OMG.... He's gonna be 30!

Jaxons Baptism

Baby Announcement

My New Job!

Yeppers, I got me a new Job with the County of San Diego!

I start tomorrow and will be working at the County Administration Building, right on the water, next to Sea Port Village in front of the Star of India. Its a Historic Building, kinda cool. I wanted to post a few pics of my new "Office". I'll be sure to give an update on how my new job is after I get situated....

Our Baby at Day Care!

Here is the most recent picture of Jaxon at DayCare.

He's really enjoying my girlfriend, Beverly, and her son, Chance, who is 6 months older than Jaxon. She is a stay at home Mom who offered to watch Jaxon for us and we couldnt be happier to have him with her and Chance all day. They are gonna be best buds for sure!

I swear our Baby has the Biggest Cranium Ever!

Maternity leave comes to an end....

Yes, the time has come... and I returned to work last Monday. I was actually looking forward to it as our little guy does alot of sleeping, pooping and eating...I was starting feel like I was back in my college days! (minus the homework of course) I was nervous about the mornings but he was only waking up once in the night and it gave me the courage to tackle whatever was to come in the early dawn.

The first week went great! I was in the office every morning at 8am and he did great at my girlfriends house who has an 8 month old. I trust her completely and I didn't have any tears or feelings of sadness like most moms say you're gonna have. Don't get me wrong...it was hard but nice to have a change in scenery and back in the Corporate world again. But then again, I'm really not like most women...at least that's why my Husband says why he loves me so much, because I'm a tough cookie!

Anyways, as the week went so well and Jaxon did fantastic but..... nothing is ever THAT simple! So to add a little more of a challenge, to my ever so easy routine Ive developed since giving birth, I got a new job! Here's the 411...

A friend sent a job posting from the County of SD to me online in June. My company has been experiencing massive layoffs in the last year and though I felt somewhat safe, its always good to be looking for the next best thing when you're still employed. The job had three major criterias... and I had all 3! BA in Public Administration, Certificate in HR Management and be a certified PHR (Professional in Human Resources) I applied and in applying you had to answer 10 essay questions..It was rough, not to mention long, but I was sitting on my ass all day with boob in my baby's mouth, so what the hell else did I have on my agenda?

It took me 2 days to complete and I submitted it online...done! I forgot about it and a month later I was talking to my cousin, she works at the County of San Diego. So she knows the Director of HR and spoke directly to him about my application. I got a call for an interview, I interviewed in front of a panel of 3 people, it was an intense interview and apparently, I nailed it! Two days later they called and offered me the job...

So, to make my life even more hectic, I'm accepting this new job... The benefits are awesome, pension, more paid holidays, 25 days of time off a year, you can practically wear your pajamas to work etc. etc. But... now I will be managing a staff of 6. This is a new venture for me. This is probably the one thing that scares me the most. I cannot be late, as I have to lead by example... a challenge apparently the County of San Diego believes I can do? I'm just getting the hang of managing my LIFE and now this opportunity comes up? Crazy!!

But I am a huge believer that God only gives you what you can handle in this life, so if he thinks I'm capable of being "Mom of the Year" than I accept, and graciously! I love my son more than any words can describe, I live my life for him and my husband.. I only hope our son sees me for the strong woman I strive to be. I want to be the example of what women can be, not only being a successful career woman but also a loving mother and wife . I hope he holds all women to a higher standard, as his father does with me, because he will have watched me not only raise him but provide for him equally along with my Husband. I want to show him that women really can do it all if they choose.

I realize I am what I am today because of everyone in my life who pushed me to be better then I thought I could ever be. I also realize this is exactly what my Husband and I must do for our son. But first, WE have to lead by example. He will watch us, we will be HIS motivators in life, we will help him achieve his goals and be his supporters as he grows. That is what being a good parent is really all about for me. I know I may lose my mind, my hair, gain a few wrinkles and grind my teeth down to the bone but I've put my husband on sanity watch and told him if at any time I look like I'm about to lose it.... then take a garden hose to me on the front lawn ; )

Jaxon is doing great! He went to bed last night at 8pm with no crying and I woke him at 7am to leave for Daycare. So hes sleeping through the night at 11 weeks, thank the Lord! He got his first round of shots this week and the doctor says hes a healthy baby... big baby, but healthy. He is 14lbs 5 oz and 24" long now. Hes in the 80% percentile for his growth so far, says hes gonna be a big guy like his Daddy. He has a little bit of a Heart Murmur but doctor says he will probably grow out of it. He didn't cry when he got his shots, so apparently he got his pain threshold from his father as well ; ) Jaxon and I leave for Dallas for 4 days in September to visit my best friend, Jaime, and her family. Im so excited to take Jaxon on his first plane ride! Another challenge that I accept... doing things like that make me feel so liberated, like I can do anything! After the trip I will have to post another blog giving the updates on our travel experience....

Daddy is doing well. Shane actually watched him the whole day on my first day back to work and he did so good! There's no challenge he wont accept, though he did commend me (and all women who stay home) He said it was a much bigger job than he had anticipated it to be. But he did awesome and Jaxon loves his Daddy so much! Shane's due to finish his school here soon, only 5 more classes to go before he gets his BA. The buggy is done for the most part. He's almost totally ready for the big race in February. Here is his information link http://pirate4x4.com/koh09/drivers/shane_henry.php
He completed his first DirtBuilt Chassis in July and was happy to have it done, but Hey! we gotta keep the business running ; ) I'm sure hes going accept another order soon, but for now he wants to play with his own rig for a while.

We leave for Negril, Jamaica in November and are excited for the vacation. Here is where we are headed... http://www.sandals.com/main/negril/ne-home.cfm We cannot wait!

That's it for the latest updates on the Henry Family! I will post more pictures soon....

Some updated pictures of our Lil Guy!

Say Cheese....

Jaxon Randall Henry at 6 Weeks

Jaxon and I at the Padres Game @ Petco Park!

Baby Love....

He's Extremely Patriotic!
Whoops wrong hand... He still has alot to learn from Daddy I guess ; )

Due to Popular Demand

Hi all! Wow, it sure is a full time job being a new Mommy. Every second of the day my thoughts are focused on our little guy...Is he hungry? When did I last change his diaper? If he's sleeping I constantly check on him to make sure he's breathing and the list goes on... Shane and I gave him his first "real" bath the other day (not a sponge bath) because he finally lost his umbilical cord, Yay! He did so great, he was such a gem and loved the warm water. Daddy is such a huge help and we couldnt be more in love with our little boy. What a true miracle of God he is to us.

Here are some recent photos of our growing bean....More to come!

The Baby Story...

Jaxon Randall Henry is here....
Date of Birth: 06/01/08 (39week s 4days)
Original Due Date: 06/03/08
Height / Weight: 20 3/4 in. / 7 lbs. 5oz.

I woke up at 2am Sat morning, May 30th and had 4 contractions that were 30 minutes apart. Then Sat morning around 9am, I had minor cramping all day long. At about 5pm Saturday we started timing the cramping. It kept increasing from 10 to 3 minutes apart and started to get more and more intense. We left for the hospital at 8:30 pm and I had dilated to 3cm. At midnight I was admitted at 4 cm and the contractions were every 30 seconds. I got my epidural at 1am and continued to dilate to 10 cm by 10am Sunday Morning. I started to push at 10:15 and the he still had not dropped yet, so he was really high in my pelvis. The doctor said she was going to give me 3 hours to push and try to bring him down and out on my own, otherwise they wanted to get him by Cesarean. I was determined to do this on my own...so with my Husband and both our mothers by my side, I was cheered on to push! It took me 2 1/2 hours to get him to finally crown and then the last 30 minutes I had to get him out. I did it! But that last 30 minutes I pushed like nothing else. I kept looking at the clock and was determined to get him out on my own. I did and he was born exactly 3 hours and 1 minute after I started to push. The doctor was amazed that I did it within the 3 hours. Once he came out he had the cord wrapped around his neck, so that was a little scary, but I had no idea until it was all taken care of. He didn't cry at all once he was born and had his eyes wide open and was looking at everyone who held him just an hour after his birth. It was the most amazing experience I have ever had in my life. There is nothing like giving birth to your baby and all the work was so worth it. We came home On Monday and he has taken to breastfeeding right away. We are just working on a schedule now....

and they call this "Work"?

I had my Work Shower on Monday. We got lots more Baby Stuff and stocked up in the diapers department for sure... Here are a few pics to commemorate our Babys 3rd Shower! I didnt even imagine having so many Partys thrown in his honor and he isnt even here to help celebrate :) He must have his Mothers Party genes already... Daddy better watch out! or better yet... watch out girls, this little guys gonna be winning over your hearts all around the school yards everywhere soon enough!

Shanes Work Shower...

Shane had his work Shower yesterday and it was alot of fun. They had the cutest cake ever! Here are a few pictures of our fun Luncheon at Waxie. As you can tell my Husband is quite a "Ham" for the ladies ; )
My work Shower is this next week. I cant imagine what else this baby could possibly need? We are so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends to support us. We are so grateful for everyone in our lives during this Magical Time....

Pictures of the Nursery

We finally have the Nursery 90% complete! I have a few more things to hang on the walls but for the most part we feel like we are ready to bring him home. Only 4 more weeks to go! Here are some pictures of his new "Crib"....

Baby Shower

My baby shower was this last Sunday. The weather was beautiful and we got so much stuff that it barely fits into the babys room. I cant wait to get in there and start putting everything away...It definately feels like we will be bringing him home soon now that we have some of the things we needed. We had over 35 women at our house. Here are some pictures of our wonderful day! Many Thanks to my Best Girlfriends Jaime and Beverly and my Mother for making my Babys day the best Ever!!!

You know you're Pregnant when...

...your Husband automatically gives you a push when you attempt to get up from bed.
...when rolling over in bed feels like a three point turn and adjusting the belly pillow is like moving traffic cones around.
...you apply chapstick 5o times a day and your lips are still dry!
...drink 2 gallons of water and are still so thirsty you could drink the neighbors pool.
...cant hug your husband standing up for too long because reaching over each others belly's strains your back too much.
...you can't get up and off the couch without rolling to your knees on the floor before standing up and moaning at the same time.
...you justify everything you eat by saying "Because the Baby wants it".
...you finally realize what Detox must be like and look forward to getting tipsy off of one Beer ;)
...you cant eat enough Jalapenos and actually enjoy the taste of the Tums 2 hours later.
...giving presentations at work makes you so winded that co-workers fear you might be in labor!
...every morning you can still wear your wedding ring is a major achievement because you know so many pregnant women who cant do it at all.
...your Husband looks at your legs and says "Baby... your knees look Sad" : (
...you get winded and make several attempts to put your socks and shoes on each morning.
...you realize your wearing prints on Maternity shirts that you wouldnt be caught dead in if you weren't pregnant. (Who makes this &%$#?)
...when you fear that once your baby bump is gone, your chest may stay so big people will mistake you as a stripper!

Our First Hospital Stay...

Last Wednesday Morning I woke up at 4am because my stomach decided it didnt want anything in it anymore. Between 4am and 6am, I was in and out of bed so much, that not only was I wondering where it was all coming from, but I was also so winded just trying to roll myself out of bed so many times. At 6:30 I made Shane his breakfast and climbed back into bed...I felt kind of dizzy and after a few minutes decided maybe I should call the doctor. I have heard about the body cleansing itself before labor like this and I knew I still had 6 weeks before labor so it made me kinda nervous. The nurse paged my doctor and she said to go to Triage right away...That scared me a little. I was thinking the doctors office might be fine. Thinking I would only be there an hour or so I told Shane to go to work and I would have my Dad take me. After intake at Triage I sat there for atleast 5 hours hooked up to a Fetal Moniter and IV after IV, the doctor came in and said I was severely dehydrated and was actually having minor contractions when I was admitted. A few times the babys heart rate took a dive and the nurses were great, they responded so quickly I felt like a three alarm fire was in process. The doctor told me she had to admit me due to the babys heart rate and they wanted to moniter him for 24 hours, so for the first time in my life I was admitted into the Hospital.

Shane did great. He figured out the Daddys Bed and was all set up with his pillow, blanket and computer for the night. We had a private room with Cable and Room Service. Though I didnt have the slightest appetite at all. He ate pretty well considering we ordered food three times that night.

I, on the other hand, was woken up every hour to have the fetal moniter checked and made to go to the bathroom to make sure my kidneys were processing all the IV that was being poured into my system. The next morning I woke up starving! I ordered up the biggest breakfast from room service and ate it all! Shane left for work and I was finally able to go home around noon. Apparently it was just a bug. I didnt realize that getting sick a few times wreaked such havoc on the baby. We didnt realize the intensity of the situation until we were leaving the hospital.

This experience did make me realize how NOT ready I am for baby to come home. I dont have the bags packed, or the room ready and totally forgot about Lexie in all of the chaos. I have so much to plan for still and thats just for the labor portion of this pregnancy....

I am more anxious than ever to get this son of ours here safely. Though now I am more uncomfortable than before...sleeping is not as pleasant as it once was. I still have no idea where this baby is though, as I dont look like I am due in 6 weeks. I've had a few people say to me in the past week that my tummy looks so small for being almost 8 months along. I do know he has now turned upside down, so atleast he is in the "GO" position, he just hasnt dropped yet. So until then, he resides in my rib cage. Shane says its because he wants to be close to Mommys heart....But he already is!

This is probably one of many hospital visits we will have in our lifetime together. Being that he is the son of Shane Henry, he will most likely have his fathers love of the outdoors and passion for things that have wheels and go fast! Until then he will continue to grow for the next few weeks until he is ready to come out and meet the world.

Hormone Issues...

The Saturday before Easter I brought Lexie to the Groomers. I thought, instead of having a little girl to go buy a pink ruffled dress for, (since that isnt happening with this baby) that I would get my other little girl all prettied up for Easter.

When I left her there at 8am she seemed so nervous. I was saying good-bye to her and I told the Groomers "I'm sorry, but she always gets so anxious when I bring her here" So the Groomer says to me "Its okay, she is probably just upset that you're leaving her" Wrong thing to say to a pregnant lady....

All of a sudden my lower lip started to tremble and I pulled my Sunglasses down over my eyes and left. I cried the whole way home. I dont know if its the pregnancy or what, but I felt like I was the worlds worst Mother at that point. The way she looked at me with those sad eyes...Ugh! It was just awful.

Needless to say she was fine when I picked her up. She was so excited to see me. She was soft and clean, she probably didnt even remember the tradgedy that had just occurred only 2 hours prior when she thought I was never coming back....

I realize alot of it was pregnancy related hormones. But this is the closest I have ever come to those feelings that mothers tell you they experience, when leaving behind their little ones for the first time. So I do empathize with them... I just hope I can keep it together better, I have never been like this before? Im always the tough one, atleast I thought I was?

Regardless, Lexie recovered from the horrific episode just fine and this is how I found her the next morning when Shane and I woke up....
Im so glad she is such a lady ; )