Little Jack is officially 3 months old

Our sweet little baby is 3 months old. Sadly, his 3 month birthday was a rough one. When I got to daycare, I heard him crying as soon as I walked in the door. Vi said that he'd had a tough day. The weekend was clearly just too much.

We went to Ashland this past weekend for a party hosted by Dandaw. Jack got to meet lots of family and friends. He also got handled by lots of family and friends. He got very little rest while in Ashland, which has made for a cranky start to the week. We're going to spend the next few weekends at home so we can rest and get back on schedule. Maybe we can both practice taking naps! Momma can only hope.

Regardless, Jack's 3 month birthday was a big day. We laughed together, took a walk together and nearly cried together! Jack has developed a sweet little giggle. He spent some time playing in the floor with Daddy, practicing his laugh. As you can see from the picture, he also spent some time working on his cry!


Daddy fed him some rice cereal. Momma gave him a bath. Finally, little Jack settled down. Now, let's see if he'll sleep through the night!! It would be the perfect end to a less than perfect day.

Little Cousins Meet

James, Jack and I visited Dan, Claire and Silas on Sunday, August 9th. Silas was 3 weeks old and Jack was soon to be 12 weeks old. The little cousins, only 9 weeks apart in age, posed for a few pictures with Dan, Jack's uncle and Silas' daddy.

Silas is still pretty focused on eating and sleeping. Jack, on the other hand, is becoming more interested in being entertained and remaining the center of everyone's attention. I wonder whether Jack is already concerned about the fact that he's not the new baby anymore!

Regardless, we hope that they become the best of friends.

Mommy and Daddy go on a date!

The Abner's invited us to Winchester for a wine tasting at Talon Winery in Lexington on August 1st. We went to Winchester the Friday night before so that James could play golf Saturday morning. James did, in fact, play golf with Chad, while Jack & I went with Davida to a children's consigment store owned by one of Davida's friends. Saturday afternoon, Dandaw and Auntie Suzy picked Jack up from Chad and Davida's house. He spent the night in Ashland - his first night away from Mommy and Daddy.

James and I had a great time with the Abner's and their friends. We were overdo for a night out with adults - our last date was the night before we went into labor! The winery was really nice (and the wine wasn't bad). James and I hope to plan other trips to visit the Abner's.

Apparently, Jack did just fine with Dandaw and Auntie Suzy. They hung out with Mama, Papa and Mama K, went to Wal-Mart and then went to church Sunday morning. Dandaw said Jack was really good - so, she has no excuse when we ask her to babysit in the future!

Jack is almost 3 months old

It's so hard to believe that our tiny little newborn is nearly 3 months old. Jack has changed so much already. He's been a lot of hard work, while at the same time a great joy. James and I know that we've been blessed to have such a sweet and healthy baby.

At his 2 month appointment, Jack weighed 12 pounds and was 23 inches long. He's a good eater and, fortunately, has adapted to day care. Ruby and Vi are taking really good care of him and have introduced Jack to Leo, who is one month older. Jack and Leo get to hang out in the swings, bouncy chairs and on the play mat at day care. By the way, Leo has the most awesome head of dark hair - enough to make even John Edwards envious.

This week has been a turning point - Jack has slept through the night 3 out of the last 5 nights! I didn't know how sleep deprived I was until I got a few nights of good sleep.

Sleeping through the night is big. But, I think James and I have most enjoyed Jack's little sweet smile. He may fight sleep and be fussy in the evenings, but he wakes up with a smile on his face. It's very rewarding to see our little man smile at us and react to our singing and teasing.

Jack has arrived!

Jack Thomas Powers was born Monday, May 18, 2009 at 2:19 p.m. Momma's labor began at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday the 16th. We made two trips to the hospital on Saturday and were sent home both times. Although contractions were regular and only 5 minutes apart, we were not dilated enough to stay. Labor continued through Sunday. At 7:30 Sunday evening we returned to the hospital and this time we got to stay! By 8:00 we were admitted and Momma got some much needed pain mediation and rest. Sunday night was a long night for the Powers and Douglas families. Finally, Jack decided to make his entrance into the world.

We came home Wednesday about lunch time and have been doing really well. Jack hasn't grasped the concept of day and night yet, but we feel confident that he soon will. He's eating well and has gotten good reports from his pediatricians. We are truly blessed and appreciate the prayers, love and support we've received from our family and friends.

Now that Jack is here, our blogging lives will be much more exciting! We'll be better about adding pictures and stories of the amazing little Jack!!

Things that Mamma made

Most everyone knows that Dandaw (Sandy) is quite a gifted seamstress. She's made Jack's quilt and two cribs sheets and is working on his bumper pad, crib skirt and curtains. Well, Mamma's not to be outdone. Although not a seamstress, Mamma has tried her hand at a few creations. She's covered a lamp shade for Jack's lamp and has made a mobile from the arm of an old mobile, yarn, Genuine Monkeez and some embroidery hoops.

The Nursery

Pictures of the nursery . . . we're getting there . . .

Preparing the way for Jack

James and I spent the weekend cleaning house. We've begun preparing a nursery for Jack. We have got a long way yet to go, but we've made great strides. Since the nursery will be in our bedroom, we've relocated to the spare room. James, the painting professional, has selected paint colors for the nursery and we've decided on a theme - sock monkeys with a twist.

Check theme out at: http://www.genuinemonkeez.com/genuinemonkeez/genuinemonkeez.html

We'll post some pictures after we get the room put together, which I hope is pretty soon!

Daddy got a kick from Jack!

Jack's kicks have been strong enough for Mamma to feel for a few weeks. This week, Jack has become extremely active. His punches and kicks have gotten more frequent and much stronger. It's apparent that he's practicing some kung-foo fighting. For the past few days, Mamma has been awakened before 6:00 a.m. to kicking, jumping and general getting-down. This morning, at about 5:30, Jack woke Mamma with some kicking and jabbing. Mamma put Daddy's hand on her belly just in time for Daddy to experience a swift and very strong kick! We're so excited and proud of our boy!

The doctor says Jack looks good!

We saw the doctor for a second ultrasound in his office this week. The ultrasound technician examined Jack rather thoroughly. (She confirmed that Jack is a baby boy.) After reviewing the ultrasound, Dr. Lebder said that Jack is developing nicely. He has a heart with four chambers, a developing brain, stomach, kidneys, etc. Dr. Lebder says that he thinks Jack looks good. We're very pleased and getting excited.

The problem with having an ultrasound is that momma-to-be becomes compelled to buy little baby boy clothes - shoes, sleepers, tiny cardigans and plaid pants. Good thing no more ultrasounds are planned!