Birth Prediction Results

Remember our birth predictions? 

Well here they are and what really happened:

Danielle:

Jackson's birthday:  August 22nd.
-Wrong! September 2nd

How long will labor take? 8 hours in the hospital

-Right! Or really close 8.5 hours

How long will it take Danielle to get an epidural? 7 cm

-So close! I got the epidural 6cm but by the time I got the epidural I was 7cm.

Time of birth? 7am

-Totally wrong 11:58 pm

Weight of baby? 8 pounds 9 oz

-Really wrong! 6 pound 6 oz

Length of baby? 22 inches

-Close 21 inches

Jamie:

Jackson's birthday: August 30th. He is convinced he is coming in August.

-Close

How long will labor take? 8 hours in the hospital

-Right

How long will it take Danielle to get an epidural? First he said 8cm then he said 4.. he's not sure

-Eh how do I answer this one? I wanted one at 4! haha

Time of birth? 2:30pm

-Wrong!

Weight of baby? 7 and 1/2 pounds

-Closer than I was

Length of baby? 18 inches

-Really wrong

So the winner was me!! Mother's intuition :)

5 weeks old

On our walk today~it was actually chilly outside

*Sorry this is a little late! We had a busy weekend. And I didn't take a five week picture :/ 

5 Weeks
I can’t believe Jackson is 5 weeks old! It makes me sad to think how fast time is going. It seems like we were just bringing him home. He has changed so much in 5 weeks its crazy. This week he started smiling!! It is probably the cutest smile in the world. He has been awake more and more which is fun because you can interact with him instead of just snuggling (which I love too). This week was so much fun!

Weight:  9.7 pounds!!  YAY!

Sleep: He is now sleeping in the Rock N Play all night!!! He doesn’t need me to hold him to sleep - sometimes he does need the occasional snuggle to get the fussy out but after that back in the Rock N Play. This was my main concern or goal last week and we accomplished it! I just hope he continues this.

Clothes: Premies are finally too tight. Newborn onesies fit really well and are getting a little snug. 0-3 is still huge. His Halloween clothes are 0-3 (because that’s all they had) so I’m hoping he will put on a couple more pounds before then!

Visitors:  Mimi and Poppi of course! Jackson met his Aunt Allie this weekend. He spent two days snuggling and playing with her.

Out and About: We made our usual errands to Target and daddy’s office! We also spent a day with Mimi running errands and going to lunch which was so much fun! We are getting better and better at being out and about. He did go hysterical in Joseph A Banks (and we were only there for maybe 10 mins) of course the lady who worked there was giving me the “Omg how old is he is is so tiny” bit.. which is annoying, I know he looks like he is a couple days old but he’s not... anyways so that was a bit embarrassing but it just gives us more practice. I still have yet to change a diaper in public. I’m not looking forward to that. We are still taking walks probably every other day. 

Baby Gear Love:  
Vaseline- If you are having a little boy buy the squirt vaseline you will need it! Every time I think we are done with the vaseline we need it for something else.When I was pregnant that was on the list of "needs" so I bought a jar not really sure what it was used for... but I soon figured that out at the hospital and I realized the squirt kind is the way to go. 

Rock N Play- LIFE SAVER! I freakin love this thing! Totally worth the money which really it wasn't too $$. I love it because it is reclined which is great for the reflux, it is snug which is great for those of you with snuggle bunnies who like to be held, and it rocks back in forth which is KEY for Jackson because he has decided swinging side to side is like torture. And it folds up so you can take it on vacation or whatever. I think this is great because I am highly doubting he will sleep in the pack n play. I can't say enough great things about it. 

Rock n play and how cute is it?!

Bouncer- This sit on the floor, it sits more upright than the Rock N Play, vibrates, plays music, and you can bounce it. I also move it around the house so I can see him- this is awesome for when you need a shower. We use this everyday!

Bouncer- Fisher Price. And when you take pictures of your baby in it it gives the baby sweet bunny ears!

Crying:  Getting so much better! We went to the doctor this week for his 1 month check up and to discuss the milk intolerance. After telling her everything that was going on she said- we need to start Zantac to help with the reflux and his stomach issues. With the issues he is having he presents like a Colic baby which I had been thinking the whole time but she confirmed it. I was relieved because I was not about to start another elimination diet wasting another 2 weeks of him feeling bad. Hopefully the medication works! He is right on track for everything else, she said he looks great! 

Funny story- The Pediatrician took Jackson from me so she could check him out and he immediately went hysterical. She was like oh a demanding baby huh? I was like uh YEA. We seriously say this all the time at home. Then she goes on to say his personality must be be like your husbands because you seem so calm and relaxed. Your husband seems a little hyper. HAHAHA LOL I am still laughing about this one. One I am NOT calm and relaxed although she is not the first person to say this- I must fake it well. And two Jamie IS really hyper compared to me. 

Milestones:  
Smiling!!! He is holding and turning his head more on his tummy. He is holding rattles for a really long time- if we put them in his hand. He is focusing more with his eyes. He had a major explosion on the changing table (and mommy)... Mommy and daddy went out for 3 hours and left him with mimi and poppi- that was hard but I know we need to keep spending time without the baby too. 

Looks like he's lifting a dumb bell!

Postpartum: Still at 25 pounds lost. The weight loss has stopped but I have my appointment next week so hopefully I can start working out again. 

Goals this week- start a bedtime routine and a schedule. I've been reading that most people have bedtime routines at 4 weeks oops. I did realize this weekend we pretty much have a schedule it’s just not the exact time everyday. We also do kinda have a bedtime routine but we need to start it at the same time every night. This is hard because I want Jamie to be involved but he never gets home the same time so then dinner time changes which leads to the schedule getting off. We will see how this goes!

Bear butt!

One Month!

One Month
This was by far the hardest week we have had. Monday we found out Jackson has a milk intolerance meaning absolutely no diary of any kind (including soy) for mama! I feel so bad for his little tummy. And to make matters worse it takes 7-10 days for the diary to get out of my system. On Wednesday I started feeling bad and woke up in the middle of the night with a fever, really awful aches and pains (I thought I had the flu), spent two hours (shivering) at the doctor’s office to find out I have mastitis..fantastic. Thursday was terrible I felt awful all day. Luckily Jamie was able to stay home and help out. This whole week has also been Jackson’s growth spurt week which means he is a starving Somalian every 1-2 hours. If he makes it to two and half hours I would get a little giddy. We had one terrible night somewhere between Monday and Wednesday where he was up every 1-2 hours STARVING. And sweet boy is loosing his hair like a balding old man- from the front going to the middle but leaving hair on the sides. YIKES! Here’s to hoping next week is better..

Weight:  7+ pounds 

Sleep: See above

Clothes: Premie and Carter’s newborn onesies everything is fitting better!

Visitors:  Mimi and Poppi. And our neighbors who also have a newborn came over to watch the Jaguars game on Sunday. Jackson had no idea another newborn was even in the house but little Raleigh would cry every time Jackson would cry!

Out and About: We were home bound most of the week- read above. But we did manage a couple walks. Friday we went to the Vet (to pick up cat food), Publix (to try to find diary/soy free cheese hey that doesn’t exist), and Starbucks (for a Pumpkin Latte which surprise has milk in it oops) but he did great and slept the whole time! Saturday I was demanding we get out of the house so we went to Barnes and Nobles to return some books and right about the time I was picking them out Jackson starting crying like we hadn’t feed him in weeks. I shoved the books at Jamie, took Jackson to a table, and sat down the feed him... the bottle exploded everywhere while he is still screaming and some stupid person decides they should try to talk to me.. uh hello we are in crisis mode here! But after he ate we manage to make it to Dick’s (for some FSU gear) and Firehouse. Whew. 

Baby Gear Love:  
Hooded Towels: I'm obsessed with these! It makes bath time that much easier- you just throw the hooded part on his head and wrap him up and your done! Plus he looks so freakin cute I can hardly stand it. We got ours at pottery barn kids- lion and the hippo and we also have the gingham one that is sooooo soft and has his name on it LOVE!  I just noticed there are new ones that we may need to purchase...

Beverly Hills 90210- Soap network: Life saver. hehe lets get real you are at home all day long and most of the time our baby wants to be held or you just feel like cuddling him or maybe you are exhausted but can't sleep.. get the soap network! It's addicting. I am hooked on 902010 to the point I pause or tape it if Jackson gets fussy or needs to be feed. Plus it's mindless so your exhausted brain can rest but be entertained. I look forward to it everyday! 

Baby K'Tan wrap- BUY IT NOW! This thing is awesome. Jackson can cuddle up in his favorite spot- my chest and I can still get things done. He's still a little to small where I don't trust letting go of his head but it still gives me more freedom them carrying him myself.  He's in it right now and I can type away!

Crying:  Oh boy! If he’s hungry, trying to poop, or what wait I’m not being held?! Add being naked, diaper changes.. pretty much all the time unless he is being feed or held. Baby K'tan wrap has solved this problem :)

Milestones:  
He was able to hold onto his little football toy! With the right and left hand. Pooping on mommy and his cute lion towel...

Go COLTS!! I  mean JAGS :)

Postpartum: Lost 25 pounds total- 9 more to go! Counting down the days when I can go for runs, can’t wait!

 

The little things

It's only been a couple weeks but Jackson's features change more and more each day. It's funny how often I stare at all the little things like his nose, mouth, eyes.. So I decided to take pictures of each part to remember exactly how they were and just how small he really was.

Freezer Meals

Life with a newborn is crazy! Making a real dinner is never an option for us because that is usually when Jackson wants to be fed, held, changed, etc. So I highly suggest a few things:

Cosco:

• Buy frozen veggies, meat, or anything else you heat up quickly
• We don't have a lot of freezer space so we got two giant bags of organic veggies, tilapia, and chicken- I wanted healthy options because I know when we order food it won't be healthy 
• It has been a life saver!! It's so easy for Jamie or I to heat up veggies and a meat- meal done

Freezer Meals

• I made 3 before Jackson was born and 2 of them were really good. Here are the recipes:
• Pizza Spaghetti Casserole see recipe below
• Crispy Chicken and Rice Casserole see recipe below

Friends and Family- some awesome helpful things we got and LOVED

• Casseroles- hello super easy and yummy
• Frozen steaks/lobster- a pleasant surprise we can make for our friday night date night
• Meal delivery- we can order meals to have delivered awesome!
• Fruit Basket- fruit is hard to keep in the house because that means you have to go to the grocery store so this gift is awesome. We have tons of fruit to snack on.
• Champagne- Yum and great for some stress relief/celebration

Want to make something easy? I love to bake and have been missing it. I'm home so I feel like I should be able to cook but having a newborn that's not really an option. So I made this easy fall recipe:

Pumpkin Puppy Chow Mix:
1 bag of pumpkin hershey kisses
9 cups of chex rice cereal
1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar

1. Measure out cereal and place in a bowl.
2. Measure out powdered sugar and place in a gallon ziploc bag
3. Melt hershey kisses
4. Once melted, pour kisses over chef and stir
5. Pour chex into ziploc bag and shake

Pizza Spaghetti Casserole

We preferred turkey pepperoni, so you don't get a greasy appearance. Freeze the unbaked casserole up to one month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator; let stand 30 minutes at room temperature, and bake as directed.

Southern Living MARCH 2007

• Yield: Makes 6 servings
• Cook time:15 Minutes
• Prep time:15 Minutes
• Bake:40 Minutes

Ingredients

• 12 ounces uncooked spaghetti
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 (1-lb.) package mild ground pork sausage
• 2 ounces turkey pepperoni slices (about 30), cut in half

• 1 (26-oz.) jar tomato-and-basil pasta sauce
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 (8-oz.) package shredded Italian three-cheese blend

Preparation

1. Cook spaghetti with 1/2 tsp. salt according to package directions. Drain well, and place in a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish.

2. Brown sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until meat crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain and set aside. Wipe skillet clean. Add pepperoni, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, 4 minutes or until slightly crisp.

3. Top spaghetti in baking dish with sausage; pour pasta sauce over sausage. Arrange half of pepperoni slices evenly over pasta sauce. Sprinkle evenly with cheeses. Arrange remaining half of pepperoni slices evenly over cheese. Cover with nonstick or lightly greased aluminum foil.

4. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes; remove foil, and bake 10 more minutes or until cheese is melted and just begins to brown.

Crispy Chicken-and-Rice Casserole

Deliver with a tossed green salad and French bread.

Southern Living SEPTEMBER 2003

• Yield: Makes 8 to 10 servings
• Cook time:30 Minutes
• Prep time:30 Minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked long-grain rice
• 2 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 2 (10 1/2-ounce) cans cream of mushroom soup
• 1 (8-ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained
• 1 (3 1/2-ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise

• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup crushed cornflakes cereal
• Garnish: chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

Cook rice according to package directions. Stir together cooked rice and next 10 ingredients in a bowl. Spoon into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with cereal.

Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Garnish, if desired.

Note: Freeze casserole up to 1 month, if desired. Thaw casserole in refrigerator overnight. Bake, covered with aluminum foil, at 350° for 45 minutes. Remove foil, and bake 15 minutes more or until thoroughly heated.

3 weeks old

Happy 3 weeks Jackson!

Week 3
This week we got a little closer to feeding schedule which made life that much easier! For most of the week his sleeping schedule was getting longer and he was staying awake more each day. I really got to enjoy him this week! 

Weight:  7 pounds! 

Sleep: He did really well during the week~ having one four hour stretch each night. This weekend was a whole other story. He loves waking up at 4am and staying awake.. mommy does not. 

Clothes: Premie and Carter’s newborn onesies. All his cute 0-3 months aren’t going to work in the winter buddy!! 

Visitors:  Mimi and poppi as usual! His Grandma Sullivan and John came all the way from Virginia to visit. Jackson loves visitors because then he is allowed to snuggle and sleep on people all day... which makes for very long nights but that’s ok!  

Out and About: We went on two walks this week. Went to daddy’s office and had lunch. Also managed to go to dinner and get yogurt afterwards- he slept the whole time! And of course we made a couple trips to target. 

Baby Gear Love:  
Swaddle Blankets: Aden + Anasis- I have a love/hate relationship with these. They are great because they are light weight, super soft, and really cute. I don't like them because they are so long! It's really hard to get a good swaddle with them. But you can use them for all kinds of things besides swaddling too. 

Swaddle Me is my favorite swaddle! It comes with velcro which makes it so easy to swaddle a wiggly baby. 

 Play Jungle by Fischer Price- we love this! It has lights, music, nature sounds, a mirror, rattles, it's just great for play time. 

Crying:  We had a lot of crying (especially when he's sleeping) this week which lead to a doctor’s visit. He’s have some belly issues which means mom has to cut out diary from her diet (ahhhhhh I love milk). Hopefully we can figure this out because I feel terrible when his little belly is gurgling and he's crying :(

Milestones:  
He picked up his head and turned it all the way to the other side and back this week! 

Postpartum: I’ve lost a total of 23 pounds so 11 more to go! I can’t wait to start working out again, it’s been so long! 

This week I didn’t take any Motrin and boy I’m surprised by how much things still hurt- my back is sore and still having cramping. 

Happy 1 year anniversary!!

We got married one year ago today! It was such an amazing wedding weekend we still talk about how much fun we had. I couldn't have imagined a more perfect day! Here is a look back at our first very happy and fun year.

September: We got married :)

November: We left DC to move to Florida.

December: Our first Christmas and surprise we found out we were pregnant!

January: For my birthday we went to Orlando to see Cir del Solei

March/April: We took our honeymoon/baby moon. We went to Hilton Head and Savannah

April: Jamie's birthday!

May: My first mother's day!

June: We to Charleston for a friend's wedding

We also went to Alabama to visit my brother.

July: We got to go boating!

And we had our baby shower

August: We were patiently awaiting the arrival of our little bundle of joy! 

September: One year anniversary and the birth of Jackson!

 Our new family of three!

 Day 2

Anniversary Dinner~ 3 Forks