I'm baaaaaack!

I've decided I need to get back into blogging. Jayden is growing up so fast that I need a way to document his little life so I don't forget what I'm thinking about now. I wrote a few little personal journals when I first found out I was pregnant and I found them the other day and I loved reading what my thoughts were at that time. I had already forgotten the details and I don't want to miss the details of Jayden's life. They are just too special to be forgotten! Plus I think others may enjoy reading about them too!

So in order to bring this blog up to date, here's a synopsis of what's been happening the last 4 months (4 months!)...

• 36 Weeks: At 36 weeks we had a little scare where we thought my water had broke. It was about 10:00 at night and I kept feeling like I had to pee and it seemed never ending so, since there was no pain involved, I didn't think it was an infection and I called my midwife. She thought we had better go to the hospital just in case. So we did and they admitted me and everything. That was surprising; I had just expected that they would check me and then if my water had, in fact, broke, they would admit me then. But no, they admitted me right away, wheeled me up to a room (which felt kind of foolish since I was perfectly capable of walking, albeit very slowly since my hip and back were giving me so much pain), had me put on a (backless, eek!) gown, hooked me up to monitors, asked me a million questions and then checked me. It all felt very surreal because I was having no contractions so it kind of felt like we were playing make believe but I was also nervous too because they were all acting like I was going to have the baby that night and I knew he wasn't ready to come yet. Thankfully, I ended up having a minor infection after all, thus the excessive peeing and my water had not broke after all. That was a relief! And now we were prepared for when I really did go into labor since we had just had a trial run!  

• 37 Weeks: I went on maternity leave starting at 37 weeks and enjoyed a couple weeks of relaxation, organization and preparation. Different family members came to visit (my grandparents, aunt, mom and inlaws) and see our new house and I was able to get our new house more in order before the baby arrived. One thing I want to remember during this time is that I had time to take care of our dog Maia. We would go on walks, not every day, but lots of days. I miss that now since our dog no longer lives with us and may not again. I also want to remember how huge I felt because I look back on pictures now and I don't actually think I look all that huge but man oh man, I felt GINORMOUS. Lots of things hurt like my hips and back which actually make moving quite difficult, let alone walking around the neighborhood. That pain all seems like a distant memory now though which is good news! I never thought I would get rid of it at the time.

• 39 Weeks: At 39 weeks, I did go into labor. And I will post my birth story on a seperate posting since that will be a long one.

• September 2: On September 2 at 3:52pm, Jayden Noah arrived weighing 7lbs, 10oz and measuring 20 inches long. He was everything that I had prayed and hoped for. He had a head full of dark hair, blue eyes, and a perfectly shaped head (not misshapen from a rough delivery or forceps). He was also the perfect size - I was so afraid of having a giant baby since it kind of runs in both our families. The only thing that really didn't go as "planned" was that he wasn't able to breastfeed right away since he took in a little meconium when he delivered so they had to work that out of him and give him some oxygen before I was able to try feeding him. That's another posting too - the trials and joys of breastfeeding. Stay tuned.

• Newborn:

• 3 Weeks:

• 6 Weeks:

• 8 Weeks: 

• 12 Weeks:

• And now here we are at 3 months and (almost) 2 weeks and I have a very active little boy. Well, very active, and yet a great little sleeper too. Just as he was everything I hoped and prayed for when he was first born, he is still everything I had hoped and prayed for as he is showing more and more of his personality. I heard once that you should pray very specifically for what kind of baby you want. So, since I was a little worried about how I would be as a mother, I prayed for a good little baby who had a great disposition. And guess what, I got one! Jayden never cries unless he needs to tell you something like if he's hungry or tired. He sleeps like, well... like a baby. He started sleeping through the night (5 or 6 hour stretches) at about 5 weeks even though I am exclusively breastfeeding. And he takes usually 2 two hour naps during the day, in addition to a few cat naps (30 minutes or so). He is always quick to smile, although in the first few weeks, even though it was still too early for them to smile, I figured I was going to have a very serious little boy because he had quite the stern little face sometimes.

He is such an absolute joy to be around and he has made the transition to motherhood extremely easy. If it's true that God only gives you what you can handle, and I believe that very much, then it's obvious that God knew I could not handle a fussy/colicky baby the first go-around. Jayden is the polar opposite of that description.