One Month Old!

it's a rough life













Jaiden has experienced so many new ‘firsts’ in the past 2 weeks that I don’t even know where to start! He loves cooing, grunting, and humming... and has even made his first attempt at a laugh. It sounded more like a monkey squealing, but we love him just the same. I was baffled when I first heard it; I had no idea what he was doing. Low and behold when I looked down at him, he was definitely laughing. He has a big dimple on his right cheek when he smiles (that trait is unquestionably from me!) He loves staring at us and is now holding our gaze for long periods of time. This past Thursday he had his first real tear roll down his cheek. I’m not kidding when I say I almost lost it. It seriously broke my heart. There was a split second where I contemplated going to get my camera, but quickly decided to scoop him up and cuddle him instead. Kevin missed it, so the second time around Jaiden wasn’t as lucky. I grabbed the camera quick to capture it before I came to the rescue. Mean, yes I know, but I felt bad Kevin wasn’t there to witness it. I left little man with Grandma last week so I could get out of the house and run a couple errands. Who knew it would be that hard to leave your baby?! I can’t imagine what moms go through when putting their little peanuts in daycare, I couldn’t do it! Yet another reason I am so truly blessed... I’ll never have to go through that! I got only one of my four errands done before I rushed back home to my little man. He was still passed out and hadn’t even stirred. Good to know he missed me too! Haha. His sleep schedule is even better than before if you can believe it. We put him down at 10, he wakes up at 2:30 to eat and get a clean diaper, then goes back to sleep until 6. Who would have thought that a one month old would allow me to get as much sleep as I am? I can’t believe he only wakes up once a night. Trust me, I realize just how lucky we are. He gets lots of extra cuddle time in the mornings from me for that. He stills sleeps a lot during the day but is usually awake from 4pm until bedtime. We usually let him sleep for 45 minutes during some point in the evening, then wake him up to give him a bath and get him ready for bed. We’ve tried keeping him awake until we put him down, but when he’s overly tired he’s not a happy camper and it’s almost impossible to get him to eat.

Yesterday was my birthday and Jaiden’s one month milestone. We had a busy day, but it was fabulous! My Grandma Williams is coming this weekend and I can’t wait for her to meet our little monkey. We are heading up to Grand Rapids to have another birthday celebration with the whole family (minus Scott & Cammie). Kevin and I are also planning a trip to the casino at some point this weekend. I’ve never been before so it should be quite an experience! I’m sure Jaiden will have fun bonding with his Grandma and Great Grandma. Keep your fingers crossed that we win some money!

I LOVE my little man

















second real tear... does that not break your heart?





























so excited to tell us a story

BIG Boy!

Jaiden had his second Doctors appointment Jan. 5th and we were completely amazed at just how much he has grown in the last 2 weeks. He now weighs 8lbs 8ozs and is 22 inches long!!! He’s getting so big! He is starting to grow out of some of the newborn clothes... that was fast! He is still sleeping great at night, only waking up twice. We have really gotten into a routine of putting him down at 10, getting up with him at 1 and 4, and then having the luxury of sleeping in until 8. We had one night this week where we actually put him down at 9:30 and he slept until 3:15. Woohoo! I think he likes sleep as much as his mom & dad!

We have seen so many changes in him, and can’t believe how fast he is growing and developing. His neck muscles are getting so strong already. He loves laying on our chests and holding his head up to stare at us. He adores taking a bath and coos at us the whole time (along with peeing nonstop!). He smiles more throughout the day and loves to look at lights. Grandpa Combs gave him the Cloud B Constellation Nightlight for Christmas and he absolutely loves starring up at all the stars that glow on the ceiling. He used to fuss when we changed his diaper in the middle of the night, now he just stares at his ceiling mesmerized by all the stars. Thank you Grandpa!

Next week is going to be a big change for all of us. Kevin will be headed back to work and we will miss him tons! Unfortunately he will be entering the dreaded “busy season” and will be working lots of long hours until the end of April :( He was fortunate enough to take the first two weeks Jaiden was home completely off work, and was actually able to work from home this past week. We’ve been spoiled having him around for 3 full weeks! He has been a HUGE help especially while I was recovering from the c-section, and I’m so lucky to have him in my life. The past 2 or 3 days I have really started to feel good again and my pain has almost completely diminished. I haven’t taken any of my pain meds in a week. The only time I’m really hurting is when I cough or sneeze... ouch! Trying to do that without using your abdomen muscles is pretty much impossible, and considering they had to cut through those... again, ouch! It’s going to be so different without having Kevin around during the days, but I will love all the momma & baby time we’ll have. I know I’ve said it a million times, but I’m truly so blessed. I have the most amazing husband and perfect baby boy. Life couldn’t get any better.

13 Days Old Already?!

We lucked out. Jaiden is the perfect baby... yes I know I may have a slight bias, but we are truly blessed! The first 5 nights home sleeping arrangements were a little rough because of me not being able to do stairs. We all camped out in the living room, Kevin slept on the floor, Jaiden slept in his swing, and I slept on the couch. Jaiden’s sleep schedule this far is amazing. I'm not exaggerating when I say I'm honestly getting more sleep now, than I did towards the end of my pregnancy. He only wakes up once or twice a night depending on when we go to bed, we change his diaper, feed him, and he goes right back to sleep. Monday night I decided I felt good enough to tackle the stairs and actually sleep in a real bed. We were worried about making the transition from swing to crib, but it went off without a hitch. We put him down at 10pm, he woke up at 1am and 4am, and then let us sleep in until 8. Yes, we realize this pattern could change at any time, but we’re soaking it all in right now. On even a better note, he loves being in his crib. We bought a crib soother that plays lullabies, classical music, and rain forest noises... it is hands down the best $35 we’ve ever spent. He loves it.

He had his first doctors appointment on Christmas Eve when he was 5 days old. We were in the office for about an hour and he never cried once. He was wide awake and super alert taking it all in. He peed on the Doctor and thought it was pretty funny looking up at her with a massive smile on his face. The nurse was very impressed that he weighed in at 7lbs considering he had dropped down to 6lbs 7ozs a couple days prior when leaving the hospital. She explained that they like to see babies back to their birth weight by 14 days, and he has surpassed it on day 5. Not to pat myself on the back, but I pretty much rock at breastfeeding I guess :) We love our pediatrician, she is fantastic! Jaiden is doing wonderful and we love all the changes we see from him on a day to day basis. He loves staring into our eyes and smiling randomly throughout the day. I absolutely love that when he hears Kevin and I talking across the room, he recognizes our voices and tries to seek us out.

We ventured out to Grand Rapids Monday morning to get newborn pictures taken. Jaiden was a trooper. As soon as he would fall asleep we would put him in all sorts of different positions and he just kept on sleeping and posing. We can’t wait to see them. I haven't been able to take as many pictures as I would like because of the c-section (my equipment is a little bit too heavy for me to lift) but expect lots more in future posts.

Little monkey has been so busy meeting new people on a daily basis. He has met all his aunts and uncles, grandparents, and lots of family friends. We can't wait for him to finally meet his great grandma Williams and his uncle Ryan, aunt Linley, and cousin Ryley. I know they are anxious to meet him as well and are planning a trip to MI within the next month.