Naming Baby Jackson

Eric and I have not considered many names for our son. We have always known that if we had a boy, we would name him Collin. Eric has always loved the name Collin. He has told me for as long as I can remember that he wants to name his son Collin. I love the name, and honestly love the idea of our little guy having that name.

As for Collin’s middle name, this has very special meaning for Eric. One of Eric’s closest friends, Blake Benton, lost his battle to brain cancer in 2006, after a five year struggle with the disease.

Eric went through a rough time after his death. He still has dreams about his dear friend Blake. At first this was hard for me to understand. I try so hard to be sympathetic to Eric when he has a dream, or every year on August 15th, the anniversary of his death. I have never lost a best friend. I have lost family members that I was close to, but never a best friend. I have gone with Eric out to Blake’s grave. Every time we go I am an emotional mess. Eric is so strong. I believe that the reason for Eric’s strength is the knowledge that Eric will see his friend again one day in Heaven.

I actually went to high school with Blake. Conway is a big school, Blake was a year older than me, but I still knew him. When my family first moved to Conway we attended Second Baptist Church. This is also where Blake and his family attended. I was not close to Blake, but knew very much about his health problems. I thought about his family many times. I just can’t imagine.

At our wedding, we had a candle in memory of Blake on the stage with us. I am so proud of Eric for continuing to remember his friend. Sometimes we to try to forget the horrible times in our life, but Eric sees it as nothing but an opportunity to learn. Learning to appreciate the relationships we have, and not to take them for granted.

So, our little guy will be named, Collin Blake Jackson. I’m so excited for Eric to share with Collin where he got his middle name, and the stories and memories he shared with his friend Blake.

22 week appointment and painting the nursery

On August 31st, we had our next doctor’s appointment. Dr. Martin was finally back from maternity leave! She walked in the room and said “long time no see!” We enjoyed meeting all the other doctors in the office, but we really missed her! This appointment lasted all of about 5 minutes. All she did was measure my stomach, and find baby Jackson’s heart beat. Everything looked right on track! We did talk a little about the rest of my pregnancy. She told us that we would have one more appointment like this one (just a belly measurement and to listen to the heart beat) in four weeks, then I would need to start coming to the doctor every TWO weeks! Crazy. I feel like this pregnancy is starting to fly by! I wish I had more to report from this appointment, but like I said, it was all of about 5 minutes long!

Here is an update about baby Jackson. I get a weekly email from babycenter.com on his progress. It really is interesting to read about it!

This is 22 weeks:

At 11 inches and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.


We also painted the nursery this weekend. Eric’s dad and step-mom came from Benton to help Eric with the painting. His little sister also came with them! His sister, Tori, and I decided we would hang out while they painted. Tori and I went and got my sister and niece Kyndall. We all went to get a snow-cone! One of my favorite things about summer are the snow-cones!! Kyndall loves them too, so we all had a great time. When we got back from our little outing Eric, Tammy, and Jack had the room finished!!! Eric wanted to put another coat on the next day, but I was already excited. It seemed like they had only been painting for 10 minutes and they had made it look so great!! I wish I had taken a ‘before’ picture, I forgot... but I did remember to take an ‘after’! Better than nothing I guess.

I love it! We are going to paint a border in blue and I have ordered wall art to go above the crib. I’m so excited to have it painted! I'll post more pictures when we get more things finished.

Thank you to my wonderful in-laws for giving up their Friday night to come help us paint! I am so blessed!

Me vs. Target

My sister found the most amazing crib in the Target Sunday sale adds. I was so excited when she showed it to me. Eric and I had gone to Benton Sunday afternoon, so it was Sunday night before I saw my sister. If the crib was purchased, we would receive a FREE changing table!! The picture looked so cute!

As soon as she told me about it I called my friend Robin to see if she was up for a trip to Target. Eric told me it would be a good idea to go ahead and buy it, if it was something I liked. We were afraid they would run out of them quickly. Robin and I went to Target that night- oh; did you know that Target closes at 9:00pm on Sunday nights? I sure didn’t. We walked in with about 3 minutes to spare. We were practically running back to the baby section to get a look at the crib. We looked at the display model, and I LOVED it. So, guess what… they were ALL OUT! Ugh! I found a lady that worked at Target and asked if she could find out if the Target in Little Rock had the crib. I was fine with driving to Little Rock the next morning to get it. However, her exact response was “I have no way of knowing that!” she was kinda rude about it too! I know it was time for them to close for the night, but being that rude was not necessary. Here is a picture of my friend Robin and me. She is such a blessing to me. Maybe one day soon I'll write about all the adventures we have been through together. Ha! We always have fun.

I got home that night and told Eric all about it. I decided that since I was off work the next day for Labor Day, I would spend my Monday searching for that crib and changing table. I started at 8:01 the next morning calling every single Target store in the state of Arkansas. You think I’m kidding? Nope. I called every one. I bet you can guess my next sentence… Every single Target in the state of Arkansas was out of the crib and changing table. I couldn’t get a “rain check” because it was a sale item. I was beyond frustrated by this time.

I was worried about ordering something so big and important online and having it shipped. I was afraid it wouldn’t make it here in one piece or something crazy would happen. Eric convinced me that ordering it online was our best option. The price was great, and I really liked it. That Monday I ordered it online. The next Friday when we got home from work the crib was on our front porch!! Yay! The changing table had to be shipped separately so we were expecting it the following Monday. Monday came, and so did our changing table! I was so excited. Eric and I opened up the boxes to inspect everything. Not one piece was damaged or missing. Such an answer to prayer! We didn’t want to put everything together just yet because we wanted to wait until the room was painted so that we didn’t get paint on the furniture.

I went to work the next morning so happy about our furniture. Eric had to work late that day, so I beat him home. When I got home that night, guess what was on our porch… ANOTHER changing table!

What?! They sent us two changing tables. Weirdest thing ever. I tried to call them to see how to get it back to them, but couldn’t ever get a reasonable answer from anyone. So, to this day, we still have a second changing table in our living room, still in the box. I have decided to donate it to our church nursery. Target won’t take it back, we don’t need two changing tables, and I’m sure the church will get some good use out of it. Plus, baby Jackson will be in the nursery most Sunday’s anyway! Ha!

I guess I learned a lesson from our crib drama. If you want something out of the Sunday Target add, you better RUN there to get it. We still got the deal by ordering it online, but I like to actually go and pick it up. That way I know it will get to my house safe and sound!

Half Way There! (20 weeks)

A couple of weeks after our last appointment I reached the half way point! I really started to think about how much stuff I hadn’t even started on yet! I had no clue what I wanted to do his nursery in- and honestly, didn’t even really know which room I wanted to be his nursery.

We have a three bedroom house. Our two spare bedrooms are the same size one is just in the front of the house while the other is closer to the back. The front bedroom Eric has “claimed” to be our Razorback room. Together, Eric and I both have SO MUCH Razorback stuff. When we got married we decided it would be cool to have a room for all of it. So, this left the back bedroom for the nursery. Now that this situation had been figured out, I had to stop stalling and actually decide what we were going to decorate it in. I really didn’t want to do any sort of “theme” for his room. I just wanted something calm, relaxing, and simple.

My mom and I went to North Little Rock one weekend to find me pants that actually fit. There is a Motherhood Maternity store in McCain Mall in North Little Rock. I really like the clothes they have, especially for work. While we were at the mall, my mom suggested we just go look at the baby stuff at Sears. I ended up finding the cutest blanket, and set of crib sheets there. The blanket was on sale! (Even better) It was everything I had been thinking about for his room! I bought the blanket and sheets so that we would have some starting point for other ideas! I was so excited! I think I was more excited about the blanket and sheets than I was for the pants I bought! Ha!

So, I had a plan (kinda). I like the color of green that is in the blanket. I want to paint the walls a shade close to this. I would like to do some sort of border with a shade of blue. I decided I wasn’t going to do a theme of any kind-- just calm, simple colors. Everything seemed to be falling into place.




At this point in my pregnancy I had only gained one pound. When I say I had been sick, that was an absolute understatement. I couldn’t go more than a couple of hours without getting sick. I LIVED on KFC mashed potatoes and gravy (a wonderful suggestion by my mother-in-law). It was the ONLY thing that helped my stomach to feel even a little better. My doctor didn’t seem to be too concerned with my weight issue. I was told that if I started losing weight I would need to be put in the hospital to get an IV to help with fluid loss. Thankfully, this never happened. I have always heard that women tend to be more sick with girls than boys… um, apparently nobody told baby Jackson this!



Baby Jackson also started kicking this week!! Friday night, August 13th, I was sitting on my bed getting ready to go to sleep and all of a sudden I felt this little pop. It felt like a little bubble popped inside my stomach. I wasn’t sure at first that it was actually a kick. I sat there and tried to talk him into doing it again, but no such luck. I guess he just wanted to say “hi”. The next day I waited all day to feel it again, but never did. I was starting to question if I had really felt it the night before. Well the next morning at church, Eric and I were sitting in the service and out of nowhere, he kicked AGAIN! I waited for a second confirmation, and he kicked again!!! I couldn’t even wait until we got out of church. I leaned over to Eric and told him what I was feeling. I will never forget the look on his face. He could tell how excited I was, and was equally excited himself. When we got to the car we talked about it the whole way home. I really wish Eric could have felt what I felt that day. It must be so hard for the daddy to not get to experience that feeling. I knew it wouldn’t be long before he could feel it from the outside, but it can’t feel the same as when I feel him kick. I can’t wait for him to be here so Eric and I can experience the same things with him.

18 weeks (it’s a Boy!)

After my kidney stone drama we had our official doctor’s appointment on August 3rd to find out the gender of baby Jackson. We already knew he was a boy going in to the appointment, but neither one of us had been able to actually SEE that he was a boy. We didn’t have any ultrasound pictures or anything. I wasn't even able to look at the screen when I had the ultrasound done of my kidney. This was also the time that they were going to check all of his measurements to make sure everything is on track. My mom came with us. She hadn’t been able to make it to any appointments yet, so I was really excited. Eric met us there as soon as he got off work.

During this appointment we were also meeting a new doctor. All of the doctors in the office that we go to are women. Well, now they have hired a brand new doctor who is male. I’ve never really been one that had a preference for a male or female doctor, so I was fine with either one. Dr. Ward measured baby Jackson’s head, heart, arms, legs, and abdomen to make sure they all measured what they should be for 18 weeks. He was actually a week ahead of schedule! Yay! Keep on growing little buddy!

Here are some pictures from the appointment and ultrasound.

I know this one is hard to see. The printer on the ultrasound machine ran out right when he printed this one. It's all wrinkled and everything! Sad thing. Anyway, his boy parts are that white dot right above the "T". Hope you can tell what it is. I was there, and still have a hard time knowing what I'm looking at!

He also got his Very First Outfit this week!!!
My mom has already started shopping. Our family is full of girls, so us having a boy is exciting for everyone. My mom bought baby Jackson a cute little outfit that says “Party in my crib”. It is precious!!!



I think this is the belly picture from 18 weeks. I should have labeled better. :(  

I am so thankful

I’m going to take a little break from my “blog catch up game”. This week has been pretty difficult. Actually, the last few weeks have been full of heartache and devastation. In a few short days it seemed like there were more wrecks in Central Arkansas than I could count. My heart goes out to all of those families involved. I have been in constant prayer for all of them. Many of these accidents involved people that I knew personally. One in particular struck really close to home. Jake and Nikki Pruett were in a terrible motorcycle accident. They had only been married a couple of months. I didn’t know Jake as well as Nikki, but that didn’t keep my heart from breaking for them. After fighting for close to three weeks Jake lost his life to his injuries. It’s so hard to understand sometimes why such tragic things happen. However, I have no doubt that God has an unbelievable plan for all of this.

I can not imagine losing my husband. Eric and I have only been married 7 months- we have so much more to experience! Our lives have felt like a roller coaster for the last year, and it just seems to get faster and faster. Yes, we have our fights and arguments, but most of the time it’s over silly little stuff. Thinking about Nikki and all she has had to deal with over the last month, I can’t even imagine being in her shoes. I NEVER want to take anything for granted. Unfortunately, here lately, I feel like I have been. My family means so much to me. I can’t imagine going on with day to day life without one of them. I don’t tell them enough how much they mean to me. So- I am making a promise to myself. I need them to know how much they mean to me, how much I depend on them, how much I look up to them, how much I learn from them, and above everything else how thankful I am that God has placed them in my life.

Starting with my husband…

Eric, I love you so much. You mean more to me than I have words to express. I am so thankful that God gave you to me. I look forward to spending the rest of my life with you. I can’t wait to raise our son together. You are going to be an amazing father. You model your life after our Heavenly Father, and I couldn’t ask for anything more. I can not wait to share many more life experiences with you. Nothing makes me happier to walk into the bedroom and see you watching our wedding video. I depend on you so much for more than you probably know. You are so strong. Thank you for always making me laugh in your silly ways.







To my Daddy…

You are such a Godly man. I cherish all the memories I have from my childhood. When praying for my future husband, I prayed for a man that would treat me the way you treated momma. Thank you for setting that standard without even knowing it. There have been so many times in my life that I have leaned on you for guidance and support. Those times I wouldn’t trade for anything. Thank you for being my rock. I love being a “daddy’s girl”- you make that pretty easy. I look forward to learning more and more from you. I am so thankful for you. I love you so very much!

To my mom…

You are a perfect example of a Godly woman. You have taught me so much. I don’t know where I would be without you. I am so thankful for you, and your ability to listen. Many nights I have cried on your shoulder while you cried along with me. I love you. You have supported me in everything. Thank you for being a mom who sat at the kitchen table with your child and helped her with homework. Thank you for insisting that we ate dinner at the kitchen table as a family growing up, and not in front of the T.V. You are such a role model for me, I hope I am half of the mom you are. I love you so much!

To my sister…

You are my best friend. I am so thankful for you. I love our lunch dates. I love being around you. I love our funny inside jokes, our twin moments, and most of all that you are my sister. I am thankful that we have the relationship that we do. You are so sweet, and so kind, and a

WONDERFUL mother. You are strong, and have overcome so much. I thank God you are the person you are today. I love you!! Speaking of you being a wonderful mother, that brings me to my next person…

To my niece …

Kyndall Grace, you are the light of my life. You are almost two years old, and I can’t believe it. You are growing up so fast. Too fast for my liking actually! I love you more and more every day. I am so thankful for you. Nothing makes me happier than when you say “my Be Be” I love that! I depend on you for that little burst of energy you give me. When I am having a bad day, I know I can count on you to change that for me. I am so thankful God placed you in our family. You really are a remarkable little girl. I love you!

**There are so many other people in my life that mean so much to me. I could never write out individually how much each one means. I am going to do better. I am going to appreciate the small things in life. I really am so lucky. God has given me more than I could ever imagine.

Father God, thank you so much for everything you have blessed me with. I ask that you always remind me of these things when I am ungrateful. Thank you for providing safety to the people I love and care about. I am so thankful to call you Father. I am so thankful for the relationship I have with you. I love you.

Kidney Stones= Horrible! (16 weeks pregnant)

Most of the time, my plans don’t really go as planned. God is still teaching me. I am such a SLOW learner…



Thursday night, July 22nd, I went to bed just like any other night. It was anything but “just another night” though. I woke up at 2:00 in the morning with an awful pain in my right side. Unfortunately, I knew this pain all too well. It was a kidney stone. I knew without a doubt. I didn’t wake Eric up right away. I wasn’t sure the ER would be able to help me, like they have in the past. I knew I couldn’t have the hard-core pain medication I usually received when I had a kidney stone. They also couldn’t do an x-ray to see where the stone was. So, I laid there. Miserable. I was able to get a little more sleep before having to get up for work. Somehow I made it to work that next morning. I called my doctor as soon as they opened to get some advice. It was Friday, and the last thing I wanted was for something horrible to happen over the weekend and not be able to talk to the doctor’s office.



The nurse called me back and suggested I come in to see the doctor. I called Eric on the way and told him I was going. I told him not to worry and there wasn’t any reason for him to leave work. My mom met me at the doctor’s office. (I have the blessing of a mom who is a school teacher, so she was still on her summer break!) The doctor decided that she wanted me to go have an ultrasound to see if the stone was small enough for me to pass on my own. My doctor’s office closes early on Friday’s so I was sent to an imaging center across town for the ultrasound.



We waited for a little bit in the waiting room and were finally called back to the ultrasound room. I was in so much pain all I wanted was to get this over with. I laid down on my side so she could get a good look at my kidney. The nurse never found the kidney stone (which was a GREAT thing) this meant it was small enough to not show up, and I would be able to pass it on my own.



HOWEVER, we did find out something very important during this little extra visit to the doctor.



My next scheduled doctors appointment was to be the BIG ONE to find out if baby Jackson would be a boy or a girl. I had so many cute ideas about how we would tell our family. Eric and I had done such a great job with keeping our appointment date and time a secret from everyone. We wanted to share that special moment together first, then with our family. We didn’t get to do anything fun or memorable with our families when we found out we were pregnant, so we were ready to take this opportunity to have a little fun.



During this appointment to look at my kidney we found out that baby Jackson would be a baby BOY!!!  Eric wasn’t with me, but we did call and put him on speaker phone so he found out too. My mom was sitting in the room when we found out, so she got to share in our excitement! As disappointed as I was that our plans had fallen through, I was so excited, and Eric was beyond happy about having a son.



We decided that we would still have some fun with his parents. We got to Benton and Eric’s dad, step-mom, and little sister were the first on the list. I had gone to Walmart before we left and got two cookie cakes. On both of them I had “It’s a Boy!” written. We walked in the back door and set the cookie on the table. They were SO EXCITED to see the cookie. I will never forget the looks on their faces! After spending a little while with them, it was off to Eric’s mom’s house. She was the only one home when we got there, so it was very special to share that time with her. Eric is so close with his mom I really think it made her feel very special. I am thankful to have such wonderful in-laws. I really have been blessed with a wonderful second family!