Jackson Has a Double Ear Infection and Now Hand Foot and Mouth Disease!

The verdict is finally in, Jackson has been waking up so early because he has had an ear infection. Thursday night he ran a little bit of a fever, and this morning his fever rose to 101.8. Since tomorrow is the weekend, and they charge more for weekend appointments, we went ahead and decided to take him in today. He actually slept till 8 am this morning...go figure. Anyway, he screamed bloody murder when she checked his ears. She said the left ear looks pretty bad, and is probably why he has been waking up so early the past week. I am just glad to be able to treat this with antibiotics, motrin, and numbing ear drops. He has not had an ear infection for a while, and believe it or not he has only had about 5 total ear infections. This time, he did not wake up in the middle of the night and he just started pulling at his ears bad today. Hopefully, it will not be much longer till he can say "ear hurts." Oh that blessed day. He is repeating many words I say, and he love to try and say "Giraffe" when he sees picture of them (he loves giraffes and we will be going to the zoo soon to see them in person...I am so glad we have a great zoo here). Can't you tell he is so sick in this picture taken tonight... his energy level amazes me.

*Added later* Friday night he got a huge blister on his tongue and he did not sleep well at all that night. He woke up every 2 hours and then Saturday he hardly even had a nap. Needless to say, it was a rough time. Praise God that he slept all of Saturday night (he woke up once but we did not have to go get him) and he slept till 8 am. I felt like a new person this morning and he actually let me do some laundry. He is doing much better but he is not eating at all just drinking bottles with his milk in them. If you have any advice on how to deal with hand foot and mouth disease I would love to hear it! The nurse said that we could give him anbesol but basically it was a virus and had to let it run its 5-7 day course. It has been very difficult to get the antibiotics in for his ear infection because his mouth hurts so much. Today he broke out in little red dots that look like bites around his mouth. The nurse did say that the blisters are very painful....although Jackson only has one huge blister on the side of his tongue that I can see.

We have not had to miss Sunday morning in months, but of course yesterday was promotion Sunday and we got new very large class of 4th grade girls (not to mention a nice teacher appreciation luncheon), and I really wanted to be there to meet all of our new girls. It was my week to teach so we had to scramble to get the material to Minge on Saturday. I hate to miss Sunday so just pray that Jackson's blisters are gone and he is well before next Sunday when I am suppose to teach again. I am dying to meet and to get to know all of our new girls.

Jackson Slept Till 7 am This Morning for the First Time in 3 Weeks!

Woo Hoo! I could not believe it this morning when I heard Jackson for the first time it was 7 am! It was raining this morning and the workers were not working on the houses on our street so maybe that is what has been waking him up. Also, yesterday we did not get back from church till late and he did not go to bed till 9 pm after eating a good bit of food. I definitely wore him out yesterday going to the gym and church. Thanks for your prayers. If Jackson had been waking up early his whole life, this would not be a big deal. Just being unprepared for him waking up before 6 am, is hard to deal with. If I had known that he was going to wake up at 5:55 am for almost 3 weeks, I would have tried to be asleep by 9 pm. If you know me or Charlie at all you know that we need our sleep. Also, with me being pregnant, unfortunately, I seem to be getting more tired as the weeks go on. I went the doctor for my 12 week (I forgot that you go to the doctor every 4 weeks for a long while even though it seems like I just did this) visit this week and they said everything looks perfect. They were able to find the heartbeat quickly (unlike with Jackson) and it was a strong 160 again just like last time. What a blessing!

Jackson is Waking up anywhere from 5:55 am to 6:30am....HELP!

For the last two weeks, Jackson has blessed us with his energetic self anywhere from 5:55 am to 6:30 am. Nothing really has changed with his schedule and he is not upset when he wakes up, he is just ready to go!

Here are some reasons I think he could be waking up so early:

1. He just does not need as much sleep now that he is less than 4 months away from 2 years old. He is the energizer bunny!
2. He has teeth coming through right now
3. The sun rises at 6:15 am now, but we have black out curtains in his room
4. He is going through a growth spurt and is just hungry
5. We live in a new neighborhood and they are starting to work on the houses around the time he is waking up.

*We do not go and get him till he is upset, we let him talk for a good 30 minutes, but since his room is right next to mine, I do not get back to sleep.

Solutions: Please let me know your solutions or what has worked with your children

1. Move back his bedtime till 9 pm like it used to be. His bedtime is 8:30 right now and he takes a nap from 1 pm-3:30 pm. I do not offer him 2 naps at all anymore. We have been blessed and Jackson has always been a great sleepier. At like 3 months old, he was sleeping till 8:30 am so this is a rude awakening for us. He is still at great napper right now! I really do not want to move up his bedtime because I have always thought "early to bed early to wise makes a man healthy wealthy and wise"...haha.

2. Feed him more for dinner. He is eating a ton right now though

3. Make myself get in the bed when he gets in the bed and pray I can get everything cleaned up and done throughout the day (I usually do not do the dishes till he goes to bed).

PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOUR SUGGESTIONS!

These are really my only solutions. I know this is not that big of a deal, but with me not having hardly any caffeine right now and being pregnant, some mornings I feel like I am going to pass out or throw up because I am so tired. I just cannot get to sleep before 11 pm. If I could just have coffee right now to get through this phase then I would be ok. Maybe the Lord is preparing me for 2 little active boys 2 years apart.

Jackson's first USC Baseball Game

Jackson had the best time at his first USC Baseball Game. He cheered very loudly, clapped, and basically went wild. The Crowsons went with us, and finally we just strolled Jackson back and forth because he was so overly excited and this calmed him down a good bit. He just loved hearing everyone clap and yell, I think he helped the crowd take it up a notch.

Psalm 40

I waited patiently for the LORD;
he turned to me and heard my cry.

He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.

He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear
and put their trust in the LORD.

I was listening to John Piper's sermon, "I am Sending you To Open Their Eyes" and he opened his sermon by praying this Psalm...it was very powerful. If you like to listen to sermons I would strongly recommend listening to his sermons and you can get it through your podcast by going to: http://www.desiringgod.org/

Happy 3rd Birthday Millie Boo!

Today is Millie Boo's third birthday. She was the first living being that God entrusted us to be parents over and by God's grace and mercy she is still alive with us. I will not go into the whole almost dying incident here but I am very thankful for Millie Boo every day.

Here are the top 3 Reasons I am thankful for Millie Boo since she is three years old today.

1. She makes Jackson laugh uncontrollably some days which is priceless (and she puts up with him pulling her hair some days).

2. She loves us unconditionally

3. She always knows how to cheer us up by licking our feet (it is very relaxing) or by cuddling up next to me. And now since I am pregnant she loves to sit on my stomach...maybe she knows there is a little person in there now.

10 Weeks Pregnant and 10 Things I am doing to try and have a Healthier Pregnancy!

I cannot believe I am already 10 weeks pregnant. This time has really flown by, probably because I really do not have time to really think about being pregnant.

I thought I would make a top ten list of things I am doing different this time since I am a little wiser this go around and since I am 10 weeks pregnant today. If any of you have any sort of advice on how to have a healthy pregnancy I am all ears!

1. I am working out this pregnancy three times a week. I am going to Gold’s Gym and I take their Body Step and Body Combat classes. They have the best childcare ever! Last pregnancy the hunger was so intense and I struggled with being a little depressed (only while I was pregnant) and so I knew a goal this year was to have an exercise plan that I enjoyed before I got pregnant again. It has made a huge difference and I am really not as tired as I was last time. With Jackson I gained fifty fun-filled pounds and my goal this time is not to gain that much weight. You can work out while you are pregnant if you continue to do whatever you were doing before you got pregnant. If you struggle with weight issues I strongly recommend having a plan. I have already gained five pounds but I feel so much better!
2. Along with Life-Finesses Prenatal Vitamin, I am taking a DHA supplement that helps with all of the fish that I do not eat and also helps with brain development. I get this supplement at Walmart and they have a coupon in the box for $2 off your next purchase. I think they are about $9 for thirty pills. Last pregnancy I did not really understand what the DHA supplement did but my new and wonderful doctors explained them to me fully at the Women’s Physicians Associates (yes they are all women doctors there and a woman will be delivering me) I love this practice so much! They do not think any of your questions are stupid and are very loving women. I will be delivering the baby at Palmetto Richland Hospital. What is even more cool is that I could have Dr. Painter (a woman) deliver me and then her husband take care of the baby (if he is on call) at Palmetto Pediatrics of which we already go. There are only four main doctors at Palmetto Pediatrics and Dr. Painter is one of them!
3. I am drinking two 32 oz glasses of water a day through my water jug and I drink it through a straw so it goes down quicker.
4. I am also having one diet coke in the morning and one caffeine-free diet coke at night. With Jackson, my sugar levels were real high so they said it would be better for me to risk the diet sugar thing than to have my baby have too much sugar. I know, I know, diet sugar can be unhealthy, but anything in moderation is okay.
5. I have a SlimFast chocolate shake in the morning for breakfast. Last time I wanted a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit like every morning which is ridiculous and not good for me or the baby. I think slimfast even has their pregnant plan online.
6. I eat a ton of fruit - mainly because I crave it real bad. With Jackson I craved veggies and beef more. I also crave Popsicles and have one every day.
   
7. I take a nap when Jackson takes a nap. The doctor recommends eight hours of sleep at night when you are pregnant plus a nap. I am just blessed that Jackson is at the age where he still takes one long nap.
8. The only strange thing this pregnancy is that when I get something in my head that I want to eat, I refuse to eat anything until I get that something (such as a McAllisters club sandwich). I would not recommend this and with Jackson I could eat anything at any time….I guess every baby is different.
9. This is off the subject, but many people have asked me if I think I am having a boy or a girl. Whatever gender the mom thinks she is having studies show that she is right seventy percent of the time. I know many moms say this, but I really do not care what sex I am having but I just pray for a healthy baby. I do however pray for a less energetic child! Jackson is a wild man. The heart rate is already 16 beats less with this baby one week earlier than with Jackson (the earlier on in the pregnancy usually the higher the heart rate). This baby’s heart rate was 160 at 8 weeks and Jackson’s was 176 at 9 weeks. I already know that this baby has a calmer spirit than Jackson... If it is a boy, we will be set with clothes, and since we probably want three children this is not my last chance to have a girl and Jackson will have a brother to play ball with. The Chinese Lunar Calendar says girl, but the science of it (trying only one time), would say 100 percent boy. If I had to say one way or another I would guess girl (but this is strictly a guess) just because my stomach has been more upset and I have acne on my face (extra hormones) which I did not have at all with Jackson, and I did that silly ring test and it went in a straight line, not in a circle like it did with Jackson. Ultimately, you can try to do all the tricks to have one gender, but God completely controls what sex you are having and he knows what is best for you…praise God! Just like with Jackson, I am dying to know what gender the baby is and one of my friends told me about this “intelligender” test that you can order for about $35. Supposedly you can tell what the baby is as early as 10 weeks by doing a test that is similar to a pregnancy test. They say it is 82% effective. Go here for more info: http://www.intelligender.com/index.php Have you heard about this? Do you think it is a waste of money? Since this pregnancy has gone by so fast, I am not to that point yet, but I do not know if I can wait until July. With Jackson we did go to an ultrasound place, We See Ultrasound on Two Notch Road in Columbia and paid for a package there and we might do that again but we will see. I just cannot wait to get his or her room all ready (I really do not like surprises since I am a huge planner).
10. Lastly, I have not thrown up at all this time (I did with Jackson) and I have had a pretty easy pregnancy. I have felt nauseous though about every day but I know that is normal. I have been able to fight off the nausea and I guess since I just had a really bad stomach bug a couple months ago it really does not seem that bad. For the moms out there that throw up constantly I pray that God will give you supernatural strength to get through you days, and remember this affliction will pass! For me, it is a lot easier not having to go to school and work like I did last pregnancy. God is so good!

Ps- I enjoy the book Pregnancy Week By Week the best (it is the least overwhelming book for me)

Video of Jackson Playing on the Beach

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Video of Jackson Looking out on Our Balcony at the Beach

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Beach Trip to Sea Island for My Dad's 60th Birthday!

Jackson kissing "KK"

Jackson loving "KK" before she had to leave
In 2004, the G8 Summit was held here at Sea Island, Ga in this room!
Here is Charlie sitting in President Bush's chair!


This is the best family picture we could get with Jackson being so active
Jackson playing in the baby pool
Here we are on the beach (Gigi got him this Georgia shirt and since USC beat Georgia last year, he was permitted to wear this shirt...haha!)



Jackson chilling out in our bed in the morning
"KK" and Jackson out by the pool

Last summer we had the fire so we did not get a vacation. I guess this year I was very appreciative of a vacation and we had the best time. I definitely went picture crazy. I think I took about 40 picture and some video. The weather was perfect every day! Be on the look out for some video of our trip.

Survey!

Big News from the Wallace Family!!!!!!!!!!!!

We have some huge, life-changing, great news

Drum Roll Please……

We are pregnant!

We are so excited! The due date is December 9^th and we went for an ultrasound last Tuesday (8 weeks) and everything looks great. He or she looked like a 1 inch teddy bear.

I was stressing a little bit on when we would start trying to have another baby. We thought December would be too stressful of a month, but God’s plans and His timing is always so much better than your own plans! We are so thankful for this miracle. God is so good! Jackson and the baby will be 2 years and 3 months apart.

Psalm 139:13-16

For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me
were written in your book before one of them came to be.

*I might have the tiny ultrasound picture posted up latter on