Some thoughts from the new mother

I thought it's about time to write some of my experience on the blog. Aaron has been so good to send updates on our little guy. Where do I start?

My heart is full of gratitude and we are overwhelmed with all the support from family and friends and even people we don't even know. On July 8th, Jackson's birthday, I anticipated all the things a new mother gets to do for her little baby--giving him his first bath, feeding him, watching him coo and look around at the new world he has entered. As I came out of anesthesia, I slowly learned that little Jackson's entry into the world would have a different start. I started learning to be grateful for a baby that was alive.

Immediately after Aaron gave me the news that Jackson wasn't doing well and all I wanted to do was to see him and snuggle. The nurses let me see him by wheeling my bed to the NICU where he was. He was hooked up to a lot of things, on a ventilator and sedated. I looked past all of that to see our precious little son and the little miracle of life that we were witnessing. He was life-flighted to Primary Children's around 4:30 PM and I got to see him one more time as he was taken out to the helicopter pad.

I couldn't wait to come down to see him after recovering from my c-section. This last week has been full of quite a few emotions. It's amazing how my love for my husband has grown; over the span of a few days, I have watched him change into a father and a more devoted husband. I see him in a different light now. Being a new mother is amazing! I look at the child that Aaron and I have and it's a miracle that Heavenly Father blessed us with such a celestial little boy--and a really cute one too! I really feel that Jackson was kept inside of me for a week and a half longer because he needed some more instruction from Heaven to help him get through his unique entrance into the world :-)

It's humbling to receive so much support and prayers. I often think about what Heavenly Father wants me and Aaron to learn from this experience. I'm learning that the prayers of others really do have a direct impact; I have been sustained and given strength beyond what I could've mustered myself. In the initial bleak and unpromising hours, I was reminded that the promise of an eternal family is one of the greatest gifts we've been given and that no matter what, Jackson is a part of our family forever.

Thanks for keeping Jackson and us in your prayers and keep them coming! You can help us pray that he can come off the ventilator smoothly and quickly and that his swelling will continue to go down. We're taking it one day at a time and Jackson has been a fighter! We know he's got thousands of prayers on his side.