Jack's Day

Wake up, cry, get a diaper change, try to pee on whoever's changing the diaper, eat, poop while eating, get another diaper change, try to pee on the changer again, lay on a blanket and coo and be cute, yawn, get swaddled, get rocked to sleep, sleep.

Repeat every 3-4 hours

I would say that we like to sleep late (we get up around 9am)...but what is late when your day never really begins or ends? I tend to get philosophical on little sleep...

Speaking of sleep, look how cute he is sleeping in his swing!



Outings

Is it sad that I take my time choosing which onesie Jack will wear to the doctors office? It's one of the very few places the little one has frequented in his 16 days of life! And if I take my time picking out his onesie for the doctor (who couldn't care less what he's wearing...in fact, as soon as I walk in, the nurse tells me to strip him down to his diaper), just imagine what it's like choosing one for him to wear to church where people might actually see his cute outfit!

Do boys have "outfits"? Especially if it's just a onesie?

Top 10 Things I've Learned in the Past 12 Days

1. A tiny peepee has great aim...especially if there's a clean shirt in the room.
2. A 30 minute feeding takes an hour.
3. One, two, three, or four swaddle blankets are not enough...if there is a clean swaddle blanket in the vicinity, there will be pee on it very very soon.
4. A newborn should always wear a diaper!
5. A tiny peepee can shoot pee across the room, hit a wall, and leave a puddle around the baseboard.
6. Even when Jack is crying, he is sooooooooooo cute!
7. Seven hours of sleep broken up into 2 or 3 hour blocks is just not the same as 7 hours of consecutive sleep!
8. My husband is wonderful!
9. Gas drops are gold...and MUST be administered after every feeding!
10. Dogs who you think will resent the baby might actually end up being his great protector.

He's Here!

It was Saturday night and I'd been cooking a brisket in the oven for hours. It smelled wonderful and reminded me of family dinners at home. I've cooked one brisket before and it was a disaster. That was 3 years ago...attempting to do it again made me nervous, but things were looking and smelling really good! It's amazing anything can smell good at this point...


About 4 hours ago, a friend of mine had sent me a "labor concoction" which consisted of 4 oz of root beer, a scoop of ice cream and 1 oz of castor oil...ugh. Even writing it now makes my stomach hurt! With a little encouragement from my mom and sister, I downed that nasty and had been waiting for the promised labor to kick in from then on! It's a little scary to do something like that...hurrying something that you know will be insanely painful!

I hadn't been feeling good all day, just kinda blah. Our sweet friends came over to partake in my hopefully well cooked brisket, and all through dinner and dessert my back was hurting. Stared out just hurting, and by the time they left, it was killing me. They kept asking if they could help me time contractions, but I insisted they weren't contractions because it was just a constant pain, no "on and off" pain...they insisted I'd be having a baby tonight! No, no, I said, it's just back pain!

Well, they left at about 9:30 when I decided I'd have to opt out of any game playing for the evening, and by 9:45, we were on the road to the hospital. I couldn't decide if we should go or not, I mean, it's just back pain! But when I ended up on the floor on my hands and knees trying to make the pain stop, I figure it might be time to go! I mean the worst thing they can do is send me home, right? I so didn't want to be the girl they had to send home...we didn't call anyone and tell them we were on the way to the hospital, just in case.

We get to the hospital and they wheel me through the ER to the Maternal Observation floor where they check you out and decide if you get to stay or go back home. Once I got in there, the real contractions started. There were about 4 other ladies who arrived at Maternal Obs about the time I did, and things around there were freakin' slow...finally someone comes in and starts asking me all kinds of informational question...name, birth date, etc. Shouldn't they have this already? I mean, I pre-registered! And trying to stay calm and answer these dang questions in between clinging to the bed rail and writhing in pain wasn't something I was enjoying doing! The nurse is in the middle of 20 questions when she has to step out for a minute...um, don't leave me!

So I'm lying there, Jeff's holding my hand, when it feels like I just peed my pants! Really? Do I have so little bladder control? Well, obviously, it's my water breaking! At that point, the nurse had been out of the room for about 15 minutes so I send Jeff out to find someone...I mean, my water broke! Doesn't anyone want to know that?

We decide with the breaking of the water, we're probably not going home, so Jeff steps out to call the family so they can be there when Jack comes.

Meanwhile on the TV in the room is Fresh Prince of Bellaire...and what episode is on? The one where Vivian is pregnant and goes into labor! Jeff thought they might have just popped in a tape of all sitcom episodes pregnant...no, that's just ABC Family. But kinda funny!

The nurse finally comes back in, finally checks my and says, "Maybe I shouldn't have left you alone!" Oh, thanks. I'm pretty far dilated, so they wheel me up to Labor and Delivery. It's strange being on a bed, rolled down the halls of the hospital, groaning and moaning in pain. Very "ER".

We get upstairs and I'm dilated to an 8, which is pretty much when you're ready to push! The IV lady comes and puts in my IV, which hurts like heck, and gives me some kind of drug that makes me extremely sleepy. Jeff said I was sleeping in between contractions! Strange. It didn't cut the pain of the contractions, I can tell you that!

The epidural man came (love him!) and did his thing and I immediately felt so much better. Such a huge relief. Going that far into labor with out the epidural, I can tell you straight up, I will never have a labor with out it! Man, that hurt. At one point, Jeff was standing on the other side of the room trying to text people that Jack's coming tonight, and I definitely snapped my fingers at him and said, "Um, could you get over here?"

Jack was turned sideways, which made for a long bout of pushing...2 hours to be exact, but the reward for all the grunting, groaning and pushing was much worth it. He is precious, perfect, and we are so blessed. It's so surreal when they put the baby on your chest for the first time. Unbelievable.

Already in the past week, I have so many stories about Jack...his amazing ability to aim with his peepee during diaper changes, his poops on the picture lady's blanket and in Jeff's lap, his sweet sighs when he's sleeping, his funny little comb-over-looking hair...he's just amazing. Who knew you could love some one who wakes you up every few hours to nurse on your already sore boob? But man, I do!

Jack's first picture in the hospital

T plus 4...and waiting...

Jack must really like it in there...he's quite comfortable and content! Not that that's a bad sign, maybe he's just a laid back kind of baby, who's just fine wherever he is! He doesn't mind just hanging out. That could be good, right?

So we went to the doctor yesterday to check in. She measured, poked, prodded, ultrasounded...and then she asked me if I wanted to go to the hospital today and have Jack before the weekend. What? Wow, that was quick! I was a little taken off guard! I think my heart might have started pounding! The other choice was to wait through the weekend, give Jack a little more time, and tentatively schedule the induction for Monday. That sounds a little better to me. You can't just spring something like going to the hospital and having a baby that day on someone! If there were complications, then sure! Not that we didn't have our bags packed, the car seat fastened in and our green monogrammed pillowcased pillows ready...and in the car...but that was just in case! Not because we'd really need them!!

But he's just fine...will that be my attitude with Jack? "You're just fine, you'll be ok"? Hmmmm...interesting.

Anyways, that's the plan. Go to the doctor on Monday morning, check things out, then head to the hospital on Monday night, sleep with some medicine thing to soften the cervix even more, then start the pitocin on Tuesday, and Tuesday will be his birthday!

My prediction? I'll go into labor either Sunday night or Monday between the doctor's appointment and when we're supposed to be at the hospital. I'm just saying...

T plus 1...

So, yesterday was the due date...or as they call it, the "estimated due date"...and Jack's still hanging in there!! I feel like I've been patient this past week and as I feel the mostly painless Braxton Hicks contractions, I'm trying to do my best to burn this time in my memory...laying on the couch all day (literally...should there be shame in that?), spending time with Jeff and Vincent, going out to eat at the spur of the moment, (actually, doing anything we want spur of the moment), going to sleep when I want, feeling Jack struggle to move around in his quickly shrinking (and hopefully short lived) home, puttering around the house working on whatever project strikes me at the moment...


I've been really thinking this week about how my life will change once Jack gets here. I know it will probably hardly resemble what my life looks like now, but I can't even imagine it! I mean I get annoyed when I wake up 900 times a night just to roll over or pop a few more Tylenol or Tums...and last night as I woke up for the 732nd time to get some Tums, I wondered if I'd be as annoyed to get out of bed if Jack was crying and needed me as I was to get a quick fix for my acid reflux issue? I sure hope not! I'm hoping that it's one of those things that just happens, realizing that I can sleep later and that he needs me now!


I guess it all comes down to knowing that the Lord will provide me just what I need for the day at hand. To think about all that there is to do, all that there is to worry about...I mean all you have to do is to pick up What to Expect the First Year or Your Baby's First Year Week by Week and you'll be so overwhelmed with things that happen or that you're supposed to do in the first 48 hours, you'll just cry! Between the umbilical cord, circumcision care, jaundice, cradle cap, healthy bowl movements, breastfeeding...it's just crazy! And that's just the first 48 hours chapter!! Not to mention you have to decide if you're pro-baby wipe or anti-baby wipe! Who would have thought there would be 2 sides to the issue. I surely didn't! That's why I'm stocked up on what feels like a lifetime supply of wipes! I guess that makes me pro-baby wipe...then there's the sleeping/raising your baby right issue...Baby Wise or Baby Whisperer or Happiest Baby on the Block? For someone who is not a planner, this sure is a lot to plan. Although the how could you not want your baby to be the happiest on the block? Maybe I'll go for that one...catchy title.


Knowing that, just like everything in life, taking it one day at a time is so much better than thinking that we'll raise this boy for the next 18...20...30...40 years of our lives. Clinging to the Lord and to each other, knowing that we're going to succeed and fail, have good days and bad, proud moments and embarrassing ones, makes it feel a little more safe.


So Jack, is today the day? I'd hate for you to miss your first Labor Day! :)

Equipped

A friend of mine who's due at the end of September posted on facebook that she's had more sleepless nights than full nights of sleep and her consolation is that she can take the time to pray for her baby before those sleepless nights become full of feedings and things. I have my sleepless nights, for sure. For some reason, if I happen to wake up between 4 and 5, I can NOT get back to sleep until 7. It's very strange. I know it's just the Lord preparing me to not trust in my sleep to make it through the day.

I can't help but wonder if I'm equipped to be a mom. I have a great mom, great role model, wonderful friend. But how am I supposed to know what to do with little Jack! No matter how many books or videos we've watched, the unknown is so scary. What if the soothing 5 S's don't make Jack the happiest baby on the block? What if breastfeeding is really hard for us? What if he's sick and I don't know it? What if he never sleeps through the night? What if I never sleep through the night? It seems like with babies, the things you learn about and people tell you are the hard things, the things that will inevitably be the "bad" parts of having a baby.

I was reading in a pregnancy devotional this morning and it reminded me that the Lord equips us for the things He's called us to do. I am a firm believer that the Lord doesn't call the equipped, he equips the called. And I know that the Lord has called us to be loving, Godly parents. That has been our strongest desire, is to raise Jack in a God fearing home, with Christ loving parents and a church community to support and love us. Why would I doubt that He would take care?

2 Timothy 3:16-17 says that "All scripture is God breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God will be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

To be equipped, I need to be in the Word, simple as that. Yes, Jack will cry and I won't know what to do and I know there will be days when I'll go to bed (for however long that is!) wondering if I did all I could to be a good mom that day. But my peace has to come from the Lord, not in how I do as a mom. I always struggle with wanting to do my best and feeling like I didn't do enough...the last few years, the Lord has been working hard on that. I know that I am enough, enough for Him because he equips me with just enough for the day at hand.

Now, if I could just remember this each and every day!