A Visit from Grandma and Aunt Dayna

Grandma and Aunt Dayna traveled this week from Oregon to visit Jack. It was a busy week--cuddling Jack, cooking dinners and cleaning the house. Thank goodness for the extra help! Below, Grandma feeds Jack and also gives him a bath.

It was hard to see Grandma and Aunt Dayna go!

Tummy Time & The Cats' Meows

The vocab we use around the house has expanded in the last year. In preparation for Jack, I began to read about developmental milestones a few months ago. "Tummy time" is our new phrase--one that we try to use in practice every day.

The pics show our first attempt at tummy time, which I think only Finnegan the cat enjoyed. While Jack stressed out over being placed in a new, unfamiliar position, and we stressed out over Jack's discomfort, Finnegan reveled in being able to get up close and personal with the strange creature who is now the main focus of his owners' attention. (Pics make it look like Jack is dangerously close to the edge of the table, but he really wasn't--plus, he was locked down by my hand.--a disclaimer for my mom.)

The four fur-babies were hesitate for a few days after Jack's arrival. Jamie brought home one of Jack's hospital hats for the cats to sniff before Jack got home. Emily is as aloof as ever--no surprise, and Finnegan is predictably interested and involved. Patty and Charlotte don't mind sitting with us as long as Jack is not crying, and Charlotte boldly laid on the same bed as Jack when he was fussing through a diaper change.

All in all--milestones for baby, parents and kitties.

Rub-A-Dub-Dub, Jack in the Tub

Now that Jack's umbilical cord and circumcision ring have fallen off, he's freed from the sponge baths and is onto bigger and better things--a full-on bath. The first two pictures below hide the fact that he actually likes his bath. He finds the warm water very soothing! Mom and Dad like the results--a sweet smelling baby boy!

Unhappy Feet

The wonders of pregnancy don't stop at the birth itself. Postpartum is also a time to discover the amazing things your body can do--or become. Although my legs and feet showed signs of swelling before Jack's birth, nothing prepared me for the crazy sausage legs upon I now hobble.

I can't really say that certain parts of my legs are swollen, since right now my leg looks like one big stump--no differentiating the parts. I can make out a 'cankle' (calf-ankle). According to the dr., swelling should diminish soon.... All definitely worth it, of course!

Jack and Mommy Milestones

Jack had his first dr’s appt. today. He is at his birthweight—6 lbs, 8 oz. His cord and circumcision look great. No jaundice. Healthy eating habits. Wonderful outlook!

I pooped for the first time since last Thursday!

Back Blog: Home, James!

After four days in the hospital, the doctors and nurses deemed us fit to bring Jackson home.

Recovering from a c-section, I can’t lift anything over 10 lbs, drive a car, climb stairs, move around too much, etc., for the next two weeks. Lucky for me, my husband in an ANGEL. He does everything for me--things that would send any husband screaming out of the house. He's my dream!

Jamie--a.k.a.--"Daddy"--shows his enthusiasm in his Heisman trophy pose. Dad and son look too much alike--it's adorable.

I couldn't resist throwing in the "yawn" pic. It's too cute!

Back Blog: Jackson Facts

Jackson Foster Morss
6 lbs, 8 ozs
19 inches long
2:48 p.m.

Jack waves "Hello!" to all of his new family and friends.

Back-Blogging and Posting: The Birth Story

I’m back-writing and dating all the info, to give time and space to each event.

The whole birth story would take too long—so, here are just the basics…induction was recommended due to a 8lb 14 oz estimated weight, which was a huge overestimate, as we were soon to find out!

At midnight we checked into OSF hospital and made our way to the labor and delivery floor where we were greeted by a fantastic group of nurses and medical professionals. Even though the toilets and water were not working on the floor (ugh!), we were comfortably placed and very happy with the treatment we were receiving. To start the induction, the cervical gel was applied at 4:30 a.m. The IV was put in place for the saline solution and Pitocin. Dilation and contractions progressed so quickly, that the Pitocin ended up not being necessary.

The contractions were actually not that bad and I was surprised when I was dilated to 4cm and told that an epidural could be administered. I wanted to actually wait a bit longer, to see how much stronger the contractions would get, but the nurse said that the labor was progressing too quickly and I could miss the window of opportunity. Surprisingly, the epidural didn’t hurt and wasn’t at all scary. The excitement of the moment overrode any fear I had of needles. I was so comfortable by the time I was dilated to 7 cm at 1 p.m., I was confident that the whole childbirth pain was very overrated.

Sounds good so far, eh? Although I couldn’t feel the pain of the contractions, we could see them spiking on the monitor and could hear the loud thumping of Jack’s heartbeat, which slowed each time I contracted and prompted the nurses to attach the monitor internally straight onto his head, to make sure that the beats were accurately captured. Then, the scariest moments of my life happened. Jack’s heartbeat stopped on the monitor. The nurses rushed in and began to flip my body around to place him in a better position and stimulate his heart to working. The third time his heart stopped, they flipped me once more, got the heart working again, and prepped me for an emergency c-section due to ‘fetal distress’.

The nurses called the attending doctor, tossed Jamie his scrubs and began upping the epidural medicine to numb me from the waist down. I was so scared for Jack and scared that I wouldn’t be numb enough in time for the incision. Five minutes after I was rushed to the emergency room and Jamie was allowed in, we heard his first cries. My crying turned from fright to relief as his heart was pumping and the nurses untangled the cord from around his neck.

Because Jack’s body temperature was lower than a normal newborn’s, Jamie was allowed to hold him for only a few minutes and show him to me, but the baby wasn’t allowed to lay on me. Instead, they took him down to the nursery for evaluation and was put in a ‘warmer’.

With the scariest parts over, the doctor stitched up the incision and the nurses wheeled me into recovery. Although Jack was born at 2:48 p.m., we weren’t allowed to see him until after 9:30 p.m. so that he could stay under the warmer and the nurses could keep an eye on him. Confined to the bed, I couldn’t even go to the nursery windows and look in on him. Jamie went down and took pictures to bring back to me. The pictures helped, but still didn’t calm me down. The nurses gave me one Ambien and a sleeping ‘shot’ during those seven hours, but I couldn’t close my eyes til I saw him. Fifteen minutes after holding him in my arms, I fell into a much needed sleep.

Quick Update

First--thanks for the phone calls! Sorry I haven't called anyone back. Jamie works at night and sleeps during the day, so I keep the phone muted to keep from bothering him. I'll slowly start to get around to talking on the phone.

Went to the dr's on Thursday. Seems Jack has grown over two pounds in two weeks, to an estimated weight of 8lbs 14 ozs. Really, we're not sure how much of that to trust. He'll probably come out only weighing 6 lbs, which would be find by me!

Here's some TMI--I'm having stronger contractions--today has been a bit rough. We're going back in Tuesday morning to start the whole 'induction' process due to Jack's increasing weight. It won't be induction day itself, but I'll be prepped with some gels, etc. Yuck! Even though Jack has gained, I keep losing overall. I've cut almost all sugars, fats, etc. to only get those good nutrients in, although I've promised myself some cookie dough ice cream before Tuesday night. Jamie bought some at the store, in case I can't wait until then... :o)

A Lesson From Dale Carnegie

“Do the thing you fear to do and keep on doing it... that is the quickest and surest way ever yet discovered to conquer fear.”--Dale Carnegie

This past Sunday, Jamie shopped his first, full shopping trip by himself in the past two years. We were both nervous--I that he wouldn't be able to navigate Super Wal-Mart by himself and would end up with a cart full of chips and beer, and he that if he came home with chips and beer, mass hysteria and lamenting would ensue.

Oh, I of little faith and too many issues. Jamie surpassed expectations and proved his hunting and gathering skills without exception (though a few bags of chips and goodies were thrown in to boot).

Jamie makes me smile every day. Not only because he cheers me up by adorning my fresh pineapple with a Spongebob, but also because he continually proves me wrong---in a good way. For those who know me, I am a control freak. I like things my way and on my schedule. He reminds me that end results can be achieved by different means and much better than I can often do it myself.