Odds and Ends

I'm struggling to find time to update The boys are all napping so I thought I better do it before one wakes up. While praying before dinner last night Jay says " Bless Pax that he will be big like my daddy"  That kid says some pretty cute things lately that make us smile.Since Jappy is constantly at Church meetings Jay thinks he needs to have meetings too.  He'll put on his church clothes so him and his dad can have a meeting.  He likes to say " And now we will turn the time over to Daddy Jeppsen  He'll do it at random times. Just makes us laugh. Paxton has been smiling and cooing and making all sorts of cute baby noise. He prefers to lay down to sleep but insists on one arm above his head. He surely is growing. He is in 9 month clothes, some 6 month I can put him in. As long as they don't have feet in them.  He is a long baby.  Random people have stopped me and said "Looks like you might have a line backer" I tell them " that's what his dad is hoping for" It won't be long before he passes Jet in weight. 

 Jappy and his Brother Brian and Pax.

 We took everyone to Idaho Falls a couple weeks ago. for a Great nephews baptism. We did some shopping while we were there.  Keep in mind that this was our First family of Five outing. Oh my word. I was exhausted by the time we got home. But I am happy to report we didn't lose anyone or purposely leave them.

Sonic Is all the rage at our house lately. U can't beat half price slushies and limeades and late night half price milkshakes. We've been driving through car lots at night, as to find a car and dodge the salesmen. So the other night we took the kids car lot hopping, and stopped at Sonic on the way home.  The three big kids slurped away on their drinks and all three instantly grabbed their heads and yelled "Brain Freeze"  Hilarious. It happened more than once that night.  Goof Balls.

Guilt is a funny thing.  After the shooting in Sandy hook I heard a lot of parents talk about survivors guilt. Parents who were relieved that their child was spared but saddened by those who were not.  Yesterday I felt this same way.  A friend of ours 2 month old baby passed away due to complications of SIDS over the weekend.  I have survivors guilt. Every time I hold our baby, or he smiles at me, or even when I just walk by him while he's laying on the couch. I feel guilt. Guilt that our friend won't be able to hold her baby, or hear his first laugh, or experience the million other milestones that come from raising him. Our Girls fasted this past Sunday for the very first time. They fasted for their friends. That they would be comforted.  I was amazed at the faith that they had,  They did not complain once of their hunger, but were so focused on the Savior easing this families heartache. 
Jappy and I have talked about how quickly our lives could change. That this unspeakable heartache just as easily could have been ours. We have mourned with those that mourn. We have prayed for Peace and comfort Be with this family in their time of Need, and Loss.  And we have held and kissed our baby a million times. For we don't know when our mission on earth is done.

Christmas 2012

The ward Christmas Party. The girls were too fast and I missed them on Santa's lap. Jay is all about telling Santa what he wants.  His List got longer as the month of December went on.  Jet wouldn't have anything to do with the jolly bearded man.

 Christmas Eve in their new pajamas. We were lucky enough to have the missionaries spend Christmas evening with us. We had dinner, had a ping pong tournament, a nerf gun war, and a couple hands of Skip-bo. It was a fun night with the Elders.
 We made it through December!!! It never fails that things start to fall apart through the winter season. We had the Durango break down (its gone for good, sad) , the water heater go out, and a broken tailbone. We will not miss the month of mis fortune.  

Jay and Jet are obsessed with the ipad.  They are sitting behind the couch together.

I took Paxton's pictures a couple weeks ago. He is one cute Chunky little guy.  He is in the 75% for his length and weight.  we met with the Cardiologist again earlier this month. His Heart continues to mend itself.  The murmur is still there but is getting smaller. He will have another echo cardiogram in 3 months. The doctor is very pleased with his growth this past month.  He is very confident in Paxton having a full active normal life.

We are enjoying Christmas Break, and are happy to have snow. The kids have been outside everyday for hours at a time.

We met with the cardiologist today to have another echo. The murmur is getting better and Pax has been released from his oxygen. We couldn't be happier.  The murmur although still there is only mild we will return for another echo in 4 weeks to track its progress. We will be keeping a close eye on him to ensure that his heart is working properly. But for now all is well. He is a 'TANK' weighing in at 12 pounds. We feel he skipped the newborn phase. He is into 3-6 month clothes and some 6-9. He's grown so fast he's skipped sizes. He still sleeps well and is a good eater. What more could we ask for. The kids love him and have adjusted well to him.  Jet feels left out and follows me room to room, and gets upset when anyone puts on their shoes. Hopefully he'll settle in soon.  Jay LOVES Preschool and so does MOM. It's been good for all of us to have him at school 2 days a week.  It's just down the street so we walk him to school. He has such great teachers who plan fun activities and crafts for them, all while learning It's so GREAT.
 Mady just graduated from the DARE Program. She enjoyed the program and learned a lot. At times I didn't think it was necessary and felt that shielding her from such things was a better way.  I hate that she's growing up and that some day I won't be there to tell her what's good and what 's bad, and what friends she should play with. Letting go is so hard...
Brooklyn...Loves school and is in a class with lots of her friends.  She's miss Bossy around our house. The poor boys have so many moms under one roof telling them what to do.
We've been homebound for the last 2 months it doesn't seem like it should be Christmas time. The months have flown by and I'm feeling behind in all categories. Someday I'll catch up.  

Pax Blessing

We had a wonderful weekend. New Snow, family, good food, Games. what else could you ask for? Bob and Jay shoveling snow While my family was in town we decided to celebrate the Holiday's Early since we wouldn't be together for the actual thing.  There is never a dull moment when there is that many people under one roof. Thanks everyone for coming It was a lot of FUN!  I took pictures of Pax the day before his blessing with out his oxygen on. BUT those pictures are on my moms camera. As soon as she gets me the copies I will put them on. They turned out really good.

Sweet Baby Pax. These were taken Saturday before his Blessing. Right after his Bath. Hence No oxygen.

Halloween 2012

We took the kids to a pumpkin patch to pick out pumpkins. We also went on a horse carriage ride.  It was our FIRST FAMILY outing since I had Pax He stayed in the car seat well covered during the outing. It was a Chilly day.

Halloween Trunk or Treat.  Brooklyn is Dorothy Mady is an 80's Rocker. Jay is a Knight. Jet is a Lion.  The kids came home with LOADS of Candy as usual. It felt so good to get out of the house. and to get fresh air, and see friends.  We have been so Blessed with good friends. We have tried hard to keep Paxton out of public places to protect him. But that comes with Lack of Socializing for us. Its a small price to pay for a Healthy Baby.

Champ

Paxton is a Champ. We are loving every second of this baby.

He was a scheduled induction.  I was told to call the hospital at 5 am. So I did, only to be denied due to lack of beds.  They took my number and told me they would call me when a bed opened up.  I wasn't going to leave it to chance of them forgetting about me so I called again at 7 and again at 10. By 10 o'clock I was frustrated and let the nurse know I was not going to go one more night being pregnant. She assured me that I would have the baby today and that she promised she would call. I felt slightly better. Little did I know my Dr. was also calling the hospital to get me a bed open. The last month and a half of this pregnancy had been difficult.  My body was retaining so much water I was swollen constantly and the water retention was causing carpal tunnel in my hands.  I couldn't sleep at night because of the tingly\numbness.(the feeling still hasn't returned to my fingers) It was very uncomfortable. My phone rang at 11:30 saying they were ready for me so left the boys with Nana Jacque and headed out . They broke my water and we were well on our way. I had wonderful nurses. I love Labor and Delivery. We had a good time together.  Jappy as usual kept us all entertained.  Dr. Jones stopped by and added to the party and to just  harass me.  There was a Resident that was working that day that I didn't care for. I was dialated to a 4 and he told me i would still be laboring for another 4 hours at least.  I told him that wouldn\t be the case, and that I go fast. He said "We'll see" Well 30 mins later I showed Mr. Know It All that he was wrong. Paxton Ace was born at 2:30 Jappy stopped  everyone just as I was ready to push and told them he needed a BIG BOY 8.10 He said. The nurses all agreed he was a mean husband.  He changed his tune when we struggled with getting his shoulders through. Pax entered the world with out a cry. He just looked around.It made his parents very nervous. They assured us all was well. We didn't hear Pax cry until the next day even.

The pediatrician came in and took a look at him. He had a listen to his heart and right away heard a very prominent murmur. He ordered him an ultrasound and EKG to confirm what he heard.  Everyone was so calm about it we weren't worried. The ultrasound showed that his tricuspid valve was not closing properly causing a regurgitation of the blood from one chamber of his heart to the other. causing the murmur and an enlargement of his heart. The pediatrician on call made a phone call to a Peds Cardiologist in Salt Lake to get a quick consult.  He ordered Pax to  Be on oxygen and made us an appointment to meet with him.  He comes to Pocatello every 5 weeks to see heart patients. We were lucky enough to have him coming into town in the next week.  The reason for the oxygen is to keep the pressure off his heart and keep it from over working itself. We met with the cardiologist and he put a lot of our fears at ease.  He's confident that his heart will heal itself with time, and he will have a normal healthy life. He wants Pax to stay on the oxygen for the next 5 weeks. We will have another ultrasound and EKG at that time to check it's progress.  We feel lucky we were able to bring him home.  I don't care for the extra piece of luggage we pack around the house with him, but its a small price to pay. I was lucky enough to have lots of help this time around. Jappy took two weeks off to help and my mom and aunt came for a few days. Not to mention all our friends taking our kids for a couple hours to help us out. We felt very loved.

 Where did we get his name? Paxton Ace Jeppsen. His initials Spell Jap backwards. Paxton's middle name came from Jappy's Mission President, Wayne Ace Milward. 

We have felt so blessed with his sweet baby despite this little hiccup with his heart. It has made us step back and re evaluate what is important. He is loved on, and cuddled, 

kissed, and hugged more than any of our other babies. He is sweet, and patient, and content with whatever is going on. He sleeps four and a half to five hours a night. (I know...He's a GEM) It's amazing how much more pleasent we all are when we sleep good.

I was not the happiest when I found out I was pregnant nor when we found out it was a boy. But I wouldn't trade him for anything. He was meant to be in the arms of our family.

Pax Sleeps in the Boppy all swaddled up.

Our lil PUNKIN