Author: SniperJess

Happy 2 Weeks Lane!

As of tomorrow, our sweet Benjamin Lane will be two weeks old! I can’t believe how fast it’s going by. I wished and wished for these days, and now I am ready to press the pause button and freeze time for a bit. Our boy has gotten bigger and better in just the two short weeks he’s been in the world.

First, his belly button fell off! Yay! This means no more sponge baths or folding down the diaper. Just a normal (ish) belly button that’s good to go in a big boy tub! Speaking of big boy baths, we have video of his first. Let me just preface that post by saying BLT is NOT a fan of the tub. Considering his behaviors elsewhere, I’m thinking it’s because he hates to be cold….something else we’ve learned about our little boy in this short time. As soon as Ben realized that Lane didn’t like to be cold and found him some comfy, warm pjs, well…he’s been sleeping much better at night. Maybe next time I’ll put his cute little butt in the tub with me. 😉

Another thing we’ve gotten the hang of is nursing. Having a VBAC, and successfully breastfeeding, were two goals I set for myself early on in this pregnancy.  Now, the VBAC isn’t entirely in my control (well, not at all in my control), and if you read the previous posts you’ll see why it didn’t happen.  But breastfeeding I can do. And am doing, quite beautifully.  We’ve had a few bumps in the road with it just like anything else. Lane is supplementing with formula to help with his jaundice and throughout this process my supply has dipped a bit.  But, there are still several times a day when I am able to cradle my guy and bond with him in a way I never have. What I initially thought would be awkward or unnatural for me has turned out to be second nature and cathartic for my spirit. I’m hoping I can continue this with him for another few weeks….

Last to mention is Lane’s “playtime”. I’m not sure if you know anything about newborns, but they pretty much sleep all the time. ALL, the time. But over the past two weeks Lane’s favorite time to be awake is after feeding, and after a diaper change. Sometimes he falls right back to sleep, but more often lately he likes to look, and stare, and whoever it is that’s holding him. These have got to be my favorite times so far. Most of the time we just stare at each other for 15-20 minutes at a time. I talk to him, and he doesn’t respond much except with random reflexive smiles or yawns. He loves when I stroke his face or give him kisses. It’s a very easy, simple time where we get to know each other and bond in yet another amazing way.

Tomorrow Ben goes back to work, Chase is at school, and it’s just BLT and I on most days. I am looking forward to spending alone time with my handsome boy, but  also anxious about my other handsome guy being so far away. I take comfort, however, that in our experience, no matter how much space is between Ben and I…we’re never really apart after all. 🙂

Lane’s Arrival

Tuesday, January 3rd, started like any other Tuesday really. School was out and Chase was coming home from his Dad’s after spending a long New Year’s weekend. We spent the morning hanging out in our pajamas and watching tv. After lunch, I started having a few strong contractions. This was not much different than previous days, where my strong contractions lasted about 20 minutes then subsided. Once they got a bit stronger, and closer to an hour going strong, I texted Ben and called the nurse at my doctor’s office. Still not too concerned, I told Ben to take his time coming home and decided maybe I needed to ‘relieve some pressure’. While sitting on the toilet, I felt a gush that was not controlled by me. I immediately thought “Oh my gosh, my water broke! I’m going into labor”. Within the next few seconds my thoughts quickly changed as I noticed my water did not break, instead I was bleeding. Alot. My heart sank knowing that something wasn’t right. I immediately called my doctor’s office who told me to get to the hospital as soon as possible. Then I called Ben and told him he needed to be home ASAP. Throughout all of this, my sweet Chase was home with me. I put on my bravest face and decided to keep him busy while I waited on Ben. I stayed on the toilet and bled, while Chase grabbed things we needed and added them to the suitcase. I used every bit of my courage not to worry, but knowing that this amount of blood wasn’t normal. I hadn’t felt Lane move in a while. I just wanted to be at the hospital. Now.

Continue reading “Lane’s Arrival”

We’re Ready! 38 Weeks….

Here I am at 38 weeks. Sometimes I catch myself in the mirror and stop for a quick…”woah”…then move along. It’s still kinda surreal to me that in the very, very near future we are going to have a tiny human in this house, but we couldn’t be more ready! One day after Christmas and you’d never know it was here. Everything is packed up and in the attic until next year. Closets have been cleaned out and new toys/clothes are put away. Grad school is completely DONE! Just waiting on a final grade on my portfolio and I can officially say I’ve finished my Master’s. School’s out until next week for Chase, and until April for me! One last minute trip to Target today and my bag is packed for the hospital. Just need to throw a few more things in there once it’s go time! I can not think of a single thing more we could do to be ready for this lil guy….except wait. Which I’m not great at…but I’m trying. I did a bit of walking today to try to get things moving, but I think he’s pretty snug in there. What I don’t want is to go to 40 weeks, only to end up having a c section anyway, but there’s just a few things in life i can’t have control of…no matter how much I’d like to. For now I just want to enjoy this next week or so, relax a bit, and enjoy what’s left of this pregnancy. Here I am at 38 weeks! Yikes!! 🙂

36 weeks!!!!

Only one week away from a full term baby! We are so close to meeting this little guy and everything’s coming together. One more week of work and grad school then I am DONE! Most days I feel great. I have a cold, and some days I feel like he could just fall right out, but overall I feel calm. And happy. And ready. Things are going to be so different but it’s a big change I’m ready for. Chase and Ben have been amazingly helpful these past few weeks also. Here’s a pic from this week. Sleepy and swollen, but happy and smiling. 🙂

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Laziness and leftovers….

This house has been pjs, leftovers, ps3 playing, and complete laziness for three days now. It’s been SO nice. I’m not sure when the next time will come when we have so little to do. Maybe Xmas break…unless lil BLT makes his arrival earlier than planned!!

Also, when you’re sick of leftovers, create something new! Tonight we had white bean turkey chili and mashed potato cakes and they were perfect! Back to work and school tomorrow. I’m hoping chases fever will break tonight, and the next 18 work days will fly by and be nice and calm. 🙂

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Happy Thanksgiving!

We made enough food to feed 20! Here’s the spread.

Turkey. (20 pounder!)
Gravy
Chorizo cornbread stuffing
Green beans with bacon
Mashed potatoes
Sweet potatoes
Corn casserole
Cranberry sauce
Cookies
Pumpkin pie
Butterscotch bourbon pecan bread pudding with a bourbon syrup.

Then. Sandy brought Mac n cheese, rolls, tea, pecan pie, and banana pudding.

Yup. There were FOUR of us. Chase was with his dad and my family doesn’t really gather for holidays anymore. We will be eating leftovers for days. I think all the cooking and eating has us hungover today. We been on the couch being lazier than ever, but I’ve LOVED having these past few days at home with the boys. The tree is up and the house is decorated. With a little over 6 weeks until I’m due, “chill” is going to be the word the rest of this holiday season. Though I probably should start shopping soon. !

Here’s a sneak of my sexy husband and our bird, “Tom”. Happy Turkey Day!!

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