Happy Halloween!

Jack and I had a busy day here.  I went to a doctor's appointment and on the way we stopped at my work so I could show him off.  Both outings took way longer than expected, and we got home just in time for trick or treat.  We had about 50 trick or treaters, which is more than we've ever had but still doesn't compare to my childhood days on Diamond Street when my mom would pass out candy to hundreds of kids.

Our little hot dog loves his Halloween costume!

What October 26 Looks Like This Year...

The first winter storm of the year has hit the Front Range of CO, and I'm told it's actually pretty late this year.  The forecast called for a foot, but we escaped with around eight inches today.  Only.  The good news is that it should be gone in a few days and temperatures will be back to almost 70 this weekend.  The weather here is just ridiculous.
 

I know, Jack.  I'm shocked, too!

The terrier loves it.

In other news, Jack is three weeks old today!  We celebrated by getting his blood drawn, again, for the 2nd newborn genetic screening done by the state.  I hate when people are poking around on my little buddy!  I promise we'll do something more fun for your one month "birthday", like eat an entire DQ Blizzard cake.    

Jack's First Bath

Jack's cord fell off early this week, so he had his first real bath on Thursday night.  It was about time, because I noticed some armpit crust that indicated we weren't doing the best job with sponge baths.

Such a skinny little peanut!  

He's a fan of the bath.  He had another one today and it was one of the few moments of the day when he wasn't screaming his head off.

For the record, I am aware that this has become a total Mommy Blog right now.  I apologize, dear readers.  I promise that in the future I will not write 100% of my posts about my child, but for right now he's pretty much rocking our world.  : )

Grandma and Grandpa are here...

...so I have time to blog tonight!

My parents have been here since Friday night, which has been beyond wonderful.  I've been looking forward to their visit for months.  We've just been hanging around the house, and that's just fine with us.  Brent's best friend, Jonathan, got married in West Lafayette yesterday, and it worked out that he could fly home for the wedding since my parents are here with us.  It was a quick trip and he's home already, but I'm sure he appreciated a day away and a full night of uninterrupted sleep.

Chicky head on his first BOB ride.

Speaking of sleep, I can't complain at all.  Jack is an excellent night sleeper so far with the exception of a few bad nights last week.  This will probably change, but for now I'm enjoying it.

His arms and legs are constantly crossed like a mummy, or yoga pose gone awry.

Breastfeeding is going fairly well but we're working on increasing my supply.  It's a supply meets demand issue, and I'm pretty sure Jack would eat all day long if I could stand it.  One breastfeeding blog recommends doing a "nursing vacation" where you stay in bed for two to three days and just nurse the baby pretty much all day and night.  OMG - I don't know how the term "vacation" is applicable at all in that scenario.  All in all, we're doing well with feedings and I'm just keeping my fingers crossed for a big weight gain on Tuesday.

  My first package!  It was an adorable octopus named Mr. Sock-t-pus from our friends Drew and Hugh

Is there room on your lap for me too, Mom??

I just can't believe he's mine.  

Jack's Birth Story

You know how I was going to let the baby decide when it wanted to be born?  Well, in my first real act as his mother, I decided that "Lima Bean" had had enough time and scheduled an induction for Tuesday night, 10/4/11, at 41 weeks.  It was really hard for me to make the decision, but what tipped the scale for me is when my favorite doctor offered to come over to the hospital and do a special delivery for me on Wednesday, even though he wasn't on call.  Fair enough, 10/5/11 it is!  We also found out after he was born that 10/5 is the most popular birthday, statistically speaking.  Eh, I've lived 28 years without knowing that, but it was totally not intentional.

41 weeks, headed for the hospital

We went in to the hospital at 8 on Tuesday night, I had my first dose of Cytotek at 9, the next at 1, and at 4 a.m. I woke up with pretty frequent contractions. When I was checked at 5:15, I was at 5 cm. The contractions were coming every minute and lasting a minute long, and it was just ridiculously intense. I tried out the tub for all of four contractions and then called uncle and asked for the epidural. I'm really glad and I don't regret it for a minute because it gave me some time to rest. I was able to get it right away, and at 8:00 I was at 9 cm. My water was broken at that point and we pretty much just waited another couple hours for the head to keep coming down before I pushed. The day nurse who helped me push was so awesome and encouraging. I asked for my epidural to be turned down so I could feel the contractions, and that helped a ton. She called over my favorite doctor from the office when the head crowned, and about three minutes after he arrived Jack was born at 11:53 a.m. I pushed for just a little over an hour and Brent didn't pass out.  It was really a perfect birth experience and went SO MUCH BETTER than I had ever imagined.  The whole thing could not have been a more positive experience, and seeing our little boy come into the world was just amazing. Amazing.

Jack isn't a family name, but I've always loved it.  My Jack Robert comes from a long line of Roberts - my grandpa, dad, and brother all share it as a first name.  

His first pictures:

"You're sending me home with these people?!  They don't know what they're doing!"

Welcome home, Jack!

Meeting his sister.  She is just beside herself.  

A Long Overdue Introduction

Blog friends, there's someone I have been dying for you to meet:

Jack Robert Stevenson

Born on10/5/2011 at 11:53 a.m.
7 lb 13 oz
20.5 inches long
Perfect, and ours.