Baby Fever

Yup, I said it. I have a 5 month old and I already have baby fever again! I find myself daydreaming about my time in the hospital (?!?! Who likes that time ?!?!) and wanting that whole experience again. I want a teeny tiny baby who loves to cuddle up on my chest while snoozing. I want the excitement of friends and family meeting baby for the first time. I can't wait to be cute and pregnant and enjoy the anticipation of finding out the sex of the baby.

Ok, ok, ok... even I have to stop myself here! There was nothing glamorous about my pregnancy- the words cute and pregnant should never belong in a sentence when talking about myself. I was sick or miserable most of those 9 long months. When I was in the hopital recovering from a c-section, it was the last place I wanted to be. BUT, I am so excited for baby #2 and know that it will happen in God's time. Jane's birth brought so many sweet memories and because it was such an amazing time, I can't help but want more of it!

I always knew I wanted to be a mommy, but I never ever ever anticipated loving it THIS MUCH. Every day with my girl is such a huge blessing. Praise God for lending her life to me and allowing Jacob and I to be parents!

Jane: 5 Months

Jane is now 5 months old! Here is a little bit about her life:

Weight: We haven't had a doctor's appointment this month, but I'm guessing somewhere around 19 pounds!

Eating Habits: Still nursing every 2-3 hours during the day. She is getting more and more interested in what mommy is eating. I may not be able to put off starting her on solids for much longer!

Sleeping Habits: I joke that Jane is my little toddler- she only takes one hour long nap during the day and then one or two little 15 minute cat naps in the evening. She goes down for the night between 9 and 10pm and is now sleeping all the way until 6 or 7am without waking up! She nurses and then is back to sleep quickly, then wakes up for the day between 8 and 9.

Development: Baby Jane is constantly surprising us with her smarts. It seems like once she tries something, she is a pro! Jane is now rolling from back to belly, and belly to back! She makes her way around the room rolling around the room. I didn't realize she could do this and I set her on the activity mat while I got dressed in the other room. I came back a minute later and she was ten feet away with a little grin on her face! I had no idea how she got there until I saw her roll right on back. She has great coordination and can get anything within arms reach...and it usually makes its way right into her mouth.

Favorite Things to do: Janes LOVES being outside! We take a walk, or two, or ten, every single day. She is never fussy when she is outdoors. She loves to watch cars with Grumpa- it is their special little thing they do together!

I continue to feel so blessed with my little family. We have had a rough couple weeks tackling a pretty big family issue and I have felt a bit down. I find myself crying and then I just glance at Jane and all that pain so quickly falls away. This little ball of joy! Life seems so simple when she's around. I can't wait to see the little girl she will grow to be and to experience this little one making decisions, talking, and making friends!

Jane: 4 Months

Baby Jane is now 4 months old! Here is a little bit about her life:

Weight: A whopping 17 pounds, 3 ounces! Jane is in the 98th percentile for her weight

Eating Habits: Baby girl eats every 2-3 hour during the day. I am very pleased to say that we have been succesful at breastfeeding exclusively!

Sleeping Habits: Jane naps throughout the day and usually goes down for the night around 10pm. She wakes up once or twice during the night to eat and is back down right away. We have a great little sleeper!

Development: Jane is such a strong little girl! She is rolling from back to belly and can push her chest up for long periods of time. She can grasp her toys and pass them from hand to hand. My smart little girl understands routine... she lays on her back and I count "one" and grab her hands, "two" and she pulls herself to a sitting position, and "three" and she pushes herself into a standing position. Her legs are so strong!

Favorite things to do: Jane loves her bathtime and kicks her feet and splashes around in her little blue whale tub. She also spends alot of time on her activity mat, batting at all the toys hanging above her.

Jane had her 4-month checkup and is growing well! The doctor began the conversation about starting her on solid food and I am hesitant, to say the least! He said we are in no rush because of her size, and we can discuss it again at 6 months. Because of being succesful with breastfeeding, I am being a bit selfish and am not ready for Jane to need anything other than me! I am slowly getting used to the idea of solids, but we have a ways to go. Baby girl had a ROUGH time with her immunizations. About 7 hours after her shots, we noticed a small rash developing on her belly. After a phone call to her pediatrician, we headed to Urgent Care. We were relieved to hear it was simply a fever rash. It took Jane a little over a week to get back to her normal self. She was very irritable and cranky because of not feeling well. It really makes me wonder if these little infants are ready for such intense immunizations. I know the risk of all the diseases are much greater than these small side effects of the shots, but it just seems so harsh to put a little baby through that! Not looking forward to the 6 month immunizations, to say the least!

Jane had her first out-of-state trip! We headed to Vegas for a couple days to celebrate Joel's 22nd birthday. We hit the slots and walked away pretty much even- which I consider a success in Vegas!

Jane's first time in Vegas! She's loving the hotel bed as much as her mommy!My happy little girl!

Growing!

Jane: 3 Months

Jane is now 3 months old! Here is a little bit of her life:

Age: 13 weeks

Weight: She hasn't been weighed in over a month, but my guess is somewhere close to 15 lbs

Eating habits: Jane eats every 2-3 hours during the day. We are so thankful that the Lord has made breastfeeding work! She is still exclusively breastfed -- no formula! Woohoo!

Sleeping habits: She takes a couple of long naps during the day and a few cat naps in the evening. We are pretty active and on the go, so she is usually up until 10pm. She is now sleeping through the night! A very grateful Mom and Dad appreciate Jane's 8-hour sleep routine at night. We are usually up around 6am for a feeding and then she falls back to sleep until around 8. She is very consistent, which I am thrilled about!

Development: Jane amazes us as she is continuing to grow and learn- the results evident on a daily basis! We are still enjoying her sweet smiles, which now make an appearance all day and night! She rolls from back to side and grabs at toys. She spends a lot of time playing with her hands in front of her face-- she seems amazed that she controls those cool things! We heard Jane's very first laugh this month. What a special moment! She gave a few giggles for Daddy a few weeks ago, but the first time we really heard it was around family and it was a priceless moment. While the whole family was laughing and cheering on those adorable giggles, my hands were clasped over my mouth with tears streaming down my face- what joy this sweet girl brings me! You can check out the video here: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10150453500043191

Favorite things to do: Baby girl loves her time with family. We are so blessed to live so close to Jacob's family, so I spend time at their house almost every day. Jane is spoiled with love from her aunties and now gets to spend some special time with her Uncle Joely who recently moved back home from San Francisco. Jane still loves hanging out on her changing pad, kicking around and looking at the hanging flowers on the ceiling!

For those of you who haven't heard me say it yet... Jane is the easiest baby! She is such a little sweetheart and makes the transition into parenthood so effortless for Jacob and I. From day one, she has been a good sleeper and eater and has adapted to many different environments and people holding her. I thank God every day for bringing me my little miracle baby. I never would have imagined this much joy in my life.

This month, we celebrated Jane's very first Christmas. It was a fun-filled weekend with lots of activities! On Christmas Eve, we spent with at my Dad & Jeanine's house with the Fedlers for a delicious brunch and gifts. At night, we headed to the Raub's house for their annual Christmas Eve get-together. It was late, but we still wanted to stop by the Sustacek's for a little tradition they've had for years: pizza and chili. The anticipation for Christmas morning was almost more than I could contain! Christmas morning we headed back to the Sustacek's in our PJ's for an awesome time with Jacob's parents, siblings, and Grandma Susie. We were all spoiled rotten and enjoyed watching all of the excitement around the room. We watched the Adele DVD Jacob gave me while eating Angie's traditional Christmas morning breakfast: biscuits and gravy. In the afternoon, we headed to my Mom's house for gifts and a laid-back Christmas dinner of 3 different soups and tasty appetizers and desserts. My grandparents made a huge dart board a few years ago, which has become a really fun activity on Christmas and we all filled our pockets with cash! The gifts and the food were great, but the biggest blessing of all was spending time with family. My sweet “Bay Jane”, as Kate calls her, has been a huge joy in our lives. That joy reminded me of the great reason we celebrate Christmas- Jesus! I can only imagine the joy Mary experienced when holding our Lord and Savior in her arms. "And Mary said 'From now on, all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me-- Holy is His name!’”

Up and Away

I consider myself completely blessed- life is good. I was lucky enough to marry my best friend. That's a pretty common statement married couples make, because when you date someone, they usually become your best friend-- and that is a key component in a good marriage! But I consider myself a little *extra* lucky because Jacob was my best friend even before we started dating. It's all very "Dawson's Creek". I didn't need to date him very long to realize that he was exactly what I'd been searching for. I had fallen in love before, but I had never experienced that compatibility Jacob and I share. Anyone who knows Jacob can quickly rattle off all of his great traits: huge heart, great sense of humor, and a relaxed walk through life that becomes contagious.

Today I found myself remembering April 2nd and the song that inspired our wedding day. Here are a couple lines:

Everyday, everyday with you

Every little thing you do the way you do

Little darlin' in your eyes

Got me all up and away

You get me high

I saw you there, since then everyday

It's like I'm lost and thinking of you in every way

Since I fell into your eyes

All I know is that you get me high

You get me high

Office Facelift

I have worked in this office for over a year and the most personal touch I've added has been my pens from home. I don't spend very much time here (especially now that I'm part time- I'm only here one day a week!), but it's enough to merit some "me" in here. Afterall, I've got a private office with a door and I'm the only one to ever sit at this desk!
Today was my first day of work at the office (not counting a quick trip here last week to get re-acquainted) in over 14 weeks. Wow- it didn't feel that long! First on my to-do list today was re-vamp the office a bit. I came prepared with a couple picture frames and a few photos to thumb through. I found two of my favorites: one of Jane and one of Jake and I on our wedding day. Life would definitely not feel as whole without these two great loves of mine. I felt like my desk had a total facelift by simply adding two frames-- why didn't I do this sooner? But I took it a little further and added 4 photos to my bulletin board. I now have a constant reminder why I'm here: providing for my little family in my own small way.
I thought it would be really difficult leaving Jane, but today has felt really refreshing. I have a different sense of purpose and responsibility when I'm here and that is a nice change. It also gives me some me-time to catch up on e-mails. I'm very blessed to be able to work part time and I am so grateful for this little office of my own. I think next I will spend a little money on some desk accessories. My desk is currently home to some obviously used and abused items like my pen jar and paperclip holder. Little touches will make this space all the more appealing (since I can't do anything about the aged computer and ugly furniture!). Here is a glimpse of my office: