Summer is here!!

Some new pics...since I have a little time.

Updates:

Seth- is officially a second grader and rather proud of it. His big plans for the summer is reading (has been off school for 2 weeks and has plowed through 3 chapter books already!) and playing.

Faith- is well Faith. Feisty and cute and sweet and adorable all on her own terms. She plans on spending her summer annoying big brother...at least that is what she has spent the last two weeks doing so far.

Josh- is HUGE! We go for his four month appointment next week but Dennis has a dr appt (more later) yesterday and they weighed Josh...18lbs 5oz! Already wearing 6-9 and some 12 mos clothes. I am hoping he slows down soon. Jeesh! But he is a happy baby and is wanting to be on the move all the time. He is mastering the use of his hands and is already trying to sit up. Oh and he had is eye appointment and he does not have albinism like Seth. Thank the LORD!

Dennis- is still looking for employment but is enjoying the time with the kids. He has been playing softball for the last couple weeks and managed to injure his knee, hence the doctors appointment. He has a sprained MCL on his left knee and possible cartilage damage. He goes again next week to follow up and see what needs to be done.

Joanna-is back to work full time as of the beginning of this month. Glad to be back, but learning to balance the chaos of three kids and a hubby at home and work can be at times crazy!

Belle

It is a sad day in the Jager household. Last night at 6pm, our neighbor (the crazy dog lady, for those who know the back story) came down to inform us that our little dog Belle had been hit by a car in front of her house. Dennis and I took off down there and picked her up and took her to the vet in town. Unfortunately, there wasn't much they could do. She had head trauma and possibly a broken neck, since she was unable to move her legs and couldn't feel the vet pinching her little toes. She was still conscious, so we were able to say our good byes before putting her down. We buried her last night under one of our pine trees in her bed with a few tennis balls, that she loved to chase. She was 9 years old.

Dennis and I are just heartbroken. She was our first baby before we had our other babies. She was a sweet little dog, a little neurotic at times, but only because she always wanted to be with us and not be left alone. We have lots of fond memories of Belle, like when we brought her home, and how she used to tear around our apartment and then our house after she got a bath, playing ball with her, and how she loved to have the top of her nose rubbed....All of which we are thankful for.

So, all you dog and pet lovers out there, keep us in your prayers while we mourn the loss of our Belle.

We made it home with Josh.....then back to the hospital with Seth!

Joanna and I were able to bring Josh home from the hospital on Saturday. Big brother (Seth) and big sister (Faith) were waiting for us with Grandma Shirley when we arrived at home. We are glad to be home but are very tired (which probably won't change much). Our memorable day was made even more so when Seth had a wall jump out in front of him while he was running around the house just before dinner. He ended up with a pretty good cut on his forehead....so, hours after coming home from the hospital with Joanna and Josh, I had to take Seth back down to the ER so they could glue the cut on his head. He is fine, but it was quite a day! Here are a couple more pictures of Josh just before we left the hospital!

More Pics

Welcome Joshua Christian Jager!

Josh came a bit earlier than expected! Joanna was having labor pains on Wednesday night (2/25), so we called the doctor and was advised to go in. She was admitted at 8:01 pm and was having contractions about every 10 minutes. After two hours of fairly regular contractions, she was prepped for a c-section, as per the original plan. Joshua was born at 11:26 pm on Wednesday, 2/25/08. He weighed 8 lbs, 3 oz and measured 21" long. He is much bigger than both Seth (5 lbs, 11 oz) and Faith (6 lbs, 3 oz) and two inches longer, as the first two were both 19" long. As you can see, he has a full head of blonde hair; similar to his big brother, but different. He seems to be his own little person and has spent many minutes just starting wide-eyed at the world. We are so blessed to have him as the third member of our family!!! Please enjoy the pictures!

February 27th is a go!

The ultrasound went well today. (That's a very good picture of his very round chubby face.) Baby looks good; fluid levels look good. The baby is measuring 3 days ahead of schedule at an estimated 6 lbs 1 oz. That is just 2 oz shy of what Faith weighed when she was born, and we still have 4 weeks to go. With average fetal weight gain in these final weeks being 1/2 lb a week, I could end up with an 8 lb baby...this one could be big!

Dr Pete answered some of our questions afterwards. He said he ordered the ultrasound to check the size of the baby and fluid levels, because high blood pressure during pregnancy causes the blood vessels to constrict, which can impede the flow of fluids and nutrients to the baby. This would cause low fluid levels and smaller baby. But that doesn't appear to be the case here. I will be going off the baby aspirin starting next Thursday in prep for delivery. I will start seeing the doctor once a week as well.

Dr Pete also allowed us to schedule the ultrasound. We are scheduled for 9:30am on February 27th. So, mark your calendars!

Another Ultrasound

I am now at 33 weeks, just 6 or 7 weeks away from delivery. I saw the doctor on Friday and he has scheduled me for another ultrasound on 1/30/09. He said everything looks good, but wants to check the size and position of the baby, fluid levels, and placenta location. I suspect its in prep for the C section since he didn't have any concerns other than my blood pressure is still higher than it should be. So look forward to some more ultrasound pictures in a couple of weeks.

 

Dennis and I are hoping that seeing the baby one more time before delivery will help us come up with a name, since we can't seem to hit on one that we both like. But, other than the name, Dennis and I ready for baby. We have a crib, a carseat, some clothes and blankets. All we need is to bring home a healthy baby in a few weeks.

 

We are just two and a half weeks away from Faith being 3. She talks a mile a minute ALL THE TIME!  You do have to watch what you say around her, because she makes a great echo. But we love it anyway. She loves to do whatever her big brother is doing, and for the most part he tolerates it pretty well. When Seth isn't around, she likes her dollies and playing mommy, and playing with their new dollhouse. She is taking a tumbling class now at the Y which she seems to really like. Daddy says she is the best somersaulter in the class.

 

Seth is doing well in school. His reading has improved dramatically since the beginning of the year and he is now reading slightly ahead of the required levels. He still works at his writing which is somewhat messy, but this has also improved from the beginning of the year. His favorite thing right now is Star Wars Clone Wars, the cartoon, and building things...with legos, with magnetics, with imaginext, anything. He is very creative and has a vivid imagination with his structures.