Merry Christmas-Happy Birthday Jesus!

Hello Everyone!

We hope this post finds everyone happy, healthy and still very excited about the birth of Jesus. The Spiess household had a wonderful time celebrating Christmas. This was Jackson's 2nd Christmas at home as we were very blessed to have our son home last Christmas.

Jackson did get sick prior to Christmas but we are very happy to say that we think he is recovered from what he had. He went in and was diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection. The NP (Nurse Practitioner) listened to his lungs and they sounded fine! PHEW...then the next day he came down with a fever so they immediately but Jackson on antibiotics. His fever lasted 2 days and then we seemed to do a little better. He still had lots of drainage and a cough but they didn't think it was RSV which we were very, very thankful for. This occured on December 13th and Dec. 14th and he down for the rest of the weekend and then the majority of the next week. Jackson shared what he had with mom which was fine as long as she doesn't give it back to him. Mom went to the doctors immediately and they put her on antibiotics as a precaution since Jackson had been on them. We were very happy to have Jackson healthy again and getting his appetite back. He only lost a few ounces which was good news for us as we really thought he had lost more weight. We are not sure how Jackson caught whatever he had but we are as always very strict on the handwashing and only healthy people being around Jackson.

After the week of getting the household healthy again we were excited as this Christmas we were lucky to have Grandpa and Grandma Spiess come down and spend Christmas with us. Jackson loved to have the company and he started his babbling again. He talks and has been talking a little more but he went to town chatting with his Grandpa and Grandma especially at dinner time. He had lots to tell them and catch them up on. He is just babbling and will say Mamma/Dadda, but we are working on this.

On Christmas Eve Jackson opened his PJ's from Nanna and Papa and ;ut them on , then he read his Christmas stories. Mom's favorite is "The Story of Christmas". Of course still no church for Jackson, so dad and Jackson do their Father and son time together while mom attends mass. After Jackson goes to bed, Grandpa and Grandma relax after the long drive down here while dad starts to tackle the radio flyer wagon from Nana and Papa. Mom starts to help dad with the wagon (Dad and Mom couldn't wait to pull Jackson around in the wagon), then they arrange everything under the tree for the next morning...Plus we had to make room for Santa's gifts : ) Dad and Mom also took some time to relax and just sit and stare at the Christmas tree. It was nice to take a few minutes out of the busy day and talk about how Jackson will react in the morning.

The next morning Jackson gets up at his usual time (7 a.m. ish) and heads downstairs to get his morning bottle and wake up a little more....well once he saw the Christmas tree and the neat toys under it and the gifts, he was awake. He squealed and his eyes gleamed with excitment. We of course let him down to walk around and check out his new bike from mom and dad, his wagon and the gifts, then we headed for the bottle. Grandpa and Grandma wake up and we eat a little breakfast and start in on the stockings. Then we started opening all the wonderful gifts that were under the tree. Jackson loved so many of his gifts. He loved the tractor from Grandma and Grandpa and his tickle me elmo, his tricyle -everything. He was one overwhelmed little guy :- )

Later that evening we had our Christmas dinner and sat around and chatted. Jackson loved daddy's corn dish. He also enjoyed some stuffing.