Pictures

Last week we had Jack's first photo shoot and the results were pure adorable!

I'm sure when he is 20 years old, he will totally hate me for all the naked pictures, but I don't care. I mean, I can't handle how cute his bum is and all his cute little rolls. Heaven!

 

Just lounging around

This picture reminds me of the old man from UP!

Our little explorer

Our future missionary

His bear hat

His blessing suit

My little monster

I can't help but ooh and aah over all his pictures...and trust me, there are quite a bit! 

He was a little stinker the whole shoot and he didn't want to pose at all...plus he pooped on everything, including me, but it was all worth it!

And the icing on the cake...we tuckered him out so much, he slept for 7 hours that night. 

It was amazing!

Namesake

A few people have asked about Jack's name and where it came from. 

 We've always loved the name Jack and it seemed to fit him perfectly. 

 His middle name is a little more sentimental since we named him after my brother. 

It was the perfect namesake since my brother is amazing and is the best big brother in the world.

Plus, he totally looks like Adam...take a look!

 

Jack - 1 month

Adam - 1 month

So, since they share a name, we also hope Jack gets Adam's sense of humor, protects his little siblings and has a passion for adventure...just like Uncle Adam!

Sneak Peek

It was a busy day for us today.
We finally did Jack's newborn photo shoot and he was a trooper.
He didn't give us any smiles, but his pensive looks were totally Jack and completely adorable!

Here's a little sneak peek:

Luckily I found Mike's missionary tag right before our shoot and I'm pretty sure it was one of my favorite props of the day.

More pictures to come

Ninja Skills

New moms have crazy ninja skills...and for good reason. You need them all the time!
I now use all my limbs for random tasks...even my feet and toes for grabbing things, rocking things, etc.
I can eat breakfast/lunch/dinner in seconds flat...especially when Jack starts to cry.
I can pump milk, rock my baby to sleep and talk on the phone all at the same time.
I can change a diaper and swaddle my baby in seconds flat.

And my most impressive, newly-acquired skill you might ask?
Transferring Jack from my arms to the bassinet without him waking up!

A few people have asked if I miss my old life, work or social life and I can honestly say that I don't. I was so ready to be a mom and I was lucky enough to stay home throughout my whole pregnancy and enjoy my last few months as a non-mom and mentally prep for what was coming. So, now that Jack is here, I love spending my days with him, even if he has some fussy days.
I mean, who wouldn't want to spend their days with this adorable little man?

Things to Remember

There are just a few things I want to always remember about this crazy time period as a new parent...

Jack always gets the hiccups after he eats...even in the womb I'd get a little hiccup session from him after every meal.

When he is really excited for food, he shakes his head and has this "Nom, nom, nom" look that makes us think his is attacking his food instead of just eating.

He flashes us a few smiles each time he is about to drift off into La-la Land.

He has to have his hands near or on his face when eating...or at any time throughout the day. We are guessing he is trying to help during feeding time, but we usually get into a mini arm wrestling match until Mike or I give up.

He is unusually calm right before he nails us with a pee stream when getting changed.

He likes his afternoon naps on my chest and no where else.

He recognizes my voice when others are around.

He gets a kiss on each cheek after getting changed and I always see a flash of little smile each time.

He loves lifting his head up and looking around, especially when we are having tummy time.

He loves back rubs and he always wraps his little arms around my arm when we are having Superman time (aka: he lies tummy down on my arm and I rub his back). It's like special hugs from him.

And the best thing so far, I would always sing him 'Golden Slumbers' by the Beatles when pregnant since it is the only song I could remember all the words to, and now it's the only song that calms him down for bed time.

I'm tired, always guessing what he wants and just constantly praying that I can be the best kind of mom that he needs, but it makes everything worth it when it's just me and him for our afternoon nap time.

Best. Job. Ever.

Updates

Yesterday we had our first doctors appointment and everything went peachy!

Jack is right around 10lbs and 23.5 inches and the doctor pretty much confirmed that our baby is perfect. He was even calm and quiet during the rectal temperature reading which - as you can imagine - isn't that fun.

Other than that, things have been smooth sailing this week. We are getting use to our new sleeping, changing and feeding schedule which is becoming our whole world, but how can you say no to that face?

On my end, there have been little things that seemed like distant memories that now have come back into my reality...like the fact I don't have to run to the bathroom every 5 minutes, or sleeping on my back, no swelling in my feet...or even being able to SEE my feet. I forgot what it felt like to see my unswollen, cute feet! It's the little things that make this new momma happy.

So, we are riding high this week people with unswollen feet and the most cuddly baby in the world.

(I should add LONG, cuddly baby as you can see our fancy measuring tool gauging his height in this picture when Jack was a week old.)

Houdini

Jack is proving to be a little escape artist...especially with his socks. I don't know how he does it, but I turn my head for a second and I see these free little toes taunting me.

Other than being an escape artist, Jack is just an amazing little baby. He sleeps in 4 hours chunks and I'm slowly learning to nap when he naps and just let the dishes or laundry stay dirty.

He doesn't really cry too often, but he squeaks to get my attention which just adds to his adorable factor.

He is slowly getting his baby tummy and some little rolls on his long, long limbs. I just can't stop kissing his tummy and chubby cheeks!

My absolute favorite part of the day is when he wants to nap on my chest with his long legs tucked up underneath him and he just sleeps in this little ball. It makes me feel so blessed to be able to stay home with him and take care of him.

Also, I need to give a shout-out to Babies R Us and Carters for being so helpful with returning girl clothes and equipment. I spent all week deciding what girl stuff to keep for a possible future girl and what things to return. Luckily we found a good medium and we were able to get some boy stuff. Jack has definitely helped teach his planner mom a new "go-with-the-flow" attitude.

On my end, I'm healing well after the c-section and bouncing back quickly. Luckily Mike is taking care of me and being an amazing support. The fact that we are parents now is still weird for us, but we are loving every second of it...even the 4am feedings.