First Day of Preschool

Griffin officially started preschool today! It's a church program and he only goes one day a week (from 9:30am to 2:30pm), but, of course, we still had to get a "first day of school" picture!

I was a little worried that he would be upset when I left, but leave it to our social butterfly (or bumblebee, since butterflies are kind of girly) to walk right into his class with nary a glance back at me. Ha! Maybe he was really listening when I recited his life verse just before we went inside: "Be strong and courageous, Griffin. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you." Duet. 31:6

This kid really loves other people (big or small), so I think he will truly enjoy this new experience. Looking forward to seeing all the things he (and we) will learn this year!

Jasper's Newborn Pics & Hospital Visit

I'm back! After an unexpected hiatus, due in part to a Macbook that went on the fritz, and in part to serious sleep deprivation, I'm finally sitting down to get in some long overdue blogging. I'll be filling in posts from earlier events in the next few days too.

Okay, let's get to the good stuff. First, I was thrilled with how Jasper's newborn photos turned out! Big thanks to Lindsey Murphy who took some beautiful shots of our newest addition. Little JR (we're trying out nicknames to see what fits the little guy, so don't be surprised if you see several different references to him in the next few posts) was 12 days old when we took these pics. So sweet!

He was a perfect model, sleeping through the entire session. Unfortunately we realized the next day that he might have been sleeping so much because he was getting sick :( The day after these were taken, JR woke up with a fever and was readmitted to the hospital with viral meningitis - no idea how he picked that up in less than 2 weeks of being in this world! He had a very high fever coupled with a severe headache, rapid breathing, and an elevated heart rate, so he was tested and monitored closely in the hospital for a few days. Poor thing! Since it was a virus, they basically just treated him with Tylenol and extra fluids and let it run its course, but our sweet, normally easy-going baby was not a happy camper while we were there.

Thank you to all the friends and family members who were praying, visiting, and checking in on us. We appreciate you so much! I'm just so thankful that we were already scheduled to visit the pediatrician the day Jasper's fever showed up (for his 2 week well baby visit). I knew a fever in newborns could be a big deal, but I also tend to be a wait it out, don't call the doctor unless you really need to kind of parent. I like to think I would have known to call the doctor this time, but our Lord wasn't leaving room for my inadequacies.

Isn't it amazing to see how He lays out the path of provision before we even know we need it? He has been so faithful to provide us with skilled doctors and well-timed appointments for both of our boys in their early weeks of life, when they've needed extra medical attention. Some of you might remember that Griff was also hospitalized when he was a few days old for significant weight loss and jaundice. That time we were scheduled a day early for a routine weight check when we found out he needed another stay at the hospital. Our loving Father knew that Griff would need to be seen and treated without waiting that extra day - He is so good!

We had a few more medical concerns for J, like possible heart and genetic issues that, praise the Lord, were cleared up by running some additional tests. I guess that's the way it goes with little ones, and thankfully, he seems to be the picture of health these days. Gaining weight like a champ and even starting to smile, coo and gurgle at us.

And at least we got some great newborn photos out of the whole ordeal....lemonade out of lemons right?

One Month Old

It's hard to believe our little "Bubba" (Griff's sweet version of "brother") is one month old already. He spent the first two weeks of life pulling the wool over our eyes, and had us convinced that he was going to be the most relaxed, easy, content baby on the planet. But, no worries, the last two weeks he's been busy setting us straight :) Seriously, Jasper is a sweetheart, but he does not hesitate to lets us know when he is unhappy...which is pretty much any time he's not being held or working on that pacifier. Oh well, I guess there are worse things in the world than having to cuddle your bundle of joy all day long :)

And even though he's waking us up all hours of the night, he's great about going back to sleep after being fed. Plus, he's officially moved into his own room at night, so mom, dad and baby are ALL sleeping much better these days.

Pacifier = Happy Baby

No paci...still okay (for now)

Wait...where's my paci??

For real...who took my paci??

I'm not kidding people...bring back the paci NOW!!!!!

Not too much else to report at this point, since we're still in the eat, sleep, poop stage of life, but here are a few pics so everyone can see how much Jasper's grown (weighing 10 lbs now!) in only one month. They change so fast!

Jasper Ryan Fitzhugh

Oh my! Being the mom of two boys is already taking its toll. I can't believe I'm just now sitting down to write about the arrival of our little peanut, Jasper.

Our newest addition arrived at 9:29 a.m. on Friday, July 1st, 2011. The little guy was 8 pounds, 2 ounces and 19 inches long (we think....more on that later). We had an easy, scheduled C-section this time and everything went smoothly.

If you ask me, Jasper looks alot like his older brother did at birth, but I can't wait to see how he develops over the next few months. He's already changing quite a bit. We're loving our two little guys, and Griff has been a sweet (if not all that interested) big brother. He's started to call his new brother "Bubba" and likes to gently pat him or play with his feet (I forgot how little and cute those feet could be!). Here's hoping they become fast friends before long. We're so thankful that the Lord has blessed us with two strong, healthy sons!

The picture below is Jasper right after delivery....the one following is Griffin (definitely brothers!)

Easter in Longview

We had a great time celebrating Griffin's second Easter in Longview this year. His first Easter was just a few days after he was born, so this was his first real experience with all the fun this holiday has to offer.

We started things off by attending Abby and Z's church, where Griff was a very attentive listener (at least during all the beautiful music). He was a little too chatty for the sermon, so he spent some quality time with Daddy in the lobby during the rest of the service....and I hear he made lots of new friends out there too :)

Then we had an excellent meal prepared by the grandparents, including an awesome Easter Bunny cake made by Abby, and wrapped things up by enjoying a beautiful day just relaxing in their backyard. Griff had so much fun exploring all the goodies in his Easter basket and running around outside. These days, "go" and "outside" are his FAVORITE words. I think he may have had a little too much fun though, because he was waking up hours earlier than normal, refusing to nap in the car, and wanting to stay up way past his bedtime!

When we got back in town, Griff got to spend some fun time at the lake house with Poppa and Gigi, and was spoiled again with treats, Easter toys/books, and lovin' from his grandparents. What a blessed little boy!

Lots of great family time, a lovely church service, delicious food, and beautiful spring weather. What a fabulous way to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior!

Twelve Month Check-Up

Griffin had his 12 month check-up with Dr. McElroy on Monday and did great. Our pediatrician is always saying how surprised he is that Griff doesn't mind being examined or cry around strangers. That's our social little man! He just LOVES people, and I'm pretty sure he would happily wander off with anyone who smiled at him.

He's weighing 21 lbs. now (25%) and is still in the 60% in height and brain size. Doc says everything looks good and we're always happy for a clean bill of health. Of course, Griff was less than pleased about the latest round of vaccinations, but after a few very sad tears (and a handful of fruit loops), he was feeling much better.

It's hard to believe the next time we'll be seeing Dr. Mac will be for little brother Jasper's first visits!

Griff's Birthday Party