1 month!!

I can't believe my man is 1 month old! He is growing so fast!! Here are some pictures from is 4 week birthday.

He has been working hard on that double chin :)

3 week birthday

Jacob celebrated his 3 week old birthday on 4/15/10.

Here are a few of the things he has been doing this week...

• He is becoming more alert each day and loves looking at his mobile and at mom and dad.
• He gives me smiles every once in a while.
• At night, he is sleeping between 3-4 hours at a time in between feedings. I can't wait until he sleeps a little longer!
• He is such a good baby and only gets fussy when he is hungry.
• He loves playing on his play gym and gets really excited to look and bat at his toys.
• I weighed him on our scale and he is up to 9 lb. He got down to 6lb 6oz when we left the hospital 2 weeks ago.

Mel is in the background of this picture. She is always there keeping an eye on Jacob.

Jim and Leslie come visit

Kirk's parents, Jim and Leslie, were able to come down for a few days and meet Jacob. It was wonderful having them here and Jacob loved meeting his grandparents.

Leslie, Jim and Kirk with Jacob.

Proud grandparents!

Beautiful grandma with Jacob. There is nothing better than holding a sleeping baby!

Surprise visit!

Stacey surprised me by coming for a weekend visit last weekend. I was so surprised to see her. We had a lot of fun just hanging out and playing with Jacob.

Proud parents

Can you tell we are proud parents? To date, we have about 800 pictures of Jacob. Here are just a few from his first week home.

There is nothing better than a baby sleeping on your chest.

Jacob absolutely loves Kirk. He loves looking at him and hearing his voice.

Jacob all dressed up in his tuxedo onesie.

Sweet sleeping baby!

First bath

Jacob really enjoyed his first bath. There is nothing better than the smell of a clean baby!

Going home!!!

We were able to finally bring Jacob home on 3/31/10. My mom had been here the whole time and was such a wonderful support for Kirk and I. My dad flew in the night before he was discharged and was able to be there for his homecoming!

What a beautiful baby and Grammie! My mom was here for about 3 weeks

and was such a wonderful support/help for Kirk and I.

Proud grandpa!

We finally have our baby boy at home!

Jacob in his car seat all ready to head home.

Kirk and I with Jacob on our way to the car. We were ready to get out of there!

Jacobs NICU stay

Immediately after Jacob was born, they nurses found that he was breathing a little faster than is normal. So, they took him to an observation area overnight. By the next morning, he was breathing normal, so they brought him back to us and we were able to spend the day with him.

That afternoon, his breathing had become fast again. They took him away to the observation area again. His breathing wasn't settling down, and they decided he needed to be admitted to the NICU. His oxygen saturation went down a little that night and when they did an x-ray, they found that he had developed a pneumothorax. They told us that sometimes it resolves on its own, but that there was a chance he would have to get a chest tube or have a needle inserted into his chest to drain the air. The treatment plan was to just let him rest and stay calm, and repeat x-rays and see if it is getting bigger or smaller. Over the next few days, the pneumothorax continued to get smaller. His breathing rate went down to normal and we were able to bring him home on 3/31/10.

It was very hard to have him stay in the hospital when I was discharged from the hospital. We never imagined that we would leave the hospital without our new baby. He was in great hands in the NICU though and the nurses were so great. We are so thankful and blessed that he received the great care that he did.

Before Jacob was allowed to come home, he had to do a car seat test. He had to spend 20 minutes in his car seat and his oxygen level was monitored to be sure he could handle the car ride home.
I was finally allowed to hold my guy and begin feeding him.
My poor little man. It was heartbreaking seeing him sick and not being able to bring him home with us.

Jacob stretched out in his NICU bed. He had to have an IV line through his belly button, a feeding tube through his mouth down to his stomach and sensors to measure his heart rate, breathing rate and body temperature. He also has on his sunglasses that protected his eyes from the bili light.

Jacob's birth story

Kirk holding Jacob for the first time. Jacob loves Kirk so much. Each time Kirk talks to him, Jacob just looks right up at him. It is so sweet.
Holding my man right after he was born.
It is amazing how you can love someone so much after knowing them for a few minutes.

At the hospital waiting for Jacob to arrive.

I had been on bed rest for a few days when I went to my Dr's appt on 3/24. I knew there was a chance that I would be induced that day. My blood pressure was still elevated, so Dr. Norman said that today was the day to have my baby. I was excited to meet my man, but nervous about having to be induced. My mom had come into town a few days prior, so she and I went over to the hospital and were admitted while Kirk finished up at work. The nurses started my IV and the pitocin at 1pm on 3/24. Dr. Norman had warned me that it could be a long process, but I had no idea how long it would actually be. I had Jacob Anthony on 3/25 at 4:52pm after 28 hours. It was very long and exhausting, but once I held my man for the first time, I forgot about everything. He was so perfect.

Our family blog!

Kirk and I have decided to start this blog for family and friends who would like to keep up with what is going on with our family. We feel incredibly blessed to have brought Jacob home in the past few weeks. He is such a wonderful baby and we love him so much.

Thanks for reading!

(Picture above- our first family picture-- we were both VERY tired)