Eat, Sleep, Poop...REPEAT

The title describes the first month and a half of Jaden's life. We're glad someone in the house has been getting some sleep!! I would say the first 3-4 weeks were the worst, but now we are starting to see some patterns forming. Around six weeks is the magical time when she started sleeping longer - 5 hours at a time which is considered a full night's sleep for a baby - not for me, I miss my 8 hr stretches...those were the days :)

Right now she goes to sleep from 11pm - 5am and again from 5:30am-7:30 am. But she likes to surprise us every now and then and change the schedule to be wide awake at 4am! Those are the rough nights!

Last week Jaden's Grandma Jones and Aunt Rhoda stayed with us for the week. It was a great visit for everyone. I enjoyed having a little free time to get out of the house each day and even enjoy my first post-partum massage...AHHHH!

Jaden will be 2 months old next week. I can't believe how fast time is flying by! She has changed so much. I can tell she is gaining weight, she is smiling, and she is starting to "talk" to us a lot! She wakes up in such a good mood each day and I love seeing her smiling face looking up to me waiting to be picked up.

Lots of love,
Christy, Benny, and Jaden

Where do I begin???

Oh my goodness, life has been turned upside down since we've come home. I don't even know what day of the week it is anymore!!

Jaden will be 4 weeks old this Wednesday and I'm going to attempt to recap what has gone on since she was born.

Brief birth story:
My water broke on April 21 at 7pm. The midwife on duty gave me a couple of options if I didn't start labor on my own. We chose to wait it out as long as possible and went to the hospital the next morning. I still wasn't having any contractions :( We took our time driving to the hospital and had to make a stop at our favorite place...Starbucks! We arrived around 7am and I walked for a little while after being admitted hoping to start labor, but no such luck. I was bummed that they wanted to induce because I wanted to go all natural, no drugs, etc. They started me on Pitocin at 10:30am and I finally started feeling some contractions. By 3:30pm I wasn't enjoying labor so much and decided to receive Stadol. My midwife said that would take the edge off, but she lied (just kidding!). Really, it didn't do anything but make me feel drunk - the pain was still there. So there I am feeling like I drank 10 glasses of wine, couldn't focus on anyone, and I'm still in pain!! By 5:00pm I was ready for the epidural since the midwife told me it would be another 4 hours...there was no way I was going to endure this kind of pain for that much longer. I finally got the epi around 5:45pm and became a new woman!!! The next several hours were a breeze and our sweet Jaden arrived at 10:35pm.

Welcome Jaden:
Jaden Addison Jones was born April 22, 2009 at 10:35pm. She was 7lbs, 6oz, and 18 inches long.



Week 1:
We came home on Saturday after having to treat Jaden for a slight case of jaundice. It was nice to be home, but also a little scary knowing that we were on our own now! My mom came over on Sunday and stayed through Thursday. It was great having her around to help out with Jaden, cooking, cleaning, etc. When she left Thursday it was tough for me to say goodbye. It was great having someone to chat with when Jaden was sleeping. This week was interesting as I never thought I would be talking so much about poop and celebrating when Jaden pooped!! It was an important topic because the Dr. told us that she needed to excrete the jaundice...so we were on poop watch! LOL!!

She had her first check up this week and is back up to her birth weight. She's healthy and everything looked great.

Jaden under the lights to treat jaundice

Week 2:
This was by far the toughest week for me because I was really tired and had some serious hormone changes going on. I found out how important it is to stay in touch with friends and have a little alone time.

This was also the week I got to celebrate my 1st Mother's Day. I never thought my heart could stretch so much and be filled with so much love.

Mother's Day

Jaden got her first bath this week and she loved it. She's like her mommy and looovvees her baths :)



Week 3:
Okay, this was a tough week also but in a different way. I think Jaden is going through a growth spurt and wants to nurse constantly! She's been very fussy and doesn't like to sleep at night. Benny attended a conference in South Beach at the Ritz Carlton this week. Jaden and I went with him. NOTE: it's probably best not to take a 3 week old to a hotel! She was having some meltdowns and I was so worried that we would disrupt our "neighbors" at the hotel. Nights were good because we co-slept and nursed on demand. But the days were rough...she couldn't be satisfied and was extremely fussy. She didn't nap much either :( We were able to get out of the hotel for about 20 minutes and walked along the boardwalk. It is so beautiful there!

Jaden had a follow up Dr. appt this week and now weighs 8lbs, 4oz. She's growing :)


We are approaching the 4 week mark and have experienced so much. Jaden has had jaundice, clogged tear duct infection, bad case of baby acne, and a yeast infection. I've dealt with meltdowns (Jaden's and mine!!) and may have thrush - gotta love breastfeeding - it's one of the hardest things ever! I've been peed on, pooped on (projectile poop!), she pooped in the bath tub and pooped in the blanket on the way to the bath (and I had just changed her). As crazy as it has been, I'm looking forward to all the firsts we will continue to experience.

Hangin' with Daddy

First Gator blanket :)

I love mommyhood!!!!

Much love,
Christy, Benny and Jaden

Mmmmm...CHOCOLATE!!!

The week before Jaden arrived, I had a great surprise delivered to me. A Hershey tower was sent from Hank, Sarah, Gabi, Kennedy, Piper, and Phoebe. It was just in time as I was craving something sweet! Thanks so much guys...you know what I like!!!

"See ya soon Baby J"

Baby J is here!

Our little bundle of joy has arrived. We welcomed Jaden Addison Jones into the world on April 22 at 10:35pm. She was 7lbs, 6 oz, and 18 inches long. She's a beauty with a head full of hair.
We've been home for just one week so we are trying to get used to our new titles as Mommy and Daddy as well as getting used to our new hours.

I will post some updates with some pictures very soon.

Much Love,
Christy, Benny, and Jaden

The Waiting

Tom Petty said it best when he sang "You take it on faith, you take it to the heart, The waiting is the hardest part"!

We've hit the 40 week mark today and Baby J is not showing any signs that he/she is ready to make an appearance today. But this whole process is about the unknown, being patient, and having faith so who knows what the rest of today holds. We'll just keep waiting until you're ready, Baby J!

39 WEEKS

From Daddy to Mommy

Last week I stopped working so I could take a week off before Baby J's due date. It was a little crazy turning over my work and saying "so long" to everyone for a few months. But mid-week I got a surprise that made my day (and of course, made me cry!!).

Thanks Daddy Jones, I love you!!

Yes, call me a "crunchy mama"

What's a "crunchy mama" you ask?

According to the Urban Dictionary, a crunchy mama is a mother who supports homebirth, breastfeeding, baby wearing, cloth diapering, co-sleeping, gentle discipline, etc. One who questions established medical authority; tends to be vegetarian and/or prepare all-organic foods.

Well, based on that I guess I am a crunchy mama or maybe semi-crunchy fits me better :) I love the thought of everything in that definition and already do some of them and will do others once Baby J arrives.

I like taking a natural approach in most areas of my life and we chose a group of midwives for our prenatal care...they have been wonderful. This past Sunday we chose a doula and are very excited about her and her services. She will provide wonderful support for Benny and I during labor and she'll visit us a couple of weeks after Baby J is here to help with nursing.

I knew from the beginning that I would like to have a doula and after meeting with Eva, Benny knew that this would be a great choice for us also. She'll help us to labor at home as long as possible, be my advocate at the hospital and help us to follow our birth plan, provide emotional and physical support by encouraging me to move as much as possible, massaging my back, hands, and feet, and providing emotional support to Benny and encouraging him to be involved as much as his comfort zone allows.

It's getting closer...18 days until the due date. If heredity plays a role, Baby J may come a few days late and that's okay! Next week is my last week of work and then I'm taking vacation time before the due date. I need a mental break from work and the anticipation of all that's to come. Lunch with the girls and a massage is already in the works for that week!!

Here's a special moment of me teaching my niece
Gabi how to make a heart over her belly.
I can't wait for the special moments I'll have with Baby J!