggling in the bed to watch TV. He loves singing and remembers new songs after hearing them only once or twice. He knows his ABCs and can count to 14! He's going to be such a great big brother--he knows the babies are coming and sometimes puts his toy basketball under his shirt and says he has babies in his tummy just like mommy!

Of course, I have TONS more pictures that I could post, but these are the most recent--being from the past couple of weeks.

On to pregnancy news--I'm 30 weeks pregnant now and I'm still going to the doctor every week. I actually just had my most recent growth scan this past Friday and the babies are getting so big!

Hadden is 3 lbs. 6 oz. and McCall is 3 lbs. 2 oz!

My doctor feels confident that I might make it to the 36 week mark, which will be December 20th. I'm determined, though, that if I do make it that far these babies WILL be born before the end of 2008!

Hadden has flipped around and is breech now (and has been for weeks) and McCall is head-down, but sort of sideways in my belly. Since Hadden is "baby A" and is the biggest one of the two, he'll have to flip back to being head-down for me to not need a c-section. I'm thinking I'm going to be going under the knife to get these kids out because room is getting scarce in my belly for big movements!

I've been feeling sort of crummy lately--I just feel really big (although everyone tells me I dont look big for being 7 1/2 months along with twins. I've only gained 16 pounds, but it feels like so much more!) and I have really, really bad heartburn. Sleeping is a thing of the past--I usually just find myself passing out on the couch around 4 am and sleeping until Brian and Jackson get up in the morning. I count down the minutes to Jackson's naptime every day because I'm completely exhausted all of the time and try to rest when he does. Thank goodness for my parents who help out so much with watching Jackson and giving me a break when I need it!

Weekly visits to the doctor

2008-10-09T14:22:00.003-04:00

Yes, they have started already. I'm right at 26 weeks pregnant (6 1/2 months) and I'll be going in to see the doc every week until the babies come. At every appointment I will be hooked up to the monitor to see if I'm having consistant contractions and I will also be having ultrasounds about every 2 weeks to monitor the babies growth.

I had my first growth scan this morning and we found out that Hadden weighs 2 lbs. and McCall is 1 lb. 14 oz. I was shocked--to me, that seems big for twins at this point! Everything looked great--they were both jumpin' and jivin' around in there!

Hadden is still behaving and is head-down, very low in my pelvis. McCall is the wild-card because she flips around all of the time! Right now she's head-up in a frank breech position (her legs are up over her head, in a very not-so-ladylike-manner). It's still anyone's guess as to whether I'll have to have a c-section or not. I'm hoping that with Hadden being head-down and first that I wont have to have surgery to get these babes out!

We've started to get the nursery together (or I should say Brian has started). Since I'm on modified bedrest I cant do much, but I consider myself the "director" of the nursery--I'll let Brian and Jackson do the big work! The cribs are up (no mattresses yet, though) and all the painting is finished. I'm using an old desk as a changing table and my chest of drawers is still at my parents' house, but it's coming together!

And just an update on Jackson--he sailed through his ear infection like a champ! He didnt really like taking his medicine for 10 days, but it knocked the infection out! I have a feeling that he's gearing up for a growth spurt (if he's not already in the midst of one) because he's been eating so much more and sleeping for longer periods of time for his nap. He's gained a little weight, too, so we'll see if he sprouts up a couple of inches soon!

He is so sweet and so smart and is really looking forward to being a big brother! He calls the babies "my babies" and says that he wants to teach them to play baseball and football when they come. He talks to my belly (and the babies really respond to hearing his voice) and hugs the babies all the time! I just hope the love-fest continues when there are 2 crying babies in the house!

Back from Disney...and still on bedrest!

2008-09-26T14:45:00.002-04:00

I guess I should just resign myself to the fact that I'm going to be on some form of bedrest from now until the babies come. I had my 24 week appointment yesterday and I was SO hoping that my doctor would take me off of bedrest--no such luck. There is technically nothing wrong--no preterm labor or dialation of my cervix or anything like that--but because I had problems when I was pregnant with Jackson, and because I have 2 babies in there this time, I remain on modified bedrest.

Basically that means that I'm supposed to be "stationary" for most of the day--I cant go schlepping around the grocery store and unloading the groceries, cant do big, heavy loads of laundry, cant chase Jackson around (yeah right--tell him that!), etc. Really, I'm not supposed to engage in any strenuous activity.

So, I guess it was a good idea NOT to tell my doctor that I went to Disney World this past weekend--she probably would have had a heart attack! We had a great time! For the first time we took Jackson to Mickey's Not-so-Scary Halloween Party and it was AWESOME! I highly recommend it to anyone who's going down there in September or October! Jackson dressed up in his Woody costume from last year and got pictures with the characters from Toy Story. We got TONS of candy and saw the super-cute Halloween parade that they put on.

I promise pictures are coming....

I'm still here...

2008-09-17T13:29:00.003-04:00

The good news is that we FINALLY got a new laptop! The bad news is that I still havent figured out how to download pictures onto it to post them. But, I promise a whole slew of pictures is coming in the near future!

We took our 3rd Disney World trip of the year over Labor Day weekend and we had such a great time! Jackson just loves Disney so much--it's all he talks about when we're at home! His favorite rides are the Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Toy Story. He also really loves the parades that are at the different parks throughout the day.

As you can imagine, Disney is the absolute last place on earth that my doctor wanted me to go. But, I promised her that I would rent a scooter and not walk all over the earth and she relented. So, I did it--Brian actually rented me one of those little scooters and I just scooted myself all over the place! As funny as it may seem (and, trust me, it was) it was truly a life-saver. There is no way I could have walked around all over the parks. We're planning on sneaking back down there again this weekend, but I will NOT be telling my doctor about this trip...

Mainly because yesterday, at 22 weeks and 3 days pregnant, she put me on modified bedrest. Not because anything significant has happened, though. I went in for an unscheduled visit with her because I started having some weird pains that I wanted to get checked out, and she decided to go ahead and have me start resting more. Of course, this news has come AFTER we'd made our plans and reservations in Orlando, so there will be lots more scooting around for me!

The same day I was put on bedrest, Jackson got sick and went to the doctor as well. Turns out he has an ear infection in his right ear. This is the first time he's ever had an ear infection in his life, and only the 3rd time in his life that he's ever been sick, so I pride myself on keeping him healthy for most of his 2 1/2 years on this planet! But, he's on antibiotics and is already feeling much better. He's still very, very excited about going to Disney this weekend!

So, that's what is going on around here. The babies are rockin-and-rollin all the time in my belly--I'm constantly being kicked and poked by one or both of them (I really dont think they every sleep in there!). They did an ultrasound yesterday when I went in for the pains and Hadden is still head-down and low. McCall flipped around and is now head-up and higher up in my belly, so I'm being kicked and punched at both ends!

The pregnancy continues...

2008-08-14T19:15:00.002-04:00

It's week 17 (almost 18) and I'm getting huge! Well, at least I feel huge. I didnt start showing when I was pregnant with Jackson until I was about 6 months along, so the mere fact that I even look pregnant now is shocking to me.

The funny thing is that I, technically, havent gained any weight yet! I lost about 12 pounds in my first trimester because I was so sick, and I've only gained back 5 of those pounds. So, I'm still 7 pounds away from reaching my pre-pregnancy weight! I'm sure I'll catch-up soon enough, though!

The big news is that our babies have names! Well, we've pretty much had names picked out for months and months now, but now we're 100% sure!

Our boy will be Brian Hadden (we'll call him Hadden)

Our girl will be Olivia McCall (we'll call her McCall)

I'll be having my big 20 week ultrasound in 2 weeks and we'll get to see the babes again. After that I dont know what my doctor schedule will look like. I've already been told that I'll be on at least a modified bedrest by week 28 and through my third trimester, so I'm feeling a little rushed to get things planned and done before then! I already have crib bedding that I ordered about a month ago, and we have our cribs ordered (thanks mom and dad!), so we have some stuff done!

The gender mystery has been solved!

2008-07-31T15:46:00.002-04:00

I was supposed to go in to the doctor's office tomorrow to find out the gender of the babies, but had to go in today for an unscheduled visit and they moved the big ultrasound to today! So we now know the gender of our 2 little beans!

We're having:

A BOY AND A GIRL!

We are so excited! It's so wonderful to finally know so that we can name them and start giving them an "identity," rather than just calling them "the big one" and "the little one" or "twin A" and "twin B."

So, Brian was right all along. From the very first moment we found out it was twins, he said he thought that the smaller of the two was going to be a girl. Now, later on he changed to say that he "thought" it was 2 boys, but I'm thinking that was just a preference and not an intuition. First impressions are always right--the smaller of the 2 babes is the girl!

SURPRISE!

2008-06-25T11:49:00.005-04:00

We're pregnant...with TWINS!

My due date has been set at January 17th, 2009 but because we're having twins it will most likely be some time at the end of December. We are very excited about this, and nervous too! Jackson already knows that there are 2 babies in mommy's tummy and he talks to them and asks me when they can come out!

We're going to find out what we're having in about 5 1/2 weeks, so we'll keep you posted! Brian's intuition says we're having 2 boys! My mom thinks it's one of each. I have no intuition at all! Feel free to make your guesses!

A few updates...

2008-03-19T16:11:00.004-04:00

I havent gotten any better about updating this blog in the past couple of months. But, as I said in my last post, out laptop computer died so I havent been able to upload any new photos! I promise I'll try to get on that soon.

Jackson is growing like a weed! He'll be turning 2 on April 3rd, so just a couple of weeks from now. I can hardly believe how quickly time has gone by. He's so smart and very active--he's very big into repeating things that he hears mommy and daddy say so we're really having to watch our tounges! He has come out with some not-so-great things to say and it's so hard not to laugh when he says them. He loves to sing and dance and loves watching his shows on TV. Some of his favorites are Super Why, Curious George, and the Backyardigans. Of course, he's still completely obsessed with Toy Story--Buzz and Woody are a huge hit in our house!

He amazes me every day with new things he can say and do. And he is so incredibly sweet when he says he loves you--it melts my heart!

About a month or so ago Jackson learned to climb out of his crib, so now he's in a big-boy bed. Unfortunately, now that he can get up and move around at any time he's still in the habit of coming into our room at some point during the night and getting into bed with us. I'm just not seeing any light at the end of the tunnel with breaking him of this so we're just dealing with it.

Jackson and Brian were in the Savannah St. Patrick's Day parade again this year! The parade was Friday, March 14th and Jackson had an absolute blast this year! Last year was a little weird because he was still so young, but this year we really geared up for the big day! We practiced marching in the parade for weeks and Jackson decided he wanted to wave and say "Hi and Bye" to people. He loved all of the bands in the parade and broke it down a couple of times. I have video (not that I know how to upload that) and pictures--I promise they'll be posted one day!

I saw in another friend's blog that they started "tagging" their other blogging friends to write 10 things about their children. So, I'll start mine here...10 things about Jackson:

10. By no fault of his own, Jackson still needs me to sit in the room with him to fall asleep at night. I take all the blame for this activity, but I dont mind it at all--I'm usually in his room less than 5 minutes before he's out like a light! Plus, he always says I love you before he falls asleep, and I wouldnt miss that for anything!

9. He really isnt much of a breakfast person at all (just like his mommy). I always offer him things to eat in the morning, but he'll usually only eat a couple of bites and that's it. I stopped making "larger" breakfasts for him, so now we usually have a bannana or a few bites of a waffle or something else small.

8. Another terrible thing--Jackson drinks absolutely no milk at all. He used to suck it down like it was the only thing available to him, but now all he will drink is sweet tea and juices. But, on the plus side, he LOVES cheese so I load him down with that so that he'll get some calcium!

7. Jackson is also a very picky eater and wont try many new foods. We exist mainly on chicken nuggets (I buy the all-white-meat breast nuggets because it makes me feel like it's better for him), cheese quesidillas, an occasional corn dog, and potatoes of any kind. He'll also eat tons and tons of fruit. He gets a vitamin every day, so I'm just not one of those mothers that freaks out about his weird eating habits!

6. 6 weeks ago was the first time Jackson had ever been watched by anyone other than my parents and also the first time he had been in a "nursery" situation. Usually when we'd go to church we'd just leave him with my parents, but we started taking him to the nursery. He had sort of a hard time at first, but now he loves going to "church school" (as he calls it).

5. Jackson is currently obsessed with 2 of our friends, Nick and Jennifer (well, mostly Jennifer!). Literally every single time we get in the car he says "see boo-boo and Nick" (funny story about the boo-boo thing...that's what he calls Jennifer. We were at Disney with Nick and Jennifer last September and Jackson accidentally walked in on Jennifer in the bathroom as she was getting out of the shower. Obviously he saw her chest--which he previously called boo-boos--and now he calls her boo-boo and has ever since then). Luckilly, Jennifer just had a baby and is on maternity leave so we get to see them much more often than we used to!

4. Jackson likes dogs at a distance, but has become a little afraid of them if they come close.

3. One of Jackson's favorite things to do when we're laying on the bed together is blow on my stomach! I blow on his tummy to make him laugh, so now he'll say "mommy's tummy" and I'll let him blow on my tummy. He literally slams his face onto my stomach and blows as hard as he can to make that silly noise and he gets a kick out of it every time!

2. We really like Disney movies, so we've let Jackson watch several of them. One of the newer ones we've watched is A Bug's Life. After the first time of watching it, Jackson came to us and said (completely unprompted) "grasshoppers eat food"--if you dont know the movie, the grasshoppers are the "bad guys" and eat all the ant's food. So now, if you ask Jackson "who eats all the food" he'll answer every time "grasshoppers eat food." Very cute that he picked that up from watching the movie...

1. Jackson knows everyone's name: he knows (and will say) Jackson Dart, Nancy Dart, and Brian Dart, among others. But his most-favorite of the bunch is daddy's name, Brian Dart. Sometimes when Brian is sitting around and Jackson tries to get his attention, he'll just say "Brian Dart" rather than daddy. He also calls himself "Jackson Brian Dart" (which is not his full name!) and sometimes calls me "Mommy Brian Dart."

Whew...it was hard coming up with 10 not-too-boring things to put down! Not that I think anything about Jackson is boring, but I'm sure some of the more mundane details might be boring to someone who is not his mommy!

So, I'm going to tag Jennifer to write 10 things about her new beautiful baby girl, Addison!

I promise we're still here...

2008-01-23T14:41:00.001-05:00

I know it's been forever since I last blogged, but we've been SO busy!

First, our laptop computer died on us so we had no computer at all. We dug Brian's old desk top out of storage and we're using that right now.

Second, WE MOVED! Yeah--we love our new house!

As soon as I get a decent computer, I'll post some pictures of us!

'Tis the Season

2007-12-13T21:57:00.000-05:00

Jackson got to meet Santa tonight! The bank where Brian works had a family night with Santa--food, fun, and pictures with the jolly old elf!

Jackson is obsessed with Santa--he actually calls him "guy" for some reason! Every time he sees a picture of Santa or sees him on tv he says "guy"--it's funny the names kids give things!

We had a great time and Jackson loved getting to sit in Santa's lap.

Jackson and the Big Guy...

The fam and St. Nick...

Jackson had his yearly follow-up appointment with the neurosurgeon today (he had surgery when he was 11 weeks old to correct craniosynostosis). He had a cat scan yesterday and everything looks good! There is still a little bit of extra protrusion of his forehead, but it will most likely correct itself over time as Jackson grows. He could have another surgery to correct the cosmetic look of it, but I really dont think it's worth it! He's so beautiful and sweet and I think he looks fabulous!

A day at the park

2007-11-05T16:21:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, Brian and I took Jackson to Forsyth Park downtown for a picnic and to play. We had a wonderful time! The weather was great and Jackson had a blast running around playing football with daddy and seeing all of the people walking their dogs.

Brian and Jackson playing football

Me and Jackson

Playing at the playground

The static electricity from the slide had Jackson's hair doing funny things!

WAY behind on blogging!

2007-10-21T20:39:00.000-04:00

I have really hit a road-block with this blogging thing! I really have had every intention of posting some awesome pictures of our trip to Disney World last month and of Jackson getting bigger, but I just havent done it yet!

I have about 300 pictures from our trip to Disney World. Our friends Nick and Jennifer went with us and Jennifer is a professional photographer! So, we had a picture-taker with us the entire time and got some amazing shots of Jackson meeting Mickey and other Disney characters for the first time. I have to admit that I almost got a little teary-eyed seeing my little boy run up to Mickey Mouse for the first time and give him a big hug and kiss! It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience--seeing your child meet Mickey for the first time! Needless to say, we had an awesome trip and we actually went to all 4 Disney parks and 1 water park! We cant wait to go back!

Jackson is now a year-and-a-half old (actually, almost 19 months). At his 18 month appointment he weighed in at 25 1/2 pounds and was 32 1/8 inches long! It is truly amazing how quickly they grow! He is so smart--he just talks up a storm day-in and day-out and LOVES watching football--especially the GAMECOCKS! He even cheers with his fist in the air and says "Cock-ee!" He loves playing football, too. He is actually really great at kicking and throwing his football.

We took Jackson to his first Georgia Southern football game several weeks ago and he loved it! I was worried that he might be afraid of the loud crowd, etc. but he just had a ball! He especially loves the band when they play!

Here are some pictures from today (10-21-2007)...

My hair is slowly going back to blond...

Vegas baby!!!

2007-08-30T12:41:00.001-04:00

FINALLY some pictures of my Vegas trip! I've only got 4 right now, and I had to hijack them from my brother's camera! But, I do have some on a disposable camera that I need to have developed, so I'll post more then! We had such a blast!

Me, Brian, and Steven at Voodoo Lounge at the Rio

Nick, Eric, Steven, me, and Brian at Toby Keith's I Love this Bar and Grill at Harrah's

Me and Nick at Voodoo

Eric and me at Ellis Island

I know, I know...

2007-08-13T11:17:00.000-04:00

I'm back to being a total slacker on the whole blogging thing...but, I have been busy!

We finally took our trip to Vegas! We were gone for 5 days and had a blast, but I was so glad to get back home to my little boy! Brian and I both agree that it's going to be family-vacations for us for awhile! I'll have pictures of Vegas to post soon--just have to steal my brother's camera to download them!

Jackson is still growing like a week! He's 16 1/2 months old and is just the smartest little boy alive! He still has some sleeping issues (like, he doesnt...) but I just keep praying that it's some sort of phase! He's doing pretty well sleeping in his crib, and we just moved him to his own room yesterday (I know it's crazy that he's been in our room for his entire life!). He slept semi-OK in his own room yesterday, but I dont know how to get him to stop waking up in the middle of the night!

Oh the joys of sleepless nights...

2007-07-13T14:51:00.000-04:00

I finally have some pictures to post--although some of them are old! I just got all of these pictures off of my brother's camera...and they date back about 5 months...

February 2007 Jackson and Uncle Nick at granddaddy's birthday celebration

Easter 2007 Jackson and mommy (yes, he's in a "sailor suit" with matching hat; and my hair is NOT red--it's apparently the light that makes it look that way! It's brown!)

TODAY (7-13-07) Jackson and his Elmo backpack

15-month stats

2007-07-12T12:58:00.000-04:00

Jackson had his 15-month well-checkup this morning and here are his stats...

Weight: 25 lbs. 4 oz

Length: 32 inches

I think the pediatrician said he's in the 50% for everything--my growing boy!

I stink...

2007-07-08T20:35:00.000-04:00

at this blogging thing! I always look at my page, but rarely post anything--I dont know why!

Maybe it's because I have been totally slack with picture taking lately and have nothing new to post...my digital camera fights against me regularly, so sometimes I just give up and dont take pics!

We've been busy lately, chasing after 15-month-old Jackson! I cant believe I'm the mother of a 15-month old! He is SO incredibly sweet--he loves giving hugs and kisses and does it even without being asked! There is no sweeter moment than when your child just randomly comes over to you and gives you a huge kiss...it just melts my heart!

We've taken Jackson swimming a lot recently and he LOVES it! His favorite part is standing on the side of the pool and jumping in to daddy...he is such a water-baby! I swear he thinks it's a giant bathtub...

For those of you who dont know, Jackson has been sleeping in our bed for almost his entire life. After his surgery (at 11 weeks old) he was extremely clingy to us and would only sleep in our bed, and it's been that way ever since. Well, yesterday was the big day that we re-claimed our marital bed and put Jackson in his "big-boy" bed...so far, so good. I do have to sit on the floor right next to the crib until he goes to sleep, but tonight it only took him 10 minutes to fall completely alseep (which is warp-speed compared to what it used to be!). He's slept in his crib for all of his naps yesterday and today and he's in there right now, so we'll see how it goes!

The countdown to Vegas is on...only 3 1/2 weeks to go, and I cant wait!

Good News!

2007-06-13T21:32:00.000-04:00

I had my doctor's appointment and ultrasound today and the cyst is gone--so no surgery for me! I'm so happy!

I have been really bad lately about taking pictures of Jackson--isnt that terrible!? I just havent taken anything to post on here, but I promise I'll do better!

The Vegas countdown is on in the Dart house--we're so excited to go!

Update...

2007-06-08T21:35:00.000-04:00

I was supposed to be going back to the doctor for another ultrasound and update on my cyst situation on Monday, but the office called to reschedule because my doctor wouldnt be there Monday! So, now my appointment is this coming Wednesday--I have to go 2 extra days no knowing what's going on! I'm really hoping the cyst is gone--otherwise, it'll be me going under the knife (which I really dont want to do!).

On the bright side--WE'RE GOING TO VEGAS!!! This will be my 3rd time going and I cant wait! The first time I went (July 2005), I got pregnant there. The second time (October 2006), Jackson was 6-months old and it was the first time I had ever left him for any amount of time. We'll just have to see what this time (in August) brings!

This is a pic of me and my boys in Vegas during my first trip out there in July 2005. We were there for Kappa Sigma fraternity's biannual conclave (Brian was still "on-staff" with the fraternity). Little did I know I had a little one on the way...

(L-R): Beau, Brian, me, Moe, Nick, Chris, Rohan
We were in the lobby area of the Mirage hotel (one of my favorite hotels in Vegas)

Sick and tired of being sick!

2007-06-05T15:12:00.000-04:00

The Thursday before Memorial Day weekend Brian got a tummy bug and was in bed the entire long weekend! Unfortunately, Jackson was the next victim and he got sick Monday (Memorial Day) and stayed sick the entire week! He ran a super-high fever of around 104 and had an upset tummy--he was just pitiful!

After 2 trips to the doctor, we finally got some antibiotics and things started getting better! Jackson's back to normal--being full of energy and mischevious! :)

I cant imagine that the "terrible two's" have started already, but BOY does my little angel have a temper! He does not like the word "no" and just fusses if he's told not to do something! He's also starting to explore alternative uses for his 5 teeth--mainly trying to bite people and things! My technique for trying to break him of this is, whenever he goes for anything to bite, I quickly stick his own arm in the way so he ends up biting himself instead. Then, we discuss that it probably hurt him, and it also hurts others. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesnt!

Get by with a little help from my friends...

2007-05-26T16:41:00.000-04:00

Brian has started TiVoing episodes of the Wonder Years that come on every night here. Jackson LOVES the theme song-- Joe Cocker's cover of the Beatles' song "With a Little Help from My Friends."

Here's how it goes...

Jackson asks for us to play the song by standing in the bedroom and singing "Wa, wa, wa, wa" (I guess he's trying to say "What would you do...", i.e. the beginning of the song). So we start playing the song..."What would you do if I sang out of tune, would you stand up and walk out on me..."

When it says "would you stand up and walk out on me" Jackson--EVERY time--turns around, walks out of the room for a few seconds, then comes back in!!! It is THE most adorable thing ever!!! We definitely have a music-lover on our hands!!!

Republican Convention and the zoo!!!

2007-05-20T21:22:00.000-04:00

This weekend we went to Atlanta for the state Republican Convention. Jackson was a hit with his republican outfit and was SO good through the entire event!!!

Today we went to the Atlanta Zoo and Jackson loved looking at the animals! His favorites were the gorillas and orangutans--my monkey boy! There was a petting zoo and Jackson really liked the goats--he wasnt scared of them at all! I wish we had a zoo in Savannah--the closest one to us is Jacksonville, Florida and that's still 2 hours away!

How do kids do it?...

2007-05-15T10:52:00.000-04:00

Get scratches and bump and bruises all over! I mean, every day Jackson has a new mark somewhere on is little body...and I cant figure, for the life of me, where they come from! Just yesterday he was spending time with daddy in his office, and Jackson emerged with a red welp next to his left eye! How, I ask, how does this happen!? :)

I've been a stay-at-home mom every since Jackson was born, and before that, I was a real estate agent (so I basically just worked whenever I wanted to). But, recently I've sort-of had a feeling like MAYBE I wanted to go back to work. So, I sent my resume in for a position, they called me in for an interview, and I got the job! It's a full-time, all-day thing...

The problem is that I LITERALLY had a total and complete break-down when thinking of having to put Jackson in any childcare facility! I know the extra money would be great, but I just CANT put my little boy in daycare--I mean, those people dont care about each and every individual child! They wont know Jackson's schedule, or what his "words" mean--and what if he gets hurt and cries out for mommy and I'm not there!? That could traumatize my little guy!

So, in the end, I've decided NOT to take the job. I know it's insane that I even went through the whole process, but it led me to see that I definitely feel my place (at least for now) is with my little boy! Maybe if it had been a part-time thing I would have considered it, but I'm here to stay with my baby!!!

Missing my belly...

2007-05-10T21:41:00.000-04:00

These are a couple of pictures of my pregnant belly, not too long before I had Jackson (the middle picture is the one closest to the day I had him). They make me look so much bigger than I actually was--I did gain 35 pounds while I was pregnant, but I was ALL belly! It was like I swallowed a basketball!

I guess I'm getting sentimental because of ALL of the people I know that are having babies this year! I know 8 couples having babies in 2007!!

I just found out yesterday that some of our dear friends, Kindall and Patrick, are pregnant, and it conjured up so many memories for me! I miss my big, pregnant belly! All I have growing in me is a big, ugly ovarian cyst! HA!

Maybe one day, folks, it'll be me again...but, not for awhile!

The highlight of Brian's LA trip...

2007-05-10T21:34:00.000-04:00

Yes--that is my husband with his "dream girl" Alyssa Milano!

They sat just a few seats away from each other at an LA Dodgers baseball game and Brian snagged a picture with her. I thought I had lost him forever--Alyssa Milano is his "if" girl (like, "if" he ever met her and had a chance with her, I couldnt get mad). So, OF COURSE, that's who he met--how crazy (but I think he passed at the "chance").

He also met Tommy Lasorta (former manager of the Dodgers)...

He and some of the folks in training with him scored tickets to Jimmy Kimmel Live while they were in LA and you can see Brian on the show in several different shots! Exciting trip!!

Today is an EXCITING day...

2007-05-03T16:10:00.000-04:00

BRIAN COMES HOME TODAY!!!

After being in Los Angeles for the past 10 days, he's coming home and will be in Savannah at 9:15 pm tonight!

Even more exciting is the fact that he has never seen Jackson walk--Jackson started walking on his own while Brian was gone--so Brian will get the extra-special treat of having his son WALK to him when he gets off of the plane!!!

Some bad news...

2007-05-01T15:03:00.000-04:00

I found out yesterday that I have a 2-inch hemmorhagic cyst on my left ovary. I had been having horrible pains for 5 days and finally went in to see my doctor to have an ultrasound, and there the little bugger was--just haning out on the surface of my ovary!

My doctor is hopeful that a round of pills is going to shrink the cyst and let my body reabsorb it, so I started the meds last night. I go back in 6 weeks for another ultrasound, and if it's not gone I'll have to have it surgically removed--wonderful, right!?

Doc says I'm supposed to "take it easy" for the 6-weeks...no exercise, no heavy lifting, etc. RIGHT!!! Little does she know that my son weighs just under 25 pounds, so I'll be doing some heavy lifting, no doubt about it!

The biggest concern is that it might possibly rupture or cause torsion (twisting) of my ovary...rupture wouldnt be so bad, but twisting would be! I guess I better try to follow the doctor's orders!

Just keep me (and my little ovary) in your thoughts during the next 6-weeks...think shrinking thoughts! :)

Riding my tractor and eatin' my cake...

2007-05-01T14:56:00.000-04:00

4-26-2007

Jackson got to take a little ride on our yard man's "tractor" (his riding lawn mower!):

4-27-2007

When I picked up Uncle Nick's birthday cake, I got Jackson some petit fours from the bakery...he loved his little cakes!

This is Jackson waving hi to daddy...I told him to wave hi to daddy (who's still out of town) and he did!

Brian comes home this Thursday night--only 2 more days to go! The 10-days has actually gone by pretty quickly!

We have a walker on our hands!!!

2007-04-28T21:29:00.000-04:00

I guess Jackson just woke up today and decided it would be the day he started...WALKING! He's been cruising and walking holding onto our fingers forever now, but today he decided to really get going!

At first he was just taking a few steps here and there--between people, from one thing to another, etc. But, after his afternoon nap he was off to the races---he's all over the place! He walked all the way from the front door to our bedroom, he'll walk all the way from the kitchen to the front door, he was ALL OVER the front yard--it's crazy! Just like a switched was turned on and he could walk! We're in trouble now!

The only bad part about it is that Brian is in L.A. until next Thursday and the ONLY thing he asked of Jackson was for him to NOT start walking while he was gone! Brian is so upset that he's missing it! But, I've got my video camera handy and he'll get to see it first-hand when he gets home.

If I can ever figure out how to upload a video here, I'll post one of Jackson on the move!

No More Monkeys...

2007-04-23T16:59:00.000-04:00

We have a children's music CD that we play in the car when we're driving around with Jackson and his FAVORITE song on it is "No more monkeys jumping on the bed..." He is SO cute when it starts to play...

he recognizes the beat and the song immediately and gets this excited look on his face. It starts at 5 monkeys jumping on the bed and counts down to 1, but the best part of the song is when it says "no more monkeys jumping on the bed" because Jackson has learned this part. He'll say "mo mo mo mo" (his version of no more monkeys) and he points his finger and shakes it (like you would if you said no, no, no). He's picked this up from us because we always sing that part super-loud and shake our fingers, too.

We're in for a long couple of weeks here at the Dart house--Brian left today and is in L.A. for 10 days for work, so it's just us! I should be used to it by now--when Jackson was only 2 weeks old Brian had to go for 6 weeks of training (he was gone 1 week at a time) in Tampa, but this is the longest he's been gone in a row.

Jackson did have a good time at the airport watching the planes--he loves airplanes! He recognizes their sound when they fly in the sky and when he hears one he goes, "oooh, oooh" and points and looks up. He's so smart!

Dogs, cats, and cows...and walking all around

2007-04-20T14:55:00.000-04:00

Some of Jackson's favorite animals to imitate the sounds of! If you ask him "What does a dog/cat/cow say?" he'll reply with his version of the animal sound...

"ugh, ugh, ugh" is a dog (like woof, woof, woof)

"moo, ooooooo" is a cow

"eowwww" (in his best high-pitched voice) is a cat

Jackson loves to move, move, move. He is in perpetual motion all of the time. The only trouble is that he'll only walk if he's holding onto your finger--if you let go of his hand, he'll just plop right down to the floor and crawl away. He definitley has the ability to walk on his own--I've seen him do it before (usually just cruising around from one chair to another or when he get super-excited about something he'll "accidentally" take a few steps), but I think he's just content with his speed-crawling right now.

He absolutely loves taking baths--if he even just hears the bath water running he starts saying "baa, baa, baa" (which, in this context, means bath) and heads toward the bathroom. He very dutifully stands next to the tub and tries to climb in, and once he is in, he goes to work with his toy ducks and a plastic cup that he likes to fill with water and pour over the faucet.

He has also learned to brush his teeth--all 4 of them! He sticks his little toothbrush under the water and puts it in his mouth (he doesnt do much actual brushing--more sucking the water off of the brush).

He's still a pretty crummy sleeper. He's up and down all night long--I just dont know how to get him to sleep completely through the night without any wake-ups! Maybe he'll grow out of this sleepless stage...

My little boy keeps growing up! Maybe it's time to think about #2???

New York City

2007-04-18T14:47:00.000-04:00

We just got back from a 4-day trip to New York City to visit my sister-in-law and we had a blast! It was very windy, cold, and sometimes rainy, but all-in-all we got to see everything we wanted to. Jackson did a great job on his first airplane ride--no problems at all!

The view of Manhattan from my sister-in-law's apartment:

Central Park...

Jackson with his Aunt Camie...

Radio City Music Hall...

The fam in the Big Apple...

One-year stats...

2007-04-07T22:23:00.000-04:00

Jackson had his one-year doctor's appointment this past Thursday and had all the usual done...weight, length, shots (one in each leg, one in his arm, and a finger prick--ouch!). Here's the update...

Weight: 22 lbs. 12 ounces

Length: 31 inches

The day Jackson left the hospital (exactly one year to the day of his one-year doctor's appointment) he weighed 7 pounds and was 19.5 inches long---SO, in the past year, my little man has gained 15pounds 12 ounces and has grown 11.5 inches in length! AMAZING when you think about it!

Newborn Jackson...

First-birthday...

HOW QUICKLY A YEAR HAS GONE BY!!!

My 1-year-old boy!

2007-04-06T22:09:00.000-04:00

This past Tuesday, April 3rd, was Jackson's 1st birthday. I still cant believe that my little boy is 1!!!

We had a party for him the Saturday before his birthday at Oatland Island Wildlife Center here in Savannah. We had a blast--eating, looking at the animals, etc. I actually have no pictures yet of this event--we have a wonderful family friend who is a photographer and she took all the pictures! I havent seen them yet, but I cant wait to!

For his actual birthday, Brian wanted to take Jackson to Chuck-E-Cheese's so we did that. Jackson really could have cared less about anything there, so I really think Brian wanted to go for himself (he, my brother Nick, and brother-in-law Michael had TONS of fun playing games, though!).

Here are some pictures that I do have from April 3rd:

Jackson's birthday balloons on the mailbox (the balloons are now stuck high in a tree in the front yard!!)

The waitress at lunch brought Jackson a birthday ice cream, complete with a candle! Jackson is clapping because we just finished singing to him...

Playing in the front yard:

Birthday fun at Chuck-E-Cheese!!! (yes, my hair is now dark brown)

Playing and Talking

2007-03-19T16:50:00.000-04:00

Things that Jackson LOVES to do!

Here are some of the things that Jackson says (and what they mean!):

Mama
Dada
Daw (dog)
Duh (duck)
Bur (bird, or anything flying in the sky--an airplane, helicopter, etc.)
Ba or Bo (either bird, book, or balloon or ball depending on what he's pointing to)
Baa (bad--usually referring to our cat, who acts out a lot!)
Ca (cat)
Mo (either Nemo or Elmo)
chew (shoes or juice)
Bye and Bye-Bye
Hey

He understands everything we say--if you ask him where the lights are, he'll point up to the lights on the ceiling. He can identify anything we ask him to--cups, balls, specific people, anything! He HATES the word no and has little tantrums if he's told no or stop. He loves music and dancing, loves his grandparents and uncles, and especially his mommy and daddy!

Jackson, just yesterday, took his first 3 unassisted steps! He hasnt done it again, but it's a start! He'd walk all day long if he could hold our fingers, so Iknow he'll be running around soon enough!

Of course, I just think he's exceptionally intelligent, but I think I might be a bit biased! :)

Pretending to talk on Mommy's cell phone...

Pretend eating with his spoon and stacking cups...

Climbing the stairs...

Jamming to the music...

St. Patrick's Day 2007

2007-03-19T16:44:00.000-04:00

Brian is on the St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee so he and Jackson were in the parade this year! The crowds were crazy--because the parade and St. Pat's Day were on a Saturday larger than usual crowds were expected. An estimated 700,000 people were in Savannah over the weekend!

We visited the Georgia Aquarium a couple of weeks ago and Jackson LOVED the fish! He had a blast watching them swim by. Of course, on the drive home, we had to watch Finding Nemo about 4 times!

Mama's little devil

2007-02-20T20:59:00.000-05:00

Greetings from the Dart family--Nancy, Brian, and Jackson! I've just been introduced to the blog world, but thought it would be fun to help let family and friends see our growing family!

This is a picture from our recent trip to Disney World (in January)--this is before we all got violently ill and counldn't even go to the Magic Kingdom!

Jackson is such a joy! He's almost 11 months old (he will turn 1 on April 3rd) and I can hardly believe that this is the little baby boy that I gave birth to. I keep looking at him wondering where my little 7 1/2 pound bundle has gone--he's grown into a 22 + pound ball of energy that crawls, cruises, chit-chats with us all, and LOVES his mama and daddy! He also loves dogs and Elmo and his Uncle Nick's guitar!

Jackson is full of chit-chat--of course he says mama and dada all the time. He also says "bye" and the occasional "hey." "Da" means different things--dog, duck, or daddy (depending on the context of his statement).