Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes!

Wow, so many changes in such a short time!

From Jaden's changing looks to her unpredictable sleep habits, from my feel good hormones to my hair falling out, things are changing quickly with the Jones girls (yes, Benny's had his fair share of changes as well!).

We go back to the Dr. in a week for Jaden's 4 month appt. I'm looking forward to seeing how much she's grown. Here are her stats so far:

Birth - 7.6 lbs & 18 in
2 mo - 11 lbs & 23.5 in

She was doing great with sleeping, but a couple of weeks ago she started waking up in the middle of the night again and wakes up at a different hour every day! Yesterday she was up at 5am. Today it's almost 7:30am and she's still asleep! I'm not complaining...it's giving me time to blog :) I do look forward to some consistency again though. Benny and I are now alternating our nights with who gets up with Jaden so we can attempt to get a longer stretch of sleep and be rested enough to make it to the gym in the evenings.

I have to admit that I've had a setback when it comes to the gym. I was doing the morning workout and I really enjoyed it because I got a great start to my day. I plan to at least get some stretching in during the morning hours and do my gym routine in the evening starting next week. Benny goes back to regular work hours next week so we'll be getting into a different routine (not that we've had one for a few weeks now!). I think we'll also try moving Jaden to her crib next week. So, stay tuned for some interesting blogs on how we are handling these changes.

I miss my feel good pregnancy hormones...pregnancy was an awesome time for me. Now I'm experiencing a lot of low back pain which I'm told is from my hips and ligaments trying to go back to normal (tightening back up from the stretching out they did in order to prepare for childbirth). And I'm losing my hair like crazy! Really, there is hair everywhere in our bathroom. I read that we lose around 100-125 strands a day normally, but while pregnant those wonderful hormones lock the hair in and around 12 weeks post-partum we start losing hair again, but at a rate of about 500 strands a day!!!

Here are some recent pictures of Jaden. She is constantly smiling and I'm starting to hear a few belly laughs every now and then. We have been blessed with a very happy baby!

Jaden likes to watch TV!

Life is crazy, life is busy, life is not the same as we once knew, but...

Anyone recognize that the blog title is another song reference?!?

Much love, Christy, Benny, and Jaden

I'm sick...ugh!!

So, I'm doing all the things to keep healthy and I get sick :( I was fine last weekend and then on Tuesday it hit me hard! I have a sinus infection and double ear infection...all without any warning signs.

I guess I've been running on adrenaline for the last 3 1/2 months and didn't realize that my body was at a breaking point. I honestly have been feeling very good since Jaden was born. A little tired (okay, a lot!!), but that's to be expected, right?

I've given myself permission to relax, skip the gym, chill out until I feel better (hopefully by Monday if not sooner). I know that the best way for me to recover is to eat healthy and sleep, and then I can hit the gym full force again.

I just started an 8-week fitness challenge last week and had to put that on the back burner until I get over this. I may have lost one week out of the eight, but I'll come back fighting hard to make up lost time. An extra couple hundred dollars is an extra incentive to run a little faster and that dough could be well spent around here!

So, send me some healthy vibes and wish me luck in kicking some booty (while losing my booty!) in the fitness challenge!

Are you a Superwoman?

Another song reference..."Superwoman" by Alicia Keys. If you haven't heard this song yet, you owe it to yourself to give it a listen.

I hear this song and it gets me thinking, moving, ready to take on the world! There have been times I've felt like Superwoman in the past, but nothing like I do these days. I'm busy from the time I get up until I lay my head down at night (just like many other Superwomen I know).

I check out my clothes before I walk out the door to make sure I'm spit-up free, I have calluses on my hands from carrying the car seat, and my body's not quite the same as it was before baby (but I'm working hard to change that!).

Still when I’m a mess
I still put on a vest
With an S on my chest
Oh yes
I’m a Superwoman

I'm a wife, mother, sister, daughter, granddaughter, friend, health coach as well as many, many more titles. I feel like Superwoman, but do I really want that hefty title too?!? There's so much to do in a day and I am trying to give up the feeling that I have to do it all. I will remember what they tell us before take off and to put on my oxygen mask first because I have to take care of me before I can take care of everyone else.

I don't have the gold cuffs to deflect bullets, so I have to stay strong in other ways. I will do the things that will keep me strong and healthy and give me the energy to take care of my precious family (eating healthy, exercise, and getting my rest).

Oh yes, I am a Superwoman!
And I gladly accept that title, too :)

You make me better!

I love music and you'll probably find that I refer to songs often. There's a song called "You Make Me Better" by Ne-Yo. Lately it's been playing in my head over and over. I think it's because I've become so disciplined with getting organized, having a tight schedule in the morning, and an evening routine. I've always wanted to be a morning person, but until Jaden came along, I was glued to my bed and couldn't hit snooze enough!!

With going back to work it's critical that we have a routine. I'm up at 5am to pump, at the gym by 5:50am, back home and in the shower by 6:45am and have Jaden up to nurse by 7:20am. She has to be finished by 7:45am so Daddy can take her to daycare. I've been a little late to work a few times and those are the times I couldn't drag myself out of bed to get to the gym. I had to listen to my body those days and give it the extra sleep time it needed. But I realize that I MUST get to bed on time (10:00-10:30pm) so that I follow the routine.


When we get home we have to wash bottles and pump parts, get our clothes ready for the next day, possibly give her a bath, and any other prep work that's needed for the next day. I'm a person that likes structure so it's working for us :) She definitely makes me better!

Jaden in her Super Seat.
Looks like she's dancing...she got it from her mama!!

I'm continuing to nurse her and that has to be one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life! I truly enjoy nursing her because it's our special time together, but it takes a lot of commitment to pull out that pump daily. I want to be able to nurse her for a year, but I'm going to break it down in 3 month goals and take it day by day.

She's now 3 months old and I can't believe how fast time is going by and how big she is getting. She's developing a little personality and smiling so much now. And what a "talker" she is...I think we're going to be in trouble when she really starts talking! She is sleeping close to 7 hrs a night and that's such a blessing. She's our little night owl and her Daddy has to put her to bed each night around 12:30.


Daycare is going well. I just love her daycare provider and have complete trust and confidence in her. I can honestly say that I don't worry about her at all while I'm at work. I know Jaden enjoys having the other children talk/play with her and she'll really enjoy it once she's old enough to play with them.

Work has been tough and it's mainly becuase I've had to jump back in in the middle of a lot of chaos.

I had a friend remind me that I just gave birth, I can do anything and that being a mother is empowering.
Wow, she is right about that! (Thanks Sandy!)

Mesmerized by the mobile and mirror.
She still keeps those little fists balled up!

Oh, how I love thee...

I had great intentions on keeping up with the blog, but my extra time is spent sleeping these days!

Jaden is 11 weeks old today. She's growing so fast and I can't believe how quickly my time at home with her has gone by. I have to go back to work Friday and I'm not looking forward to leaving her. I am completely comfortable with her daycare provider and I know it will be great for her to be around other children so it's for selfish reasons that I don't want to leave her each day. My heart has jumped out of my body and grown legs! I'm so in love with Jaden and I'm in awe at the little things she does that makes my heart melt.



Here are some of the things I love:

• seeing her wake up so happy, cooing and smiling
• hearing her breathe in my ear
• smelling her sweet breath
• seeing her smile and get calm when I sing to her (maybe she's really laughing at me!)
• seeing the cute expressions she makes when sleeping...I wonder what she's dreaming about
• seeing her sleep peacefully
• watching her with her daddy and him with her :)
• when she looks at me so sweetly when she's nursing

I could go on and on. I love how I love my life!!

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take,
but by the moments that take our breath away.

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