Merry Christmas! We've had a wonderful time seeing family and friends in Alabama, all of whom got to see Jadyn for the first time. Jadyn spent her first Christmas where her Dad grew up and as far as we can tell, she had lots of fun!

3 Months Old

On Dec 10 Jadyn turned 3 months old. Time is just flying by, and yet it feels like I can't remember life before she was born. Anyway, here's her Christmas photo. We'll do the obligatory "First Photo with Santa" later this week.

Another First

Well, it was bound to happen sometime. Jadyn has her first cold. Not too bad so far, but I'm keeping a diligent eye on her. Man, she hates that bulb sucker thing!

First Christmas Parade

Here's a few snapshots of her at her first Christmas parade, here in Starkville. She really got a kick out of the marching bands. I think she loves music, which tends to be predominant trait on my side of the family.

Now That It's Getting Colder...



Isn't she cute? We got her this hat a few months ago and I've been anxiously awaiting a chance for her to wear it!

An Open Letter to Folks in Stores Who Stop to Comment on My Baby

Pink=Girl Blue=Boy

Sincerely,
Jadyn's Mommy

2 Month Check-up

Jadyn weighs 9 lb 7 oz and is 21 inches long (apparently the hospital measurement at birth was inaccurate, she was only 18 1/2 inches rather than 20). She's healthy and looks good, other than a possible allergy to the cats and a tad of reflux, which explains the spitting up after every meal.

She got 4 shots, and handled it relatively well. She only screamed for the first 5-10 seconds after each one. But she got very angry when food wasn't there when she wanted it immediately after the whole process. I have a feeling she'll be tired, hungry and a bit grumpy today, and that's perfectly understandable after being stuck 4 times!!!

She's my little trooper!

Energy booster:
When this little girl smiles, it sends a whole packet of emotions through me - I wish my parents could see this; Evidence of what we waited for for so long; Why I can't I be with her all the time?; I lose several hours of sleep - for THIS. And yes, it gives me a little shot of adrenalin. I love you sweetie! I'm glad you're here. This can also serve as her two-month-old picture since she's now eight weeks old.

A MIRACLE MACHINE!

I had been wanting a swing for Jadyn and I finally got a used one from ebay. (I figure, new is not necessary in some cases, and this one works great.) Anyway, I am SO glad I did! She loves it! Finally I can get things done during the day!

See how happy she is??? Er, maybe content is a better word!

Becoming Famous Already!

I submitted Jadyn's photo for the ivillage.com baby photo gallery, and it was selected! Click here to see her among other cute babies.

This is the photo I used:

Punkin Bottom
It's one of our nicknames for our precious Jadyn. We took some pictures, one Saturday night at a party, and some just a few minutes ago, in her pumpkin outfit.

First Smile Pictures

Yes, I finally caught a few smiles on camera, and here they are for you to ooh and aah at.
















This outfit is just too adorable - especially the headband!

Showing Off a Gift

Paul's cousin (or some variation thereof) gave Jadyn this cute bib from Alaska.

Why I Love Pumping and Using Bottles:

My Sweet Towel Baby

I just love the way she's looking up at me with such a sweet look on her face.

Extreme Close-Ups

I took these while I was holding her. I know, they're blurry and not centered and pretty much terrible, but I love them.

Our Little Miracle

A friend of mine gave me this custom-made onesie for Jadyn, so I just had to take a picture of her in it. Isn't she adorable?

The Green Savior

See this thing? The sun rises and sets on this thing. The moon waxes and wanes on it. On this the tides turn and fortunes are made and lost. Or, at least you'd think so, considering the way Jadyn reacts if it's not around when she wants it.

Love/Hate

Things Jadyn Loves:

• Her pacifier
• Falling asleep while nuring
• Getting a bath
• Sticking her tongue out at her daddy
• Snuggling
• Spitting up on clean clothes (anyone's)
• Dirtying a fresh diaper on contact

Things Jadyn Hates:

• Losing her pacifier
• Being awakened while nursing
• Getting out of the bath
• Missing her daddy
• No snuggles when she wants them
• Having her clothes changed
• Getting lotion rubbed on her freshly cleaned bottom

Bath Time Baby

Here's my cute Towel Baby:















And here she is again, very unhappy that bathtime is over:

Getting bigger
Jadyn looks and feels like she's getting stronger and growing.
She's not yet ready to start working on calculus or even putting whole term papers together, but she's getting there.
OK, I know. She's just barely a month old.
But I want so much for her to succeed and do well.
Right now, she's just hanging out in her hooded towel after her Momma gave her a bath.
One step at a time I guess.

JADYN IS ONE MONTH OLD TODAY!!!

Wow, it's been a month already! Time sure has flown - except, of course, for the times when Jadyn is not willing to sleep or eat in the middle of the night. Those times drag on and on.
Anyway, here are a few photos I took today in honor of this milestone:




"You caught me!" Doesn't she look surprised? Of like I just said, "Freeze, hands in the air!" This outfit (complete with headband and baby mittens) was so cute I had to get a shot of it. Of course, as soon as I took the photo, she spat up on herself. Figures.





The weather is getting colder so she probably won't be able to wear this pretty party dress much, since it's a 0-3 month size. So I had to put her in it just to get a few pictures. She was getting sick of me changing her clothes by this time, and I think the dress was itching her. But she looks TOO cute, doesn't she?

In honor of her daddy's 38th birthday Jadyn is wearing a new onesie. This is because when I asked him a few months ago what he wanted for his birthday, he said, "A baby!" (It says Daddy's Little Princess.)
















We went out for a walk today, just Jadyn and I. It felt so surreal to be yanking the stroller out of the minivan at the park, just like all the other suburban mommies. Is this really me???

Sleepy Time Daddy

I caught this shot while Paul and Jadyn were snoozing together on the couch. Proof that they'd both had a long night. Isn't it so sweet?

Bath Photos

Here are a few pics from a recent bath time. This isn't her first bath, but it's the first one that occured when Paul was around to take pictures. Jadyn is still too squirmy for me to manage her and a camera at the same time.

Yes, I covered her itty bits for modesty's sake. And she loves bath time - she just isn't too wild about being wet and naked and NOT in the bath.

Isn't she just about the cutest thing you've ever
seen? I can't wait till she gets old enough to play with bath toys. That's going to be a blast!

Enjoyable fatigue
No, I haven't been the epitome of sunshine when Amanda asks me to get a bottle in the kitchen (on the other side of the house) at 2:30 a.m., or anything that's between 10 and 6 for that matter.
In fact, I'm having trouble holding my head up right now.
Nevertheless, I know I couldn't have had it better what - or rather who - showed up about three weeks ago.
I enjoy holding her so much and want the best for her, even when it doesn't seem possible to give it, at least not right now.
She's so amazing, and yet so simple. Her needs are feeding, changing, burping and holding and that's about as basic as it gets. I wonder much we actually grow out of when we grow older.

Jadyn's First Sunday at Church

Well, we finally made it to church. I figure I'm doing pretty good, getting there when she's only 3 weeks old. I must say, I have NEVER felt so popular as when I walked in the door. Of course, as soon as people saw me, they looked at Jadyn, which I completely expected. Most of the comments were "She's so TINY!" and "She's beautiful!" Now, I KNOW she's tiny - and we're working on that part. But I have to say that I have wondered if people say she's beautiful because that's what a mother expects to hear. I mean, I know she's beautiful, but are people just being nice? But a sweet friend said, "No, really, I mean it - I don't say it about every baby because some just aren't." So apparently she really is just as gorgeous as I think.

It was great to get out and see folks again. I think it's a step toward feeling like I'm back to being human. Sure, I'm still going to feel like a walking milk cow for a while, but that's to be expected. At least now I can be around other folks - especially mothers who know the feeling. Maybe next week I'll try to get to our local M.O.P.S. meeting and get in the mommy groove. :)

It's About Time!

I realized a few days ago that the only photos I had of me with Jadyn were from the day she was born, and since I looked as bad as I felt that day, I'm not letting those out in public. So since she was already dressed up to meet her "adopted Aunt BeBe", I decided to have Paul take a few shots of us together. Here are a few of my favorites from the bunch:

What I wish I could tell Hershey:
You're not being replaced.
You're still a very important part of our family.
Jadyn is very fragile and small and we need to be careful with her.
If you understood how long we've waited for her and how much we wanted her to come,
you'd be a bit more patient with us.
Taking her socks out of her bed just brings you negative attention, not positive.
You're not doing everything wrong.
We love you, Hershey, and want you to remain with us, so please just listen when we tell you "no" and realize we'll tell you "Good boy" as often as we can.

The Jury Is Still Out...

We knew when we got pregnant that there could be a big adjustment issue for our dog Hershey when the baby was born. He's not getting near as much attention as he used to, and we are still trying to teach him how to act around the baby. At times he seems to want to guard and protect her. Then there are times when we get the impression he'd like to use her as a chew toy. So needless to say (why do people always SAY what they say is needless to say?) we aren't leaving her alone with the dog. It's just too scary. But here's a photo of him with her and Daddy, and he seems to be fine as long as he's included.

My daughter is getting hip. She says, "Peace Out!"

I AM A VERY BLESSED MOMMY!!!

My darling sweet little angel child will be 2 weeks old tomorrow. 3 nights ago she started sleeping "through the night", meaning she slept at least 5 hours straight overnight. The first few nights I was a little worried that maybe I should have woken her up to eat. I will remember to ask the pediatrician about this on Monday at her 2-week check-up. But from what I hear from other parents, I should just give thanks to the good Lord and enjoy the sleep. And believe me, I am. I'd rather have her up more during the day and be able to sleep at night.

Oh, and I know it sounds like nothing more than proud new mommy talk, but did I mention that she already knows how to hold her pacifier in her mouth with her own hand? She isn't doing it all the time, but we have seen it several times over the last few days. Gifted, that's my diagnosis. :)

Our sweet baby girl's photos from the hospital are online at http://www.ohlooknps.com/nmhs/. The password is 3717 and you should know my first name. She's adorable, of course!

There and Back Again (subtitled: How we did on our first trip to Wal-Mart)

Well, I had determined that I must buy food, and it couldn't wait for a time convenient to my dear hubby's schedule, so after Jadyn went down for a nap, I snuck her into the car seat, gathered the necessary stuff, and slipped out.

First, we went through the bank drive-thru lane. I bit my tongue and successfully fought the urge to tell the sweet lady teller to shut up because I feared the sound of her voice might wake my happily napping child. After catching glimpses of Jadyn through that handy but all-too-distracting car seat mirror, I felt reasonably certain I could pull off the Wal-Mart leg of the trip.

The thing that struck me most was this odd feeling that I was much like some wide-load truck on the highway without it's front and rear escort cars. I felt for all the world like everyone could tell I was a first-time mom on her first-time grocery trip with her teeny tiny newborn. I whispered to anyone who spoke to me, took extreme caution rounding turns, and skipped several aisles I would normally scan, all because of the lingering dread of a crying fit in the check-out line. (By the way, it sure would be nice if someone would tell the people at Wal-Mart that check-out workers have forgotten how to say anything more to customers than the amount of the bill.)

The highlight of the trip came while I was in the baby section. (Heaven forbid I DON'T go into the baby section - that's how it's been since the stick showed 2 lines.) Anyway, this nice lady saw me with my snoozing angel and asked me about baby monitors. Apparently a friend of hers is having a baby and wants the TV kind. I told her that in my opinion they're a little extreme, but if the new mommy wanted it (she's a first-timer too and I told her we tend toward the extreme), she should get someone to go in with her on it because of price. She said thanks and off she went. I felt so....so....helpful! Imagine, someone asking ME about baby stuff!!! Didn't she see the giant flashing yellow I'M A NEWBIE sign over my head? Ah well, the bulb must have burnt out. I'll change it during the next naptime.

A few more pics of our princess!

With her grandmother, "Omi". In her bassinet in the hospital .

Rude noises can come as such relief!

Well, I think we found the culprit. After my c-section, my doctor prescribed the pain medication Lortab. I noticed that when I eliminated that and stuck with Tylenol that there was no more serious gas attacks. I also start out each nursing session with a Mylicon appetizer, and between those two strategies, we aren't having more than occasional moments of gas. Believe me, we are all very thankful. (It doesn't seem to be GERD from what I've read - thanks for the tip!)

GAS IS FROM THE DEVIL!!!

My poor sweet child has been suffering from terrible gas. It breaks my heart to hear her wailing and see her kick her legs and arch her back in what I know must be awful pain. I'm using those gas drops and they seem to be helping some, although I'm not sure how fast they're supposed to take effect.

By the way, have I mentioned that gas is evil???

1+1=3

This is how I announced the birth of our sweet daughter on my personal blog. I promise, from now on, posts will be original!

Well, our little duo has become a threesome. Jadyn Liana was born Saturday, 9/10/05 at 8:17 AM, weighing 6 lb 17 ounces and measuring 20 inches long. You know, I type that sentence with such ease, but truthfully, it was NOT an easy process.

My water broke Friday night, so off to the hospital we went (after my dear hubby finished an hour's worth of work). Upon arrival, when my doctor found I was not contracting on my own, he hooked me up to pitocin, the devil's drug. On and on the contractions came, but no dilation. So after he kept upping the dosage, I got some stadol to help deal with the pain. Still no dilation. Up went the pitocin. I gave up and got the epidural, which wasn't as bad as I thought. The worst part was having to stay still during the contractions so he could put the thing in. I was literally shaking from the pain. That was around 2:30 AM, and I was only dilated 2 cm. Around 4:30 I had dilated no further, and we decided that it looked like a c-section. The baby was pretty much stuck on some little bones in my pelvis. We made the final decision about 6 AM and at 8 AM I was wheeled into the operating room. She was born and pretty much wisked away for her check-up. Thankfully I got to catch a fleeting glimpse of her and hear the pediatrician say she looked good (over the sounds of her crying).

Anyway, I'm recovering from a delivery that pretty much went completely the opposite of everything I wanted, but in the end, I still have a beautiful baby. Now I see how utterly ridiculous it was of me to bother with a birth plan. Next time, my birth plan will be one word only: c-section.

Oh, here's a picture of my angel child:



















And here's one of her with her daddy: