Roll over, Roll over - The Name of the Game

I get such a kick out of Jayden as he tries to roll over.

I love watching his little tiny legs shoot up in the air and then faaaalll to the side. He can do this over and over but those darn legs just keep getting in the way in order for him to keep going and make that full roll!

Jayden Milestones: Jayden is finally figuring out that he can reach for things and grab hold. I realized that his mind works just like his daddy's. He looks at something and you can just see his mind working. I think he has to fully think something through before he takes that first step, so to speak. I've been watching him as he contemplates reaching out for grab hold but he's just now decided to give it a try. Last night he reached for Ernie (his stuffed elephant with all sorts of "bells and whistles" attached) and took hold of the rings and then kept holding as I lifted him up! I was very proud.

New Year's Resolutions

I've never been one to make an official New Year's resolution but I do think the beginning of the year is a good time to make changes. It always gets me thinking about what I want to do better, newer, more of, different over the next year.

This year I've got healthy on the brain.

Healthy eating.

Healthy living.

Healthy lifestyle.

I know why, of course. It's all because of Jayden. I think when you have a brand new little life that you're completely in charge of, naturally, you don't want to scre..um, mess it up. (Jayden might read this some day. Gotta watch my language ya know.)

But even before Jayden came along, DJ and I have tried making changes to our lives a little at a time to make them healthier. Some specific things that we have changed... We make a conscious attempt at eating more veggies. We try to drink a lot of water every day. We stopped using popular brands of peanut butter. We check the ingredients of foods that we buy and if possible, we make things from scratch, like spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, that sort of thing. 

But I want to continue to take those healthy steps forward because I think we... I can do better!

Another thing that has been on my mind in terms of "bettering myself" is BEING INTENTIONAL. Being intentional in my marriage, in my relationship with God, in my role as a mother and as a woman. Instead of just taking what life gives me, I want to have a say in it.

I don't want to just be satisfied with a good marriage; I want it to be GREAT.

I don't want to just say that "I'm a Christian"; I want my life to reflect God's goodness through my ACTIONS.

I don't want to just "make it" as a mother; I want to be a ROLE MODEL.

I don't want to just live with my new postpartum body; I want to be FIT and make my husband PROUD.

I think reflecting on our lives at the beginning of the year is a good thing. It gives us an opportunity to switch directions if we aren't quite going the way we want to be headed.

Jayden Milestones: This really isn't a milestone per se, but Jayden went 5 hours today without eating! Which means, of course, that I worked for 5 uninterrupted hours! That hasn't happened since August 13. It was definitely enough to make us (as in the nanny and I) stop and take notice. Jayden slept for 3 of those hours so I guess he was just wiped and food took second to sleep today.

Nicolette, the nanny, took Jayden on a quick little walk today but he didn't last long before he was out.

My Experience so far with Cloth Diapers

I rediscovered cloth diapering (CD) a couple of years ago when I started reading blogs. Before that I knew about CD, like the old-fashioned kind, since that's what my mom used on me and my brother, but I had no idea how they had evolved since then. I have to say that I'm a firm believer in CD now. It's efficient, healthy, environmentally friendly, and most importantly, a cost saver. I think anyone can do it.

This was taken the first week that I started the diapers. He has a fitted diaper on with a Velcro cover on top. I think we started using the diapers when Jayden was about 2 weeks old. At that point, I was VERY overwhelmed at the idea of trying another new thing, but I was determined to use them since we had spent hundreds of dollars to set up our stash. I knew that if I didn't just buck up and start using them, I never would and I would be so disappointed in myself.

After the first week of CD, I was still wary about using the diapers, especially because they seemed SO BIG on my teeny little baby but it was beginning to get easier and easier. I remember one of the reasons that I didn't like the cloth diapers was because they seemed to make my baby seem so much bigger. His little newborn tushy turned into a normal size baby tushy. To my postpartum brain, that was really disturbing since I wasn't ready for him to get big yet. I laugh about that now especially because he is off the charts!

We were using prefolds, fitted diapers and pocket diapers in the newborn size that first month. I found, after a few weeks, that it really wasn't feasible to use the diapers at night because Jayden is such a heavy wetter so we changed to disposables at night and we continue to do that. It's so much easier to just leave Jayden in one diaper all night long (since he doesn't usually have a dirty diaper at night) and get that much more sleep then to have to change his diaper 2-3 times during the night. I know there are different ways to make a diaper more absorbent but right now, I am content using one disposable diaper a day.

Our routine with CD continues to evolve as we get more and more comfortable with the process. I actually find myself hurrying to put a cloth diaper on him in the mornings just so I can take the disposable one off. Jayden's skin seems to get more red with the disposables and the cloth diapers are just so soft against his skin. We also have just recently started leaving him in the cloth diapers when we go out of the house. Before, I would change him into a disposable but now we just bring a bag along with us to put the dirty diaper in. I have really found that it is no more challenging. We've also just recently purchased more pocket diapers so we use those almost exclusively. I like the pocket diapers the best because they are less bulky and easy to put on. I do laundry every other day but even that doesn't seem like a burden because it has just become part of my life.

Sure, there's a learning curve involved but after the first few weeks, it becomes second nature just like everything else involved with parenthood.

I have found that there's always something new to add to the mix, some things are new because Jayden is changing and some things are a result of new discoveries or decisions that DJ and I make as parents. The next thing I'm considering is using cloth wipes so I'll keep you posted. And after that we get to experience solid food poo. That adds a whole other step to the CD process!

One of our bumming days over our Christmas break

Jayden Milestones: Jayden is getting better with the use of his hands. He still doesn't reach for things but if something comes into contact with his hands, he'll grasp hold of it. I can tell he gets frustrated because he wants to grab at something but he just hasn't figured out how to do it yet. He hasn't rolled over again since the first two times over Christmas, but at this point, I think he may start crawling before he rolls again! He tries so hard to get his knees up under himself when he's on his stomach and sometimes he'll lift his whole lower body off the floor. We put him in his jumper for the first time this week since he loves to kick his legs when we hold him. He liked it a lot but didn't last too long in it the first time. He still needs to gain a little more control of himself I think before he will really love it.

Contagious Laughter

Who doesn't love to be around someone with a contagious laugh? I think Jayden may have that characteristic.

I was listening to his belly and for some reason, Jayden found that hilarious.

At the end of that video, he starts to fill his diaper, hence the startled exclamation from me as I move away.

We have hired two nannies to watch Jayden while I work. After posting a want ad, conducting interviews and talking it through, I think we've chosen a couple of great girls. Both have watched Jayden a few days so far and he really seems to love them which is the most important thing.

We had a rough start with nannies in the beginning. The first one I hired quit after the third day and now I've developed a complex. Because my first nanny quit so quickly, I'm afraid that these nannies will do the same thing. I worry that Jayden will be affected by having so many different people watching him all the time. During the interim before hiring permanent nannies, we had two babysitters that would watch Jayden off and on. So, so far, he's had 3 different caregivers, plus me and DJ. And now he has 2 more. It seems like too many but I'm hoping these two nannies, Barbara and Nicolette, will be the last ones for a long time.

As a result of my fears I have been trying to make this the best job Barbara and Nicolette have ever had. I don't ask much of them and I try to stay flexible but on the other hand, I don't want to be walked all over either. They agreed to do some cleaning for me as well when Jayden takes his naps but it's hard for me to tell them to "Please clean the bathroom", "Please put away the dishes",  "Please vacuum the floor", etc because part of me feels like I could just as easily do it myself and I don't want to be telling them what to do all the time. I typed up a comprehensive list of "Things They Could Do While Jayden is Sleeping" so I wouldn't have to keep telling them but they didn't seem to catch on that I just wanted them to DO the cleaning and not have to be TOLD to do the cleaning. Ugh. I think it comes down to the fact that I really just don't like asking for help at all. That, and I haven't developed the specialized skill of delegating very well. Some would say that I'm good at bossing people around but that's really not something to be proud of now, is it? Maybe that should be one of my New Year's resolutions. I'll have to think about that. It's all just another step in the process of learning how to be a mom!

Jayden Milestones: Something we have noticed about Jayden is that he is afraid of sudden or loud noises. I don't think this is unusual for babies but it's something I have to be careful of. I've had to watch how I react to things especially. One day, when he first started chewing on his hands (he does this all the time now), he gagged himself when he put his hand too far into his mouth. Naturally that alarmed me and I jerked his hand out of his mouth. The poor little guy didn't realize that he had done anything wrong since it doesn't bother HIM when he gags and he began wailing. I felt so bad because I knew I had scared him. Those cries are the worst and it's all I can do to not cry with him because I feel so bad knowing I caused those tears. 

8 mon..er...4 months old!

Jayden had his 4 month appointment yesterday and the doctor told us he's the size of an 8 month old. 100th percentile for height (27 inches) and 85th percentile for weight (16 pounds, 12 ounces)! He actually weighs less than I thought he did since I was guessing about 20 pounds.

It's amazing how quickly my priorities have changed since Jayden was born. I knew it would happen but the impact of his arrival has been dramatic nonetheless. One of the priorities that quickly shifted to the bottom of the pile was this blog unfortunately. I would have loved to have kept it up but it just wasn't meant to be apparently. I'm just going to keep trying to post as much as I can!

Jayden turned 4 months old on Sunday. We dressed him in his finest for church that day and had an impromptu photo shoot when we got home since I never got his 3 month photos taken.

I can't get enough of this little guy; he keeps us entertained for hours. And he seems to always have a smile on his face. Even when he's sick, which he is right now. He has his first cold and it's heartbreaking. He coughs and sneezes and sometimes will spit up because he has so much gick in the back of his throat. But we'll still smile at him and he smiles right back.

This picture is a classic encounter between these two. DJ and Jayden talk, talk talk. Jayden is the most animated with his daddy and I love it. It's so precious to watch them make silly noises back and forth to each other.

Jayden Milestones: Jayden is getting more and more animated every day these days. He's started squealing and full out laughing which humors DJ and I to no end. He loves to look at himself in the mirror and tries so hard to roll over when he's on his back. He is constantly kicking his legs UP in the air and then OVER to the side. He rolled over the first time while we were in Rapid City for Christmas but it was from his stomach to his back. He also loves to sit up, and it always looks like he's trying to do sit ups when he's laying on his back because his little stomach strains with his efforts to pull himself up.

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.

36 Weeks

This week: 36 weeks - that'd be 9 months. That's right, I've been pregnant 9 months and it's not over yet!
Total weight gain/loss: 35 lbs or so
Sleep: Interrupted. I wake up several times during the night, sometimes to pee, but usually just because I can't find a comfortable position. I don't think I'll ever sleep on my left side again after I have the baby. And I so miss sleeping on my back!
Best moment of the (last few) weeks: Being able to feel the baby' little feet and his little booty as he moves around. DJ and I joke that sometimes it looks like he's trying to stand up in my stomach because it will majorly bulge on one side of my stomach like he's trying to escape.
Movement: He's still moving quite a bit but it's changed from a rolling movement to more of a side to side movement where a foot will often make contact with my ribs.
Food cravings: Sugar is still the name of the game and actually even more so then before to the point that I really don't ever want salty stuff. I just always want something sweet. I've been eating a ton of fruit this summer. Mmmmm
Gender: Boy
What I miss: Oh man, so much. Sleeping comfortably, walking comfortably, moving comfortably in general. I cannot wait till I feel NORMAL again!
What I am looking forward to: I am SOO excited to meet my little boy. I've gotten to the point that I try to picture what he looks like and I just can't wait to see him. I'm also looking forward to figuring out how to be a mom! Also I'm really ready to get his nursery done and get everything organized and ready for his arrival! Oh, and I'm also excited to be able to tell everyone his name!
Weekly Wisdom: Wow, the "wisdom" really has been flowing the last couple of weeks. I didn't receive much unsolicited advice in the beginning of the pregnancy but now that I'm closer to D-day and it's quite obvious I will be a mother very soon, people let the information flow. Some of it is really helpful and some of it is really annoying but mostly I do appreciate the information more often than not. Since I'm a first-time mom, there's a lot I don't know!
Milestones: The little dude is all done developing and he could be born at any time really. Right now he's just putting on the weight and building rolls. He's probably around 4 or 5 lbs and he will gain an ounce a day from here on out.