Where does the time go?

Hello friends! My it has been awhile! To be completely honest blogging has been at the bottom of my list of things to do and my sister has pointed it out every day when she checks to see if I have updated my blog. Sorry Mikah! Well life has gotten more interesting and I am loving every minute of it. After many long discussions with the hubby we decided that me going back to work would be the best thing for our family at this time. It was a hard decision but I knew I needed to do it. So as soon as we decided I started looking and a job pretty much fell in my lap! I had talked to my now boss when I was pregnant and told him my situation and that I understood if he needed to hire someone immediately, which he did, but he said to call him and check in when I was ready to go back to work to see if there were any positions available. Well the day I finally decided to follow up with him was my lucky day as the person he hired for the original position didn’t work out and he needed someone ASAP! So I started the following Friday and I love it! Lucky me! I was happy and sad at the same time. As soon as I got the offer I started panicking thinking about who would watch Jake. He was only 8 weeks at the time and too young to go to daycare, in my opinion, so my wonderful mother offered to take care of Jake. It has worked out perfectly and has made the transition of me going back to work so much easier. I cried the first day but everyday gets easier! She is so amazing with him and has so much patience and is so in love with him...we are so lucky to have her!

Because I went back to work I made the incredibly hard decision to stop breastfeeding. Again I cried and agonized about it but starting a new job that didn’t really allow me to pump 3 times a day..I probably could have but I sit in a cube in a very open office and we have no private bathrooms! Kevin said I should just pump in the parking lot..good idea babe but no thank you! In the beginning I wasn't the biggest fan of bf but after we got into a routine I fell in love with it and so did Jake which made the decision that much harder. But after asking fellow mommy friends about formula I got the overwhelming response that Good Start was the way to go. I am pleased to say that he is doing great on it we couldn't be happier. Wait we could be happier if formula was free but we all know that will never happen so I will settle for a happy and poopy baby :)

Jake is changing by the second and growing like a weed. He is so juicy and cute...I just want to eat him! At his 2 month appointment he weighed 10 lbs 11 oz and was 22 inches long. Now that he is almost 12 weeks...I can't believe it...he is probably pushing 14 lbs and my mom measured him the other day and he is 24 inches long! He has really turned a corner these last few weeks and it so much happier and content. It's probably because of the fact that he is on formula now. My Mom and I were talking and we both think that the reason he was so fussy for the first 8 weeks was because he wasn't getting enough milk when I was nursing him. I really think the formula coats his tummy better and not only makes him a happier baby but makes him sleep longer. He now goes down about 8 pm, wakes up 1 time..if he wakes up at all, then Kev gets him up for his first bottle between 5:30 and 6 am if he doesn't wake up on his own. I still wake up multiple times thinking that I hear him but sure enough he is still asleep..gotta love the video monitor!

I finally have some pictures to post. I swear Jake is the cutest kid and pictures don't do his justice :)

I have much more to post about in the next few weeks! 2 of my best friends and my sister are having their babies and we are all counting down the days!

Life is wonderful....

P.S. Is there an easier way and better way to upload pictures???

A day in the life

Jake turned 5 weeks yesterday! I can't believe it has already been that long! He looks so different now and is really starting to fill out! He is still in newborn clothes and doesn't fit into hardly any of his 0-3 month clothes :( He is long and lean!!! I swear all baby clothes are short and wide..do they have a Baby Big and Tall clothing line??? Cause at the rate he is going I might need something like that :)

Good news is that he is on a schedule and has been since day 1...for the most part...and doing great! His acid reflux/colic is under control thanks to Colic Calm http://www.coliccalm.com/ look it up! It has worked wonders for him! There are a few side affects to it ie. super messy (its black because of the charcoal) and it results in explosive black poop but I don't care I will take black poop over a screaming colicky baby anyday!

I can already tell that he is a creature of habit and the few times we have detoured from the schedule he showed us how much he did not appreacite it! We tried having people over a few times and both times he freaked out and screamed all night. He's not use to being passed around and it was loud in the house and he did not like it one bit!! So note to Mom and Dad..NO MORE COMPANY..at least for now!

Yesterday I took him out in public for the first time...just to the bridal salon to watch Amanda try on a few wedding dresses..btw she found THE ONE and she is going to be the most beautiful bride! Anyways he was an angel and I have figured out that the car/carseat is his happy place so if all else fails and we can't get him to stop crying we put him in the car and drive around and he is out like a light! We even put him in his carseat in the house when he is fussy and he loves it! He hates the swing we have and the little lamb chair vibrates and he hates that as well he is much happier either sitting in his carseat or laying on his back staring at the wall or lights :) So here is our schedule..I say "our" as it's just as much my schedule as it is him schedule:

12 am
Nurse, burp, change,rock and put back down to sleep

3 am
Nurse, burp, change,rock and put back down to sleep

6 am
Bottle feed, burp, change,rock and put back down to sleep-sometimes he is is awake and doesn't want to go back down so Kev will put him on his activity mat, or put him back in his crib and put music on and he just lays there and looks around and usually puts himself back to sleep

9am
Nurse, burp, change and then get him ready for the day, then we play for awhile ( I try to keep him up for at least 30 minutes if not longer, sometimes he stays up for an hour) then if he hasen't gone back to sleep I rock him and he goes back down for 1-1 1/2 hour until next feeding

12pm
Nurse, burp, change, waketime/playtime, then nap until next feeding

3pm
Nurse, burp, change, waketime/playtime/go on a walk etc, then nap until next feeding

5:30pm
Bath time and get him ready and changed for bed

6pm
Nurse, burp, change, then we usually put him in his lamb chair and not do anything really "active"with him and we keep things calm and not to loud. However, this is also when he gets fussy sometimes and cries..usually right when we are trying to eat dinner :) So sometimes he doesn't sleep until the 9 feeding and he just stays up the whole time. Sometimes I feed him at 8:30 pm depending on his mood. Sometimes he is really hungry at this time so I feed him early.

9pm
Swaddle, nurse, burp, change, rock and put down to sleep


Sounds a little like Groundhogs Day..huh?? There is usually multiple diaper changes and clothing changes in between all of this...he has peed out of his diaper a lot lately!! Another note to self..point the pee pee down Ashley!!!

All in all we are getting the hang of this and I am sleeping about 6-8 hrs every night..not in a row but still that's some good sleep and everyday is better then the last.

He is my angel :)

Again, no pics, they don't do him justice anyways he is much cuter in person :) But when I have sometime later today I will post some.

XOXO

Alot can happen in 5 minutes

Before Jake 5 minutes meant nothing to me. Now 5 minutes means everything. Alot can happen in 5 minutes! Here are some examples:

1) 5 more minutes of SLEEP!
2) 5 more minutes before I have to wake him up to feed him
3) 5 more minutes left of him breastfeeding
4) 5 minutes to hop in the shower and rinse off
5) 5 minutes to fold laundry.....load 9,001..babies might be small but they go thru alot of clothes
6) 5 minutes to empty the dishwasher...for the 1,000,987 time
7) 5 minutes to talk to Kevin...I totally see now why marriages become strained after children. Now more then ever its important to make time for "us"..even if it's just for 5 minutes of uninterrupted talking.
8) 5 minutes to eat something quickly before he starts or crying again

I could go on but you get the point....

Ok, well I have 5 more minutes and then it's time to feed him again...see :)

What I know now....

Here are a few things that I have learned in the short 2.5 weeks of being a Mommy:

1) All of the things that I "had" to register for that I thought were "so important" aren't at all! When I went to register I had no clue as to what I was doing. I was scanning things based of a list they gave me and to be honest I didn't even know what half of the stuff was. I was certain that the important things were high chairs, pack-n-plays, tummy time mats etc. When in reality all you really need are lots of diapers, wipes, onsies, nipple cream, wash clothes,swaddle blankets and lots of love and patience! At least in the beginning...
2) I could have read 1,000 books and nothing would have prepared me for what being a parent is really like! Don't get me wrong there are some great books out there..some of my favs are Baby 411, Happiest Baby on the Block and I am still on the fence about Babywise. My friend Jennifer gave me some good advice...take the meat from Babywise and nothing else. So thats what i'm doing and I can successfully say that he is on a feeding schedule. He wakes up on the dot when its time to eat. Nothing beat hands on experience!
3) I have never dealt with some much poop or pee in my life. Jake is one poopy kid...I swear every diaper I change has poop in it! This morning was out of control...it was never ending. Of course I was by myself and the only one to witness it...Kevin misses all the good ones :) Prior to having a baby changing diapers grossed me out but now that its part of my daily routine and that it's my babies poop it doesn't bother me at all.
4) Breastfeeding is alot harder then I thought!! I knew I was going to breastfeed Jake...there was no question that I was at least going to try! But man living my life in 3 hour increments is tough! Right now I feed him at 12am, 3am, 6am, 9am, 12pm, 3pm, 6pm and 9pm. But really I am living in 2 hour increments cause its takes usually 45-1hour to feed, burpm change and then put him down and then the next thing I know its time to feed him again. Kevin has been a doll and he feeds him at 6 am so I get to sleep from about 3:45 am to 8 am...heaven! We introduced him to a bottle after 1 week. Kevin wants to be involved as much as possible and I knew that I would need a break at some point. He LOVES having that time with Jake in the mornings and I know how he feels. Even at 3 in the morning I look at his little face and fall more in love with him!
5) I am alot stonger then I thought I was. The first night we brought him home was the scariest night of my life. I had no clue as to what I was doing and I was scared to death that I was doing everything wrong. I have learned that mother intution really exists and I am learning...slowly...to trust my instincts. For example Jake was super fussy last weekend...very unlike him...nothing we could do would calm him down, he was pushing me away when I was trying to feed him, he wasnt sleeping..it was awful! So I started reserching his symptons and I knew it had to be acid reflux. Sure enough it was..poor thing! Kevin has acid reflux and I guess it's genetic :( Dr. Terry perscribed Zantac so we are now giving it to him 2 times a day. Before that I was giving him Mylicon, not sure it worked at all, then a friend gave me Gripe Water and I am still giving him that and I think that is helping along with teh Zantac. Then my friend Meredith told me about a baby probiotic that we went and bought and gave to him this morning. Too early to tell if its working or not but now I am struggling with how much is to much to give my child? I want more then anything to sooth his acid reflux but I also don't want to pump his body full of medicine!
6) There is no such thing as "me time" anymore. Simple things like showering, going to the bathroom, doing laundry, running to the grocery store are things of the past. Take today for instance...it is 4 pm and I am still in my pjs. I am very lucky since Kevin works out of the house. It allows me..on most days...to get up around 7:30 or 8 shower, get ready, pump, eat some breakfast and drink some coffee before it's time to feed Jake. I know it will get easier over time. Yesterday I packed Jake and I up to go to my parents and go to the doctor and it took 2 hours to get out of the house! By the time I got myself ready, got Jake feed and ready, packed his bag, got him in his carseat, then got him in the car, put the stroller in the car..whew..I'm breaking a sweat thinking about it was 2 hrs from when started. I will have arms of steal by the time summer rolls around :)
7) Time really does fly and everyday he looks different and I need to remember to enjoy and savor it all!
8) Without Kevin I would be going crazy. Parenting is a true team sport and I can't imagine doing this without him. I have loved him from the minute I saw him but fell more in love with him the first time I saw him holding Jake.


I would post pictures but I can't figure out an easy way of doing it so as soon as I do I will post some!

What i've been up to lately...

Nothing new except lovin on these guys....

Everyday I hav the best of intentions of posting all the pics from the day Jake arrived....but then it's either time to feed, change, play or sleep! I promise I will get around to it soon. But in the meantime Jake is a blessing and I fall more in love with him everyday..along with Kevin who continues to amaze me everyday...I'm a lucky girl!

Documenting this baby...

I have done a horrible job at documenting this pregnancy! Before I got pregnant I always thought that once I got pregnant I would be that crazy woman that takes pictures every week of her belly while holding a piece of fruit that compares to the size of the baby. Well let's just say that that never happened :( It's not that I didn’t want to it's just that time got the best of me. In my defense I didn’t even show until I was around 22 weeks or so technically I could use any picture before that and put what week I was regardless of the actual week...right..no one would ever know :) So once I finally started showing I started taking pictures..not many but it was a start. So now here I am going on 40 weeks and having Jake on Tuesday and looking back I want to kick myself for not taking more pictures! Man, I hope I get better when he gets here! So here are some pics for your viewing pleasure..

 

This is the only place that you will ever see my actual belly...

We go in on Tuesday at 7:30 am. We can't wait! I wish we were going in tomorrow!! I know that neither or us will be able to sleep on Monday night. Right now I am anxious, scared, nervous...a little bit of everything. This is the first time in my life that I can actually say that I have no clue as to what we are getting ourselves in to and have no idea what we are going to do once he gets here but I also know that as long as I have Kev by my side everything will be fine. Wish us luck!

So close...

2/2/2010...doesn't that sound like the best day ever to have a baby??? Well I think so! Knowing that there is an "end" date in sight is so exciting yet scary at the same time. Jake is weighing in at 7lbs and his kidney's look great and seem to be healing on their own!!! I am a little nervous about his weight I might be giving birth to a butterball...yikes! I was so ready for him get here and now I need him to stay in as my parents will be gone, starting tomorrow thru next Friday, so I can't have him any time before that! I told Mom that I would keep my legs crossed all next week :) So this week was THE.LONGEST.WEEK.EVER and I am sure next week will feel even longer! Ahh the anticipation is killing me! So in order to keep myself busy I will do all of the following things next week to hopefully pass the time:


1) Shower and get ready everyday next week-I know this sounds silly and possibly gross to some but since I am not working I have NOTHING TO DO so showering has been at the bottom of my list these days. I told Laura last night that I was still in my pjs and I was talking to her at 9pm...gross! It would be just my luck to go into labor being stinky with greasy hair..blah!

2) Go to the grocery store and actually cook dinner all next week-dinner lately has consisted of mac and cheese, brownies, M&M's, ice cream, meatballs..basically anything goes and poor Kevin has been left to fend for himself. Lucky for me he will eat anything and is not picky at all so he has finished all of the left overs and eaten random things out of the pantry that have probably been sitting there for years...he's so sweet :)

3) Figure out the car seat base-I don't know why I can't figure it out...it looks so simple in my car manual but for some reason I cannot do it! I think I have tried every day this week and I get frustrated and give up and think "maybe tomorrow I will figure it out"

4) Get all the laundry done-I don't mind doing laundry...like putting it in the washing machine is fine it’s the switching it to the dryer and folding it that gets me. Most of the time the clothes just sit in the dryer for days and I pick out stuff if I need it and won't fold it until I absolutely have to...I am sure my Mom is mortified reading this..No Mom I do not immediately take things out of the dryer nor do I iron every piece of clothing..I iron as I go....don't judge...

5) Enjoy the last few days that Kev and I have together...just the two of us. He is the best and I am way too lucky to have him as a husband. We joke that we will be fighting over who gets to hold Jake...Kev can't wait and I can't wait to see him hold him for the first time...brings tears to my eyes as I type thinking about it as it's been our dream to have children and it's about to come true!