The McQ Zoo - bbmcquilken

At his 18-month appointment Jack weighed 27 pounds and 10 ounces and measured 34.5 inches tall.  He is the 95th percentile for height and 75th for weight.  Still tall and trim.

So here is what is happening.  It snowed in GA and the whole state has basically shut down, except for my work, which remains open, and since I live so close, I feel guilty, so I have to go in.  We took Jack out to play in the snow.  He was only sort of into it, but he did have fun meeting his snowman friend and also sledding down the hill.  He did take one tumble off our make shift sled though, but he was a trooper and hardly even got upset.

In other news, we have been working rigidly to put Jack to bed at night with a pretty solid routine of dinner, bath, stories and sleep.  It is working, although some nights take longer than others.  Since Jack is no longer nursing and is long off the bottle, we don't really have any "sleep aids" for him.  He doesn't use a pacifier, and although he loves all of his stuffed animals, he doesn't seem to favor one lovey over another.  He has his regular group: Earth Bunny, Raffe the Giraffe, Uga, Gus, Wilson, Buzz and his newest pal Curious George, but he pretty much just cuddles up to Mommy or Daddy to try to fall asleep.  Overall it is going well, but sometimes we can't get out of there before 2 hours have passed!  We just have to keep at it and be consistent.

New things about Jack?  He LOVES to play in the kitchen sink with water and dishes and whatever is on the counter.  This has become somewhat of an inconvenience fo rus b/c he wants to do this ALL THE TIME, and although it does occupy him, it doesn't come without its drawbacks of a big mess and guaranteed need for a change of clothes afterwards. 

Jack is really talking a lot now.  We don't always know what he is saying, but he is constantly jabbering something.  He also LOVES books and he can be found sitting in his room just going through one book after another and reading them "out loud."  He is super smart of course!

Jack also loves his new art supplies bucket.  Mostly he loves testing our limits with eating crayons and drawing in places he shouldn't, but he has made us some lovely pictures and finger paintings for our fridge and filing cabinet!

Well, that is about it for now.  Time to go from this forum to another for a different topic.  Or maybe I will just go watch TV with my husband.  Hmmn...decisions, decisions...

Well, we finally did it.  Jack is officially no longer nursing.  Nursing my baby was an amazingly rewarding and precious experience for me as a mom.  I cannot imagine having done it another way!  I feel so blessed to have been able to provide comfort, nourishment and protection for my child through nursing him for 16.5 months.  I am sad that our special time is forever changed, but I am also happy to have my body back as my own, even if only temporarily until we have another baby!  Jack is also adjusting really well.  The first few nights were rough on us all b/c Jack kept pleading with me, ignoring my "it's all gone, it's empty" attempts to make him understand.  I watched several sippy cups hit the floor as they were angrily tossed aside out of pure disappointment, and I just kept being consistent and calm, telling him over and over that he was doing so well, and I know it is hard, and that I am so proud of him.  Now, 2 weeks after our last night nurse, our nursing cuddles are just snuggle cuddles, and I am so happy that my sweet boy is still comforted just by my mere presence.

On to bigger and better things, right?  Jack is addicted to "fruities," Welch's little fruit snack gummies, and they somehow have the ability to neutralize ANY tricky situation!  Jack is still a wonderful eater, loving broccoli and most meats, crazy about blueberries and strawberries, and the kid can seriously house down some clementine oranges!  He is drinking lots of milk now, and he also loves Gatorade (like Daddy) and of course ice water. 

At 17 months, Jack is about 34 inches tall and probably 26 pounds.  I guess I need to weigh him again to really be accurate, but the kid just keeps growing!  He is wearing a size 7 shoe!

Alright, well there is our major update for going into 2011!  Happy New Year!  

So the truth is - I am not All Merry All the Time...but I try to be!  I want Jack to grow up with a happy mommy, and not a cranky one, despite life's challenges and daily mishaps, like the wrong order from the drive through or the stoplight to blame for being late for another unwarranted, but better-safe-than-sorry doctor's appointment.  I talk calmly and try to be patient when "Destructo Dan" invades my otherwise sweet-as-pie Jack-Bo with his daredevil shanannigans and rebellious "NOOOOOOOOOO's!"  I smile more than I frown and I say "good boy!" more than I scold, and I do my best to attribute accidents and disasters to creative brilliance as opposed to naughty tendancies.  I guess overall I am pretty normal.  I mean, most moms I know struggle with wanting to be their child's favorite person in the world while teaching them not to bite.  Take right now, for example.  Here I am typing this while Jack...I mean..."Dan" is destroying everything in the room behind me.  This simple paragraph, which should have been MAYBE a 10 minute exercise has taken me about a half hour so far b/c I am sharing the task with - I kid you not - a toddler who just OPENED THE OVEN and pulled out the pizza pan that was in there.  Don't worry, it wasn't on!  And now I hear the fridge beeping to tell me it has been open far too long...

At the end of each day I thank God for my blessings, Jack being of course, the most precious gift God has given me.  I still can't believe he is mine, that God trusted him to MY care, that I was chosen to be this ANGEL's mother.  And as I go through this holiday season, hustling and bustling about, I stop in this moment to think about how lucky I am to be able to celebrate Christmas with this spirited, healthy, willful little boy, and I am suddenly in All Merry All the Time mode once again.

So I started a blog on a different site b/c I felt like I could not be honest all the time on this one, what with trying to maintain the cheery disposition and always being happy and busy and just plain joyful...but then something happened - my cat went missing, and it happened during another one of those "trying to be happy" times while attempting a family picture at a pretty park on a gorgeous fall day.  Seriously, what kind of luck is that?  So you know what?  Screw it.  I am on this site right now, and I feel like writing, so here is what I have to say. 

It sucks that my cat is missing.  I feel like crap about it.  I feel responsible for taking him to the stupid park in the first place, and I am hurt (yes, my cat hurt my feelings) that he ran off and didn't - wait for it - WANT to stay with us.  B/c of course indoor cats who have never seen the sky beyond the shade of a 7x4 ft balcony are supposed to react rationally when exposed to the great outdoors for the first time in a park with at least 10 dogs barking and running in a wall-less twilight zone, where even the cat himself has no clue about his journey or his destination, especially when he is used to living in 1100 square feet of climate controlled chaos. 

Okay, so I can't believe I am this far behind on updating our site.  A lot is going on to contribute to me being so far behind, but trust me, "slacker" is the least of names you can call me right now.  I have been busting my tail to get things done at work, at home, for Jack's parties, for vacations, for training classes...I have barely had a chance to breathe, let alone soak in the fact that a year has already passed right before my eyes and I am officially the mother of a 1-year old!  I am filled with the bittersweet emotion that comes with this territory, and although I am ever so excited for each new adventure that a new day brings, I am sad that my baby boy is growing up so quickly.

And speaking of busting tails...Brett has a broken tailbone. Yep, popping wheelies with new bike shoes CLIPPED IN is not the best way to show off your mad skills, but hey, it was an accident, and if it had to happen to someone, it was bound to be Brett.  He has taken it like a man though and is still working hard to do what has to be done for our family.  All I can say is OUCH!

And we have computer issues. Not sure what the analysis will be, but at this time our PC is at the Hunt House being inspected by Jeff for possiblememory or hard drive failures.  So I am typing on a tiny laptop that Brett got from Ed (http://www.akatlanta.com/), which I am thankful for, but this thing has a bit of a problem with the space key, so it is taking me longer to type this than I would have hoped. The novel that it is...

So the computer issues are the biggest reason I am so far behind, and I feel just awful about it b/c I have so many awesome pics from Jack's birthday parties to share!  Plus I want to scan in his 1-year pics, but the scanner isn't working with this machine either.  So, that being said, I am going to do the best I can with what I have.  Here is the latest on Jack...

Jack went to the doc a couple weeks before he turned 1 and he weighed in at 23 pounds, 12 ounces and was 31.5 inches tall. We go on Tuesday Aug. 17th for the official 1-year check-up, and I will re-post his new stats after that.  Jack is tall, trim, and the boy LOVES to swim!  My favorite thing about our summer has been all the time in the water.  Jack swims with water wings all by himself.  It took him one time back in June to figure out how to keep his head up with the wings on and after that he also learned how to swim all around the pool BY HIMSELF, 1-2-3-Jump, climb the ladder out of the pool, lean back, cross his legs and "float," play chase in the pool,and the list goes on!  The kid is amazing!  I am serious - he is advanced! 

Jack is starting to talk so much more now!  He says Mama and Dada of course, but he also says Grandpa and Papa, Della, Tug, dog, hi, bye, more, Elmo and most expectedly - "nooooooo!"  Jack is incredibly willful!  He has a double dose of stubbornism which he inherited from both his mama and daddy, and the kid does not take no for an answer.  He is nick-named Destructo Dan b/c he literally just walks around and destroys one thing after another.  He is a ball of fearless energy, bright and bold like the sun, yet cool and laid back like a fresh breeze.  He is loving and kind and so friendly, but he is also a little mischevious monkey who can already manipulate his grandparents into just about anything.  Jack is pure joy, in every sense of the word.  I would not trade an ounce of his spirit for a calmer day or slower ride. 

Jack is a BEACH BABY for sure!  He has been to the beach 3 times already this summer, and we still have one more trip in September with his best little buddy Braeden's family.  His birthday party was beach themed, and honestly, we may just do the same exact thing again for next year b/c it was so perfect!  Jack lovesthe sand and the water and the freedom of the beach.  Now, if only we could get him to wear his sunglasses...that may be a next year thing though!

Oh, and one more thing before I go to bed...Jack is sleeping right now IN HIS ROOM, yes, but that is not all folks...he is sleeping in his very own TODDLER BED!  Yep, that's right!  My BABY is in a BIG KID bed now!  How is that possible?  Tonight as I tried to squeeze my body on the mini-mattress to cuddle with him in hopes that he would think I was sleeping there too, he PUSHED ME AWAY and then sat there on his knees just babbling and talking to me.  So I told him that it was such a nice room and it was so peaceful with his turtle starlights and his soft music and he just carried on a full conversation with me while I spoke in soothing tones, and then he finally plopped down and fell asleep as I rubbed his little back and whispered how I love him. 

Alright, on that note I am going to sign off now, but I will be back for Jack's stats after his appointment on Tuesday.  Thank you for reading!  

Jack is a walking maniac!  Today my mom and I were letting him wander around the courtyard at The Prado and he was just laughing and squealing with delight, having so much fun with the freedom and open space to just, well, walk!  He saw the cement stairs down to the lower courtyard, and sure enough he wanted to hike up and down the stairs about 3 times both ways before he got tired and moved on to something else.  He just loves to walk!  In fact, he runs! 

So officially, jack started walking at 9.5 months old, although he was taking steps leading up to 9 months.  The side effects of walking include falling!  Jack has bumps and bruises and all sorts of new boo-boos all due to his new skill! 

Advantages of walking?  Well, Jack took his first walk on the beach in St. George!  He gets to walk from the car into stores now, and he even got to get out of the shopping cart and walk around at Publix a little bit!  All this walking is lots of fun!!! 

SO Jack will be 9 months old tomorrow.  I am eager to find out his stats.  I am banking on close to 22 pounds and probably about 30 inches tall.  I can't believe it has been 9 months since I gave birth to my baby boy!

Jack = joy.  There is no better way to describe him.  He is full of life, love and laughter all day every day.  His smile is so cute, so charming, and so devlish that you just can't help but smile back - hence the trouble we are already having with telling him "no."  When he pulls my hair, hits us hard, pinches the dog, goes for the outlets, squirms off the changing table, etc. we give him a firm "no sir!" to which he immediately responds with a quirky chuckle that is impossible not to reciprocate.  This means trouble with a capital T!!!

Jack is anything but shy.  He loves other kids, and he has lots of friends, both in our mommy group and at Gymboree as well as others we have met through work, etc.  He is super social, and he is really interacting well now.  He especially loves his pal Braeden, whi he usually sees at leat once a week.  It is so adorable to watch them play together. 

So Sunday, May 2nd, Jack took his official "first steps."  He has taken a few here and there for the last month or so, but mostly they have been part of controlled falls as opposed to deliberate steps with the intention of getting from point A to point B unaided.  Well this time, he actually tried to walk from daddy to mommy but realized what he was doing about 4 steps in and dropped to the floor.  He crawled the rest of the way, but he was really proud, as were we of course!  We are encouraging him now, but he thinks it is fun to just make his legs go limp when we stand him up and he just laughs and laughs like he is saying "tricked ya!'

Also in May, this morning, May 3rd we noticed his 2nd bottom tooth coming in.  We could feel it.  This time instead of just a jagged little point we can feel the whole thing like a line popping out of his gum.  He already eats like a big kid, so I assume teeth are only going to make him eat more! 

Okay, well, I will post another update after his appopintment on Friday.  Good night McQ Zoo followers! 

Jack has his 1st tooth!!!  On 4/8, at 8 months and 4 days old (born on 8/4), Jack has a tooth!!!!  It is just a jagged little sharp spot so far, barely visible, but I can officially feel it, so it counts!  How exciting!  He is almost walking but not quite.  He has a ush toy that he walks all over the place (check out the Easter pics), but he has not yet taken official first steps.  Seriously, time flies by so quickly - I feel like I am so far behind on what is new b/c every day he changes more and more.  We are going to Gymboree now.  We are about ot take Jack on a camping trip for just one night this weekend.  It is a lot of fun to have good weather of course!

Well, that's it for now!  Enjoy ths pics!

I can't believe my baby is going to be eight months old in just 2 more days.  It seems like yesterday we were preparing for him, picking out things for his nursery, talking about what we thought he would look like, spring cleaning in a big way to make room for all the stuff that comes with a baby.  Well, now it is spring again, and this time the spring cleaning will be of his dresser drawers to remove and pack up all the clothes he has grown out of so quickly!  He is wearing 18 months in Carter's brand clothing and basically 12 to 18 months in everything else! 

Daddy and I were watching some videos from when he was first born, and he looked so different then!  He was so skinny!  And he had no hair!  Well he had hair but then lost it and had very little!  Now he has a big mop of hair and it is SO CUTE!  He is starting to have some little curls at the ends and I am excited to see how it continues to grow!  And as far as growing, well he is huge.  Haven't officially weighed him since he was sick at the doc on March 5th, but he is at least 21 pounds and probably 29+ inches tall.  He eats like a mad man!  I am scared to think of how much he is going to eat as a teenager!  His favorite food is still chicken.  Last night he ate more of my dinner than I could, so it is already time to start getting him his own kids meal!

We are looking forward to Easter.  I am waiting to post his pics until after our Easter festivities so I can put those up at the same time.  It will be March through Easter pictures.  Oh, and his St. Pat's pics are adorable too.  Soon I will have more of his professional pics (which I have the rights to) to post as well, but I have to go pick up the CD still.

Anyway, Happy Easter to all our loved ones!  We hope you are enjoying some beautiful weather with minimal allergies!  Love, The McQ Zoo 

Tonight Jack ate sweet potatoes, broccoli and yes, teryaki chicken wings!  My child will not eat baby food.  He only wants food he can actually put in his mouth by stabbing with a fork!  He prefers it when it is something we are eating!  He has now had pasta sauce, a bite of refried beans, mexican rice, banana, pizza crust, table bread, a french fry, and even hamburger helper cheesy enchilada made with turkey meat.  Look, I know it is not the healthiest menu, but it is working for us.  He is eating all of this with no teeth!  He is still not really excited about any food, but he is exploring new textures and tastes, and his lack of enthusiasm is quite amusing to me!  Oh, and he LOVES mango in the little mesh thingy that he can suck on. 

Tonight, at 29 weeks old he clapped with Grandpa.  I have seen him clap his hands, but not really in response to someone trying to get him to do it.  We will mark tonight as the official hand-clapping first.  Grandpa was overjoyed to experience one of Jack's coveted "firsts."   

Jack is crawling like a champ now.  He actually does it in a little alternative method.  He uses his right foot to push off and only his left knee actually touches the ground.  He mostly tries to stand up and walk on all fours using his feet instead of knees.  He pulls up on everything now.  Today he pulled up on his crib and it scared GRandi into lowering his mattress for us, something we should have done weeks ago but never got around to since he only naps in his crib when others put him to sleep.  I have a feeling he is going to walk early.  Maybe just another month.

As usual, the time is flying by.  I am certainly looking forward to warmer spring-like weather so I can take him outside more.  He is so cute and so much fun to play with!  Every day it just gets better and better.  He is even more and more amazing!  I love him so much! 

Ok, so the problem with taking so many adorable pictures of Jack is that it requires an enormous amount of time to weed through them to decide which ones to post.  I realize that our site will be more enjoyable to visitors if the pictures are all different and more sleective as opposed to 20 shots of roughly the same pose.  So that, my friends, is my excuse for not posting in awhile.  Yes, it is actually for YOUR benefit that I am slowing down...well, that is a total lie people.  Having a baby makes life BUSY!  I don't have time to do all the site maintenance I want to do!  And with working too - well I don't know how full-time working moms survive! (But more power to 'em!)

Jack is almost 6 months.  We just had his 6 month check-up (1/29/10) and of course things went great!  Jack is 19 pounds, 4 ounces and 28 inches tall.  He is between 90-95th percentile for height and just below 90th for weight.  His head is at 75th now!  I wish they gave me precentiles for feet though b/c his feet are HUGE!  He can sit up perfectly, roll over in all directions, get onto his hands and knees from his tummy, sit on his knees and even pull up to a standing position!  He is tall and trim and he "gots mad skillz!"

Prior to last week, Jack had been eating rice cereal every other day, and he seemed to be loving it, but then he actually had a little tummy bug, so we stopped giving it to him for a few days.  At his appointment yesterday we were given the official green light for solids, so we tried last night.  Unfortunately, Jack would have nothing to do with them.  He gagged and threw up and acted like he was unfamiliar with the spoon, even though he had been eating excitedly for about 3 weeks.  Then he ended up having a fever last night and a reaction from his shots so we are attributing this little feeding set back to that.  We will keep trying and hopefully get him on solids in the next few days.  We have been giving Jack Motrin to keep his fever down, and he seems to be feeling better, although napping has been a challenge all day.

Jack has had some awesome playdates with his friends, and Mommy and Daddy have really been having fun too.  We just celebrated our 2-year wedding anniversary on Jan. 25th, and after a long day with mommies and babies at MMPMF playgroup, Brett and I took Jack with us to Outback for dinner.  Jack can also drink water out of a straw!  It is really cute of course!

So that is basically our update at this point.  I am sure February will be filled with adventures as Jack turns 6 months old and continues to grow and develop.  Jack has just woken up and is trying to sabotage my journaling efforts by pulling everything off my desk while he sits in my lap as I type.  He was unsatisfied with the Nintendo controller I gave him - he prefers to destroy important papers like W2s and his Social Security card.  Hahaha...  I better sign off now.  Check back in a few more days for new pictures from our baby's 1st January!    

A lot is happening in The McQ Zoo as we get ready to enter into a new year!  2010 is sure to bring us a bunch of amazing adventures, but here is what has been going on lately.

I have Pink Eye.  Fun and beautiful.  Oh, wait, it is not fun, nor is it beautiful.  It is actually gross and irritating.  We hope that nursing Jack is going to protect him and keep his eyes un-pink.  How did I get Pink Eye?  Well, we are working backwards here, but on Monday my sister was kind enough to share her strength and help me move some furniture (more on that later).  Somewhere along the way we are pretty sure she also shared her Pink Eye! 

Now the furniture...we have moved Jack's pack n play out of our room and into the family room.  We do not want to take it down yet b/c the changing table is awesome and it is a good toy box/place to set stuff.  Plus when Jack starts to get mobile (which may be pretty soon) it will be nice to be able to put him in there to contain him if I need to run to the other room.  We have also moved the computer out of Jack's room and into our room.  Now Jack has his own room!  It looks awesome!  It is so nice to finally have it totally 100% baby friendly.  I still have to put in the outlet guards, but aside from that we are golden.  I wanted his room to be a safe place, and with the computer in there it really wasn't.  Now with the computer in our room, it sort of looks like an office.  We moved some other stuff around and made some adjustments, and it seems to be a workable situation. 

And here is the BIG thing.  Jack is sleeping in his own room now!  He sleeps pretty much through the night most nights (anywhere from 9-11PM to 5:30-7:30AM so far).  Then when he wakes I bring him into our room to nurse him.  He is so sweet.  I am just amazed at how easy it was to get him to sleep in his crib.  Basically he just doesn't wake up when we put him down.  Right now anyway, I am still nursing him to sleep, and I guess he is getting enough to hold him over until the morning.  I have not experienced the waking and crying and trying to see if he can sooth himself back to sleep stuff yet.  I imagine when/if that happens I will probably just bring him into the bed with me b/c I am not really into the whole let your baby cry thing.  Either way, I am really proud of him (and myself for letting him be away from me)! 

We had a wonderful Christmas.  Brett fell down the stairs Xmas morning wearing his UGA snuggie and holding Jack.  I almost had a heart attack, but fortunately Jack was not hurt b/c Daddy was holding onto him for dear life.  Daddy, however, has a bit of a wrenched back.  Way to take one for the team, Daddy!

Jack got lots of really amazing presents, including a new wagon and a real mini piano!  (See attachments).  It is true what they say about every stage getting better and better.  Every day as Jack continues to grow he does something else even more amazing than the day before.  He is actually able to stand now holding himself up on something like the edge of his wagon or the coffee table.  He can actually PLAY with his toys (well, he has been doing that for a long time now, but I have not mentioned it yet).  He sits up super well; he has great posture, and he is just such a tall baby!  I can't believe he is mine!

Starting in January I am going back to working 32 hours.  I will still be off on Mondays, but I am basically working 8.5 hour days the rest of the work week.  We need the money though, so it is better, and Jack has been thriving in the care of Grandma, GRandi and Aunt Christie.  We are very blessed to have such wonderful family to help us while loving and nurturing our son.

Brett has been working hard.  He and his new partner are getting some decent business through my sister's word-of-mouth marketing, so in the new year he is going from unemployed to self-employed status.  I am not sure how it is all going to work out, but I have faith that it will.  We are living job to job right now, but I believe that it won't always be this way.  Things are looking up!

To sum up the end of year update, I love being a mommy.  I have a mommy/play group (www.mymompickedmyfriends.shutterfly.com) that I also love.  Jack is growing up so fast, but I am trying really hard not to miss a single beat.  I am tired in the process of course, but it is well worth it! 

Oh yeah, if you haven't been able to tell by the videos and pics, Tug and Jack are basically best buds, but Della has been sort of stand-offish to Jack from day 1.  Well, recently she has shown a little bit of interest in him, like sniffing him more, not moving the second we set him down next to her, things like that.  I think once he starts eating solid food she will completely cave in to Jack's charms!

Alright, well I hope you enjoy the Christmas pics, and I will be doing a new video soon.  It takes a lot of time to put it together so you can imagine it is hard to do it unless Jack is sleeping.  Bye for now!  This will be my last post before 2010, so Happy New Year! 

I know, I know, I am way behind on these posts.  So let me sum up December for you.  We went to Stone Mtn. Christmas, which was way awesome.   We had an MMPMF meeting at Lisa and MJ's house.  We had Jack's 4 month check-up (see last post for stats).  We had pics taken with Santa (an appoinment with a friend of GRandi's to avoid swine flu germs).  We went to cousin Taylor's 1st gym meet (she was AMAZING!).  We went to another Falcons game (super fun!).  We had cookie day with Grandma and Aunt Christie.  We went to Jack's 1st Christmas party, and he opened his first ever wrapped present!  Then we had my fam picture day and tree trimming at Grandma's.  Whew!  That sums up just through the 20th. 

Tomorrow, on Christmas Eve-Eve, we have an MMPMF Ornament Making party, and I AM SO EXCITED!  I found these adorable picture ornament making kits, and I am going to take pics of the kids and then let everyone make a Christmas ornament for our babies' 1st Christmas!  It is very cute, and yes, I am ridiculously happy about it.

Then the craziness of Christmas really begins!  I will get back on here to update and post pics.  Since I am so behind, I am going to have to skip the rest of November pics, but I will post all of December in one summarized album after Xmas, and hopefully before the new year!

Okay, so Merry Christmas everyone!  I am not sure I will be able to get back on here until after the holiday! 

Lots of Love from The McQ Zoo!

So yesterday Jack was 18 weeks.  He was 4 months on the 4th of course, so it was time for his 4 month check-up.  This time Daddy went with us so we could let him be the one to deal with the shots.  When we talked to the doctor about why there were so many shots last time (5) and why they did not combine them into fewer "sticks" she was very honest and said that the combo vaccines are much more expensive and their office doesn't use them for that reason.  I appreciated her honesty.  She said she came from a practice where they did use the combo and she had the same pains in her heart for her own daughter who is still a toddler now when she too had to have so many individual shot vaccines.  She also said that the reason he had 5 last time is b/c we opted not to do HepB in the hospital, so today he only had 4.  BUT, if we decide to get him the flu shot and H1N1 at his 6 month, he will have to have SIX shots!  SO we have some thinking to do!

Okay, so his stats, b/c I just know you are all dying to hear how HUGE our child is!  Jack is 17 pounds, 14 ounces and 26.5 inches tall!  He is 95th percentile for height, 93rd for weight and 75th for head size.  He is a big, strong boy!  The doc was seriously impressed with his practically sitting-up skills and she commented on how strong both his grip and his legs are!  She said that everything is looking good, and we really didn't have any other concerns besides the number of shots so...oh, she did say that Mr. Drool could be teething already and sometimes that much drool is an indicator, but one of our friends' docs said that babies just drool a lot so it means nothing.  Everyone has different opinions...

And as for food, my doc suggests waiting until at or around 6 months to introduce solids, as breastfeeding is still the best food for babies up to 6 months.  She said sometimes people introduce solids at this age and it is good b/c it helps the baby to grow, but in looking at Jack, he isn't needing the solids for THAT reason of course, so no use rushing it.  I'm fine with that.  Doh!  I just realized I forgot to ask her about him drinking any water.  This past Monday he had some water out of a straw and loved it, just a few drops here and there, but still.  Then someone mentioned that abbies that young are not supposed to have water, so I meant to double check...that's why we have phones...

So I am way behind on updating this site.  Jack has a little play group, and I created a site for that, so I have sort of been behind on this one.  Check out his play group site though!  It is super cute too!  www.MyMomPickedMyFriends.shutterfly.com

'Tis the season, folks, and I could not be more excited for Jack's 1st Christmas - although it would be nice to be rich and be able to buy lots of presents - but really, who needs presents when we have JACK????  We already went to Stone Mountain, which was a blast!  I will update the site with pics from that event this week, and we see Santa on Friday!  Then we have lots more festivities with friends and family as the month continues. 

Okay, now I gotta go dry my hair and get ready for work, the dreaded reality of just another Wednesday morning.  I hear Jack making little sounds, although I don't know why he is up right now when he was up for an hour around 4AM happy as a clam just cooing and babbling and squealing!  Daddy changed his diaper and of course Jack peed all over the pack n play in the process, so we were both up cleaning it and putting Jack in new jammies, etc.  So really I have been up since about 4AM.  It will be a long day at work, but I wouldn't trade that 4AM smile for anything!

Have a great day world!

I can't believe tomorrow it will be December!  Jack will be 17 weeks tomorrow and 4 months on the 4th!  I am so excited for his next doctor appointment on the 8th to see how much he has grown!

Thanksgiving this year was really wonderful.  GRandi and PaPa did it up well of course with a big meal for our ever-growing family.  Jack slept through dinner though, his first time in the crib at GRandi's.  On Friday we celebrated with Grandma and Grandpa and Jack got to create his 1st ever Turkey plate.  His chubby little hand was so cute!  I added a finishing touch in the way of a little EB figure...then we watched a movie and hung out.  It was nice that way, so relaxing to not have to rush to another meal in the same day.  I think we are planning to do it this way from now on...

Saturday was the UGA vs GT game!  This year it was in ATL.  I wanted to take Jack to the tailgate, but it just wasn't the best idea since it was a night game.  It would end up being too late for the little guy to hang out that long.  Instead he stayed with GRandi and his girl cousins and watched as they made gingerbread cookies.  Maybe next year if it is not a night game, Jack can come with us to Athens.  We want him to experience football as much as possible!

Yesterday I was little sick.  The tummy bug has been spreading around our family (both sides!) like wild fire.  I am lucky it was just a mild case for me.  Jack has not been sick yet (knock on wood) although he has had a little cough now and then.  Nothing has come of it.

Today Daddy went to get out Xmas things out of storage at Aunt CL's house.  We are going to set up our tree and put out our decorations.  I need to find Jack the perfect Baby's First Christmas stocking!  I am very excited about the holidays!  Of course, the season is already moving so quickly - faster than ever actually, and I know it is b/c Jack is here growing so big and stronger every day!  He is amazing!  We are so blessed!

Okay, well I gotta get to cleaning this place up so we can clutter it with Christmas cheer!  I will update our pics on the site soon with T-day images!  Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

In our lives, we all have reference points, moments that mark significant events in our jobs, relationships and personal timelines. We refer to these when telling stories, recalling facts or even just reminiscing.  In love, it often starts with a simple "since we met."  Then it progresses to "since our first date," "since our first anniversary," "since we got engaged," and so on.  Depending on life's circumstances, other events can get thrown in there such as "since the layoff" or "since someone died."  These reference points change as time passes.

Previously, our reference point was "since we got married," but today marks a new one for us, a special moment that we will never forget, a turning point in our lives for which we thank God every second of every day; today is one year "since we found out we were pregnant."  The range of emotions we experienced during those first few hours of knowing, the disbelief, the joy, and the fear, as 3 days prior we acquired the "since Brett was laid off" reference point."  From that moment, life as we knew it would never be the same.  And despite the ironic bittersweetness of the timing (Brett was also laid off the same day as our "since we got engaged" milestone), there is nothing sweeter than the discovery that you have created a life with your soulmate. 

So happy anniversary to my pregnancy test, the first and only one I ever took!  I found out I was pregnant while at the doctor for a sinus infection.  The shocking news made me colapse to the floor as tears streamed down my face and the nurse questioned me, to which I responded "this is the happiest day of my life."  Oh geez, I'm about to start crying while I type this...ahhhhh...deep breaths...

Okay, composure recaptured...anyway, we've been using the "since we got pregnant" milestone for awhile now, but isn't it funny to think about those things?  Like how we all keep up with time based on significant events in our lives?  Soon we will be on to "since Jack was born."  In fact, we actually used that one last night when Brett and I went out for he first time together without Jack "since he was born."  It was a nice date.  We attended a work function for Westplan, but we ended the evening with a stop at Steak n Shake.  Classy, I know...haha...it was really fun though!  But we missed our little man...

So its been one year since we found out we were pregnant.  I can't believe how quickly time passes.  Speaking of which, its 7:01 and I have to get moving so I am not late for work! 

Okay, okay, so I could not resist the cutesy title.  I would not be myself without some of my cheese...

Jack is officially laughing now.  We made him laugh like crazy the other night by just lifting him up while on my lap and then dropping him down between my legs.  He has the cutest laugh, and he squeals with so much joy!  We are so in love with him!

So a couple other new milestones have been met this past week.  On Saturday, November 14th, Jack rolled over for the first time.  He went from his back to his front to sleep more comfortably, and therefore we made another executive decision to remove his "pad" (previously "the box") from our bed and allow him to sleep directly on the mattress with us.  Our first run at this was Saturday night, and it was quite successful!  Jack slept great!  Thus we have determined that perhaps a reason why his sleeping has regressed is b/c his mobility has improved, and since he wanted to move around more in his sleep the pad was too restrictive.  So we are hoping this theory proves true when the work week begins!

Today Grandma, Aunt Christie and Mommy took Jack to GAP to look for clothes for our family Christmas pictures.  We found some super cute stuff, so that was really fun.  Jack slept through most of the shopping, which of course was really helpful for us.  Tomorrow evening is going to be the first time Mommy and Daddy have gone out together since Jack was born.  We have to attend a fancy event for Mommy's work, so Grandma is coming to baby-sit.  It will be the first night-time time we have left him.  I am sure he will do fine.  He has been doing great for everyone during the week.  Only the sleeping has been off since I went back to work.

It is almost midnight, and yes Daddy is snoring on the couch and I am in here writing.  I updated the site and created the cutest video yet.  I hope everyone likes it!  I read today on facebook about a guy I went to HS with expecting his first baby and "joining the parent club."  This was the first time I really noticed the "wow, that guy has no idea how exclusive that club really is" thought in my head.  I mean I have seen and heard of a lot of other people having babies in the last few months, but today, this one in particular hit me sorta hard.  Maybe it was b/c he announced it to me and a few others as a comment on a picture of Jack, and that was kind of touching that he shared his news that way.  Yeah, I guess that must be why the emotions are so strong...

I also have been thinking about some advice I got the other night.  A father of 3 was talking to me about how wonderful his kids are and how different they all are, and how he would not be opposed to having another.  I was saying how financially we can't even think of having another baby.  His advice was something like this: it doesn't matter if you are financially ready; all that matters is that your relationship is solid and everything else will fall into place.  It was good advice.  He said it came from a place of experience... Anyway, I told Brett that this morning and we both agree...but don't worry, we won't be having baby #2 any time soon!  NO WAY, JOSE!  Mama needs more time to forget...

Okay, well I guess I need to go to bed.  It is so hard to natuarally be a night owl but be forced to wake up so early for work.  Although I am super happy that I am off on Mondays!  Tomorrow we have a play date at the park after stroller strides.  Then its home to get cleaned up for our big night out - I guess its a date???

Goodnight!

So today I took Jack to Stroller Strides, and then we bought this cool hands-free pumping bra which allowed me to pump in the car so I did not have to go home between the mall and Publix.  Well, as it would happen Jack pooped and it exploded out of his clothes so I stripped him down and let him play in the car while I pumped, and then good thing I did not dress him right away b/c he pooped again during that time, another leaker of course.  So when I was done pumping I had 11 ounces!  I am pondering the idea of pumping exclusively during the day and nursing only at night.  If I do that I may be able to find the right times when I can produce the most milk, but again this is just food for thought. 

Anyway, after I was done, I dressed Jack and we headed to Publix.  He fell asleep in the car and slept through the entire grocery trip.  Then we went home and he stayed asleep while I lugged all the groceries in conveyer belt style from my car to the elevator door, to inside the elevator, to outside the elevator, to the hallway corner, to the front door, inside the front door and to the kitchen.  When he woke up, he was hungry!  So I put stuff away while he hung out with me in the high chair, and then we sat down to nurse.  So we played and he napped, and I worked on this site, and I picked up around the condo, and we played some more, and he ate again and I ate a sandwich, and we had a wonderful day together.  I wish I could do that with him every day.

Right now he is napping and I am about done pumping, and then I am going to start on some dinner for Daddy.  Today I feel like the ultimate housewife, and I wish we were rich enough for me to be just that.  Ugh. 

Oh, and in Stoller strides today when we were stretching Jack ALMOST rolled over!  He is getting so close!  I need to make him have more tummy time b/c I want his first roll over to be with ME!!!  I would be so sad if I missed that!

Daddy just called and he is almost home so time to make the donuts...I mean dinner!  Ciao! 

Well folks, I am officially a working mom now.  Can't say I'm thrilled about it, but work seems to be really happy that I am back.  It is nice to be wanted/needed.

Speaking of which, Jack hasn't seemed to notice that I am gone, but he definitely realizes when I come back!  He smiles and gets so excited when he sees me!  So far GRandi and Aunt Christie have done an awesome job.  Grandma gets to keep Jack today and she is VERY EXCITED! 

Unfortunately, Jack has not been sleeping so well.  I am not sure if it is b/c he is so used to sleeping in with me and now he is waking up earlier, and maybe that is just throwing everything off?  Or maybe he senses when I am not there and so he isn't napping as well.  I don't know, but the last two nights he has been an insatiable nurser, waking at 2:30 and then staying awake, wanting to nurse and then spitting up massively.  Finally at 4:45 I asked Brett to just walk him around so I could please try to sleep for another 45 minutes.  5:30, the alarm went off, now I am up pumping while I type this.  Oh, and of course now Jack is sound asleep.  Sweet little punkin butt he is!

So as I type, Brett is snoring on the couch with Della curled between his legs.  Tug is cozy under the covers in our bed snuggled up against Jack's pad, where Jack sleeps soundly in his cute little green and brown striped sleeper, and Sebastian is once again utilizing Jack's play mat as a kitty bed.  Lucky Zoo.  I'm awake, barely, but yes, still awake.  Ugh.

I hope Jack will nap with me when I get home.  I am so tired I can hardly stand it.  Today needs to fly by while I am at work b/c I cannot function well like this!  Okay, pumping is done.  Adios! 

Halloween with Jack was so fun!  I know it is silly, but I loved knocking on the doors and saying "trick or treat" and "baby's first Halloween" and watching people ooh and aah over how cute he was in his tootsie roll costume.  He is just so sweet and good natured.  He really did not even mind wearing it.  I just love showing him off - I won't lie!

Today is Novemebr 1st.  This is the month I go back to work, starting on Nov. 3rd.  I am not happy about it, but it is just what must be done.  Tomorrow we have our first mommy/play group meeting here at Jack's Place.  It will be a meet and greet for all the ladies to get to know each other and I think it will be a good time.  After that GRandi, Grandma and Aunt Christie will be coming over for "Baby Jack Orientation," an event designed to make sure that everyone caring for Jack is familiar with our home organization as well as how we want things to be done for Jack.  I know how much they all love my little champion, and even though I know they will all do fine, I still want to have this meeting for my own comfort.  I am certain to cry Tuesday on my way to work.  I also need to go get my car charger for my pump!  Wow, I almost forgot.  Maybe I can get Daddy to run that errand for me...he likes to do stuff like that!

Okay, well Jack has been sleeping for like 3 hours now.  He is an amazing sleeper!  I hope he wakes up soon, but he has certainly given me a lot of time to update this site!  Welcome to November everyone!!!

Tonight I thank my lucky stars that I have a baby who sleeps so well, eats so well, interacts so well, potties so well, cries so little, smiles so much and loves so incredibly.  Jack has been going to bed earlier and earlier and taking smaller naps during the day.  I don't know if this phase is going to last long, but right now, my child is perfect in every way imaginable.  I am so blessed, my family is so blessed, we are SO BLESSED to have this angel in our lives!

Jack is swinging in the baby swings at the park now!  He is growing so big and fast!  It seems like yesterday I was laboring in the birthing tub at the hospital.  I still remember sitting there watching Brett texting and talking about how Drew Carey is a horrible host of The Price is Right, which we turned on briefly in the delivery room until I could not stand anymore sound.  It seems like I was just learning to nurse my baby, and now he is a pro and I am comfortable enough to do it without using lanolin every time.  It seems like just this morning I was rolling his high chair into the bathroom for the first time so I could shower, looking out every other minute to make sure he was still breathing.  Now I just sing and listen to him talk and coo while I wash my hair.  Things that are routine now feel like they have been routine forever, but even though life is now more comfortable, it is passing too quickly.  There is a downside to the whole getting settled part of having a baby.  Once you get settled in, you realize all you missed while trying to settle into a routine!  Now I miss those long bonding feedings b/c now he is already distracted and pays attention to more than just me while nursing!  Now I miss the lazy napping on the couch together days b/c he is already sleeping through the night (mostly) and napping less during the day - plus I am all healed up and recoverd myself so no excuses for being lazy!  Now I miss the extra time it took to carefully change a diaper when his cord was still on b/c now he is so strong and wiggly that I have to change him so quickly and I don't get to inspect his little body and admire how perfect and beautiful he is.  His kicky feet make it hard to just gaze and ooh and aah over him...and he is not even 3 months old yet.  The point is this - it FLIES by so fast, and already I am missing my baby boy...

BUT, I am loving every minute of each new experience!  Like the swings!  And his new sleeping habits, and how much he loves bath time, and how cool it is that he is grabbing things and pulling them to his mouth now.  He can practically take his pacifier and put it in and out now himself!  He wants to stand up ALL THE TIME!  He is just amazing, and every day he shows me something new!  I love being Jack's mommy!

Okay, well I better go to bed.  Jack has been in bed since 7:45.  I had to pump b/c I didn't get to nurse him before bed.  I had to do that last night too!  If he keeps this up it coudl actually help me in my going to work routine, so let's see how he does!  Goodnight McQ Zoo visitors! 

I am terrible.  I can't stop thinking about how I have to go back to work.  UGH!  I am lucky to have a job in this economy, and I am even luckier to have family to keep my baby while Iw ork so I don't have to pay for daycare!  Regardless, I am still so sad to go back.  I have enjoyed every minute with my little Jack Patrick! 

The things I am worried about...well, not really his safety, although I suppose some reasonable concerns there are normal.  Mostly I am worried about what I will miss!  I am worried I will miss him giggling at something for the first time, or rolling over or sitting up or who knows what else.  I am worried I will miss things that he does a million times too, like poop blowouts, or smiling when you talk to him or cooing at the TV or even just sleeping and breathing cute.  I was put here on this earth to be Jack's Mommy.  I don't want to miss a second of that job!

Brett and I have not gone out yet.  I have left Jack 2 times, both to go to Target and both times with Brett (once my sister was even with him!).  I think I need to practice next week leaving him so that I don't spend my first day back at work crying the whole time missing him.  In fact, we could both spend the whole day crying for all I know, so I should probably give him a couple opportunities ot be soothed by someone else before I go back to work.  Oh, but I just don't want to give up a single minute!  I guess I am selfish!

So Jack has been enjoying his Bungee Jumper (doorway bouncer).  The warnings say he is not ready for it yet, but our instincts say otherwise.  His legs are super strong and he wants to stand up all the time.  Since he is over 14 pounds, he is a lot to hold already so giving him opportunities to be independent other than in a lying down position is really good for him.  His head is not fully supported by himself, but he can hold it up for th emost part and when he looks tired or worn out we always get him out.  He smiles though so much and it is really cool how quickly he has learned how to spin around in that thing!

Jack is also cooing and making so many sounds!  He interacts when we talk to him, so it is really funny to make up little pretend conversations about what he is trying to say.  He has also been having lots of playdates.  It is nice to have so many friends!  I am worried that when I go back to work our social calendar will suffer b/c of conflicting schedules!  I sure hope not b/c Jack is very social and I'd like ot keep him that way!

We went to the Pumpkin Patch with Grandma and Cousin Logan yesterday.  It was a lot of fun taking pictures, but Jack never really gave me any big smiles.  He was totally content though - it was the strangest thing.  He did not fuss or cry even one time, but he just didn't really smile at all either.  It was super cold though, and I was in his face with the camera so he was probably like "Mommy is nuts!" the whole time. 

We had a lot of fun at Grandpa's pumpkin carving night!  Tomorrow we will be having dinner at GRandi and PaPa's.  Then Monday, Stroller Strides and possibly a playdate.  Tuesday another playdate walk, and then hopefully Jack's birth certificates will come so I can go hang out at the Social Security office to get his SS card corrected!  (They messed up his name!)  Its a busy week even without going to work!  I mean really, who has time for work anyway?

Okay, well the Bulldogs won today so that was good.  Hopefully the Falcons will win tomorrow!  My baby is sound asleep and so is my husband (go figure!).  Signing out for now! 

Today Jack had his 2 month appointment.  He weighed in at 13 pounds, 15 ounces and measured 25 inches!!!  He is in the 90th% for weight, above the 95th% for height, and he has a tiny little pea head at the 50th%.  Grandma said that is how Mommy's head was too, so yippie!  I get to add head-size to the short list of characteristics my baby has inherited from me.  We'll put it right up there next to my chin!

So after being weighed and measured and examined, the happy doctor visit turned, well, not so happy.  Jack had 5 shots today. F-I-V-E!  5!!!  Yes that is right!  I almost threw up when they brought them all into the room.  I had to sit down and not look, and I held Jack's little hand and tried not to vomit.  The first shot went in and OMG!  The loudest screaming cry I have ever heard!  It was not an "ouch this needle hurt me" or a "holy crap!" or even an "OMG, what the hell is this?" kind of cry.  It was a "Mommy, how can you let them do this to me?" kind of cry.  "Mommy, you have betrayed me!  Mommy, I thought I could trust you!" kind of cry.  It was the worst pain I have ever felt piercing through my heart.  It was like the needles were sticking me through and through and with each one I felt more and more heartache for what my baby boy was experiencing.  Then the nurse handed him to me so I could nurse him and comfort him and he latched on fiercely, angrily and then whimpered helplessly as he ate.  I just held him and looked at him and cried too.  It was all I could do.  The deepest sadness you will ever feel is to see your child suffer. 

Now I am sure some of you reading this are thinking some of the following thoughts: 1.) They were JUST shots.  Big deal.  2.) He is a baby.  Its not like he is going to remember them.  3.) Don't turn your kid into a needle-phobe like you, Brooke!  4.) Its for his own good.  5.) Wow, 5 shots is a lot at one time...

Let me tell you what I am thinking.  They WERE just shots, but it was the first time I ever experienced sheer terror in my child's cries.  He was SCARED!  It broke my heart.  He is a baby, and he may not remember the shots, but he has now had his first taste of how cruel and unfair this world can be.  He was so safe and secure inside of me, and just when he is feeling like this outside world is pretty cool, he gets sucker punched, in the thighs, 5 times, by needles!  He may not remember, but he will now never forget.  I won't turn him into a needle-phobe.  I talked to him before those shots and told him he was so brave and I am so proud of him and how I don't want him to be like Mommy about shots b/c I know he is a strong boy!  I also decided that this is the LAST time I will be taking him alone to get shots.  I need someone to help ME be strong for him.  I know it is for his own good, but HE doesn't know that!  He just thinks I didn't protect him from the big sharp pointy things that snuck up and attacked him!  5 shots is a lot at one time, I agree.  I am not sure I realized how many it would be.  5 seems like so many.  I mean, 2 would have been better.  5 was excessive.  I think the American Pediatric Association or whatever its called must have the "he won't remember it" philosophy b/c I can't understand why they would recommend so many at one time.  I should have researched and been more prepared or even maybe asked them to spread them out more like one of my friends is doing for her child.  Ugh.  It is hard to be a parent and always make the right choices.  It is the worst pain ever to see your child hurt.

My mom told me today that this is just the first of so many times I will have to make my child do something he doesn't want to do.  I will watch him suffer and go through lots of pain over the years.  It makes me dread his first cold, his first lost soccer game, his first skinned knee, his first break-up, his first rejection, and perhaps the worst, his first experience of the death of a pet.  I realize I am thinking way ahead, but then again, am I really?  I mean we all know how time flies.  It was commented to me many times just today in fact.  Before I know it Jack will be all grown up and I will be thinking back to today with a different sort of sadness.  Or maybe I will be rejoicing in how amazing my little champion turned out, even though I made him get those awful shots at that 2 month appointment!  Either way, today was torture.  I would rather experience labor all over again than watch him cry like that ever!

Okay. moving on now...I just needed to vent and get it all out.  Whew!  I feel like at least I got to do that...

Tomorrow Jack and Mommy and Earth Bunny are going with Grandma, Aunt Christie, and Cousins Ethan and Logan to Stone Mountain for the Halloween Fesitval!  It should be super fun!  Mostly Jack will be following the big kids around and seeing all the sights!  Mommy hopes he feels better tomorrow so he can enjoy the pretty day and time with his awesome cousins!  I will be sure to take lots of pics and post them ASAP!  Happy Friday everyone!

Okay, so I know that every mom thinks her child is the best, but mine really is THE best!  Today Jack is 2 months old.  Yesterday we took him to his 3rd wedding in his short life, and he was of course wonderful.  He is a great eater, sleeper, snuggler, player, everything-er.  I am just amazed every day at how cute he is and how much he is growing and changing!  I love him more and more with each passing moment.

Some of Jack's newest developments: He is grabbing things like rings and toys and he is batting at hanging toys.  He has started taking the bottle now (pumped breastmilk only) in preparation (sadly) for Mommy to go back to work.  He is smiling ALL THE TIME and talking to us as if we know what he is trying to say.  He is so alert and aware of everything around him.  He is playful now during nursing, which is both cute and painful.  He wakes up happy as can be in the mornings.  He is sleeping longer at night, going down between 8-10 and not waking for his 1st feeding until closer to 4AM.  He then sleeps until between 6 and 7 and will go back to sleep again while I nurse him.  He is not crazy about being in the car unless someone is riding in the back with him.  This makes running errands with Mommy a little stressful, but we are working through it.  Jack has awesome eye contact and he definitely recognizes certain people now.  He responds to talk and touch and he still loves bath time and when Mommy sings to him.  He is also getting so strong and and holding his head really well.  He LOVES to stand up already and he is the master of kicky-feet. 

Jack is both Mommy and Daddy's best little boy ever and we are so proud of him.  Today, on his 2 month birthday we are just hanging out as a family watching football and relaxing.  GRandi and PaPa may drop off some hand-me-down toys from Aunt Suzi and Grandma and Grandpa may stop by a little later.  Speaking of Grandpa, Jack made his debut at Grandpa's work on Friday, and Grandpa was glowing with pride and joy!  We should have charged admission with how many people came to see Jack - we could have paid for college already!  It was so nice to see how many people love and respect Grandpa, and he was so excited to show off his 3rd grandson.  It was a fun time. 

Okay, well Jack just woke up from a nap now, so I am going to feed him and play with him.  This journal entry and all the new website changes are long overdue I know, but time has a way of going by so fast that it is hard to keep up all the time.  I will try to do better. 

This week Jack has his 2 month doctor appointment.  I am so eager to know what he weighs.  The scale at home says 13.5 pounds, but it could be way off.  We shall see, but my big boy is almost out of size 1 diapers!!!  Alright, signing out now...

Wanna know the worst part about Jack being 7 weeks?  It means I am only 5 weeks away from going back to work.  This is far from my preference...

So at 7 weeks, it is official - Jack has outgrown his close sleeper box.  On his 7 week birthday we put him to bed in a new contraption made from a changing table mattress pad.  This new "pad" will replace his beloved "box" until he grows too long and once again we have to come up with a new plan.  Jack is probably 24 inches (at least) and a good 12 pounds by now...

We got back from PA on Tuesday.  We had a wonderful trip seeing so much family!  It really was special to introduce Jack to everyone.  He was quite a hit at the wedding too.  He has now added the Cupid Shuffle to his dancing portfolio!  Jack also did great on his 1st plane rides.  He slept both there and back the whole time each way.  It was pretty painless actually, especially b/c GRandi and PaPa took up all our luggage so we had no bags to check. 

Today we had a playdate and met Baby Nova who is smaller at 5 weeks than Jack was when he was born.  She is a healthy petite little baby girl, and we had a very nice time.  Jack slept of course!  Playdates are fun.  I want to start a mommy group with some of the people I have been hanging out with lately.  I might try to get that plan in action soon...

Still have lots to do, including loads and loads and loads of laundry after our trip.  Gonna go rest up so I can start over tomorrow!  I love being a mom!

So today I had my 6 week post partum check-up.  I had to take Jack with me.  It was raining...HARD!  I tried to put him in the carseat while he was sleeping since it was still nap time, but he of course woke up.  Then I was too late to nurse him, so I just went hoping he woudl fall back asleep in the car.  Well, instead he cried the whole way there, and it was pouring rain!  When we got there I had to get him out of the car quickly, but when I opened his door the rain started flying into the car!  Poor baby's seat and feet got all wet, even with my crappy umbrella and a blanket over him.  I even had to leave the diaper bag in the car b/c I could not seem to manage to get him, the umbrella, hold the blanket over him and also carry the diaper bag.  Ugh!  I HATE the rain! 

Once we got inside I took him out of his seat, soothed him (isn't it amazing how we moms have THAT power?) and then he was calm and quiet through my whole appointment.  Then, once back in the car, he screamed the whole way home.  I fed him as soon as we walked in the door, and he seemed to want to finally go back to sleep and finish his nap.  So, Mommy decided to use the opportunity to leave Jack with Daddy and run to Target.  POOR DADDY!  Jack screamed the entire time I was gone!  Daddy tried everything!  As soon as I got home and fed him, he stopped crying and fell asleep in my arms while I was burping him.  It was a bit of a trying afternoon!

Grandma and Grandpa came over and ate dinner with us so Grandma could help me give Jack a bath and give him one of "Grandma's Spa Treatments" (his extra special massage!).  Jack loves his baths.  He is so cute in the tubby!  Tonight though he was so sleepy and he scratched his little face while sucking his thumb.  After his bath I fed him and he went right to sleep in his little box.  By the way, he is growing out of his box!  He is so squirmy, and he can squirm right out of it now!

Tomorrow we hit the air for Jack's first plane ride.  We are going to PA for another wedding!  Mommy is a nervous wreck about the germs on the plane of course!  In fact, Mommy is a nervous wreck about germs all over b/c Aunt Christie's house is like sickness ground zero!  Mommy and Daddy even got flu shots (and if you read my birth story blog you know how I feel about needles, but it is amazing what you will do for your child!) and the DTAP booster to help keep Jack protected.  I even ended up with flu-like symptoms as a side effect and had to cancel 2 playdates scheduled for Tuesday, Jack's 6 week birthday!  I was so bummed!

Anyway, I will check back in to the website after our trip and update you all with new pictures of my little champion!

Now I must go to bed b/c tomorrow is a big, busy day! 

Jack smiles so much now!  I can't wait to hear him giggle!  I love when he wakes up and sees me how he just grins at me so big!  He is just gorgeous!  He recognizes people now, and he follows things with his eyes.  He really likes to watch the dogs, especially Tug, who loves to sniff him and be near him.  I do not know how to describe the joy I feel when I see him smile at me.

Jack also seems to like it when we read books to him.  He LOVES to hear me sing.  He just gazes at me with his smiling eyes while I turn on my voice's "repeat" feature and sing the same songs over and over again.  The funny part is when Daddy falls asleep to the singing before Jack does!

Today we are watching football and going to GRandi's house for her b-day celebration.  Grandma and Grandpa came over earlier and hung out.  Grandma is making a beautiful blankie for Jack to match Earth Bunny!  We are so excited to get it. 

This past Friday GRandi brought over some clothes she got for Jack at a consignment sale at her church - what cute suff she brought!  There is an awesome camping outfit!  We are hoping to go camping in October with our little champion for the first time!

Aunt Christie has not been able to visit in awhile because Logan has been very sick and we are all trying not to expose Jack to any germs if we can help it.  Hopefully soon we will be able to go over to Aunt Christie's house and visit the boys!  We have seen more of the girl cousins because of the beach trip, and we will see them tonight at GRandi's.

Anyway, the Falcons are winning, and Daddy and I are very excited about the beginning of football season.  It is cool that we will get to be home watching football with our baby boy now!  

Jack is napping in his pack n play right now.  He looks so cute.  In 2 days he will be 6 weeks old.  I added some more recent pics to his Just Jack page, and I was noticing how much he has changed already since his birth.  He just gets cuter every day! 

Bye for now! 

I kid you not, our child weighs 11 pounds and 7 ounces and is 23 inches long!  Today he had his one month check up, and he is in the 90th percentile for both height and weight.  He is perfect in every way!  Mama has magic milk and Jack is growing like crazy!  Daddy and Mommy are both so proud of our little champion! 

Jack got one shot today and he cried for just a second and then he stopped.  He is very brave!

It is so hard for me to think about how quickly the time is passing us by.  I know I should focus on the "now" part of things, but still, I just can't believe it has been 5 weeks already!  I always knew I would love my child, but I never imagined the depth or strength of that love and how REAL it is.  Wow...

Okay, so now Jack and I are off to a play date.  My "Mr. Social" has a big week!

Long car ride coming up, so I gotta open up shop before we go!!! 

Okay, so Jack is asleep, but not for long.  I was lucky to get a shower in this morning.  Everything takes longer with a baby...

Quick update - Jack is one month and 3 days old today.  He has his one month check-up tomorrow, so I will post his weight and height, and let me just say we are sure he is at least 10 pounds and 23 inches!  Mommy has magic milk!  We took Jack to CPK on his one month birthday - his first dining out experience - it went well b/c he slept through it.  Then we got him home and he kept sleeping, which totally screwed up our prior sleep schedule, so our nights of 5-6 hours have ended.  We hope it is only temporary!  He has been napping a little more in the evenings the last few days, which seems to make him wake up during the night a little more often.  I am finding that side lying while breast feeding is very comfortable and also helps put him back to sleep more easily. 

Jack watched his 1st UGA game with Mommy and Daddy on Saturday.  The game was not good, but Jack was adorable!  He had been wearing UGA gear all week to get ready for the big game.  Hopefully next game is better.  Either way, it was still a proud moment, especially for Daddy, to introduce our son to the Bulldogs!

I still feel like time is flying by.  Jack is growing up too fast already!  He can pretty much keep his head up for several minutes now.  He smiles, mostly at my mom, which makes me very jealous!  He has quite a sense of humor while nursing, as he lets go and looks at me and makes silly faces, then latches back on like a ravenous beast!  He is pretty fussy in the evenings.  He always seems to cry more when other people are not around, basically proving the theory of children behaving better for those who are not their parents.  I am devastated about having to go back to work.  I know I have 7 weeks left, but it kills me a little inside each time I think about it.  And about that - I do hope I can get him on some sort of feeding schedule before I go back!  I am nervous about pumping, and I probably need to go ahead and invest in that device sooner rather than later to teach myself how to use it in time!  That is a goal I have when we come back from PA.  Yep, that's right, we are going to PA for another wedding.  Jack will get to fly on a plane!!!  SCARY!!!

Okay, well I want to go clean out underneath my bathroom sink before Jack wakes up...I doubt I will get much of it done, but that is okay.  I love my baby so much!!!

Okay, so tomorrow Jack will be 4 weeks old.  TIME IS FLYING!  We just got back last night from Uncle Robbye's wedding in Pawley's Island, SC.  Jack was SO GOOD!  He slept a lot during the ride there but we still stopped for 2 feedings, one change and one meltdown, but on the way back, we only had to stop one time, and there were no meltdowns!  The trip was fun, although Mommy was a bit stressed out.  There were lots of people, and I did a pretty good job of sharing my baby with everyone, even though there were times I didn't want to.  Jack did his first Electric Slide at 3 weeks and 3 days old.  He was the life of the party (in my eyes of course!) besides the bride and groom, and maybe his Daddy who also danced the night away! 

The actual beach was nice too.  It was breezy so one day when it was overcast we sat at the top of the boardwalk in the shaded spot and Jack just slept the whole time.  The last day we actually went down on the beach and sat under a big tent.  It was nice to have my feet in the sand, although I hated any sand or grime blowing onto Jack!  He stayed covered though the whole time, and once again he just slept. 

The wedding was beautiful.  It was a lovely, personal ceremony, and Robbye and Cathy were so glad that we were there with Jack.  Robbye's mom reserved a guest room for us in her condo complex called the Fish House.  It was PERFECT!  We did not have to stay in the big beach house with everyone else, and so we had some privacy at night which was helpful for nursing and just being able to get away from all the action when we needed to.  I was also able to sleep in longer in the mornings with Jack and just take our time.  The accommodations for us made all the difference in our being able to go on this trip!  Thank you Robbye, Cathy and Star!

So what did we learn on this trip?  Well, first of all we took way too much stuff.  I think we can take it down a few notches for our next trip to PA in September for another wedding.  Even though Jack soils lots of clothing, we do not need to bring his entire wardrobe!  What we DO need though are lots of burp cloths b/c he still spits up ALL THE TIME!

We also learned that our baby is a great little traveler so far.  We will be going on lots of trips over the years, beaches and camping mainly, so it is important that he travels well and that we start him out early.  We also learned that sometimes it can be overstimulating and that stresses Mommy out!  It is important for me to be able to express my feelings as a parent to make sure I am doing what is best for my child.  I probably should have held onto Jack a little more and kept him away from so much action, but I also felt comfortable with all of the family there, so it was hard not to want to join in with all the fun...the electric slide included... 

Now we are home for a couple of weeks before our next big adventure.  I have some goals like trying to get Jack to nap better in his crib and keeping my house a little more organized.  I need to write a ton of thank you notes!  I would like to actually make some dinner for my hubby one night instead of him trying to throw something together for me all the time, but everything takes longer with a baby.  I would like to get into a walking routine, especially after seeing myself in these most recent pics!  I would also like to get some pictures with the dogs and Jack and also work on printing and putting out some of the million pics we already have!  Oh, and I want to try to relax and enjoy these last few weeks before I go back to work and my baby is no longer a baby!

Right now Jack is sleeping in the bouncer seat at my feet, and a jealous Tug is curled up in my lap clinging to me so he doesn't fall out of this too-small seat we are sharing.  Bastian is also at my feet and Della is out in the living room in her dog bed just ignoring the rest of us as usual.  Daddy is working on Scott and Suzi's house today and so the rest of us are just hanging out.  When Jack wakes up I will nurse him and play with him.  Now he is staying awake longer, so we may do some naked-tummy time and kill 2 birds with 1 stone - a little diaper rash rescue and muscle toning both at once!

That's all for now, folks!

This week was a week of firsts!  Jack's 1st official outing was to College Station to buy some UGA gear, although really that happened on Saturday of last week, but close enough.  Then Monday (8/17) we had his 1st photo shoot!  The pics turned out beautiful even though Jack peed 3 times during the shoot in various places including right through one prop and on Mommy's lap!  Wednesday (8/19) we took our 1st family trip to GRandi and PaPa's for steak dinner and went for a nice walk around their neighborhood, and today (8/21) Jack got to go to Grandma's condo in Decatur for a pizza lunch and a couple of diaper changes.  Grandpa even stopped in from work to say hello and get a little snuggle time with Jack.  It has been a busy week!

Mommy had a first this week too.  Today (8/21) was my 1st time driving with Jack in the car and without Daddy.  As I was getting into the car to go to Grandma's condo I realized I forgot to bring about 4 things, so I had to go back up the elevator and into our condo to grab some of them, and then back down to the car.  I put Jack's seat into the car and then could not get the stroller to collapse and fit in my trunk with the other jogger stroller already in there!  Then Jack started crying!  As I was struggling with the stupid stroller I was getting more and more flustered about him crying and I jammed the stroller in the trunk and closed it and thought I might have broken something in the process.  I desperately wanted to pull out of there and get moving so Jack would be soothed.  Sure enough as soon as the car started moving he fell asleep...and then I realized I forgot one of the items I went back inside to get - my nursing pillow!  I ended up going without it and it was just fine; Grandma has pillows too!

I started writing this blog 2 days ago on 8/21.  Now it is Sunday, 8/23 and my baby is 19 days old.  Yesterday his cord fell off.  He is growing so fast.  Tonight we will give him his first bath!  The fact that I started writing this blog 2 days ago and am just getting back to it now is a sign of how busy life is with a newborn, even if you are not going anywhere or really doing much of anything.  Jack needs a lot of attention!  And when he is not getting attention, something else is...a dog, a cat, a dishwasher or laundry...

Today my sister came over and held Jack while Brett and I did some much needed housework.  I still have a ton of paperwork to finish up, bills to pay, thank you notes to write, and somehow in all of that I have to nurse my baby for what seems like infinity.  Even though today I desperately wanted him to sleep so I could quickly run to the store to buy new breast pads, when I got home and he was still sleeping, that same desperation shifted to how badly I wanted to hold and cuddle with him.  I let him sleep though.  Never wake a sleeping baby...

And speaking of...he is awake now and this was the longest he slept all day, so he is sure to be a starvin' marvin!  I better go open up shop!

I love how Jack holds his hands when he sleeps.  He either crosses them or holds them close to his face.  Mommy does that too, and it is so strange to see little bits and pieces of common traits in my child, especially so soon after his birth!  Every day, no - scratch that!  Every hour, he does something new that amazes me.  A facial expression, a gaze into my eyes, tilting his head to hear Daddy's voice, supporting his own neck, how he has learned to control the flow of my milk by letting go and then latching back on...these are all amazing new discoveries.  As much as I love watching him develop, it is hard to think about him growing up.  I want to hold him, kiss him, touch him, talk to him, smile at him, sing to him all the time.  I want him to stay small, and yet I know I will cherish every milestone! 

Daddy and I are feeling very blessed right now because neither of us is sleep deprived since our little champion has been sleeping through the night already.  We know it could change at any point, but it is still nice to feel caught up in the event tonight is the night he doesn't make it through.  Jack seems to love sleeping in his little Close Sleeper "box" at night.  We swaddle him in this little swaddler wrap and then he just drifts right off to sleep in between us, his head normally falling toward his right, so the last thing he sees is his Daddy's face.  There are no words to describe the peace I feel inside when my child is comfortably sleeping in the safe and loving environment we believe we have created for him.  We take great pride in our family bed decision.  At this point, it would be impossible to sleep without our baby right there with us.  Don't worry to those of you who think we are freaks - he'll be out of our bed by high school!  Maybe he will take the dogs and cat with him and then think of how much more room Daddy and I will have!  Haha!

I hope to never forget how Jack looks when he sleeps, the noises he makes while he is drifting off, and the expressions on his face as he journeys into dreamland.  I want to hold onto the moments when he squeezes my finger and I rub his little arms and how cool it is that I can sooth him in that simple way.  Right now as he naps in his crib behind me, I feel so blessed for this healthy, beautiful little miracle that God has entrusted into mine and Brett's care.  I pray for a safe, secure life for my baby.  I pray for him to feel peace and happiness.  I pray for a strong family bond, and I pray for him to always know how much we love him.  I have never wanted anything more than I want us to be good parents to this little person we created.

Time to go nurse my little champion!  Click on the attachment to see Jack's sleeping hands! 

My baby boy is one week old today.  It seems crazy that one week ago he was still inside of me.  I am still just amazed at the whole process of getting him out of me and into this world!

We came home on the 6th and first things first, the cousins all came over!  It was very emotional for me to watch all the kids holding Jack, knowing Brett and I are finally a part of THAT group with our own baby added to the mix.  The kids are all so special to us, so we just feel so thankful to have such wonderful family to raise our boy around.

We have had lots of visitors!  Jack is very popular!  He has been really good when people come over.  He is pretty mellow most of the time, so maybe my prayers for him to be more laid back like his Daddy have been answered.  He is just so cute, and I can't lie - showing him off has been fun!

Jack is sleeping like a CHAMP!  Saturday night he slept for 5.5 hours before I woke him up to nurse for MY comfort!  Then he went back down and slept from 7 to 10:45AM.  Sunday night he slept for 6 hours and this time I did not wake him.  Last night he slept for 6.5 hours!  It is crazy that he is already sleeping through the night so I don't want to jinx it, but I have found that if I can keep him awake from like 10:30PM to about midnight and do his last change and feeding in that time period, he is good to go for the night! 

Nursing is going well too!  Jack is a great eater and I am sure he has gained back some of the weight he lost!  My milk came in on Friday after we got home, and Jack likes to over indulge I think, so he has been spitting up a lot!  I am still learning how to breastfeed so we can get into a better rhythm that will perhaps help him to not spit up so much.  Again, he is sooooooooo cute!

The 4-legged babies are adjusting well to our new addition.  Tug is in love with Jack and just wants to sniff him and lick him and snuggle close to him all the time.  Sebastian has been very relaxed and it seems like he and Jack already know each other.  I think that the kitty was the only one who "knew" that Jack was inside of me while I was pregnant.  Della is being her normal self, basically just ignoring the newbie in hopes that he is just a visitor whose attention-getting will soon pass.  She is enjoying all of our guests though for now.  We are sure that in a few more days she will give in and decide to "meet" the little guy!

We went for Jack's first walk today.  It was great!  Jack loves his stroller from GRandi and PaPa and he wore a cute onesie Daddy picked out with a peace sign on it, and of course we took Earth Bunny with us.  We were a little nervous, I'll admit that, but we made it home safe and sound and Jack just slept the whole time! 

Today is Uncle Scott's birthday.  Maybe Uncle Scott will drop by this afternoon.  I know Aunt Christie is planning another visit, and Grandma and Grandpa will definitely be here tonight.  GRandi is also making us pasta and yummy meatballs, so we may see her today too!

Right now I hear little squeaks coming from Jack's crib behind me as I type.  He is waking up from a nice little snooze.  He will need a change and a feeding and then maybe he will want to swing for a little bit before falling back asleep for an afternoon nap.  It may not seem like much to some people, but my dreams have come true to finally be a mommy, and how lucky I am to have such a gorgeous baby boy!!!

Maybe I can go sneak in a sandwich before he is totally awake...bye for now!

So Jack was overdue, and I was getting more and more uncomfy and worried that him being overdue was going to cause some issues with our birth plan.  On Monday 8/3 we went to our midwife for our 41 week check up only to find I was maybe 1cm.  Now this was the 1st time in my entire pregnancy that I had been "checked."  I thought it was going to be like having a pap-smear done.  No, it is not.  It was excruciating!  Kay (our midwife) said that the 1cm was not indicative of anything, that I could still go into labor at any point, but it would just be a harder labor.  She scheduled us for an ultrasound the next day to check the baby for any signs of distress.  Brett and I left her office feeling discouraged, but also sort of excited for the ultrasound.  We went home and decided to have a nice dinner of tilapia and rice and a spinach salad.  By the time we got done with dinner it was 9:30PM...

At 10:20 I went to the bathroom.  As I leaned forward to wipe, I heard a small "pop" and thought wow, that was a funny kick, Jack!  Then I stood up and my water gushed out!  I screamed to Brett like 5 times before he heard me b/c he was asleep on the couch.  He came in and then we sort of lost it a little in the sense of that we forgot everything we learned and didn't know what to do.  We ended up calling my mom who told us to call the midwife, who then told us that we should try to sleep b/c labor would most likely begin in the next 12 hours since my water broke first.  Had I been in public when it happened, it would have been just like the movies!

It was "go-time" though!  We were too excited to sleep.  We watched Law & Order Criminal Intent and then we tried to go to bed.  At 12:10AM on 8/4, less than 2 hours after my water broke, labor began!

Brett slept maybe an hour and a half during the night.  I did not sleep at all.  I played Tetris between contractions until they became too painful, and then I turned on VH1 and started moving with the music videos to help me through contractions.  Lying down was the WORST, so sleep was not possible at all.  We called my mom and sister early in the morning to update them and ask some questions.  We had a hard time identifying the length of the contractions b/c they were so different.  Some were in the front of my gut and others were in my back, but they were getting pretty close together!  Our birth team was ready to go!  My mom got to our condo about 7:30 and my sister was there at about 8:30.  Our original plan was for my sister to take our dogs to our friend's house and then come back to our place during the home labor part, but by 8:30 Kay had already told us to go in to the hospital.  Labor was REALLY progressing! 

We got to the hospital at about 9:30.  Kay checked me (OUCH!) and I was already 5cm!  After 30 minutes on the belt monitor I got right in the tub.  I didn’t let ANYONE touch me except for dop-tone monitoring.  I tried counter pressure for like 5 minutes tops and just did not want to be touched.  Never left the tub after that – it was my private boundary that no one could enter.  Kay came in about 2ish I think and checked me (TORTURE) and I was 9 cm.  She said I had a cervical lip she would help move for me (over my dead body) after she delivered a baby next door so I could start pushing or I could wait for her to come back.  I pushed like crazy and it just so happened she took longer than expected next door due to an emergency.  When she came back in she said for me to bend over on my hands and knees and she would move that lip and I just said give me one more chance to do it on my own.  The next push his head came out!  Then it freaked me out a bit so I stopped pushing in that contraction and his head got sucked back in.  So then I was like oops, so I pushed and his head came all the way out and the contraction was over.  About 30 seconds later (in SLOW MOTION time) I pushed again and Kay just rotated his shoulders a little and he came all the way out.  Kay gave him a little nudge and he swam over to me and I pulled him right up myself!  Jack Patrick McQuilken was born on August 4, 2009 at 4:44PM weighing in at 8 pounds, 3.6 ounces and 20 inches long.  His head was 14 inches and his shoulders were 13.5 inches!  He was a big, strong, healthy boy! 

The water was too cold though, since I had been in so long and I was not letting anyone around me.  So, they had to take Jack away and give him oxygen, but it was b/c he was cold, not b/c he wasn’t breathing (of course I didn’t know that part until later so I was freaking out when they took him!).  Then Kay got me out of the freezing tub and put me in the bed and then they brought Jack back to me and put him on my chest with warming blankets for us both.  Then it just so happened I lost a lot of blood and my uterus was bleeding out.  So after that entire time with no needles, no drugs, no nothing, I ended up with 2 Pitocin shots in my thighs to stop my uterus from bleeding out.  Brett was with Jack when this was happening and my mom was with me b/c she said she wasn’t going to leave HER baby!  Anyway, they beat up my gut in the process trying to do whatever they have to do to make the uterus do what it is supposed to do (oh and I am out of order here but the placenta delivered in like 2 minutes and didn’t hurt or even feel like anything), but I am glad they did b/c the bleeding stopped.  So finally after our hour of bonding they were moving us to the post partum room and I fainted twice, so the first night I was sort of delirious and out of it, but I was full of adrenaline the next day for all of our visitors!

Jack is amazing!  We love him more than we could have ever imagined.  I do not know how to describe my experience.  I just know that it hurt really, really bad, but I was determined.  Where there is a will there is a way, and there are different ways for different wills, so, to each her own, but for me it was “touch me, and die” so no one touched me.  I even made them let me clean myself off afterwards – Kay said she never had anyone ask that before!  No stitches either – Kay let me choose.  Brett was awesome.  He just stayed there and told me I was doing great which is all I would let him do anyway.  He bailed water once when it got too cold and he tried to get me to move around when I started to get too tired during transition.  He was worried for about 45 minutes of rest, but then I powered through it.  He was also very scared when we didn't know why Jack was blue-ish (it was just b/c the water was cold though), and he got pretty freaked out when I fainted the first time after losing so much blood.  Overall though, Brett is the proudest, most loving daddy ever!  He is so overwhelmed with emotion for how much we love our little boy!

So after 2 days in the hospital, we arrived home on 8/6/09.  We are now trying to get adjusted after our first night, and today (8/7) we bring the dogs home to meet their human brother.  We are so excited to be a family! 

Thank you to everyone who has supported us and helped us through the pregnancy and delivery as well as every day life.  Also, thank you to all our visitors in the hospital and to the many of you who we know we will see very soon.  We love you and are so happy to share our journey into parenthood with you!

Brett and I are the luckiest parents in the world b/c Jack Patrick is the most amazing gift and blessing we could have ever hoped for.  For that, we thank God.

Now, I have to go hang out with my little champion!

I don't know if it is anxiety, or maybe I have had too much time to rest now while waiting for Jack to arrive, but for some reason I find myself unable to sleep again and again.  Maybe it has to do with getting up to go potty every hour, or maybe it has more to do with just being so incredibly uncomfy, but whatever the case, I can't sleep.  Everyone keeps telling me to get all the sleep I can now, as if I can stockpile it or something, but I don't really think that matters.  I guess it could be like that Disney World commercial where the little boy says "I'm too excited to sleep!"  I am too excited to sleep, Jack!  I mean no matter how sleep deprived I will be when you get here, it doesn't change how desperately I want you to come out!

And I won't lie - this is not fun anymore.  Being pregnant and past due brings on a whole new set of fears and worries, concerns I was hoping not to encounter.  What if they do have to induce?  Will I still get a water birth?  Is my baby going to be a giant?  Is he still okay in there?  What if induction fails and I need a C-section?  Am I going to be okay too?  The truth is...I am afraid.

Jack has until August 10th to come on his own, and although that is only 10 more days, it seems like forever.  I know I am supposed to just relax and let him come when he is ready and do a bunch of kegels and pelvic rocks and try to walk and all that jazz, but honestly, I am over it.  I want him to come out!!!  Jack, PLEASE come out for Mommy! 

In the mean time, I play old school Tetris on the original Nintendo about 3 hours out of every night.  Brett is a heavy sleeper, so he doesn't even notice, and although Della growls a little out of irritation, Tug, like his Daddy snores right through it.  Bastian hangs out with me; right now he is positioned at my feet while I type, and when I leave here to go back to Tetris, he will follow me again I am sure. 

I wish I had it in me to be more relaxed.  Jack, Mommy wants you to know you don't have to worry b/c I got that trait covered enough for our whole family.  I hope you can be free spirited and laid back, more like Daddy.  If you do turn out like me, I will do my best to encourage you to let go of the things you cannot control so that you may find more peace in your life.  I figure we have a few years together before we have to face these kinds of thoughts, but again, here I am just being me...

Maybe I am already sleep deprived and just unaware of it...I love you so much, Jack, and I still can't wait to meet you!

So it is official.  Jack is still not here.  He is just too happy and content inside my belly I guess.  While he is in there fattening up, I am out here fattening up!  Last night we went to Scalini's for the well known labor inducing eggplant parm, and I was determined to eat every last bite in an effort to "inspire" Jack to make his debut.  So far the result has not been what we were hoping for.  The night was basically sleepless as I suffered from terrible heartburn and had to sit up every few minutes relying on gravity to keep the marinara sauce from coming straight back up (and out!).  We still have up until 8:23PM tomorrow for Jack's birth in order to be inducted into the Eggplant Baby Club where we get a $25 gift card and a free Scalini's Baby T-shirt.  Tomorrow is also Taylor's birthday, so if JP comes then, he and his oldest cousin will share their special day; couldn't ask for a sweeter girl to share it with though because Taylor is so wonderful!

Overall everything is fine.  Baby is fine.  I am fine.  Daddy is fine.  As Bob Marley says, "Every little thing is gonna be alright."  Waiting is not my favorite thing of course, but we want Jack to be perfectly ready when he comes, so if he needs to cook a little longer than so be it.

We'll keep you posted!

Well it looks like I am not going to win the Baby Pool at work.  Today was my 3rd and final pick, and unless Jack decides to come in the next 6.75 hours, I lost!  Brett still has a good chance with his July 27th pick though...

But the truth is I am actually the biggest winner because the official winner only gets a $53 "Jack-Pot" while I get to bring home a precious baby boy! 

Brett and I are anxiously awaiting.  We want Jack to be healthy and come when he is ready, but I can't help but wish he would hurry on up!  I am just so ready to meet him and tell him I am his mommy and I will always love him no matter what, forever and ever.  The love in my heart for him is so overwhelming, and he is not even born yet! 

Any day now!!!

-Brooke