Jack: 2 Months Old

Our Jack Jack turned 2 months old this week!

Can't believe how quickly it is going...

And how fast he is growing.

Today he had his 2 month check-up.

I've been dying to know his weight, so I was looking forward to the appointment.

But, poor guy got his shots, so he wasn't too happy.

It's been fun to see Jack's progression over the past month.

He has so much more personality!

He smiles much more frequently and a lot easier.

He focuses in on us when we talk to him and is trying so hard to talk back.

Here are Jack's Facts at 2 months:

Weight: 13 lb 4 oz (75th percentile)

Length: 24 in (75th percentile)

Head Circumference: 16 in (50th percentile)

Clothing Size: 0-3 month

Diaper Size: One (grew out of newborn at 5 weeks)

Eating: Every 3 hours

Sleeping: 3-4 hour stretches

Firsts: Bottle at 6 weeks
Likes: Tummy Time (loves being on his stomach)
Dislikes: Still screams at bath time

Important Dates

Three years ago today on November 1, 2009, I met Jason. 
And now...we are married and have a six week old baby boy.
Crazy how life can change so much in a matter of three years.

I'm a date person.
I'm kinda obsessed with dates...people's birthdays, cool number combinations, significant events happening on dates related to other significant events...

So, I thought I'd write out the significant dates of our life for the past three years.

11.1.09: Jason and I meet at the young adults group at our church.
11.28.09: Jason and I go on our first official date to Aliotos in SF.
9.19.10: Jason proposes in San Francisco along the Lands End Trail.

4.2.11: We are married!

1.21.12: We find out we are pregnant with an EDD of 9.28.12.

1.27.12: We put an offer on a house (accepted on 1.30.12).

9.19.12: Our son Jack William is born.

So, most of these dates aren't that cool when it comes to number combinations... Lots of odd months with even days or years, so the dates don't look cool according to my taste.

However, I love the story behind some of these dates....

For example, I love that Jason and I met and started dating in November.

I used to call November 'Black November' because I had a few rough Novembers in a row... from starting a not fun job...to surgery....to a break-up that lasted from the start of November and ended on the 30th. So, I think it's great that Jason redeemed November for me.

When we found out our due date was the end of September, I was actually hoping the baby would be late and come in October.

I really wanted an October baby because October is my favorite month :)

Plus, I loved the dates of 10.1.12 or 10.2.12.

Very fun number combinations, right?

And, I thought that 10.2.12 would be neat because it was the 18 month anniversary of our wedding day.

Well, clearly Jack came early, so no October baby. But I love that he was born on the two year anniversary of our engagement. So very special.

And that is the fun with numbers I like to have!

Jack: 1 Month Old

Can't believe our little man is already a month old!

He isn't quite so little anymore, though. In two weeks, he gained two pounds! (Yes, is over 2 ounces per day!)

 

I just went through all the pictures I've taken since Jack was born and got all teared up seeing how big he has gotten. 

I know...he is still so little, but I'm a hormonal mother crying over how fast my baby is growing up. 

It's crazy to see the change with each week.

 

  Here are some Jack facts at month one:

Weight: 10 lbs 3 oz (50th percentile)

Length: 21 in (25th percentile)

Head Circumference: 15 in (50th percentile)

Clothing Size: Newborn

Diaper Size: Newborn

Eating: 2-3 hrs (grazer eater: 5-10 min feedings)

Sleep: 2-3 hrs at night (starting to go one 3+ hr stretch at night)

Firsts: Smiled at 3 weeks; baby acne at 3 weeks

Likes: cuddling on our chests; car rides

Dislikes: Bath time (being naked in general); being on his back

Jack's Birth Story

Today is Jack's due date.

I can't believe that our little man is already over a week old! 

It sure has gone quickly so far.

I'm writing out Jack's birth story mostly for myself, but thought I would share it for anyone who enjoys this kind of stuff (probably mainly those who have gone through labor themself).

Wednesday, Sept. 5th: Jack's birth story starts a few weeks out. At 36 weeks 5 days (Sept. 5th), I went to my weekly appointment. I was shocked to hear that I was already 2 cm dilated and 80% effaced. I was told that he could come any day...or I could stay this way for 3 more weeks. I left the appointment anxious and excited that our baby could come any day. The next few days were spent making sure everything was ready...car seat in, hospital bag packed, fridge stocked. Then we waited...the emotional anticipation was rough. 

Wednesday, Sept. 12th: A week passed, and I went to my next doctor's appointment. I was pretty nervous because I didn't want to hear that I hadn't progressed. My doctor walks in and looks at my chart and says, "So, is there a day you want to have this baby?" My reaction was, 'Huh? What?" 

He goes on to tell me that he was going to be out of town at the end of the following week and based on the previous weeks progression, was afraid that if I didn't go into labor naturally by the end if next week, he might be gone when I do actually go into labor. He asked if I wanted to be induced next Wednesday (Sept. 19th). I was all about it. I would rather be induced and ensure that my doctor could deliver my baby (love my doctor) than go into labor naturally and risk my doctor being out of town. He said he wanted to scrap my membranes on Monday though to see if that would trigger labor for me...that way we didn't have to go through the induction process. (I squealed when he recommended the membrane scrapping because my sister had it done 6 weeks prior to try and induce labor with my nephew...and said it was super painful and I would never want to go through it. We both have the same doctor...and he was going to be out of town the weekend before her due date, too. Haha). I left that appointment dilated to 3 cm and an induction scheduled for the following week.  

Monday, Sept. 17th: I went in at 8:45am to have my membranes scrapped. Not comfortable at all, but not as painful as I had thought. I was told to then go walk 3 miles to hopefully get 

contractions started. I was then to come back to the doctor's office by noon, and if I had dilated further to a 5 or 6, they would just send me to the hospital. I walked my 3 miles with my mom, came back to be checked, but had only dilated to a 4. So, home I went.

Wednesday, Sept. 19th: My doctor said I might not make it to Wednesday...but I did. We called the hospital at 5:30 that morning, and they told us to come in between 7:15 and 7:30. It was go time!

8:30am - I was all checked in and hooked up to pitocin to start inducing labor. I was still only dilated to 4cm, but my cervix was almost fully effaced and the baby was pretty low. My doctor broke my water and said he thought I would have this baby around 1:30 that afternoon. I was fine with that!

 9:30am - My contractions were already coming about a minute and a half apart and I was ready for the epidural! The anesthesiologist came around 10 to do his thing and the relief was immediate. They checked my dilation and I was still at a 4. All that pain and no progression!

11:15am- They checked me again and I was a 5.5. However, we started having some complications. My body had naturally gone into labor and started contracting, so my contractions were less than a minute apart due to the pitocin also building my contractions. The baby wasn't able to recover from the previous contraction before the next one started, so his heart rate was dropping too much. They stopped the pitocin and kept putting me in a bunch of different positions to try and stabilize the baby. I was definitely nervous. To make sure the babies heart rate was droppong due to contractions and not the umbilical around his neck, they tickled his scalp. Because his heart rate went up when they did this, it was an indication that the lower heart rate was due to the close contractions.  They also wanted to give me a shot of a terbutaline to slow down my labor, but my pulse was too high and the medication raises your heart rate. The babies heart rate began to regulate with the stopped pitocin and me laying on my back. This in turn calmed me down so they could give me the terbutaline.

12pm- Everything was stabilized and I was dilated to a 6. The baby had pretty much completely dropped. I figured my labor was going to slow down because I was no longer on pitocin and my contractions were 2-3 minutes apart.

1pm: My doctor came to check me and to my surprise I was fully dilated! 

1:30pm - I started pushing.My doctor said I had a good 20-30 plus minutes of pushing.

2:47pm - Our little man, Jack William was born weighing 7 lb 10 oz and 20 in. long.

 

Jack's birth date of September 19th already had special meaning to us as it was the two year anniversary of our engagement! (Plus, the 19th is National Talk like a Pirate Day, so Captain Jack came on a fitting day for his name).

 We had tons of family in the waiting room who came flooding in after Jack was born.

 

 Around 5pm they moved us over to postpartum. I loved being at the hospital. The nurses and staff were amazing, and I loved having them there to look after us and answer our questions.We enjoyed getting to know our little man and showing him off to our visitors.

We came home Friday afternoon as a family of three. We are beyond blessed by him and amazed at the love you can develop for someone so quickly!

Our Home: Before & After (Part 1)

Last November, Jason and I decided to start looking at places to buy. The lease on our apartment was up in February, so we thought we should start the search process. 

We quickly realized we probably started looking at the worst time of year, as the holidays are not prime time to put your house on the market. The market was sparse, especially since we were only really looking in two different cities. We did find a few places that we really liked, but alas, they did not work out in our favor. 

At the end of January, one week after we found out I was pregnant, a place came out on the market in one of the neighborhoods we really wanted to live in. Our realtor was out of town in Europe, but she was able to arrange for one of her realtor friends to show us the place. We were adamant about seeing it right away since a previous home we loved (and saw on the second day) had already been snatched up the day it came on the market! 

So, we got in on the first day and were the first to see the place. It definitely needed a lot of work, but it was exactly what were were looking for! Prior to seeing the place, we already had our offer written up (and a letter to go with it to try and convince the owners that we should get it). We didn't want to loose another place. 

A few days later, we found out that we were one of three contending offers. They needed to do a financial background check and ensure that we were qualified. The next day, we found out our offer was accepted. Yay! 

We closed escrow in the middle of March, but moved in with my parents instead. We wanted to fix up the place first and living there was not going to be feasible during that process. Our goal was to get in the first weekend of April so that I would then have my Spring Break the following week to unpack and organize. 

The process was definitely not fun at times, as I felt nauseous through the whole 'mini-remodel'. I would be exhausted and sick after work, but we would spend our evenings running around to Home Depot, Lowes, Carpet One, paint stores, and granite stores...to pick out all the fixings for our place. But, it all got done...and just in the nick of time to get us in when we wanted. 

Here are the before and after pictures of the kitchen, family room, and master bedroom. We are still working on the office, nursery, and bathrooms, so those pics will come as we fix those rooms up more. 

Kitchen Before

Kitchen After

In the kitchen, we kept the original cabinets and just had them painted out and put on new hardware. Jason demoed the tile counters, which were replaced with granite. A new stainless steel sink and faucet replaced the originals. We put in a new dishwasher because the original did not work. (We will hopefully replace the other appliances within the year). The lanolin tile floor was replaced with engineered hardwood. We also added molding along the peninsula and pantry cabinets.

Family Room Before

 

 Family Room After

 

 

 

In the family/living room, we (Jason) ripped out all the original carpet (smelt like cat and old lady...plus Jason is allergic to cats), and we put in engineered hardwood floors throughout. The entire house was a butter yellow, which we had painted out in Wise Owl. We also painted out the oak French doors to match the kitchen cabinets. New baseboards were also put in throughout the house. And, we made sure to get rid of the nasty curtains the previous owner left us and had blinds installed instead. One of our next projects is new windows (hopefully sometime before the baby comes or in the early Fall). Would also love to add crown molding...but that can wait :) 

Hallway Before and After

The hardwood runs down the hallway, too. On the left is our washer/dryer, but one of the doors was missing on the closet, so we had the second door put in. We also re-painted all the doors in the house and replaced the original knobs from brass to brushed nickel.

Master Bedroom Before

 

 

Master Bedroom After 

 

 

We replaced the carpet in our bedroom and had the yellow repainted to gray. The lovely brass wall lamps that the previous owner left for us (because 'they are so nice to have') were also taken down.  

More to come in the next months. The nursery is our next project to tackle.

Babymoon

My mom gave me and Jason some great advice shortly after we told them we were pregnant. She told us to find a week to get away together before the baby was due. 

It was hard to fathom the idea of a vacation at that point in my pregnancy, as I felt extremely nauseous. But we were hopeful that my the first week of by third trimester, I would be up for something fun.

I was. 

So, last week we headed off on our babymoon. Felt like we had just taken our honeymoon...oh...we had...just a little over a year ago.

We decided to keep it somewhat cheap and simple, so we did a So Cal sail. We knew ourselves...and knew we would get bored in one place the whole time, so we had three stops along the way.

Our first stop was Orange County on Saturday. First thing we did after checking into our hotel: Coffee Bean (the first of five stops at Coffee Bean). That has to be one of the best things about Southern CA.

Two years ago we had done an LA trip and Jason took me to Downtown Disney for the first time. We knew we wanted to revisit there and eat at one of our favorite restaurants: The Jazz Kitchen.

 

This place definitely is on our top 5 for best ambiance and food! I think we both ordered the same entrees as last time too: Jambalaya for Jason and Pecan Crusted Salmon for me.

 

 

It's great to walk around and get in the Disney spirit without having to deal with the chaos of the park. And, ESPN Zone is one of Jason's favorite places.

Did you know they have TVs in the bathroom stalls there? CRAZY!

And, we got a good laugh at this shirt, which will probably be true for our son...

 And, a TV sized version of Fruit Ninja?! Heck ya!

 

Sunday we went to an Angels game. No, neither one of us are Angels fans, but Jason wanted to take me to this park. We were totally impressed by how clean it us and how fan-centered it is. And, it was a great game - four home runs! Jason was excited to see his guy Mike Trout (learned all about him) hit one of the homers.

 

On Monday we left for San Diego (after a quick fix to our flat tire). This was the stretch of the trip that I was most excited about. I hadn't been to San Diego in ten years since my senior trip. We stayed in a beach house that whole week then, so we weren't really in San Diego much.
We spent Monday walking around downtown and exploring the Gaslamp District.

Check out the view from our hotel window: We both quoted at the same time, "So, this is how David must have felt..."

Monday night we headed to Old Town for dinner - Mexican food, of course.

Coronado Beach was the agenda for Tuesday. Finally, our first beach day :)

Apparently Coronado Beach is rated as the second best beach in America? I think that is a bit of a stretch, but it was very nice.

 

 

We enjoyed the white sand beach and exploring the Hotel del Coronado.

 

Before heading to Santa Barbara on Wednesday, we wanted to beach it up again, so we headed to Pacific Beach for some sun before heading out of town. After battling LA traffic, we finally arrived in Santa Barbara. So glad we live in Nor Cal...

We didn't arrive until late afternoon, so we decided to head down to State Street to explore and have dinner. This was Jason's first time to Santa Barbara and it did not disappoint. 

It was overcast all day Thursday and only 68 degrees, so we didn't go to the beach. (But we were thankful for those weather conditions compared to the 100+ degrees at home). We did lots of walking around Santa Barbara and Carpenteria and lots of antique shopping.

Thursday was Jason's birthday and a Lebanese restaurant, Zaytoon, was recommended to us by a friend, so we thought it would be perfect for his birthday dinner. You know how much we like our crazy cuisines. 

We saw pictures of this restaurant online and the ambiance looked incredible. It did not disappoint. One of the coolest restaurants I have ever eaten at. I will do a separate post about the restaurant, but here are a few (fuzzy) pics...camera broke :(

Jason was excited they had hooka.

The sun finally came out on Friday, so we got some beach time in before hitting the road for home.

I am so glad that we took some time to get away for a week. It was just what we needed. Pregnancy and me have not been great friends, so I have therefore not been a very fun person, let alone wife. Since I've been feeling much more like myself the past month or two, it was great for Jason and I to have some quality time together...just the two of us...before our little man joins us :)