Update on Dakota and Mommy!

Dakota and I had our two week checkups this week. Both of the appointments went well! Dakota's weight has gone up to 8lb 1oz. He did have thrush last weekend, but that was also all gone. The dr. was pleased with how he was gaining his weight and was confident that he would be back to his birth weight very soon. He doesn't go back to the dr until March 11th. My appointment went well also. My incision is healing really well and the steri-strips are now off. The pain is getting better each day and hopefully I will get my energy back in the next couple of weeks. I did get released to drive, so that was nice! Here are a couple of cute pictures of Dakota at two weeks old!

Time to meet the Cooke's!

It took a while, but Dakota got to meet the Cooke's (minus mr. cooke) on Monday night. Mrs. Cooke and Caroline brought us dinner. It was very yummy and really good to see them. We know Dakota will be seeing much more of them now! Thanks for the yummy food!

Cutie Pie!!!!!!!!!!!

Sadie was so excited to wear the outfit that Amanda gave her for Christmas. She wore it to church last Sunday and I must say it was absolutely adorable. In the other picture, my aunt gave her this hat. She is excited to have a hat like mommy now. Just thought I would share the cuteness!


Sadie was so excited to wear the outfit that Amanda gave her for Christmas. She wore it to church last Sunday and I must say it was absolutely adorable. In the other picture, my aunt gave her this hat. She is excited to have a hat like mommy now. Just thought I would share the cuteness!

More Family Visits!!!

This is a bit over due, but last Sunday Dakota got to meet more of my family. My grandma, aunt, and cousins came. We had a wonderful and blessed time with them. Sadie loved playing with her cousin Logan and they didn't even want to leave each other. It was also a very nice day outside, so the kids loved playing on the swingset. I also got an adorable picture of Dakota all bundled up outside with his cute hat on! I think the highlight of the trip was seeing Logan and Sadie playing with her makeup kit and Aunt Jeanette got her. I guess I'll have to get Logan one of those for his birthday!

Valentine's Day!

I usually fix JJ a heart cake for Valentine's Day, but being that I could barely walk, that was a bit difficult. Don't worry though, Nannie and Sadie picked up the slack and it was delicious. Papa bought some steaks and salad and potatoes and we grilled out and had a great Valentine's Day together. Thanks guys!

How could I forget Mike?

I almost forgot to post the picture of our good friend Mike. He lived in AZ and now he and his wife have moved to Raleigh. We were very touched that he made us a priority on Sunday and came to see us. We hope to see Sarah sometime soon and she'll get to meet sweet Dakota! Thanks Mike!

How is Sadie Adjusting?

Everyone seems to be very concerned with how Sadie is dealing with having a brother. Well, the truth is, she is doing wonderful. She loves Dakota so much and always wants to help. We have seen some funny stories and look forward to making many more. I will share one of them with you. Most of you know that babies basically eat, sleep, and poop when they are first born. Well, every time Dakota cries, Sadie was saying he is cold and immediately would wrap him up. Well, last night he was crying and JJ said he was hungry. Sadie ran and pulled her shirt up and said, "I'll feed him"! We both just laughed really hard. Sadie is very helpful and hopefully the transition will continue to go smoothly!

Family Fun!

Here are a few cute pictures of Dakota with some of the family. Nana, Papa, Nannie, Grandma Kim, and Jacob all came to visit over the past few days. It was encouraging having someone around to share the love with!

Home, Sweet, Home!

We are all home and healthy and healing slowly! It was nice to come home on Saturday. My mom, aunt, dad, and Sadie were here waiting when we got home. It was nice having them around for a few days. They were very helpful to me since I can't do much of anything now. Moving is hard and driving is out of the question. It will be a while before I am back to normal. That is ok with me though, I am just happy to be healthy and home.

Our Time at PCMH!!!

As most of you know, we were at the hospital from Wednesday to Saturday. Here is a little glimpse of all that occurred. We saw lot's of family and even saw Dakota's first snow. Enjoy some of the pictures of the newest miracle to the Johnston Family!

THIS SNOW WAS ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL-----WE EVEN GOT SIX INCHES IN GREENVILLE!!!!

Another Miracle From Above!

As most of you probably already know, Dakota Kale Johnston was born last Wednesday evening at 9:41 p.m. It was a long day of labor, but so much to be thankful for! Many have called and asked about the details, so I thought I would give them in a quick post and post some pictures hopefully tomorrow. I went in that morning with contractions 2-3 minutes apart. They put me walking and I gradually began dilating and progressing at a positive rate. Dr. Gay was the doc on call and he was wonderful. After hours of labor, there were signs that the baby was in distress and mama was exhausted. After signs of decreased heart rate of Dakota and mama's blood pressure dropping, they sent us to the OR room for a c-section. I don't really remember very much after that. My placenta had abrupted (same thing that happened with my sister) and that is where all the trauma to Dakota and I came from. I lost a lot of blood and Dakota came out in distress, but all is well and everyone seems to be healthy. It looks as if Dakota truly is a miracle baby after seeing all that has occurred over the past 9 months. Dakota is eating well and hopefully growing at a healthy pace now. We will go to the doctor tomorrow for a weight check, so we will keep you posted on his appointment. It looks like a long recovery for mom (which is not something that she will be good at), but over-all just blessed to be alive. Thanks for all the phone calls and e-mails!!! Here are a couple of pics when I first got to see him (which wasn't until 4:30 a.m.)

Dakota Come On Out and Play Please!!!

Hello there! Just a quick update on the prego! I had my doctors appointment this morning and Dakota seems to be growing healthy and seems to be doing well. He has finally decided to drop, so that is a nice sign that he is coming somewhat soon! As for me, I have been having some pain in my right leg for the past few days, so the dr. checked it out and it appeared that my right leg was measuring twice the size of my leg. I was sent immediately to get an ultrasound to make sure there was not a blood clot in my leg. Praise the Lord the test came back negative. It appears there is a lot of pressure on my right side which is cutting off some flow from my vessels causing my leg to swell and hurt. The only thing that will help it is lying down and Dakota coming out. I will probably be working half days until Dakota comes and then the pain should go away. I think I am handling it pretty well so far! I would love for Dakota to come tomorrow because it is my uncles birthday (the one who died of Cancer the year Sadie was born). It would be so special to my aunt (also known as nannie to sadie) and I an only imagine how big Uncle Cecil would be smiling. He may have missed the birth of Sadie, but he'll get to see Dakota born up close and personal! I guess we'll just have to see what God has in store. If not, it is all good, he'll definitely be out by next week according to the doctors. Please continue to pray for a healthy baby and delivery!

I was definitely hoping for more exciting news..........

I went to the doctor this morning! I am now 38 weeks pregnant and Dakota seems to be doing very well. If you've had a child before, you're hoping to find more encouraging news on your 38th week....like you're dilated 2-3, etc. Well, mine was just a normal visit. Everything was fine, but NO sign of Dakota coming anytime soon. I was told that I hadn't dropped and that he probably wouldn't come until my due date! I guess we'll have to see. I guess the one encouraging thing was the dr. didn't think he was the size of a monster!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! All in all I was little discouraged, but reminded myself that it is all in HIS timing and praise the LORD he is healthy right now! So, I needed a little smile, so I thought I would share this video from when we went to Sea World....................you can't help but laugh when watching this!!!!!

How did we get snow in Greenville?

Sadie really enjoyed the snow/ice that came over the weekend! She especially loved her daddy pulling her on the sled!

Not Jealous at ALL!!!!

I have been getting things ready for Dakota's arrival and that included getting all of Sadie's old stuff down from the attic! We got the pack-n-play and bassinet put together and Sadie thinks they're for her babies! She honestly puts every baby she owns in each of them and puts them to sleep. It's quite humorous! Those moments were funny, but nothing tops what I walked in on after taking a shower the other day! Check the baby out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I Love to be Organized!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, so we actually got some snow in NC! It was really nice and that also meant we were snowed in! Well, of course the first thing I think about is how much can I clean my house and get it organized before Dakota gets here. So, I started with some new tupperware that I got from my sister who is a consultant. I was sooooooooooooo excited with how it all turned out! These modular mates are awesome and all I need is a few more and life is dummy proof for anyone who wants something out of my pantry!

Okay, so we actually got some snow in NC! It was really nice and that also meant we were snowed in! Well, of course the first thing I think about is how much can I clean my house and get it organized before Dakota gets here. So, I started with some new tupperware that I got from my sister who is a consultant. I was sooooooooooooo excited with how it all turned out! These modular mates are awesome and all I need is a few more and life is dummy proof for anyone who wants something out of my pantry!