Jude-6 Weeks

Jude is already 6 weeks old! Definitely hard to believe! He changes so much each week that I am doing my best to take pictures so we do not forget. I need to get better at finding the time to also record the changes that we are noticing.
Changes:
Jude has been trying to hold his head up since the beginning, but just this past weekend Jeff was holding him and he was honestly holding it up on is own for a little bit. He is also now willing to sit against his boppy pillow on his own and just look around. He spends much more time during the day wide awake just taking in his surroundings. We can also put him on his play mat and he will observe and squeal at his toys. As far as sleeping goes we have made some progress! We spent pretty much the first 4 weeks up with him almost every hour. He would only sleep if you were holding him and we knew this was something we wanted to break. This started to get pretty difficult for mommy. No amount of "trying" to nap during the day would make up for the sleep either. Thanks to some advice from a friend, we began laying Jude down in his bassinet on his side with a blanket rolled up behind him. I keep a heating pad underneath the bassinet in order to keep it warm and I let him sleep with my shirt. With these changes he finally started staying asleep in his bassinet for a few hours. This past week I have started giving him a bottle at his 12 o'clock feeding and then nursing him afterwards. I am wanting to make sure he is nice and full before going to sleep. On average he will asleep 2-3 hours at a time in his bassinet and about 4 hours on daddy's chest. We are getting there!

I am now starting to try and lay him down in his crib during his nap times. He usually will only sleep for 30 minutes max in there, but it's a start! Jude finally doesn't scream and throw fits when we change him and bathe him. Of course, he still has his moments! Bath time seems to work better if we keep a warm washcloth on his belly. I love changing time now because it gives him a chance to look up at me and he is now smiling! He is especially in a good mood in the mornings and will just smile and "talk" to me for quite some time. I honestly cried the first time he looked up at me and smiled (5 weeks) and had to call Jeff right away! I also think Jude likes the women because he tends to flirt and smile with them more!

There are even changes with nursing now. Not only is it easier but Jude is quickening his time for how long he eats. Thank goodness for me! We are also just very proud of the fact that he can go from nursing to the bottle to the pacifier and with no confusion. I realize how lucky we are for this! On the downside I began noticing last week that Jude was spitting up A LOT after his feedings and would even make choking sounds. He seems to have reflux issues pretty bad so I have had to adjust and make some changes with feeding him. I try to feed him every 2 hours and do it with him straight up. I also do not lay him down for at least 10 minutes. Even when changing him I am trying to keep him on his side....not easy!

You can definitely tell that Jude is growing! He is so much longer that his clothes are kinda stretching on him. However, he is still a skinny guy so we still can't put him in clothes bigger than newborn size. At his doctor's appointment a few weeks ago he was 8 pounds 2 ounces and 21 1/4 inches long. We are also starting to have some diaper issues! I would say he ruins at least two outfits a day from diaper explosions! I tried a size 1 diaper last week thinking that maybe the newborn diapers were too small now. That was a big mistake! The size 1 diapers are way to big around his legs so you can only imagine what happened when he pooped after eating! So right now newborns it is.

On January 27th Jeff and I along with our families dedicated our lives to raising Jude in the church. It was such a wonderful blessing to share this promise with our loved ones. It was just another reminder of how loved Jude is and I cannot thank God enough for that blessing. Below is a picture of Jeff and I with Jude at the dedication. This was Jude's second outfit of the day. He ended up with a stomach bug that day and it continued into Sunday. Poor little guy!

I feel that Jeff and I are slowly getting the hang of this parenting gig! With each passing day I am more confident in my abilities as a mommy. Jude as taught me so much about what it is to be selfless. No matter how tried I am feeling that day I know that every moment is worth it because of him. I cannot wait to continue to see the changes Jude continues to make!







Jude's dislikes:
I do not like to be naked unless it is very warm!
I do not care too much for my baths!
I do not like the car seat unless we are moving!
I am not a fan of sleeping on my back!
I really do not like to be left alone!
I get overly tired a lot and making sleeping worse!
I am not a huge fan of my bottle yet!
I do not like dairy so mommy can't eat it!




Jude's likes:
I like to be snuggled all the time!
I like to sleep on my side!
I like my swing!
I am starting to like my toys and books!
I like to be talked to!
I like my pacifier most of the time!
I am beginning to like smiling!
I like music!

Jude is here!!

Our Christmas baby!!

Here is Jude's birth story:

We had spent the weekend before Christmas (22nd and 23rd) with my side of the family. I was feeling pretty good overall and pretty positive that I would be going to my doctor's appointment the 26th still pregnant. The night of the 23rd I spent it reading on the couch till about 11:00. As I went to stand up I could tell something was a bit off. I have always been told that your water breaking is not as it always appears on the movies. However, at this point it was just a trickle and I was not positive at all as to what it could be. You hear stories all the time of women going into the hospital and it end up being just a false alarm. I wanted to be sure of what was happening so I decided to just go to bed. Of course by this point I could not sleep at all as I was completely anxious and nervous as to what was happening. I got up to go to the bathroom several times that night and each time I could feel the trickle. Finally early that morning, I got Jeff up and told him what was going on. By that time I was a nervous wreck and confused! We went ahead and called the doctor to see what they suggested we do. They wanted us to come on in and get it all checked out, so we took our time getting ready that morning. We arrived at the hospital around 9 at which point they began running tests to see if my water had actually broke at all. Each test we took either showed to be inconclusive or negative. To be on the safe side they took us to an ultrasound to check on my amniotic fluid. The ultrasound showed there was plenty of fluid so therefore I was not leaking. By this point Jeff and I both believed that nothing was happening and we were headed home. We were even discussing what to have for lunch! They let us sit in the room a bit longer before discharging us at which point we both took a small nap. When I woke up I noticed once again that something wasn't right. I wake Jeff up and am pretty sure my water did officially break. He calls the nurse and at this point she is 100% positive my water did break! I was admitted into the hospital at 12:55 pm on Christmas Eve. Apparently my water might have been leaking all night but it didn't rupture till that morning. I guess I wasn't completely paranoid after all!

I was thrilled that Jude was actually on his way (Christmas Eve wasn't exactly a desirable time but we knew it would be a wonderful Christmas present). All family members were called and were headed on their way down. We knew we had some time as my contraction were minor and I could barely feel them. I relaxed by taking a shower in our room and watching tv. Jeff finally got his lunch with Quatro's Pizza (don't get my started on how difficult it was to not have any myself)! At this point not a lot was happening as I was only dilated at about 2 close to 3. They had decided they wanted to give me Pitocin to jump start my labor especially since my water had been broke since the night before. Before that was administered we got quite a scare as Jude's heart rate began to drop. I am not sure if I had ever been so scared in my life! His heart rate jumped back up but we couldn't figure out what had triggered it so we waited a bit on the Pitocin to give him some time to relax. We started out small on the dosage just to make sure he could handle it. Luckily he did great with it. As labor continued Jude's heart rate would occassionally drop down and we discovered it had to do with how I was positioned. I could not lay on my left side at all. For some reason he did not like it! I could sometimes lay on my back, but he loved my right side! So unfortunatley, I was stuck laying on my right side for most of the labor. I shouldn't have been too surprised as this was the side he preferred through my whole pregnancy as well! The Pitocin wasn't helping a ton as I was only dilating to a 4 and my contractions weren't getting that much worse. We upped it a bit more and eventually the contractions started to get worse but I still wasn't dilating. At this point Dr. Schneider recommended that I get the epidural as she believed it helped a lot of women relax and progress the labor. Jeff and I had been back and forth on our feelings about the epidural. To be copmletely honest I was not comfortable with getting it so trying to decide on whether to get it or not began to stress me out and the tears began to run! In the end Jeff and I decided that the epidural would be the best thing if it would help with getting Jude here quicker.By the time we made this decision my contraction were definitely a lot worse! My parents, sister, and Jeff were amazing through this whole process and I couldn't have done it without them.

Second time holding him!

Dr. Schneider was definitely right on how the epidural would help! I went from a 4 to a 7 in no time flat! Let me just say that the epidural compeltely knocked me out and I actually was able to sleep. The only problem through all this is that Jude was deciding to be a bit uncooperative. He wouldn't move his head to where it needed to be so my labor would not progress any further. Of course the option of moving me around in order ot help him move was out of the questions since he only liked my right side. The only other option was to up the Pitocin a little bit more. I would say that within the hour I began to feel a new pressure and that was the sign that Jude was ready. Dr. Schneider decided it was time to push and within 10 minutes Jude was here!

He arrived Christmas morning at 1:54 a.m. Yes, we did not want to have to give him a Christmas birthday, but in the end it will be the best Christmas we will ever have! Jude was 6 lbs and 12 oz and 20 inches long. A perfectly healthy baby!

Proud daddy!

Great-Grandma

Spending time with Grandpa!

Another happy Grandpa!

Meeting Grandma

First time with Mimi!

Aunt Lindsey!

 

Our first family shot together! Since it was Christmas Jude got to have his own stocking! 

It was definitely a bit different to spend Christmas in the hospital, but with Jude in our lives now it did not matter in the least. We were finally able to head home the 26th with all the snow that we received!

 

Ready to head home for the first time!

Jude's first snowfall!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy some of our family shots!!

Relaxing with daddy!

He loves his swing!

Just a few days old!

Working on our tummy time!

Ready to head out in the cold for the first time since coming home!

Love his face!

Getting so old already!

 

38-39 Weeks

Well, I am officially 39 weeks today. There are moments where I truly feel he could be here anytime and then I am back to feeling almost normal. Right now it is still just a waiting game! I had my doctor's appointment Wednesday for a check up. Everything still looks great between my weight, growth, blood pressure, and Jude's heartbeat (his heartbeat is 130)! I almost forgot that I hadn't explained my ultrasound and appointment from the 12th! We have wonderful new pictures of our little man below. In good news, he has turned head down so no worries about a c-section as of right now. He is also 6 pounds and 14 oz. Probably over 7 pounds by now! I am 1 cm dilated at the moment (not as near as much as I would like), still half effaced, and he's dropped just a bit more. Dr. Tsung explained that I really could go anytime so not to let the only 1 cm dilated to discourage me. My next appointment is the 26th. If we don't have him by then I am hoping that we will be closer so he can be here before January. I can definitely feel more pressure and cramping and know that is a good sign of him hopefully being here soon. Our hospital bags are officially packed and in the vehicle along with the car seat. In addition, our photographer has been contacted and I have been busy looking for newborn photo ideas. Needless to say we are as ready as we can be right now. Please keep prayers and thoughts coming our way as we are nearing the birth of Jude and our adventure as parents!

School is completely finished as of today. I will definitely miss my kids but know I will enjoy this time home with Jude more than anything. They have been such a great class during this time, even spoiling me with quite a few baby gifts! :)
I am glad that I finally get a few days to try and relax with no school. I have been so sore here lately and not sleeping at all that school has been a little rough!

We will start celebrating Christmas this weekend. Everyone will be heading this way at some point so we do not have to travel. I am thankful to get to spend the holidays here in our own home. I am sad that I am not able to do all the Christmas baking that I did last year, but I guess I should enjoy being spoiled for this year as everyone cooks for us!

38 Weeks-I need to get a week 39 picture now!

Close up of Jude

I am wondering if that is a little bit of hair on top of his head??

Still definitely a boy!

Profile

How far along? 39 weeks and 1 day!

Total weight gain: The same!

Maternity clothes? Nothing new.

Stretch marks? Still in the clear......praying it stays that way!!!!!!!

Sleep: I seem to wake up every couple of hours. I have also noticed that I am sleeping best when I can kind of sleep upright on the couch.

Best moment this week: Spending the last week of school with my kids and celebrating Christmas. Of course, putting last minute baby touches on everything here at home and hearing Jude's heartbeat cannot be matched!

Miss Anything? Actually being able to lay down without hurting!

Movement: He still wiggles and hiccups quite a bit. He even had the hiccups during our ultrasound.

Food cravings: No cravings

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope.

Labor Signs: Just more pressure and cramping...the Braxton hicks contractions are coming a bit more frequently too.

Belly Button in or out? The top is sticking out more!

Wedding rings on or off? On....still no swelling!

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy except when super tired!

Looking forward to: Christmas with all the family and spending it in our home for the first time. Most importantly we are looking forward to the arrival of Jude! :)

36-37 Weeks!

Week 37...I can hardly believe it! I must say the closer we are getting the less anxious I am becoming and just want him to be here. I have to be honest, I got a little emotional earlier this week because I wanted him here so much. Jeff had to remind me that we want a healthy baby and the longer I can keep him inside me the better off we are. I know this to be true, but it is still so difficult to wait!

We had a doctor's appointment December 3rd. This was my first weekly check-up appointment. We found out at this point that I still hadn't dropped all the way (didn't figure I had), was a fingertip dilated, and was about half effaced. The doctor said my weight gain and blood pressure were great and so was Jude's heartbeat (150 beats per minute). The only news from the appointment that has us a bit worried is that they are still uncertain of whether he had turned the correct way or not. We have an ultrasound scheduled for December 12th so hopefully we can see exactly what he is doing. There are times when I think he is turned how he needs to be, and then other times I have no idea what he is doing! I must say though that I keep feeling him move more and more! I won't complain about having another ultrasound because I think it will be wonderful to see him this far along! However, I am still praying that he will make the turn but if that doesn't happen I have faith that everything will still be for the best. Most importantly we want Jude to enter this world in the safest and healthiest way possible. :)

37 week picture

Our breastfeeding class went well. I was so proud of Jeff for attending (not a lot of dads care to). Many of the information presented I had already read about and was told from friends, but it was nice to hear it all again. It was especially great for Jeff because now I think he will know how to help me out more especially when I hit that point of  "I can't do this anymore!"

We finished up Christmas shopping this past week and I have all the presents wrapped! What a wonderful feeling to be done and not have to worry about it. Of course, we have no idea when we will actually get to celebrate Christmas with anyone, but that is okay! I am hoping with the next post to have some of our Christmas decor pictures.

I am officially beginning to feel ready for my maternity leave. I have everything planned up until Christmas break and have gone over everything with Katie (my maternity leave). I am definitely looking forward to having the weeks off with Jude!

Our nursery is officially finished too! Please enjoy all of the pictures!

The Crib!

The tennis rackets belonged to Jeff's grandma!

Old toys that belonged to Jeff's dad.

More old toys that belonged to grandpa!

Hard to kind of see....but my mom got us this plane and it looks adorable hanging in front of the window!

Rocking chair-present from my mamaw and papaw!

Inside of closet...the clothes are organized by size thanks to etsy, and the baskets and containers also help with organization1

Jeff had to add the Cardinals picture :)

 

Dresser-changing pad-all the neat vintage decor from Jeff's family plus a few extra presents!

Fell in love with these signs!

As you walk into the room....

This old window belonged to Jeff's grandma so I painted for Jude's bathroom!

Thirty-one storage for the bathroom!

How far along? 37 weeks (and 2 days)

Total weight gain: 27 pounds (yikes!)

Maternity clothes? Same old story...I am getting really tired of wearing the same things over and over again though!

 

Stretch marks? So far so good.....

Sleep: Depends on the night. Some nights I do okay and others I do not sleep a wink. Heartburn has finally crept up on me and it loves to keep me up at night.

Best moment this week: Hearing the Jude's heartbeat again. Wrapping Christmas presents (puts me in the holiday spirit), and spending time with Jeff and his fire department Christmas parties.

Miss Anything? Probably not having heartburn......

Movement: A definite wiggle worm!

Food cravings: Nothing really. Although I was craving McDonald's today!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope

Gender: Boy!

Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks and mind cramping but that's it.

Symptoms: Braxton hicks, hot flashes, heartburn, leg cramps......

Belly Button in or out? Flat!

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy! :)

Looking forward to: Our ultrasound on Wednesday will be exciting! Continuing to get the final things in order for Jude's arrival. Our hospital bag is packed along with as much as I can of the baby bag. I have washed some of Jude's clothes. I don't want to wash all because we don't know what size he will be yet! I will be calling our photographer this week to confirm our newborn pictures! I am of course looking forward to all the holiday excitement!