Jackson Scott Branch

Jack is here!! Jackson Scott Branch was born on Friday, June 26 at 10:31 am. He weighed 7 lbs, 12 oz and was 19 3/4 in long. He is absolutely perfect and we are so blessed to have such a miracle in our lives now!

We apologize for getting our blog out so late, but we have had our hands full with our sweet little man, but most of you already know all this info anyway! We have posted hundreds of pictures since Jack's birth on our Webshots page. You can also click Jack's handsome face above to see them all. Check them out when you get a chance. Kurt has posted them by days and usually updates them at least once every day.

Jack had his first pediatrician appointment this past Tuesday and everything went well! He had to get his heel pricked, and I think mommy cried more than he did, but we both survived in the end. They also weighed him, and he weighed 7 lbs 7 oz, which was 1 oz higher than on Sunday when we left the hospital. Our next check-up is July 15th, so please be praying that goes well and he gets back up to his birth weight by then.

Please also be praying about Kurt's job situation. He has been given some contract work through the church, so that's at least good until he gets a firm answer from them on the full time position. He did email his would-be boss on Thursday to see if there were any updates on the position, so hopefully we will hear something soon.

Thank you all for the prayers while we were pregnant with Jack! I had a great pregnancy, and even better delivery! God was in charge the whole time and made everything go so smoothly! We praise Him for everything and are so grateful His Hand was over us the entire time.

We love yall so much and will try to do better with our updates.

Baby Jack-37 Weeks

Hey everyone! Yes, I know, it's been almost a month since we updated our blog, so I apologize! By the time I think about it, something else comes up at work or at home I decide to go to sleep instead, so sorry about that! But here is what is going on right now...

We are 37 weeks along tomorrow! So, just 3 more weeks (or less hopefully) until we can meet baby Jack! We have pretty much finished the nursery (except for the dresser which should come in next week) and it looks great! The glider came in a few weeks ago and once we get the dresser in we will take pictures and post them. We also just had our big baby shower this past weekend and it was so great and so much fun! Thanks to all my hostesses and everyone who came! We had a great time and got some really great stuff for Jack! I tried to post some pictures but they were all cut off for some reason, so I'll work on that.

Our last doctor's appointment went well! It was last Friday for our 36 week checkup, and my blood pressure was 120/80, so perfect, and my weight is starting to level off, so that is wonderful news! :-) Also, Jack's heartbeat was strong and steady, so that's good. Dr. McKenzie also said that we are progressing nicely towards labor, and for a first time mom, I'm progressing further than normal, so that was good news to me! Come on Jack, we're ready for you! :-) We go back for our 37 week checkup tomorrow morning, so hopefully I will have progressed further and have more good news!

About Kurt's job situation...Everything is still pretty much on hold. Kurt is going to work on a project for the church for some contract work until they make a final decision. He goes in next Tuesday to get the information on the project. So, we still do not know if Kurt will be offered the full time job. So please pray that God's Will be done, and if this isn't the job for Kurt that God will provide him with the right job!

More tomorrow after our doctor's appointment! Thanks to everyone for all the prayers and best wishes! We love y'all so much!

Baby Jack-8 Months

Hey everyone!  Sorry it's been a while since I've updated the blog, things have been a little crazy with us getting the nursery ready!  Kurt has been working day and night on getting Jack's room ready, and he's done such a great job!  It's now painted baby blue, and the the crib is in it's place, ready to go with the sheets and comforter already in it!  We are still waiting on the glider and dresser to get here, so once we get it all fixed up we will take pictures and post them.

Since the last post, I was given a baby shower at work and given some really nice things!  We got a boppy, a Jump N Go, some onesie sleepers and a Pooh bear with a blanket!  I've put some pictures up of that so you can see.  We've also had another doctor's appointment, our 33 week checkup, and it was finally back with our doctor, Dr. McKenzie!  We are finally done with our rounds and can stick with him until delivery, so I'm glad for that.  He said my weight is still good (I even lost a lb), Jack's heartbeat is great, and he's still head down and ready to go!  Dr. McKenzie also started to estimate Jack's weight at birth, and said he doesn't think I'm growing a 9 lb baby, more like a high 7 lbs or low 8 lbs, so we will see.  We go back next Thursday, so more then.  

Other news... Kurt still hasn't found a job, so please keep praying God provides him with something he will love and that will help our family out financially and emotionally.  Also please keep praying for Jack as he continues to grow these next 7 weeks and that he will stay healthy.  Please also pray that I will stay healthy as well and feel as good as possible, since this part of pregnancy isn't the most comfortable!  Please also be praying that God will teach us how to raise this baby in the way he should go and that we will make godly parents.

We are at the beach right now, so I need to go enjoy that, I just wanted to send a quick update!  More in a couple weeks!  Happy Memorial Day!  :-)

Meg and Kurt

Baby Jack-7.5 Months

Hey!!  Quick update since we are now 30 weeks along!  We went to our Prepared Childbirth class this past weekend and learned a lot!  It was an all-day Saturday class and Kurt even learned how to swaddle, plus other things of course!  So, hopefully we are even more ready for Jack to be here in 10 weeks!

We also had our 30 week check-up at the doctor yesterday, and he said everything looked great and almost couldn't look better!  My blood pressure was back down and "excellent" according to the the nurse, so that is wonderful!  Also, Jack's heartbeat was great, his head is still down, and we are measuring right on schedule!  So this was a great visit!  We are going every 2 weeks now, so my next appointment will be May 21.

About Daddy Kurt... He is still looking for a job, but DOES have an interview with a company here in Birmingham tomorrow at 2:45, so please be praying for him that it goes well and God's Will be done!  He is also waiting to hear back from our church on the web design position he interviewed for, so please keep praying about that as well.

I've also added an updated picture so y'all can see mine and Jack's progress!  He sure is getting bigger!  The books say he is about 17-18 inches long and about 3 lbs now!  Big boy!

More later!!  :-)

Baby Jack-7 Months

Hey!  We are now 7 months along (28 weeks), so already starting our third trimester!  I can't believe we are just 12 weeks away from meeting our sweet baby boy!  According to our baby books, Jack is right at about 3 lbs and 17 inches long now, so from now on he will just be filling out with baby fat, gaining about a half a pound every week, meaning his mama is going to keep getting pretty big, too!

We had our 28 week appointment today and everything went really well!  My blood pressure was a little higher than they wanted, but the doctor wasn't too worried, so he said it wasn't anything to be concerned about.  We also got to hear his heartbeat again and it was very strong, so he's still doing great!  We will go every 2 weeks from now until 36 weeks, and then every week until Jack comes!  So my next appointment is May 4th.

Please keep praying for us and for Baby Jack!  Please pray that he stays healthy and keeps growing well!  Please also pray that my backaches and leg cramps subside a bit, or at least become more bearable!  Please also keep praying for Kurt and his job search.  Not many leads right now, but we know God is in control and will take care of us!

More soon!! 

6.5 Months Update

Hey!  This is just a quick update to say my second blood sugar test from last week came back normal!  So yay!!  We are so relieved and excited about this, and of course I celebrated with some mint chocolate chip ice cream Friday night!  :-)  We are so grateful to not have Gestational Diabetes, and thank you to everyone who has been praying for us!  Please continue to pray for Jack and Mama to stay healthy!

Baby Jack-6.5 months along

Hey!  We are back and at 26 weeks tomorrow, so 6.5 months!  I can't believe we are so far along!  Only 2 more weeks and we'll be in the third trimester already!

Well, our 6.5 month checkup at the doctor was yesterday, and it was also the glucose screening test.  My blood sugar was too high when they pricked my finger, so I had to go back to the lab to get blood drawn from my arm, but we won't know those results until tomorrow after lunch.  I have heard other post-pregnant women say that their finger prick was high, but their arm blood was normal, so maybe that is the case with me!  If not, I will have to go back in and take a 3-hour test to see if I have gestational diabetes, but we don't have to think about that just yet!  

On a good note, Jack was very healthy at the visit and we are still on schedule!  His heartbeat was strong, right at about 145 bpm, my blood pressure was fine, and we go back in 3 weeks!  The next visit I'll have to get a Rhogam shot since I am A- blood type, and in case Jack is positive from Kurt, this is to prevent him from becoming anemic.  After that visit we will have to start going every 2 weeks!

I posted a new picture of me!  It isn't great, but it's at least an updated picture of the belly.  I will try to take more soon, we just don't ever think about it!

Please keep praying for Jack and me that we stay healthy, and please keep praying for Kurt to get a job!  He has a couple of leads, but nothing progressing further so far.

We love y'all!