Holy Crap!

Wow, the pleasantries of motherhood. As I writing the last post, Jackson decided to have a MAJOR blowout and that is an understatement for sure. Crap all up the back of his onesie and all over his blanket. Nothing like feeling a warm sensation on your lap and discovering your little one is covered in crap! Love being a mom!!

Off to Great-Grandmother's

Over this past weekend, we decided to take Jackson to meet his Great-Grandma (a.k.a YiaYia) in Glenwood Springs. Greg's YiaYia lives in an assisted living home about 3 hours away from Denver, so we packed up the car, baby and dog and headed up the mountains to Glenwood Springs. Apparently YiaYia was very excited to meet Jackson, because when we arrived everyone knew who we were there to see. We spent about an hour visiting with YiaYia before we got the boot because lunch was ready.

After our visit with Grandma, we headed to Aspen to stay the night with a Francis family friend, John Kelly. John lives in the caretaker's quarters of a beautiful home located right on the ski mountain. Shortly after we arrived, John and his family asked if we wanted to join them on a "quick, little walk", so we decided to join them. Little did I know that this "quick, little walk" was really a hike up the ski mountain. Dear God!!! I thought I was going to die. Not only have I not been able to get some really good cardio exercise in (besides walking) since having Jackson, but I also was carrying Jackson in his front carrier. So it's hard enough to climb a steep mountain, but then you add a 10 pound baby to your chest! Jackson probably would have loved the hike had he not fallen asleep within the first 5 minutes. Of course later than evening I was feeling the repurcussions of keeping up with the group and not calling it quits as my doctor probably would have suggested. Oh well, I got some great exercise and Jackson got to go on his first hike.

The Absolute Must-Have For All Future Moms!

Okay, so now that I've been a Mom for 6 weeks I feel as if I have enough experience to start giving advice to those future Moms. The one absolute must-have, can't live without item is.......... BabyWise - the guide to infant sleeping! Before I was a Mom, everyone told me I just had to use "BabyWise" and Melissa even bought me the book and made me swear I'd read it. The book promises to have your baby sleeping by 6 weeks. So, of course, I read it thinking it can't hurt at all! Thankfully, Jackson appeared to be a pretty good sleeper right off the bat - he'd wake up once around 3 am for a feeding and then would wimper a few times throughout the night if his swaddle became undone, he needed a diaper change or wanted his pacifier. I was a little apprehensive at first that the BabyWise technique was working because I didn't really see a change in Jackson's behavior or sleep patterns, but I kept it up because everyone that had used this technique said "suddenly one night around 6 weeks our baby slept through the night". As week 6 approached, Greg and I were keeping our fingers crossed that the same thing would happen for us. And......... at 5 weeks, 6 days old Jackson slept through the night for the first time. (When I say slept through the night, I'm meaning waking up around 5:30 or 6 am.) When I woke up and the sun was beginning to rise, I was thrilled to realize he had slept all night long. But then I started doubting our success and figured I must have gotten up last night to feed him, but I was too tired to remember. Nope, I'd remember that. Then as I laid there, I began worrying that maybe something was wrong with Jackson -is he breathing? Yep, he just whimpered - good he's alive. Then I came upon the conclusion - OMG, BabyWise really worked!!! So naturally I'm thrilled and can't wait to experience another night of sleep, but life isn't that easy. Jackson reverted back to his typical 3 or 4 am wake up time the last few nights. But then last night he slept until 6 am! So, the most valuable piece of advice I can give any new mom is buy, read and use BabyWise! It really does work.

Hit the Road, Jackson!

This past weekend, Greg and I decided to take our first road trip with Jackson. Actually, Greg wanted to go kayaking and rather than be left alone for the entire weekend with a baby, I decided to tag along so at least I could get some help or a break once in a while! (I'll let you decide whether I was ever able to drag Greg away from the river long enough to give me a break.)So Friday morning we loaded up the baby, Harley Dog, Greg's kayaking gear, our stuff, Greg's friend and his dog Rio and we hit the road. We went to Buena Vista a town located on the Arkansas River, about 3 hours away from Denver. Again the whole purpose of the trip was for Greg and his friend to go kayaking, so they did, but we also managed to make a few fun stops for Jackson and his first road trip.

We of course had to hit up the local hamburger/ice cream stand!

And the local dairy and goat farm!

Boys - I told you not to taste the cheese that was sitting out in the warm store!!!

My first Mother's Day!

I can't believe I'm celebrating Mother's Day now! You would think about 5 hours of pushing, being a mother would seem so real, but it still hasn't sunk in yet. Greg did great making sure my first Mother's Day was perfect, despite asking me if I wanted to drive to Buena Vista (3 hours away) so he could go kayaking!

We started off the day by opening my presents - I wish every day started off like this. Greg and Jackson gave me a beautiful serving bowl and platter for Spaghetti Thursdays. (Greg has a friend who told him to prepare for lots of spaghetti dinners - it's cheap and kids love it.) Then I was shocked to open a small box that contained a beautiful Rose de France ring. The ring looks like a 4 1/2 carat diamond, but when you get up close you notice the stone has a pale, pale pinkish-lavendar color to it! It's breathtaking and as Greg said "it can hold it's own against some pageant bling!". After our gift session, we headed out to a local restaurant for some breakfast. Greg had made brunch reservations at a very nice restaurant, but after a quick conversation we thought economically and mentally it was a safer bet to go to the neighborhood restaurant. At least, here I wouldn't feel so bad if Jackson started crying. After breakfast, we drove around town exploring some of Denver's historic neighborhoods and then headed to the Denver Botanical Gardens for thier Mother's Day celebration. Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperating so most of the day's festivities at the DBG had been cancelled, but it wasn't bad enough for us to tour the gardens still. We enjoyed our time looking at all of the different flowers, plants, herbs, etc and of course realizing that not every place is we stroller-friendly (but we managed thank our all-terrain stroller).

1 month old!

Jackson officially celebrated his 1 month birthday yesterday! It seems like just yesterday Greg and I were bringing our little man home from the hospital. Not only has time flown by, but our little man has grown and changed so much just in a few short weeks. At Jackson's last appointment (his 2 week check up) he was already 7 lbs, 3 oz.; I have a feeling he is now sneaking up on 8 lbs. Greg and I continue to be amazed at how quickly Jackson has mastered some major milestones such as rolling himself over from his tummy to his back and lifting his head and moving it from one side to another. I, of course, think he is so strong because of the numerous hours I clocked in the gym while pregnant with him and my healthy eating (except for the occassional trip to Chick-fil-A)! Greg disagrees with me and claims Jackson's strong because "he's my boy".

Here are some pics from Jackson's first month!

My first Easter photo shoot - thanks Grandma Trudy!

Grandpa John came down from Montana to meet me!Thanks Uncle Jason & Aunt Christina for my cool guy shirt!

In Loving Memory of Erin Hotsenpiller Nov. 15, 1977 - May 4, 2009

Yesterday, Greg and I received some tragic news regarding a very good friend of ours, Erin Hotsenpiller. Erin passed away unexpectedly at the young age of 31. Greg and I first met Erin just over a year ago when she married Greg's friend, Jeremy. Erin had a passion for life, love, friends, family and entertaining! Erin was always the first that was willing to try something new or crazy - which was so appropriately represented in her quick romance with Jeremy. Both Erin and Jeremy's families had been trying to set the two of them up for several years. Finally in April of 2007, Erin and Jeremy met while Jeremy was back in California visiting family. After only knowing each other for a few days, the two of them decided to take a spontaneous trip to Disney World where Jeremy ultimately proposed to Erin. The next day the two were headed to Vegas where they got married. Within days of getting married, Erin packed up her bags and moved to Colorado where Jeremy lived. That was when Greg and I were so blessed to get to know Erin.

Erin's personality, attitude and love for life was so contagious. I will always cherish the times we got to spend with Erin at company gatherings, walks with the dog and Jackson in Wash Park, our lunches and dinners where we complained about the "boys", our girl time over a bottle of wine, and our attempts at beating you at Sequence. While all of us who knew Erin have suffered a great, unexpected loss, we will always be thankful for the times we got to spend with her. God Bless you Erin!!! We love you!!

Arizona here we come!!

It's official, I just booked Jackson's first plane ride. We are headed home to Arizona May 28th through June 1st for some bonding time with Grandma Trudy, Grandpa Irv, Auntie Tessa and maybe even a chance to meet Uncle Nick and his family! I think I might be somewhat crazy for taking a 7 week old on a plane by myself, but it will be an adventure. I can't wait to introduce him to the beauty of the desert and all of my AZ friends.... and maybe even introduce him to the pool while we are out there!

Week 3

Week three was marked with Greg returning to work after having 2 weeks off for paternity leave. Let me tell you those two weeks of paternity leave were so greatly appreciated, especially since I had a c-section and was just now able to move around more and drive!

This week was also filled with lots of new experiences. Jackson survived his first trip to the mall - 6 hours of shopping are under his belt now. Jackson visited Dairy Queen for the first time - hey he wouldn't be part of the Hill Family without a love for DQ! This week was also filled with lots of visitors. Auntie Tessa visited... and spoiled our little guy. Grandpa John (Greg's Dad) is visiting from Montana. Greg's aunt Rene and cousin Gus also visited last night. Jackson is quickly meeting all of his family! Oh and one more update from week three. I now officially have 7 lbs left to lose!!