Jack's Favorite Baby Items

I can't believe my little man is already 6 weeks old. I've heard the saying "The days are long but years are short" and it is so very true.  In the last several weeks we have had the joy of playing with and utilizing all new baby items.  These are a few of our favorites.  

Throw Blanket- Jack loves to cuddle with this blanket. It was a gift from his aunt and uncle for Christmas. They purchased it at Home Goods. I had seen it weeks before and fell in love but didn't buy it wight he holidays fast approaching.  

Halo Sleepsack Swaddle- Jack was not the bigger fan of being swaddled and would get out of any blankets I swaddled him in. The sleep sack swaddle worked perfect for him. I felt comfortable with him sleeping in the sack while on his back. He has been a roller since birth and it scared this new mommy. Our pediatrician suggested swaddles to help reduce him rolling and it worked. 

Organic Cotton Mittens- I have a face pincher. When Jack is upset he pulls and scratches at his face. He has drawn blood several times and its heartbreaking. Although he does not like them he wears them especially on the overnight hours. 

Skip-Hop Treetop Friends Activity Mat- This is a new love for Jack. Since he started focus on things this has become so much fun for him.  He talks to his little hanging friends too. 

Baby Delight Snuggle Nest- We both love sleeping close to our little man. He's not as thrilled with it. He would much rather sleep on me or Brian. We put the snuggle nest in bed with us and its super easy and portable to bring along with us when we have stayed at grandma and grandpa's house. The nightlight and sounds are perfect when soothing him to sleep or finding his pacifier in the middle of the night. 

Weleda Diaper Cream- I had an abundance of butt paste and many other items for diaper care but when I used this as a sample I was so happy with this produce. It is pricy ($14) but all the other diaper creams don't hold a candle to this one.  

Sleep sheep- We love the Sleep Sheep. We are a fan of the whale sounds. I think my husband likes it even more than little Jack does. There are several other sound options like mother's heartbeat and ocean waves. It is very soothing for us all. 

4 Moms- Momma Roo This item is by far the best we have in our house. Jack hates sleeping on his back. Most nights he hates being in his snuggle nest and co sleeper. He loves the slope of the this and sleeps so sound when he's in it. The motion of the car ride is his favorite. Last night he slept 9 hours in his Momma Roo. It was wonderful. 

Tommy Tippee Bottles- These have been a life saver. Jack's reflux has improved greatly since investing in these. Dr. Brown's bottles have also worked well but I've noticed a big difference since using these. Plus I find these easier than the Dr. Brown's to clean. 

Boon Drying Rack with accessories- These are perfect. They take up little space on the counter but holds almost all of Jack's bottle items. Plus it's super cute. 

All photos and items found here 

Green Sprouts Burp Clothes- Goodness gracious the amount of spit up is insane! I swear there is a burp cloth with in arm's reach at all times. If not I have been caught using my sleeve and even pillow case. Have I mentioned how much more laundry we do since baby arrived? 

What are some of your favorite items?

Check back tomorrow because I'll be sharing some of my new mom favorites.  

Mommy and Me

Today Laura completely inspired me with her blog post.  

As I read her post it was like she had read my mind. The words felt as if they were pulled right from so many conversations I've had with others. As new mommies we take on so much. So many times we forget to take care of ourselves. In doing that we can feel unattractive so we shy away from the camera. Since Jack was born I have taken about a zillion pictures of him. I have taken most of them with Brian, his grandparents, friends and Bogart and barely any of me. I have to realize that down the road Jack will have barely any pictures of his mommy. That just shouldn't be. Today I am linking up with Laura and dedicating an entire post to pictures of Jack and I. No matter how tired I may look or how unattractive I feel in these pictures they are still getting posted because Jack is worth every extra pound, swollen eyes, puffy face and double chin! 

The saddest part of this post is...These are it. There are no more. My son is 5 weeks old and this is all I have and it makes me very sad. Eight pictures?!?! Reality check. I have to make a conscious choice and fix that! 

I hope you will share your pictures and link up along with me over at Little Moments, Big Moments.  

Jack- 1 month

On February 5th Jack turned 1 month old.  Seriously?!?! Time would you please slow down! I feel like we were just rushing off to the hospital. My little man  changes every day. It's amazing. What a roller coaster this last month has been. 

Weight and Height- Jack now 8 pounds 15 ounces. He was born at 8.2, lost some and has now gone back up! He is gaining weight which is an awesome sign. Considering his diagnosis of Cystic Fibrosis weight gain is huge for him. This may be a great sign in the future for treatments. Jack is also 21.75 inches. His weight is perfect for his height! 

Health- Jack continues to go back to his specialist every two weeks. We met with his nutritionist and social worker.  They are hopeful and positive that he will have a mild case. This doesn't exclude him from treatments but its something for this very scared mom to grasp onto. We will meet with his respiratory specialist next appointment to discuss treatments. Keep those positive vibes and prayers coming. We appreciate them more than you know. Jack is now struggling with some reflux issues too. 

Sleep- Jack is a great sleeper. He does not laying on his back and will wake up a few times a night. He slept through the night 3 times this month.  

Crying- Jack barely cries. He likes to be held but I'm sure that is my fault. I can't help but holding him the majority of the time. His daddy is also guilty of this. He picks him up the minute he gets home from work and doesn't put him down. 

Clothes- Jack is still in newborn. He doesn't seem to be growing out of them anytime soon.  

Feedings- Breast milk. Breastfeeding has been difficult for me. It is painful so I pump and nurse. He is using Dr Brown's bottles and he is taking in about 2.5 ounces but we break them up over time. He also sits upright for 20-30 minutes after feeding to reduce the reflux. 

Routine- It took some time but we are in a routine. Mommy feeds him and pumps every 2 hours. The 2 of us nap around 3:30 each afternoon and wake up around 5 when daddy gets home. Our night time routine is great. He gets in the bath and it wakes him up nicely so he is tired by the time we go to sleep. This is usually around 11 or 12. 

Social- Not much going on socially just yet. He is focusing a little more on mommy, daddy and my mom's voice. His best friend is Bogart so far. Bogart LOVES him. I think Bogart thinks Jack belongs to him. He looks out for him and is also close by. When the baby cries so does Bogart or he runs around to us looking for what we think is help for Jack. It's a beautiful thing. 

Jack loves: 

- Being held close to mommy's heart. 

- Being naked. He will fuss when I try to dress him. 

- Gumdrop pacifiers. He is obsessed. These are the brand he got in the hospital and he has refused all the others we have offered him.  

- Taking showers with mom. He loves the warm water on his body. He also really likes the bath.  It is very soothing for him. 

- Car rides! 

- Laying on his activity mat. 

- Piano music on Pandora.  It soothes him so nicely.  

- Taking walks.  

Jack dislikes: 

- Getting dressed. 

- Burping

- Mittens

- Gripe Water

-  Farting

- Laying on his back

- Lossing his pacifier although he pushes it out for attention.  

Look how much he has changed 

Fresh from the womb

1 week

2 weeks

3 weeks

4 weeks

(This is one of my favorites.  He looks like he wants to rage!)

Reflecting...

Reflecting back on there last 4 weeks I am still shocked at what has happened in our lives. Don't get me wrong we prepared the best we could for 9 months but no matter how much you prepare I don't you could ever be ready for bringing home baby and all that it comes with. I remember thinking to myself on our release day from the hospital "Are they just going to let us leave with him?" I cried when we left the hospital having no idea what was next. Plus, I had found myself feeling so connected with our nurses. They basically saw me at my worst, nearly delivered my son, helped me in the bathroom, served my husband coffee and all around cared so well for our family of 3. I would have never thought I could feel so connected with people I only knew for 3 days. There are a lot of things I had never thought I'd feel but emotions and hormones are a crazy thing. So many things have surprised me since Jack had entered our lives. These are just a few of the unexpected things I've felt in the last 4 weeks.

First off, the love for my little nugget is so immense. It has taken over my body, mind and soul. I love him so much I cry about it almost daily. When his eyes well up with tears because he has gas or he's hungry I feel his pain. The joy I feel makes my heart so happy. I am so overjoyed and overcome with love, hope, dreams and even lots of fears too.

I didn't have a clue I would have such an emotional connection to labor and delivery. If you read Jack's birth story you know that I was not as prepared as I should have been. I just thought I'd go in, get an epidural and POOF BABY! That did not happen. Every time I think of my labor, my coaches, and how it all happened I get so emotional. I always felt as if labor was means to an end. I was so wrong. Labor and delivery were truly so much more amazing than originally thought.

I was very surprised that I felt so great after delivery. I was up and moving not long after Jack was born. The next day I was doing laps around the labor and delivery wing. I was showering and even put on some make up.  About an hour after Jack was born I was even asking if my husband would get me a bagel.

I'm amazed at how well I function on such little sleep. I must say Jack is a great baby. He sleeps well and at night and usually wakes up only 2 times a night around 3:30 and 5:30. When I was pregnant I would always wake up between 3-4am too. I tend to get about 5 hours of sleep each night. Which is what I would get towards the end of my pregnancy too. I've decided not to pump religiously every 2 hours at night. I do during the day but I've made the choice that the extra sleep is much more important for me. I take the nights during the week and Brian takes the weekend nights when he is off so I am left with most of the overnight duty.  

Breastfeeding...Ugh, I never really knew how hard it would be. So much harder and more stressful than expected.

Most of all I am surprised that I miss wing pregnant so much. I love having my little man so close to me and holding him in my arms but I really miss being pregnant. Even in those final months and weeks of heartburn and discomfort I really miss being pregnant. I enjoy being Jack's mommy so very much but I'm not ashamed to admit I'd love to continue to build our little family some time soon!

Jack's Birth Story- Part 2

In my last post I began Jack's birth story.  You can find it here. Here is the conclusion of our little Jack's birth story...

Jack Jordan G

January 5, 2014

8 pounds 2 ounces

7:28am

By about 2:30 in the morning the contraction and back labor had become unbearable.  They were coming 2 minutes apart and lasting at least a minute long. Breathing through them was not working. I was begging our nurse, Jo, for an epidural.  My on call doctor instructed my nurses to administer the epidural at 4 centimeters.  Problem was I was stuck at 1 centimeter. He also instructed the they could give me a pain management drug along with an anti nausea med (remember that romantic dinner?) at 2 centimeters, again I was stuck at 1.

As crazy as this may sound the next few hours were blurry for me. I remember bits and pieces of how my labor went. I had tons of support from my mom, mother in law and my husband.  I was extremely hot and found it very difficult to lay in any other position besides my right side due to the back labor on my left side. I held the sides of my bed like no ones business.  My husband said at one point I tried to make a deal with my nurse. I told her we could pretend I was 4 centimeters dilated so she could give me the drugs. Apparently I was desperate.  When I finally got to 2 centimeters the gave me a shot for pain management and anti nausea.  It didn't do a thing for me other than make me seriously dizzy.  My back labor had continued. My husband curled up in bed with me and rubbed my back with each contraction. He said he could actually feel the contraction as it started so he knew exactly where the pressure and pain would be. He was very in tune with body which still amazes me.

The next several hours were extremely painful. I begged for the nurses to check me. It was about 7am and we were all very surprised when they checked and realized I was fully dilated and ready to push. I knew we were there when my nurses Jo and Carol looked up at one another and said "She's ready, get the doctor here now!" My hospital does not have a doctor on call at all times. If the doctor lives less than 5 miles from the hospital they stay home and get called in when needed. The look on their faces really scared me. As if baby was coming before our doctor arrived. At this point, completely oblivious to what was really happening, I asked for the epidural. I had no idea how ready to push I was. I asked again for the epidural and when the nurses said there wouldn't be one I had a meltdown. My mom said she was going to start the curse calculator.  I let her down because I only dropped a couple of F bombs.  I began crying and begging Brian, my mom and mother in law for help. I also called my nurses liars.  At this time I looked at my mom and told her I was ready to go home and in her words I said "I'm done with this shit." Before I knew it my bed was prepped. I looked at Carol and said "I'm pushing" she was very adamant told me I wasn't and gave me a crash course in lamaze.

When my doctor arrived I felt the ridiculous need to catch him up on my labor. I told him my nurses had lied about my epidural and I needed him to help me. I recall begging him to make it all better which he chuckled and told he wold gladly deliver my baby and make it all better. My doctor began prepping me and informed me he would numb me. I did tell him he could use all he wanted and begged for extra. My mom, Brian and nurses later told me how funny I was. They even said they felt guilty giggling.

We were ready to push.  With in 3 pushes and less than 10 minutes we had a baby. The cord was wrapped around his neck so he did not cry right away which was terrifying.  When our doctor announced he was was boy we were surprised and elated! Our little Jack was here.

He was put in my arms and I was madly in love. They quickly took him to the warming station and then given to Brian and his new grandmothers. Jack arrived within 7 hours.  My doctor was shocked as he thought I would be in labor for another 12 hours. I looked on for a little bit while everyone loved him and eventually fell asleep. I woke up an hour later in time for my daddy to arrive and meet his first grandson.

Jack's birthday was filled with so much love. He was visited by 22 people that day alone, friends and family gushed over him for days. It's amazing to see how lucky and loved our little man is. Labor was an amazing thing. I had no clue what an emotional experience labor really is. I am still in awe of what my body was able to do and the support from my coaches.

Thank you so much for reading Jack's birth story and all the sweet comments.
Happy Wednesday!

Jack' Birth Story- Part 1

After the not so great news I posted about Friday I really wanted to focus on the happiest and most positive moments of my life on the day leading up to Jack's birth. It was the most amazing experience of my life. I am still in awe of what my body was able to do. 

The day before Jack was born I woke up feeling a bit strange plus the little man in my tummy was super active. My entire pregnancy Jack was a night owl. There was very little movement during the morning and afternoon from the very first time I felt movement. I felt overly exhausted so I rested for most of the morning while watching episodes on One Tree Hill on Netflix. I took down a few Christmas decorations and felt the overwhelming need to get to Walmart for baby safe drier sheets. I also had an urge to get the rest of our baby laundry done.

My husband was working a few extra hours and thought it would be fun to finally go out for our last romantic dinner. We had been planning this dinner for months. I finally felt good enough to dress up so I drove down to meet him at our favorite Italian restaurant.  The food was nothing short of amazing. We indulged on calamari salad as an appetizer. For dinner we had homemade pasta. Mine was topped with a creamy garlic sauce, porchini mushrooms, asparagus and shrimp. I topped it off with a cannoli chocolate cake. Remember this is a birth story... I would regret that meal. Just being at dinner with Brian and chatting about the start of our new life was such a great time.

Here it is! Our very last belly bump picture. 

Week 39! Our little man arrived less than 24 hours later. 

Our our drive back home I got a call from my best friend to meet her and her husband out to listen to a band and celebrate her birthday. While we sat at the bar, yep 9 months prego sitting at a bar chugging down seltzer! The entire time we were at the bar she rubbed and spoke to my tummy begging little baby g to make an appearance the next day for her birthday.

When we got home Brian and I cuddled up on the couch to watch the movie "End Of Watch".  We still haven't finished it but it will always remind me of that night. I started feeling a little yucky. I tried laying down, sitting up and walking. I couldn't find a comfortable position. At first I thought it was just the enormous amount of heavy food I ate for dinner. I went to the kitchen for some water and as I sat back on the couch my water broke at 12:26am. I did for a second think I peed myself. I looked over at Brian with a "OH!!!" He knew immediately. I went to the bathroom and realized it was my water. I sat in the bathroom and called our doctor. He instructed us to stay put until my contractions were 7 minutes apart. I hadn't had any contractions yet. He also suggested if contractions didn't start to lay down and come to the hospital at 8am. My water proceeded to "leak" another few times and as soon as I hung up the phone my contractions began. They weren't terrible but they were exactly how my mommy friends described, really back menstrual cramps. The next contraction was exactly 7 minutes later. Panic mode began. Brian started packing a bag, although I had already packed a bag for him weeks ago. I put on my "hospital clothes" and my water then exploded again. I changed my clothes, went down to the laundry to pull out a few things we needed for baby and Brian ran out to the car to check the car seat was secured to my car. The contractions kept coming and I waddled out the car yelling to Brian we needed to go! Our hospital is 40 minutes from our house so I knew it was go time.

The car ride to the hospital was actually pretty relaxing although my contractions were staying put at 7 minutes apart. I did catch my husband speeding a few times. We called both our moms. I texted my best friend who begged baby for baby to come. We talked about girls names because we still hadn't decided.  Because it was about 1:00 am we had to enter through the ER. The ER on Saturday nights aren't the nicest places to be. There were no wheelchairs available at the time I arrived so with the help of security guard he sat me on a stool while we waited for my labor nurse to come and get me. At this time my contractions were 5 minutes apart. We pre registered so we were able to go right up to our labor suite. I will highly suggest pre registering if you are expecting. When I got up to my room my water broke again while I was in the bathroom. I accidentally and unknowingly pulled the emergency cord while trying to change into my gown. While I was half changed 3 nurses stormed in to the bathroom. Embarrassing to say the least. Little did I know things were going to get real embarrassing in the next several hours. About 30 minutes later my mom arrived. By this time my contractions ranged from 2-5 minutes apart and lasting 60-90 seconds. They were painful but nothing I couldn't handle. I was not progressing even though the contractions were coming so fast. I was 1 centimeter dilated and had been for several weeks. My mom and I went to walk the halls and instructed my husband to take a nap. As we walked the halls my mother in law arrived. She was so excited she couldn't sleep. It was around 2:30 and the real labor was about to go down.

Check back soon for the second part of Jack's birth story.

Being a Mom Can Be Heartbreaking

It seems as if last Friday our lives just stopped. On Friday we were notified that our little Jack's newborn screening came back abnormal for Cystic Fibrosis. We took him to a Children's Hospital on Tuesday and received the news that Jack is positive for Cystic Fibrosis. 

Cystic fibrosis is the most common, potentially lethal genetic disease, occurring in one in 3,000 births. The disease is a multi system condition that leads to progressive lung failure, pancreatic failure and gastrointestinal obstruction, or blockage. My perfect little angel only 2 weeks old now has to deal with this. We are left with little answers to the questions we have. Our specialist believes Jack's symptoms could be on the milder side but there are no answers to what "mild" could be. We hope that he shows minimal symptoms in the future.  He will visit the specialist every 2 weeks and be monitored closely for any symptoms. The one hopeful thing for me to focus on is he is gaining weight. There is just a lot of hope going on around here while dealing with the hand that we've been given. We hoped and dreamed for him. It was so difficult trying to conceive Jack. He makes me so happy. He is the most perfect angel. I love him so very much.  

I can't express the scary sadness that has taken over our home. We went from pure elation to the lowest of low. I've cried all day every day. I'm trying to be a new mom, take care of myself and grasp what this diagnosis means for our son. All I know is I'm barely holding everything together. I'm so stressed I can barely nurse him. I'm probably so dehydrated from crying all the time. I've been forcing  myself to eat because the thought of eating makes me sick. I'm really trying to be everything for him but I feel like I'm failing at everything. All I want is for my baby to grow up big, strong and healthy. I just wish I was coping better than I am. 

Does anyone have experience with Cystic Fibrosis? 

Any words of wisdom or encouragement would be greatly appreciated. 

My husband...

Today my husband went back to work. I miss him terribly already. I think the world of my husband and I always have but after the birth of our son I can't put into words how amazing he truly is.  He was an amazing coach and he has been an even more amazing daddy.  This picture is just one reason I love him so much.  I love the expression on his face.  I think I was just about ready to push (Yep, I know I'm looking all sorts of cray) The excitement and joy on his face makes me just melt.  

Sidebar- 

My labor did not go as planned and was so fast paced and much more pain filled than expected so his expression is so much more important to me.  

Daddy's first picture with Jack. 

 Such a proud daddy.  

I just love them so very much. 

It's A BOY!!!

Please let me introduce you to the new love of our lives! 

Jack Jordan arrived on January 5, 2014 

(surprised us 6 days early)

7:28 am

8 pounds 2 ounces

21 inches 

We are all doing well. 

The joy I feel is so intense my heart feels like it could explode. 

I still can't believe I'm a mom! 

I'm enjoying every single second with my new little boy and my husband. Who, by the way is the best daddy, husband and labor coach a girl could ask for. 

38 Bumpdate

So I skipped out on week 37. It was a complete blur with Christmas and everything else happening these days! Oops.

How Far along: 38 Weeks, 6 days
 

Baby is the size of: Baby G is the size of a PUMPKIN! Good lord that is probably why I'm so uncomfortable. Baby is about 18.9 to 20.9 inches long and weighs about 6.2 to 9.2 pounds. Baby's head is now about the same circumference as her abdomen.

Total Weight Gain: Ugh, I'm up 40. I haven't gained in my last 2 appointments but I feel like I've been eating so much more these days.

Sleep: Most nights it is pretty tough.

Best moment of the week:
* Christmas was pretty great. Spending it with family and friends always makes the holiday so much nicer.
* Baby's head is down, I'm 100% effaced and 1 centimeter dilated as of my last appointment. The doctor gave me hope that baby would be coming soon.  
Worst Moment of the Week:

* While out ot dinner on Saturday night I had some significant contractions. They started 8 minutes apart. We drove home and they began to space themselves out to 16 minutes and then disappeared. I really thought it was go time but nothing. This baby is a trickster!!!
* I am so nervous about this blizzard about to hit. It has been making me sick for days. I'll be 39 weeks tomorrow. I've been feeling funking and I'm so scared to go into labor tonight. My husband is going to be an hour away. I have a feeling he is getting stuck at work late and then at his parent's house. I pushed my doctor's appointment up to this afternoon to see if anything is going on.

Miss Anything:

* I miss feeling good about my body image. I'm so close to meeting baby it doesn't matter so much any more.

Food Cravings:

* Not much these days but I indulged Christmas and Christmas Eve big time!!!

Anything make you queasy:

* Nasty acid reflux wakes me up every night. It sucks!

Have you started to show? Oh yes, have you seen that picture up there?!?!

Gender: Surprise baby!!!

Symptoms: Swelling, trouble sleeping, soreness in my hips and my lady bits all the time.


Workouts: I've been doing a lot of walking these days. I also tried to walk up and down the steps a lot the past few days in hopes of getting baby moving further south!

Mood:  I've been feeling very sensative lately. I'm sure it has been the hormones. I can't say its a terrible thing either. I'm feeling so much closer to my family and friends because of it.

Looking forward to:

* Meeting baby! Come on little one. I can't wait to meet you

Maternity Clothes: Yes!!! plus lots of yoga pants!

Stretchmarks: There are a few.UGh!

Rings on or off? Haha, these monster fingers haven't seen a ring in weeks!

Bellybutton in or out? It's sort of in between still.

This week I:
* Enjoyed lots of family time.
* Realized how hard it has been working a full 8 hours this far along in my pregnancy. It has gotten much tougher over the last week.
Baby Update:
* Organs have matured and can function outside of the body!
* Our baby may have an inch of hair already.
* Baby is head down and getting ready to enter this crazy little world.