One Day at a Time

This month was a fun one. We started out with a few photoshoots and just getting ready for the baby. We had 3 weeks in a row where we went to Labor and Delivery and were sent home. First was for leaking fluid (guess I just peed my pants...awkward), 2nd was high blood pressure (but it went down and all other tests came back clear), and 3rd was for contractions (I was told to come in if they were 6-8 min apart, but they weren't doing any dilating). I finally accepted the fact I was going to go to 38 weeks to my c-section date.
I was scheduled to go in at 3:00. We dropped the girls off at a friends and went in. We sat around having the baby monitored and some fluid started. My surgery was supposed to be at 5 but the nurses said there was a large emergency in the ER and that it would be pushed back. We listened to 3 women in other rooms give birth. Later we found out that the anesthesiologist was held up in the ER and the women had to give birth with no epidural. It didn't sound too fun. 9:00 rolled around and I was wheeled down to the operating room. It goes pretty fast from there. Lots of nurses and doctors, spinal tap went well, my mom got to come in all dressed in scrubs and just hold my hand. Then my doctor came and and started the procedure. Lots of pulling, pushing, sucking, and burning smell. The baby was so big and low they had to cut my incision a little larger and even had to ask for some extra assistance pulling her out. Pretty soon I could hear a little crying and Olivia Mayln Jackson was brought to me all messy in a blanket. She was just beautiful and looked a lot like Kamille. The next few hours I was sewn up and moved to recovery. It went so smoothly and everything was just great.

The first night I didn't get much sleep. Every few hours the nurses come in and do a belly rub to help the uterus contract and move down. The computer system went down for 2 hours and my spinal was wearing off so I couldn't get any pain medication. It was pretty painful and there was a lot of crying involved. The nurses felt terrible and I knew it had to be done....but OUCH! I happened to be bleeding more then they wanted so they had to do over 4 belly rubs an hour. I even got out of bed and stood up on my own only 4 hours after surgery so they could redo my all my bloody bedding. After the system turned back on, I was approved for some medication and they let me sleep for a bit. At 6:00 that morning, they had me up and walking the hall for the first time. I got a sponge bath and felt much cleaner. That morning Kamille and Lillian got to come in and meet Olivia. They loved her and just wanted to hold her all by themselves. The first day was spent just healing, walking halls, eating yummy hospital food (seriously Trinity in Minot has the best cafeteria), and "trying" to breastfeed. Later that evening Devin's family came to meet her. We had to start her on some formula because she wasn't getting any nutrition and was starting to look like she was getting jaundice.

The next day went pretty fast. I was able to get my catheter out and take a real shower. Next my IV came out and I was ready for discharge. Now I'm home moving pretty slow and enjoying all the little things. Everyday I'm moving around better and trying to remember to take my pain meds on time. The girls love their sister and they "help" me as much as possible. Devin goes back to work on Tuesday and so the real test starts then. I'm excited to get into a routine and watch my girls grow. 6 weeks of recovery and I should be able to drive and vacuum and be back at normal life.

God be with you until we meet again,
Kaylynn Jackson

Seriously I just can't keep up! Life is too so busy, but I really like to do these updates, because at the end of the year I print them out and put them in a journal/scrapbook thing. So here we go...

July started out with Devin's 28th birthday, we didn't do too much just dinner and ice cream cake with his family up. That very next weekend we packed our bags and headed to Wichita, KS to see my brothers and their families. I also go to meet one of my new nephews, Dean! He's a cutie and the girls couldn't get enough of him. Kamille had to call him "baby Dean" not just Dean. We basically had one whole day to spend in Wichita and we did a lot. We went to Botanical Gardens and an Exploration center and swimming and Mexican food and lastly a movie. We wore the girls out but it was so fun to catch up with Justin and Brookelynn and Jason and Allyse.

 On the 17th I had my Gestational Diabetes test and I failed... so I had to go back in a few more days and take the three hour. I failed again. The doctor told me I had two weeks to try to control with diet and we would go from there. Well the two weeks of trial was our big vacation to Idaho. We had my cousin's wedding and reception, a friends reception, a fun family reunion and by brother's open-house all within two weeks. Idaho was super hot and everywhere we went was delicious carbs and sugar... but I resisted and cried a little. I was eating salad and meat everyday while everyone around me got to tell me how great their food was. ... in the end it still didn't work, my numbers were just over the 140 mark.

Kyle and his Bride Liesl Meridian Temple

Great Lloyd Reunion 2018

Meeting my other new nephew Perrin!

When we got home I had an ultrasound to check baby's growth and she was measuring right on her due date. A few days later I had my dr. appointment and my blood pressure was way elevated and my blood sugars were too high. I was ordered to go to the lab to give some blood samples and be put on insulin. If the labs came back positive with preeclampsia I would have to go in to have the baby the next day at almost 32 weeks. The doctor told me just to get ready. I was terrified, I had nothing ready! We just got home from vacation and the house was a mess. I just finished sorting baby clothes that morning. I didn't want a baby in the NICU! At my ultrasound she was estimated almost 4lbs. Luckily my labs came back in the normal range and now I just have to go in every week until baby is here and do more tests. They are watching me closely and I know the signs of preeclampsia (due to my first two pregnancies). Now if I could just get my gestational diabetes under control. At my next appointment they doubled my insulin and added another long acting kind. So at the moment I have to take 5 shots a day and take my blood sugar 6 times a day. I'm still trying to diet control it and it's still crazy high.
So this was our last two months and also in between all the fun adventures I was doing photoshoots, lots and lots of photoshoots!

Showing off her new Haircut!

Kamille update: I don't know how this girl could get any sassier but she surprises me everyday. I think my favorite thing about Kamille right now is when she says the blessing on the food. First off she wants to say it every night, but then her prayers go on and on and on, until we have to finally cut her off and tell her to say amen. She blesses everything in detail on the table (and sometimes unblesses my tomatoes because she HATES them), she blesses everyone she can think of by name, sometimes twice and then looks around the dining room to see what else she can thank the Lord for. We end up laughing the whole time and then have to end it so we can eat. She is turning 4 soon and on our trip she got her first "professional" hair cut and her ears pierced. She is looking so much older and it makes me sad and happy at the same time. We are just about to move her into 5T clothes and she really wants to start school but she has to wait 2 more years with me. We are working on preschool at home and she LOVES her flashcards and ABC movies.


Lillian update: Lillian is good at getting on Kamille's last nerve. She has a "smug" face and she isn't afraid to use it. I find myself trying not to laugh but it reminds me so much of me and my brothers. She follows her big sister everywhere and wants to do everything she is doing. The other day Kamille was holding up flashcards and Lillian was telling her the letter. She was getting most of them wrong, and Kamille would correct her. The only thing is, Kamille doesn't know here letters either. So she would hold up the the letter "M"...Lillian: A and Kamille: no Lilly, this is an R. They are so close right? Lillian is moving into 3T clothes now and she is a chunk. I have been introducing her to potty training. Yesterday Kamille held up a small candy and said, "Lilly, if you want this, you have to go potty." So they both went to the bathroom, Kamille put on the training seat, helped Lillian out of her diaper and set her on. After a while, she got her toilet paper and helped her finish. They flushed the toilet and washed their hands. Lillian brought me a diaper and asked me to put a new one on. Then Kamille gave her the candy. This potty training thing isn't so bad when my 3 year old takes care of it. :) MOM WIN!


It's hard to do an update on Devin, he's working all the time and helps me so much when he is home. In fact one day I was so behind on pictures, he cleaned the kitchen and made dinner and offered to take the girls for a few hours just to give me some time to finish up my to-do lists. He really is the best. Two months ago Devin put in for a transfer to Watford City. We didn't hear anything back for a long time, but then when we got back from vacation they called him in for an interview. Now we are just waiting on a rejection or a job transfer. It will be so hard to sell our house and leave our friends. We love our ward family in Stanley! Bowbells is just not in the right location for moving up in Kinder Morgan. Our hours have been going down and every time Devin tries to progress they always say, "if you just didn't live so far away". We chose Watford City because that is where my parents are and KM has a better schedule there. Devin would be able to go to church every other week and my mom could help with the 3 girls anytime I needed her. We would also be a lot closer to Devin's family in Williston. If we don't get the job we will continue on right where we are and see what comes our way.

God be with you,
Kaylynn Jackson

I can't believe I forgot May update.... maybe it's because nothing too exciting happened, or this year is going by way too fast. I'll just mush it all together in one post.

We played outside a lot We started tomatoes inside and the girls liked to watch them grow but soon we had to transplant them and then they died. Luckily we came across a sale of tomato starts and they were only 89 cents a plant. We bought 8 and I am happy to say they are doing great in our garden. In fact these last two months we got everything planted and so far everything is looking good (except my mint plant...it just looks sad). The girls love watching everything grow and the help us water and weed. We have corn, onions, carrots, peas, beans, squash, cucumbers, peppers, watermelon, and tomatoes. We ended up with a 80 square foot garden and I just love it.

We also got a trampoline. It works well for a large enclosed area to keep the girls while we are working outside. We really need a fence haha. They like to play in the water on it and chase each other. Kamille's favorite thing is to push Lillian down and then sit on her and bounce. Poor little girl.


This past weekend we got to attend the first reunion of the season. We drove to Lehi, Utah and stayed in a nice hotel with most of my mom's family. One day we got to go to boondocks and play on the Go Karts and bumper boats. Kamille LOVED playing with my cousins and couldn't get enough of everything. Lillian on the other had wanted mommy the whole day and she was too little to do anything but kiddie cove (a little kid play place). It was fun to see family and see how much my "little" cousin's have grown. On the drive home we got to see Devin's grandparents and spend some time with them.

The last adventure we have this month is a small camping trip with just Devin and I and our girls. We got a nice camp spot reserved at Lake Metigoshe. We can dust off the camper and put on our new generator and take her for spin. There is a nice playground close by and a swimming spot not too far. We are looking forward to s'mores and dutch oven cooking.



Family Updates: Kamille is so full of energy. She really talks a hundred miles a minute. Her birthday is in October and she has already decided she wants to do a wedding themed party. She told me the dress, the cake, who the prince is... Down to the last detail. Her next favorite topic is the "baby in mommy's tummy". She has officially named her -Sassy Pants and tells everyone we meet about her. She hugs my belly, kisses it and talks to it. She even tells me when the baby is happy or crying and also tried to convince her that she doesn't like tomatoes (Kamille HATES tomatoes). Since her induction date is Oct 3rd I told her that the baby will be able to be at her birthday. Kamille took this as we were giving her a baby for her birthday. So now she tells Lilly that she can't hold it or touch it because the baby is going to be hers. I don't know what to do with this girl sometimes.

teething is rough

she really likes milk

Lillian is almost 1.5 years old! It's getting to the time we get her in Nursery right? If only she couldn't scream for 3 hours straight if I'm not in the room, or break out in hives on her face from crying so much. Sometimes I walk next the nursery at church and she starts freaking out and pushes me through the hallway faster. She is a stinker. Her favorite thing to do is hit Kamille and then kiss her better or talk to daddy on the phone when he is at work. We sometimes call her the little "slave driver" because she demands my attention and is always telling me what to do. We love this determined little one and my heart melts every time she kisses me and tells me she loves. me.



Devin is working hard like always and loves working outside when he gets home. I always find him weeding the garden or using his new riding lawn mower. I got him a riding lawn mower a little while back but the previous owner left gas in it for a long time. So with the help of family and friends they cleaned it all out and got it running great. It used to take almost 2 days for us to push mow our lawn, now it takes him 45 min to get it done.



I am getting bigger and staying busy. I feel like I always have a to-do list. I'm 24 weeks today and the baby is doing awesome. I haven't had any complications and am coming up on my glucose test soon. I hope I pass this time around! They are really watching for high blood pressure and signs of preeclampisa this time around and I have a c-section scheduled for Oct 3 at 39 weeks. My doctor told me I most likely won't make it that far (other two were 36W 5D) but that's the plan. I just got the material for the baby blanket and I have to start going through the 10 totes of clothes in my garage. Time for sorting, washing, getting rid of a lot, and then organizing. Last time it took 3 days and it took up my whole living room and half my dining room, it's going to be fun!

We have a lot to look forward to this summer. It's going to be great!
God be with you,
Kaylynn Jackson

This month we really didn't do anything too exciting. Basically for the first half we just waited for winter to end. Then when it started warming up, we got outside. We cleaned up our yard and started to till our garden. We started some seeds inside and have planned everything we are going to plant. The girls LOVE playing in the dirt. Last night we came in to get ready for bed and found out that Kamille was trying to bury Lillian.  The poor girl's diaper was filled and she looked like a homeless child. When we moved into our house, the front had these two bushes that have overgrown by a lot. They cover the whole front of the house. We trimmed them down the last two years, but this year we are trying to pull them completely out and plant something smaller and more aesthetic.

With the overgrown bushes!!

Working in the garden

Our basement backed up a few months ago. We had a plumber and a septic guy come take a look and pump our septic. In a week it backed up again. Everyone we talked to said they would have to wait until the ground thawed and then we would have to pay a lot of money to have a new septic and drain field put in. They suggested having our septic pumped every week (that's way too expensive). At the time I couldn't figure out WHY this was happening, why couldn't someone just come fix it and we could move on with our life! We learned to live on very little water. I washed clothes at the neighbors until we could figure out a system that worked. We bathed in very little water (basically a sponge bath). Luckily we could use our toilets just enough that it wouldn't back up. We washed dishes in the dishwasher and had the hose empty into the bucket. Then we would carry the bucket outside and water our frozen bushes. It was sooooo much work. I now know the reason why though!

We learned A LOT! More than anyone could teach us. I'm a basically an expert on septic systems and care. I now know how to glue pipes together and how to install an effluent pump. I learned that cleaning chemicals and soaps kill the necessary enzymes and bacteria needed to eat away sludge. We had to buy commercial grade bacteria/enzymes to flush down our toilets. I learned that our dishwasher uses 9 gallons of water every time we use it. A normal bath for us is about 12 gallons and laundry uses a lot more water. These past 2 months we have dropped our water bill by $50 and after all our hard work and research we have a working septic. We are still cautious and watch our basement and outside drain like a hawk. I'm happy to say we haven't had any disgusting flooding for a month. :)

Now on to the better things in life: Kamille... she is growing so fast and is getting more sassy everyday. She is definitely a threenager! She loves bossing Lillian around and drags her everywhere. She doesn't like potatoes or broccoli but will eat pretty much everything else. Her favorite thing to do is help me make cookies. She eats the cookie dough like her father. She likes to watch me cook in the kitchen and helps me tidy up the house. Vacuuming is her favorite. She likes being a sunbeam in church and calls her teacher Grandma. She always comes home and tells me about Jesus. It makes my heart happy.

Lillian is a ball of energy that doesn't like bedtimes. She seems to stay up a few hours after Kamille and just runs non stop for HOURS! She like all food and I don't know if she has a favorite food yet. She loves to be outside and is friendly to everyone. Lillian is a flirt, every man she sees she smiles and says "hi" all sweetly. We have to keep an eye on her for sure. Everywhere we go she just wants to run! It makes everyone around smile to see me chase after her. They always tell me "You sure have your hands full" Then I like to see their faces when I tell them we have a third girl on the way.

Devin graduated this month!!! He has his Associates in General Studies and the best part is his company paid for him to finish. YAY! The oil fields are starting to pick up and there is a shortage of workers. This worked in our favor because Kinder Morgan decided to give ND employees a wage increase and a nice retention bonus! We have been blessed to find such a great company and area to be in!

I am now 16.5 weeks pregnant! I can feel our little girl moving around occasionally and have been passing my early tests with flying colors. They are really watching for gestational diabetes and preelalmpsia this time. My bump is starting to show, but I just feel fat. I have more energy now and I'm not feeling nauseous as much. I spend my days cleaning the house, cooking food, and chasing after two active girls. I work on preschool work with Kamille and lately have been going on walks to the park. I am waiting on my 20 week mark and then I can start getting things ready for baby, like going through the 20 totes of baby clothes, sewing a quilt and all that fun stuff!

God be with you,
Kaylynn Jackson

This month was just a mellow one. Nothing too exciting going on. We found out we are adding another girl to our family this October and I finally had my first Doctor's appointment. Everything is going well; this time around they are really going to try to reduce the risk of preeclampsia with daily baby aspirin and random 24 hour urine tests. Due to gestational diabetes with Lillian they tested me at 10 weeks (I didn't get a call with my results so that must mean I passed...right?) I have to take another sugar test later on too.  It's pretty cool now that they can take a sample of blood from your finger and test for a Y chromosome. If it's present you are having a boy and if not then it's a girl. I found a test at Sneak Peak and they mail you the kit. You then prick your finger and send the sample back. Then a few days later they send you an email. They are 99% correct and if your 20 week scan comes back as something different you get your money back. It was pretty cool.
Kamille has been working on her preschool and is still sassy as ever. Her tantrums aren't fun, but we are working through them. She loves her little sister a little too much sometimes. Funny Story: I walked into the living room and caught Kamille giving Lillian one big kick in the back. I startled her and said, "HEY what are you doing!!!?" She looked guilty and said "ooops I meant to kiss her..."
Lillian is growing so fast and her personality just shines through. She ALWAYS wants to be where Kamille is and likes to do things just to make her mad. She is getting faster and can run away now and have I mentioned the climbing??? Yeah ALL OVER THE PLACE! She climbs anything and gives me heart attacks all the time. She likes to talk on the phone but usually can't get a word passed Kamille but she sure tries. She is starting to say phrases but I think only Devin and I know what she is trying to say. The best day ever was when Kamille was sad and Lillian walked up, patted her on the head and said, "I love you" and kissed her with a wide open mouth. It made my heart melt.
Devin is sooooo close to finishing school, just a few more weeks! He works so hard for us and we love his days off. We try to throw in little adventures like trips to Canada and Bismark. He has lots of projects to work on but we are waiting for it to warm up. We are so ready for Spring and Summer!

Hope everyone had a great March,
God be with you,
Kaylynn Jackson