2 weeks old!

Here is what we've learned about Jude so far... He loves to be held or carried in the sling but he's a really content baby and doesn't mind hanging out in his swing Or bouncer seat either. He still loves to suck on things and is a great nurser. He nurses 45-60 minutes at a time every 3-4 hours. He rarely spits up but the few times he has it's poltergeist style with cupfuls of milk spouting out of him. He typically only cries when he's getting his diaper changed. He loves the bath. He has a giant Cheerios-shaped belly button that sticks up under his clothes. He doesn't mind being held by the big kids and doesn't cry even when he looks super uncomfortable with how they're holding him. He sleeps more than I remember my other babies sleeping and can sleep through pretty much anything. He is very aware and curious about his surroundings when he is awake and makes me think of the term "old soul" with his intelligent gaze. He is abnormally strong for a two week old and holds his head up already and even rolled over a few times. He laughed and smiled at who knows what the other day but we haven't been able to get him to do it since. He is a very still and calm baby and is so sweet to snuggle with. We are all completely smitten with him!

Journal excerpt

I just wrote this in my journal but figured I'd stick it in here too for grandma: Journal 8/23/12- Had a funny experience while Blake was at work tonight. All three kids had a meltdown at once- Jude was hungry, Brin bit her lip, and Logan was having a rough night all night and had a meltdown when I told him he would be grounded from tv and computer tomorrow for tonights behavior. They all were crying and needed to be held and talked to. I held them all on my lap and got Brin and Jude calmed down and talked to Logan to find out why he has been having such a hard time.  He has been telling me he's sick every morning and trying to stay home from school. I know he loves school and loves his teacher so I just thought he was having a hard time with the early mornings. Tonight though he was saying that he was sick again so I got him calmed down enough to really talk to me about it. He told me he likes school but he just misses me so much and then he broke down into laugh/sobs (and so did I lol). Poor kid! I never even realized he was having a hard time! We had a good talk about how I'm always thinking about him and missing him when he is missing me and I'll always be there waiting when school is over. We also talked about how he can say a prayer if he's sad and heavenly father will comfort him and help him to feel better. Then Brin joined in and said to Logan, "I miss you so much when you're at school! I only have batman (the cat) to play with" and burst out sobbing. It definitely turned in to an interesting night! I'm so thankful that my kids love their family so much but my heart hurts for them knowing that they are struggling with all these changes we've had lately.

Pictures

Before (and during)...

Meeting Jude...

Coming home...

He's already looking a lot different than he looks in these pictures. I have a whole new batch of photos on my camera that I'll upload eventually.

Home Sweet Home

We are home now with the baby. I had him on Thursday (8/9) and we named him Jude Markham Walker (Markham after my ancestor Stephen Markham). I took notes during and after the delivery process so I wouldn't forget all the details like I did with my other babies so here are some of those and a ton of pictures for my mom who doesn't get to meet him until next weekend. I was induced at 8:30 am on Thursday, August 9. We started off with a bang when they put my IV in because they got a really good vein and blood literally gushed all over my arm and the floor before they could get the vials they needed for testing and plug it up. We played the waiting game for a few hours as contractions got harder. I got an epidural around 10:30 but things were still going pretty slowly. The doctor broke my water at one when I was at a 5 and 70% effaced. I was only at a 6 and 80% around 3 pm so the nurse had me lay on my side and put a giant peanut shaped ball between my legs to help him move down. It must have done it's job, because I was at a 9 at 4:40 and started shaking really hard with the contractions (I did that with the other two as well so I knew it was close). I felt the urge to push soon after so the Doctor came in. He realized the head was facing the wrong direction which was probably what caused me to progress so slowly so he reached his hand in, grabbed Jude's head, and turned him to face the right way. I pushed about 6-8 times and he was out by 4:56! He was 7 lbs. 2 oz. and 20.3 inches long. He is perfect! He cried a little and then stuck his thumb in his mouth and calmed himself down and started looking around. He took to nursing instantly and was awake and looking around most of the first evening and night. He was already lifting up and turning his head to see things. After the delivery, they had a hard time stopping my bleeding and I lost a lot of blood which was a bit scary (and my old episiotomy scars ripped open so I had to be sewn up) but once that was figured out it was fine. Grandma Sassy brought Logan and Brin to meet him that first night and they were so excited! Jude didn't want to sleep much the first night and cried every time I tried to lay him down so I had a sleepless first night. I enjoyed the one on one cuddle time it gave me to nurse and bond with him all night though. We had a lazy Friday with visitors and lots of laying around and resting. We came home Friday night but the kids stayed at the Walker's an extra day to let us have time to settle in. It turned out to be very good they did that because Jude didn't let me sleep much again so it was nice to be able to sleep in a bit before the big kids came home. This recovery was a lot harder than I expected and I spent most of my time from Saturday to Wednesday in bed due to engorgement, stitches healing, after pains, and exhaustion from all the blood I lost. It was not fun but I'm feeling so much better today! Now that my milk is in I've been able to get on a better schedule with Jude so that we're both getting a lot more sleep. Thank you to everyone who helped us out with meals and helping with the big kids! It made it so much easier knowing that things were getting done and I could just rest and recover. So far, Jude is a very content baby. He is a little piggy and nurses for about an hour every 2-3 hours so I'm guessing he'll chunk up quickly. The only time he really cries is when he gets his diaper changed :) We thought he looked more like Brin at the hospital but he's starting to look more like Logan everyday. He even has the cute little dimples in his cheeks that Logan has! The big kids are good helpers and are constantly asking if they can hold him. We are so blessed!

Crazy week

Between orientation, meet the teacher, check ups, getting ready for baby, getting ready for school, church meetings and everything else we've had a pretty crazy week so far! We were lucky to be able to have a quick visit with my cousin Melody and her cute kids. I sure wish my extended family lived closer! I have some seriously awesome cousins!

My sweet baby boy starts kindergarten today! In about 15 minutes he'll leave the playground and go in to his new classroom to start his day. We got a couple of pictures this morning before we left the house but the school bus got there like 10 minutes early (and across the street from where we thought it would be) so we didn't get to kiss him goodbye or take a picture of him getting on the bus or anything! I was so disappointed but in all honesty, it's probably a good thing. I'm an emotional mess lately and I wouldn't want him starting his day off having to say goodbye to a sobbing mommy lol. At least this way all he saw was mommy and daddy smiling and waving him off. I can't wait to hear how his first day went! We lucked out and got the teacher we wanted for him. She is actually an old family friend so I know he's going to have so much fun in her class!

Brin has been pretty sad that she has to stay at home while Logan gets to go to school all day. I'm hoping I can find someone to trade off teaching preschool with once I have the baby but for now she's stuck with me all day. Once I have the baby I'll try and keep to a schedule with her and do an hour or so of preschool everyday just so she doesn't get so bored. She is so different from Logan that it's hard to parent her. Everything that worked so well with him doesn't work at all with her so I'm hoping now that he's in school all day we'll be able to figure out what works for her better.

I had my 39 week checkup yesterday and got the disappointing news that I've only dilated one cm since last week. I'm currently at a two and not much is happening. Baby boy is a good 8 pounds already though so they put me on the list to be induced. I'm scheduled for Thursday at 7:30 am but the time/day could change depending on how busy the hospital is. It's so nice to see the end in sight! I'm planning on cleaning up the house today and stocking up on easy foods and snacks to help us get through the first week or so. I've got a freezer full of meals but it'll be nice to have things like bagels and yogurts on hand that the kids can get for themselves. Plus, all this busy work will keep me from crying too much about my big baby being gone at school all day lol!

Not much news...

Had some bloody show yesterday but the contractions are still irregular and mostly mild. I'm still sore and crampy from the exam on Tuesday. I tried eating a bunch of fresh pineapple yesterday which is supposed to soften your cervix but all it seemed to do was make my mouth break out in sores and my tongue swell up lol. I've tried all the usual things (except for castor oil. I refuse to take that stuff lol) but still there is nothing. I really hope he comes soon though because it feels like he's about to fall out every time I stand up. There is a family reunion for Blake's Mom's side of the family in Utah this weekend. Blake's parents were debating whether they should go since they were planning on watching the kids when I have the baby. They just decided to take our kids with them to the reunion so my plan for today is to clean up the house, catch up on laundry, and pack for the kid's trip. Blake starts his training at his new job tonight and tomorrow so it looks like it will be a quiet next few days of waiting.