{Jack Ready for Christmas & Sitting Up}

Jack started sitting up about 2 weeks ago and hasn't looked back. He will sit and play on the floor with toys and is much more interactive now. We enjoy him so much. We wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Very Healthy and Happy 2010!

{One Long Month}

So I have been really bad about blogging this month....Jack is 6 months old already...WOW where has the time gone. Back to the past month....It involved lots of Dr. visits and 2 trips to the ER. First, Jack had his "little boy" surgery on November 19, in Peoria at the Children's Hospital. Everything went well with the surgery and it only took about 20 minutes. What a long 40 minutes or so waiting and watching the computer screen to see where Jack was in the surgery process. After wards "Dr. R" came down and said everything went well. I went up to see Jack and nurse him since he wasn't able to eat after 4 am and it was about 9 am. He was a hungry boy. We were moved through the stages of recovery and everything was going well...David left around 1030 to head back to Bloomington for a meeting. They wouldn't let us leave until Jack went to the bathroom, which was finally around 1230 pm. On the way home I was thinking I was so glad that was over and I couldn't even image ever having a sick child and having to go through that all the time. It just makes your heart ache for them. Everything was good until Friday morning. David changed Jack's diaper about 7 am and then left for work around 8 am. Jack starting getting really fussy around 8 am so, I thought maybe he need some ice in his diaper to help with the swelling...Gotta that ready and picked him up and felt that his diaper was really full....I opened it to find bright.....bright red blood everywhere....Runny down his legs...I called David and told him to get home ASAP. I then called the surgeons office and talked to the nurse. I don't think she understood at the beginning how bad he was bleeding....She keep asking me was it blood in the urine and I kept saying NO...He is actively bleeding....David got home and we put Jack in his carseat with only a diaper on....Rushed him to St. Joseph hospital which was a mistake...We should have just gone to Peoria, but we didn't know...That was our first lesson learned. The Emergency Room in Bloomington is not set up to treat babies....They finally got the bleeding stopped and Jack was very very pale and his lips were a little blue. I was talking to Jack's Dr. throughout the whole thing and he was also talking with the ER Dr. and Jack's surgeon....Jack's HG got down to 8.2. Which is low, but not low enough to do a blood transfusion. We were released from the ER around 2 PM, with an appt. to go see Jack's Dr. in the morning. Saturday morning we took Jack to see the Dr. on call in the office...He has been practicing for over 20 years....He looked at Jack and said I am sending you to the ER at the Children's Hospital in Peoria right now. He called the surgeon and explained that he needed to see Jack ASAP. We got to the ER in Peoria and they were ready for us....They are prepared for little ones. They have a Children's ER, which was very nice. Jack's surgeon came down and checked him out...He said Jack had a hematoma, a collection of blood outside a blood vessel. There was a lot of swelling and bruising, which he said would go away in about 2-3 weeks...Which it did. We watched Jack every closely for the next few days, checking on him about every hour to make sure it hadn't starting bleeding again. He seems to be heeled now. We see the surgeon again on Monday, December 29. What an ordeal, something we will remember always and very scary at the time. We thank GOD that Jack is healed and should have no long term problems.

{Over the River and Through the Woods to Grandma's House We Go}

On Saturday, we went to visit my Dad's family. His mom....Grandma Milly and his brother Mark and his family. We had a lovely day and Jack was perfect. We had a great visit with Gran when we got there. She needed a few things done around the house, so my dad and I tried to tackle those...We got most of them done!

Then off to see Uncle Mark...He fell from his grain bin about a month ago and shattered his heel. So it has been very hard for him not to be able to help with the harvest. When we got there, we had managed to climb in the combine and was driving! It was great to see him and his family. We did get to witness a typical day on any farm when the grain wagon and the tractor got stuck in the field...Really wet! After some help from the nice long distant relatives (The Geisler Brothers) up the road they got the tractor moving again. Way to go Jacob!!!

We had a great visit with everyone. It was great to see Grandma and visit with her especially. Grand thanks for the delicious pie!!

{Prayers for David's Mom}

Please continue to keep David's mom in your thoughts and prayers. She is meeting with her surgeon tomorrow to determine whether or not to put her Port back in. I am sure they will. When I took her to Chemo last week, we found out that she will be continue with Chemo treatments every other week for the next 3 months and then they will do another scan. They are very concerned about the lymph nodes located under her chest plate. The have increased in size and can't be removed due to their location. Please continue to pray for Sue's miracle to happen....CANCER FREE

{Harvest Completed}

After a long and frustrating fall all of our corn and beans have been harvested! AMEN!! This was a very frustrating fall for many reasons....WEATHER, breakdowns, elevators closing early and a lot of other small things, but we managed to get through it all safe. David finished up the fall field work yesterday after a few very long days. Just in time for them to be putting down the fertilizer which was perfect. Leo still has some corn to harvest, but Dan was home this week and helped out....Which was really nice for David so that he could concentrate on his Edward Jones business and complete his field work. Thanks Dan! Hopefully, next year will be back to a more normal year!

P.S. Jack got to ride in the tractor with David and I...I forgot my camera so I don't have any pictures...He really enjoyed it though.

{Jack & Grandpa Jim Sleeping}

Dad was babysitting Jack and they both fell asleep. Mom snapped the picture and they didn't even wake up. What a great photo!

{Halloween - Jack O Lantern}

Our little man was a JACK - O - Lantern! Cheesy yes I know. But, super cute nonetheless. We took Jack to Gridley in the morning to spend time with David's parents. Then came home and handed out candy to some one the kids in our neighborhood. Jack seemed to like seeing all of the other children. We then took Jack to my Nana & Papa's for a surprise visit. They really enjoyed seeing him. Then it was off the Grandma D's and Grandpa J's. Grandma D is getting around much better after her knee replacement...Only using a cane now. They really enjoyed getting to see Jack as well. All in all a good Halloween! It could have only been better, if they could have gotten in the field. Praying for no more rain!!!

{4 Months Old}

Can you believe it? Jack had his four month Appt. yesterday. He weights 14 lbs. 13 oz and is 25 inches long. He has grown one inch each month since he was born. WOW! He is in the 50% for everything...Doing pretty well. We got some good news....His flat head is doing much better...No helmet needed. Thank goodness. He has started to roll over in the last few days, which has been really fun. Jack is changing so much everyday. He is really beginning to play with toys now. Last week when David picked up Jack from the daycare they said he gave them lots of SMILES today and was holding hands with some of the girls...That made David pretty proud and I said OH NO NOT ALREADY! Jack loves for you to talk to him and he SMILES SUPER BIG and talks right back to you. I feel as if I am having a conversation with him everyday! We are so blessed to have a such a healthy and happy baby!

{Future Financial Advisor}

Jack & I had a picnic lunch with David at his office. Jack got put to work....His dad can't wait to teach him all about finances. I think this is a super cute picture and one of those moments I was so glad I had the camera.

{First Day of Harvest}

Farmers are never happy...It is either to cold, to hot, to wet, not wet enough. Mother Nature has a tough crowd that she will never be able to please. David and his dad have been eagerly awaiting harvest. On the first nice day they could get into the field they did. The corn was testing 35 moisture....Way to wet to even harvest, but at least they got to do a little. Hopefully now the weather will continue to cooperate so that they will be able to begin harvesting in a few days. We also pray for a safe harvest season!!!

{Bumbo}

Jack is learning to sit up in the Bumbo. They use this a daycare to feed most of the younger babies. Jack really likes this because he can sit up and see what is going on. We use this when we are eating dinner and we feel like a little family all eating together. Jack has had a lot of say lately....He has begun to make a lot more noises and actually try and have a conversation with you. It is so exciting to see all of the changes and developments that are occurring each week. We are truly trying to cherish these and make note of all of the milestones.

{Back to Work - Mixed Emotions}

Sept. 14 is my first day back to work.....I have mixed emotions. I really love my job and it has given me a lot of personal satisfaction, but I really love being home and taking care of Jack as well. I have been given the opportunity to have the best of both worlds until Jan 2010. I am returning to work full, working 3 days in the office and 2 days from home. It will help make the transition back to work much smoother for our whole family. My life will change, but David's will change even more. He is use to getting up at 8:00 and leaving for work at 8:20, this will not be the case anymore. He will be getting Jack up, dressed, feed and ready for daycare. I know this will be a good bonding experience for both of them. I know this is best for all of us. I know myself and know that I will be a better mother and wife because of this. This will make our family time together at nights and on the weekends that much more treasured.

First day of daycare.......It was very hard to drop Jack off at the daycare. I did really well until we got to the parking lot. Then I started crying....I cried all the way to work, but by the time I got to work (an hour later) I was OK. Still missing Jack, but knew he was OK.

Jack had a very long first few days as well. He isn't use to all of the activity and noise that goes on at daycare. He was so tried the first few days. He would come home and fall right to sleep. He now has a routine down and seems very happy when we pick him up.

{Pray for David's Mom (Sue) }

Please pray for David's mom as she started Chemo again. Her cancer has returned....It has been about a 1.5 years since her last treatment. We are hoping that the Chemo does its job and stops the cancer from spreading anywhere else. Thank you for all of your continued prayers and support....It means a lot to us.

{Family Visit}

David's Aunt Ann, Uncle Tom and Cousins came to visit on Sunday. This was their first time meeting Jack. David's cousins Liza has twins which are almost 3 years old. They loved Jack and wanted to hold and feed him. It was super sweet.

Since we live close to a corn field they wanted to take the kids to see the corn, because in the city they don't ever get to experience anything like that. They thought walking in the corn field was a blast. David had a mini agricultural lesson with them. He taught them about the roots & stalks.....Most importantly he taught them how to bite the corn & spit the corn, which they had a blast doing. What a great lesson from farmer David. It was a very enjoyable day. Thanks for coming and visiting!!!

{Weekend with the Girls}

Over Labor Day, my friend Vanessa came to visit from Nashville. It was truly a wonderful weekend. Vanessa met Jack and rocked him to sleep in her arms right away....What a natural (she will be a great mom someday).

On Saturday, Vanessa, Heather + I went to Chicago to go shopping. David watched Jack and he did a great job...He even ran the dish washer + mowed the yard! Thanks honey!!! You are the best!

We did our usual shopping trip with stops in Naperville and the outlet mall in Aurora. We found some awesome deals at the Coach outlet. We had lunch at one of our favorites "Sweet Tomatoes". We laughed so hard about old times that we almost peed out pants several times. We had a great "Girls Day". Thank you ladies for a awesome weekend. I miss you both already.

{Grandpa - We miss you greatly}

5 years ago today, my Grandpa Cletus passed away. I miss him greatly. He was a kind and gentle man. I know that he is looking down today and smiling at all I have learned about farming from David. Grandpa know that we think of you often and miss you dearly. I wish you could have met Baby Jack!

{Farm Progress Show}

We went to the Farm Progress Show in Decatur yesterday. It was a beautiful day...The weather was perfect. Jack did great being in his stroller for most of the day. We arrived at about 845 and went to the ISU AG Alumni breakfast, which was a lot of fun. Then we walked around the show and looked at all of the new equipment. The highlight was the John Deere 48 row planter. It was huge...120Ft wide, and can plant about 75-100 acres an hour...Wow!

We had lunch with our seed salesman John who is Jack's Godfather as well. We had a wonderful family day!

Had to get a picture showing the Cat Power!!

{2 Months Old - 12 lbs 8.5 oz and 23.5 inches long}

Jack is 2 months old now....It is so hard to believe. He had his 2 month immunizations on Monday and did great. He did cry louder than I have ever heard him though and had VERY VERY large tears for about 5 minutes. He is growing like a weed and as a nursing mom it is an awesome & very rewarding feeling to know that I did that...He is in the 7oth percentile for weight and the 50th for height!

{Slept through the Night in his Crib}
Last night Jack slept through the night in his crib....Well a little fussing around 3am his normal feeding time, but he went back to sleep within 10 minutes without any help from David or I. He woke up at 5 to nurse and then went back to sleep until 830. Wow...I can only hope this continues as I am going back to work in 3 weeks. Thank you Baby Jack!

{Family Vacation - Lake of the Ozarks}

4 Generations

David, Jack & I took our first family vacation 2 weeks ago to Lake of the Ozarks. It is a five hour drive from our house and Jack did great in the car. We only stopped long enough to change his diaper on the way down. We are very blessed to have a good car traveler so far. He doesn't mind being in his car seat at all!

We spent the weekend with the "Geisler" side of the family, which we have been doing since 1991. This year was very nice because my dad's youngest brother Mark bought a house on the Lake, which makes it really feel like home especially with having Jack. Their home is beautiful and great for entertaining all of us. These family times together will always be great memories! Thanks Mark & Nicky for hosting!!

Jack & my cousin Kenzie

Jack & my Uncle Mark

We did manage to find someone willing to watch Jack (that really wasn't a problem) so that David and I could go out on the boat! It was really nice and relaxing, plus my dad & mom's new boat is really nice....Good choice dad!! We can't wait for next year when Jack can go on the boat and in the lake!

{Many Ears}

Our Corn

As farmers sayings go this is probably my favorite....."You can't tell a secret in the field because there are too many ears". This has been repeated many times by David's dad Leo.

Leo & David

{Splah Time}

Jack loves his bath. He starts to kick when he hears the water running and once in the tub he always lets out a big ohhhhhh! When we go to take Jack out of his bath sometimes he starts to cry he loves it so much. I am very happy that Jack loves the water!!! Wait till I teach you how to swim Jack!!!

{Jack's Baptism}

On Sunday we baptized Jack David. We had Father Ward officiate the ceremony and he did a wonderful job. We were joined by our family and close friends. Jack's Godmother is David's sister Kate and our close friend John Martin is his Godfather. Thank you both for agreeing to be a spiritual support for Jack throughout his life. This means a lot to us.

There were 3 babies being baptized on Sunday, 2 girls and Jack. When Father was pouring the holy water over the girls heads, both of them cried. David was holding Jack and told him he needed to be a man and not cry. He didn't cry at all. Many people didn't know that David and I had been practicing baptizing Jack in the bath tub for about 4 weeks. He loves his bath so we thought he would do great, which he did. Way to go baby Jack!!! We are so proud of you.

After the baptism we invited everyone back to our house for a party. The weather has been so nice here this summer, but Sunday turned out to be one of the hottest day this year, so we had to be indoors, which was fine. Jack did great being passed around all day long. Everyone wanted to hold him and he was perfect. We want to thank all of our friends and family for sharing in Jack's special day, you all helped make the day even more special. We are so blessed to have such loving family and friends.

This Baptismal gown has been worn by everyone in Sullivan Family (David's mom side) dating back to his grandmother (100+ years old). We felt very blessed that Jack could wear this gown even though it did look kind of like a dress. Thank you Mary for keeping this a treasury for so many years!

All the pictures were taken by our friend Rachael Marie Schirano. She did a fabulous job. She is starting her own photographery business if you are interested. http://www.schiranotriplets.blogspot.com

{6 Weeks Old}

Jack is 6 weeks old, it is so hard to believe. He is starting to be more alert during the day. The changes that have occurred so far are amazing. He is starting to have a little control over his head/neck movements, which is amazing. His neck is so strong. He is nursing well and getting up no more than 2 times per night. I feel very blessed for that. It is amazing how we can function on 6 hours of sleep now. The body is truly a miracle.

Baby Jack we love you so much! You melt our hearts each day!!!

{Walking Beans}

On Sunday afternoon David and I walked our Beans and cut out all of voluntary corn. We left Jack with David's mom...We were only gone for about 2 hours, but it felt like a life time being away from him. It was so nice to get out and get some fresh air. This was a great 2 hours that David and I spent together, it was just like old times!!! Living the Simple Life!!

{4th of July}

Today Jack had a visit from his great uncle David Sullivan, for which David was named after. It was a lovely visit and we decided to venture out for lunch with Jack. Jack was perfect through the entire outing, never making a noise. Wow! This was a little easier than I thought it was going to be. Later that night we went to my Aunt Lisa's house for dinner and again Jack was great. Hope everyone had a wonderful and safe 4th of July.

{Baby Jack Arrives}

We had a Dr. Appt. today (6/23) at 2:00 PM, and David and I had been preparing ourselves that something might happen in the next few days. Our bags were mostly packed and we were ready (more so me than David since it has been almost 100 degrees for the past few days). David left for work around 8:30a and I was working on computer....About 8:45a I felt a warm trickle of water...Did my water just really break?? I called David and told him it was time. He came back home and we left for the hospital. We arrived at the hospital around 9:45a. They checked us and started hooking me up to all the monitors. This is for real now...We are going to have a baby today! I wasn't very far along in labor...so my Dr. ordered Pitocin to start my contractions. It started working fairly quickly. I was able to breathe through the contractions and tolerate the pain. I did not want to have a epidural, but when my Dr. arrived at about 2:00p to check on us she thought I needed to relax more and ordered an epidural....after receiving the epidural all I could think was why didn't I get this sooner....They are wonderful! Contractions are occurring and I don't even know they are unless I look at the monitor. Things continued to progress. I told David to leave to get something to eat around 6:15p. I was starting to feel pain again on left side so the nurse had me rollover. It worked for a little while and around 6:45p I was in a lot of pain and having trouble breathing through the contractions, so the nurse called for more epidural medicine and she checked me I was at 7cm now. I called David to let him know and he said he would be back very shortly. About 7:10p they gave me some more epidural medicine and the pain was quickly relieved for the most part. David walks in just as they are finishing up. Shortly there after my Dr. walks in and checks me...She says time to start pushing...Are you serious? David and I both looked at each other....Ok! Lets go. I started pushing around 7:40p and he was born at 7:56p. David was the best coach through all of this...Calm, Cool and Collected as always. Jack David has arrived....He is perfect....Weighing 7 lbs. 3 oz. and is 21 Inches long. Wow! What a long baby considering David and I are not tall people! We fall in love with him immedaitley! He is so alert and awake. Welcome to the world Jack David. We love you very much!!!

{A wonderful day...Baby Shower hosted by 3 of my best friends!}

On Saturday, Carrie & Heather hosted a baby shower for me. I was so excited about the shower, but I was very disappointed that our best friend Vanessa wasn't going to be able to make it or so I thought. Vanessa emailed on Wednesday of that saying she was so sad she was going to miss the shower and that she would come up and visit once he was born....Yes, I was sad, but I understood and made her promise that she would come up and visit. She agreed. Saturday morning came and David was talking about the shower and kept reminding me of the time and to make sure I wasn't late. I thought that was kind of weird, but I didn't think much about it. Vanessa sent me a text message to have fun at the shower on Saturday morning as well. I didn't think much about this. I was going to text her back after the shower and tell her how much I missed her. So, I arrive at Heather's house at about 12:30 and she had called me to see where I was...Again, I didn't think anything about this. When I went to the door it was locked and guess who came to the door......Vanessa! What a great surprise. I couldn't hardly believe I was standing there looking at her...Words can't explain the happiness. We both started crying. This was the first time she had seen me pregnant. It was a wonderful surprise....David even knew! They had everything perfect for the shower. Cute decorations, great food & games. The shower was one of the best days I have had in a long time. It was fun to visit with friends from work that I don't get to see very often now that I work in Mossville. After the shower, Carrie & Garrett invited us to their house for a cook out. David came over to Peoria also, we had a great time visiting and Garrett's cooking on the Big Green Egg grill was fabulous. He is the next Bobby Flay of Peoria! For dessert he even made us Banana's Fosters....YUM! What a great day! Thanks ladies for being such great & caring friends....David and I are so luck to have you!!!!

{Blogging...We are going to give this a try!}

I am entering the world of blogging. I hope this will be a great way for our family and friends to communicate and share in our adventures as Baby Stokes is nearing. June 25th!