Men and babies.

My parents and brother, Jonathan, came to visit yesterday, and it was the first time that my dad and brother had a chance to meet Jamie. The snow really ruined a lot of plans, didn't it?

 

  

  

And here's a great one of Scott and Jamie...

Well, I think it's time for a nap. Jamie agrees.

Taking a walk.

 

Sunday afternoon.

I love my moby wrap.

 

Today we successfully made good use of the moby wrap. Thanks to youtube, I figured out how to wrap the fabric around myself and then put a cranky Jamie in. He seems to really like it. 

What's great is that I can hold Jamie without putting extra strain on my back and shoulders. Scott thinks I look pregnant with the moby wrap on. Oh, well. It almost is like being pregnant (the weight is centered in the front), but much more comfortable.

Out of the house!

 

There he is, just snoozing away. Yesterday marked an important milestone for both Jamie AND Mama. We left the house together, without Daddy, and most importantly -- we survived. 

I had to go to a doctor's appointment and I had no choice but to take Jamie with me. Sure, he fussed when I was dressing him to go out, but once he was in his car seat, he was good to go. I'm not sure that we're ready for grocery shopping, but doctor's offices are a good place to start.

Happy [belated] Valentine's Day!

An important milestone!

James no longer has his umbilical stump.

And no, we did not save it. Tomorrow, I'm going to attempt his first tub bath.

Two weeks old!

I can't believe it's been two weeks since Jamie was born. It's been crazy and hectic, but wonderful, of course. We're all adjusting really well to each other.

 

The first week was probably the hardest. Jamie had his nights and days mixed up and we were confused on how often he was supposed to eat. I had no idea that newborns were supposed to eat 8-12 times a day, but at first, we were going nearly every 2 hours and feeding entirely too long. Once the pediatrician gave us some helpful advice, things have been much smoother. For the last week, he's been sleeping longer at night, and we're only up about twice a night to feed. I'm getting better at watching his cues to figure out when he's hungry and when he needs to be comforted. The funny thing is that he never cries when he has a dirty diaper. It's always a surprise.

 

Jamie is starting to become more alert everyday. It's fun to watch his facial expressions. He seems to like looking at lights. Another cool thing is that he has a great grip. Sometimes he holds onto his pacifier.

 

 

Jamie doesn't really like getting baths. This picture is misleading, because it was only a matter of seconds before he started crying. We're still at the sponge bath stage until his umbilical stump falls off.

 

When we're upstairs, Jamie likes to spend time in his swing. We use a sound machine (the womb sound works best) to soothe him. I like to think that Jamie is pretending to punch the bad guys in this picture. It's pretty cute. Sometimes he'll just start punching at the air.

In baby bump tradition, here's my two week post partum bump. In looking back at my earlier bump pictures, this is on par with about where I was at 15 weeks pregnant. I still say I feel much more comfortable and energetic than I did while I was actually pregnant. Recovery is going smoothly and I can't wait to be 100% back to my old self.

James Aidan Kramer

He's here!

Introducing...James Aidan Kramer! He arrived at 11:33 am via scheduled c-section on Thursday, January 28th. He weighed 9 lbs 15 oz at birth, measuring 22 1/2 inches long.

Scott and I couldn't be happier, prouder parents. It's kind of crazy how unexpected a birth can be. I had always planned to let things happen naturally, which was just fine with my doctor. When I went for my 40 week checkup, however, Jamie was measuring larger than we expected on the ultrasound. After getting a second opinion with a specialist and a few extra ultrasounds, my doctor strongly suggested having a c-section. I was shocked, but agreed to follow her advice. Jamie still ended up weighing more than the measurements predicted. Who knows how long it would have been until I went into labor naturally and what kind of experience that would have been.

There's nothing to describe that moment when Jamie was born. I will never forget it. I remember feeling nervous, constantly asking what was happening, wondering at what moment I would hear crying. When it finally happened, I couldn't believe it. Before I knew it, a nurse was holding him up for me to see, and then Scott started snapping pictures. Scott held him first, and I was able to stroke his face with my hand, since the rest of me was unable to move. The anesthesiologist took my camera and got some great shots of the three of us.

Once I was stitched up, I was wheeled into a triage room and I got to hold Jamie for the first time. We got to spend a little bit of time bonding together, but then he had to be taken away to the nursery for all of the standard newborn care things. That was really tough. I had waited so long for him and we were separated right away! While he was gone, though, we had time to call our parents and then other close family members. Once I had some feeling back in my body, I was moved upstairs to my post partum recovery room. It was a lot like a cabin on a cruise ship -- very small on space, but nice. I was there until Sunday afternoon, and while I was more than ready to leave on the last day, we really needed the extra time there. I always had a nurse assigned to my room and a nurse for Jamie. Who knew that babies were so confusing! I think I had to call someone in just about every time I needed to feed Jamie.

 

  

Anyway, we've had a few days at home together and survived our first trip out of the house this morning -- to the pediatrician's office. Jamie currently weighs 9 lbs 5 oz. He's in the 98th percentile for his height (wow!) and the 81st for his weight. 

Tomorrow, he'll be a week old. Where has the time gone?