1 day old
With each of my pregnancies, I waited to find out if I was having a boy or a girl. Other than just wanting to be a good parent and wanting a wonderful life for my children, I didn't want to plan away their lives which I would have had a greater tendency to do if I "knew" too much before meeting them each face to face. I just wanted to get to know them as a baby growing inside me first, and learn their patterns and habits and hints of their personalities little by little. I wanted to have a definite short list of possible names but I didn't want to slap a name on for good until I saw their face and looked in their eyes. What precious joy I felt as each of my children were born and I was told, "you have a son" or "you have a daughter." "Jessica" was the perfect name for this sweet, beautiful, spunky, angel. Although I called her "Angel Girl" most of her baby-hood, and I still do sometimes.
My beautiful angel girl was born during an extremely hot summer week in Nevada. When we were home I survived by drenching small towels in cold water and putting them in the freezer and them wrapping them around my head and neck and/or dunking my hair in cold water every few minutes. I said things like, "just rip open my scalp and pour ice in there please!" to no one in particular. The poor boys, I didn't realize how desperate and serious I must have sounded to them and after saying something like that one day, Nathan looked very worried and said, "we don't want to rip off your head Mommy." Instead we started going to the the refrigerated section of the grocery store and I'd lay my face against the cool cases, or I'd literally sit on the cold concrete floor of the produce department while Michael and Nathan entertained themselves making little creatures from the produce baggie twist ties. Silly people came along and asked worried questions, couldn't they see that the only way to live, to function, to survive was to sit on or lean against something COLD and that I was doing it on purpose and that I WANTED to be on the floor.
Jessica 1/2 hour old, Michael 6 years old, Nathan 4 1/2 years old
Of course once we were inside the hospital I didn't notice the heatwave, and after Jessica was born, she was all bundled up as newborns are supposed to be, complete with the expected/required stocking hat. Amongst our visitors though was her one-month-old cousin, Sarah, who was the only visitor dressed comfortably for the weather in the bare minimum of just a onesie T-shirt (and tiny diaper). At one month old, Sarah weighed about the same as and was as long as Jessica was at birth, so they looked like they could have been twins, except that Sarah had all that beautiful hair and Jessica only had a little and that Sarah was alert and looking around and Jessica was in that "I've just been born" coma-like state. They girls were laying side by side on my bed and we were taking their pictures when a different nurse came in and got very upset about something. Apparently if a patient has a second baby they should #1 - INFORM the staff, and #2 - make sure BOTH babies have the proper bands, and #3 - bundled up BOTH babies and KEEP their hats on. It isn't okay to favor one over the other and let one catch cold. I guess Sarah should have had a visitor's badge to clear up the confusion.
When I was born, Dad was finishing college and working and they were on a tight budget. This was one of their splurges, to buy me this dress and have my portraits taken. Mom saved this dress for me to pass on to my daughter.
I was excited for Jessica to wear it and have her portrait taken at the same age I was for mine (about 2 1/2 months old). The photographer and I got her all set up and then just before she took the picture, Jessica raised her little hand up grinned just like I had done! so the picture means even more to me. This dress is now being saved for Jessica's daughter someday.
2 1/2 months old
I'm such a cheap-skate about spending money on things, but when Jessica was born I did go right out and splurge on a few things. Before she was even a week old, I bought her a new entire set of the Little House books, 2 bolts of coordinating $2/yard fabric I intended to make-over her room with, several pink and/or frilly headgear items (bonnets/headbands) that clearly showed she was a girl despite being in her brothers' hand-me-downs, and a portrait club membership at JCPenneys (which I actually had coupons and gift certificates for so it was practically free anyway). And a little later, I did the most outrageous spending of my entire life - I was in a fancy toy store in the mall (where I only spent money twice a year when they clearanced the Playmobile) and saw these delicate, beautiful, adorable butterflies and bugs hanging from their ceiling and I bought one of each at $3.99 each! I didn't even follow my "walk away and if I'm still thinking about it a few days later, then come back and see if they're on sale/clearance" rule. I just thought, "Jessica deserves to wake up and see those beautiful things flying around above her," and I bought them. Completely frivilous. (I've painted her bedrooms blue with clouds and the butterflies are so sweet.)
I've been much better about getting the rest of her things. I'd been given TONS of hand-me-down boys clothes during my first pregnancy, and by the time Jess was born, I had oodles of little boy clothes, but just one small box of little girl clothes. Kim helped me through labor and delivery and then went "treasure hunting" at thrift stores and second-hand stores around town and bought Jessica's newborn size wardrobe (Jessica actually fit into newborn sizes for a little while, unlike her older brothers). Kim and Louise washed and freshened up everything.
A week later, Savers (the "department store" of thrift stores) had their huge 50% off everything sale and I got there bright and early (with 3 kids and 2 carts) and raced to the children's section when they opened and grabbed anything cute and frilly. Then we went and sat on a couch and I went through my stack and picked out several outfits and dresses in each size (trying to keep weather changes in mind) up to size 5T and put the rest back. For just $60, I had Jessica's basic wardrobe for a few years (plus some bigger clothes and shoes for Michael and Nathan AND some Little Tikes equipment). And she's been so blessed with beautiful hand-me-downs and thrift-store finds ever since.
Jessica was a wonderful baby and pretty easy for the first few months except for one thing. She, um, she, well she, um, she pooped! A LOT!!!! OFTEN!!! especially if it was time to get in the car, or time to have a picture taken, or time to sit quietly in church or at a parent/teacher conference or in a movie theater, and it was ALWAYS A LOT, way more than a diaper could hold. It was a mystery how the girl grew at all because it just went through her SO FAST, and loud! and MESSY! She never seemed in pain, she never seemed malnurished, she just happily "tooted" and made huge messes, and went through A LOT of outfits, and carseat covers and sheets and blankets, and did I mention a lot of outfits, and ... Anyway, she often ended up in just a diaper when we were out and about because she went through all the extra clothes I lugged around to change her into and I often had to buy yet ANOTHER pack of diapers because she'd been through all those too. Everyone adored her and loved being around her but people learned to quickly hold her at arms' length when they heard that sound.
"Who me?"
Right after Jess was born, they laid her on my stomach for a bit and I got to hold her and look into those bright inquisitive eyes, and then they took her over to her little "examining table" next to me by the wall. I guess because of the way the nurse was standing and/or the way she picked Jessica up, she laid Jessica down head toward me and her feet toward the wall, instead of the other way around, but that ended up sparing all of us. As soon as she laid Jessica down, Jess shot meconium all over that end of the table and on the wall (with all the medical dials, gauges, hoses, gadgets, devices, etc. on it). It was so sudden and surprising, this sweet tiny girl doing that.
Michael 6 1/2 years old, Nathan 5 years old, Jessica 3 months old
In fact for this picture, Micahel and Nathan were sitting cross legged and holding Jess - so cute, the 3 of them all huddled together for a second - but just as the photographer went to snap the picture, we heard that sound and Michael quickly held Jess out to me and I had to go clean her up and change her outfit (I brought 3 or 4 with me just for this purpose) and we tried again. After repeating this pattern a few times, Michael and Nathan both refused to hold her and so we got this pose instead, which is still cute, and I just had to clean up the blanket and car seat. Fortunately, Jessica outgrew this wonderous talent quickly. (Oh - I am such a mean mom for writing about this, but she was only an infant and couldn't help herself. And wait til you hear Nathan's newborn poop story! His is the best, or uh, worst! And when the kids were little, they all begged to hear "the poop stories")
Jessica 4 months old, Sarah 5 months old
As Jessica and Sarah have grown up together, some things Sarah learned something first, like reading, and some things Jessica learned first, like singing the "worms" version of the Happy Birthday song. Poor Sarah, being an oldest without the endearing influence of big brothers, she didn't learn to say "NO!" and "MINE!" with such fierce determination like Jessica did as a baby. Jessica learned a lot from her older siblings and did her best to pass on such useful knowledge to Sarah.
"See, this is what you do. You pull these things off your feet every chance you get and then drop them in stores or shove them into places where your Mom can't find them. It's a really fun game and it helps Moms too, so they don't get bored."
Hark the herald angels sing, glory to the newborn King!
Michael 6 1/2 years old, Nathan 5 years old, Jessica 5 months old
When Jessica was born, her big brothers adored her - they read to her, told her stories, sang to her, performed for her, made her things, gave her things, loved playing with her, and they called her "The Princess"and said they were the knights who defended her castle. This lasted until she was mobile.
After Christmas (5 1/2 months old) she became very sick. She got very stuffed up and then stuggled to breathe and couldn't nurse. A friend from our ward gave her a blessing and we got her into the hospital. She slowly improved but she was very weak and still had trouble breathing and eating at the same time and I had to pump and feed her slowly with a dropper. This took a long time and by the time one feeding was finally finished, it was about time to start the next.
Michael and Nathan were really worried about her and were so sweet to her. She was better after a couple weeks and back to full strength after another week, and she was strong enough to sit alone for the first time just before she was 6 months old. She had been scooting herself around a bit before she was sick but when she got well again, she put her focus and energy into learning and performing an extrememly fast army-man-crawl and there was no stopping her. She zoomed around at light speed after her brothers and their belongings. Suddenly, she wasn't "The Princess"anymore, she was "The Dragon" and they just wanted to protect their stuff from her. I put a strong tall wood baby gate in the boys' bedroom doorway so they could play and she could watch her beloved big brothers who had suddenly abandoned her. Poor girl - that's kind of how her life has been since.
6 months old
6 months old
9 months old
9 months old
Jessica had that army-man-crawl perfected and she eventually lifted up on her hands and knees and got around even faster, but she had no interest in walking. Michael and Nthan had walked so early that I was pleased with this at first, but as her first birthday approached, I worried just a tiny bit. She could stand alone and take some steps holding onto someone, but she mostly seemed horribly anoyed with the terrible slowness of being upright, and she just wanted to get back on the floor and speed off on her hands and knees. Then, the Sunday before her birthday, the kids and I were sitting on the back row of the chapel in Sacrament Meeting, Jessica wobblely standing in front of me holding onto my knees, suddenly let go and took a step on her own right during the sacrament. Micahel, Nathan, and I were stunned and silently clapped our fingers and beamed at her. She smiled back at us and turned a bit and walked out the door! I was in shock but quietly jumped up and scooped her up and went back and sat with the boys. She went from nonwalker to completely walking on her own just like that, and very quickly to running.
12 months old
12 months old
12 months old
18 months old
21 months old
From a very early age, even before she could walk, Jessica liked to "go shopping". After visiting someone else's house, I often found a toy or item which did not belong to us in her carseat or diaper bag and I had to return them and keep a closer watch on my little collector. She liked to walk around and find/collect/gather things and stash them away in odd areas. We learned to quickly stop her if she was walking around with a bag or basket because she would "go shopping" and fill it with items like car keys, shoes, books, homework, toys, food, etc. and we may not see them again for days/weeks. We learned to ask, "Did you go shopping?" she'd nod excitedly. "Where is your bag/basket?" and then hope she remembered and we'd quickly follow her.
2 years old
2 1/2 years old
3 years old
Jessica was 1 1/2 year old when Michael started Cub Scouts and she LOVED Pack Meetings and she adored Michael. She tagged along with him and always got right in there with the Scouts. At a Blue and Gold Dinner, she was suddenly missing from our table when the Cubs went up front to lead us in camp songs. For a few seconds I frantically looked under our table and around the room for her before noticing that she had proudly joined "her" Den standing up front. Here, she (and another little sister who was sure she was a Cub too) is watching a Pinewood Derby in the "Scouts' section".
3 1/2 years old
4 1/2 years old
(I've accumilated used Little Tikes furniture and toys for years and for a little while, Jessica and Jacob shared a "Little Tikes room." Jessica's princess bed was passed down from Kim's daughter. Venisa found Jacob's race car bed in perfect shape by a dumpster and we scrubbed it down and got a new mattress for it. I loved this room.)
5 years old
making mud and gravel pie (?)
Jessica's opinion of the LONG bus ride home after her first day of Kindergarten. She loved Kindergarten, and had been VERY excited about riding the bus, until she experienced the after school trip. We're the next to last stop, so in the morning they're on it for about 5 minutes, but in the afternoon it's almost an hour.
Kindergarten
1st grade
6 1/2 years old
playing the "cat gut bucket" (I think that's what it's called) at the fair
7 years old
(the Munchkin in the middle with the green hair ribbons)
7 years old
2nd grade city basketball
Jessica and Sarah - 8 years old
Jessica and Josie - 8 years old
8 years old
3rd grade city basketball
(baskets at full height now!)
8 1/2 years old
Josie and Jessica are a tough defensive team to get through
8 1/2 years old
