I imagine I'll be saying this a lot throughout the life of our son, but seriously, where did this past month go?! It's hard to believe this beautiful little man has been in our lives for a month. He definitely took his time getting here, he must have been incredibly comfortable since he was almost two weeks late and I was in labor for 32 hours before he made his grand, and miraculous, entrance. Eventually I'm going to write out his birth story and will share that with you here, but right now I'm busy taking care of a newborn.
As many of you know, we lost our first baby to a miscarriage in 2008, so being able to meet our second child was a joyful occasion on so many levels. One of the thoughts I had during Jack's first week was how exciting it is that we will get to tell him about his sibling that he will one day meet in heaven.
So a bit about our little guy. He is named Jack Charles after his two living great-grandfathers: my dad's father and James's mom's father. They are both wise, honorable, caring, godly, family-loving men and we would be so proud if Jack grew up to have traits like them. Of course, we would love him just the same if he didn't, but we liked the idea of honoring family members who have had a huge impact on our lives and having their legacy live on in our family.
So far, Jack does a few things really well, like most newborns, he likes to sleep, eat, and fill his diaper. Let's talk about the eating. We're breastfeeding (I say we because it's definitely a collective effort between me, Jack, and James. I wouldn't be able to get by without James to encourage me and bring me all sorts of stuff when Jack is eating. My husband is amazing.) and though he's a fast eater, he must get lots of food in a short time because he is gaining weight incredibly fast and becoming a little chubster, which I love. He was incredibly adorable when he was born, but chub makes him even cuter. Eighteen days after he was born, he had already packed on two pounds, doubling the average daily weight gain for newborns. See for yourself:
Other than eating, here are some of his other likes and dislikes:
Jack likes:
-Taking baths, as long as it's not a sponge bath, and only if we run the hot water before hand to get the bathroom really steamy.
-Looking at any kind of black and white pattern
-Stretching and yawning. It's so adorable, one day I'll record it and share it with you.
-Sleeping in his car seat when we're out. He's a marathon sleeper in that thing.
-Snuggling. This was clear from the first moment I held him.
-Folding his legs up like a little frog.
-Being swaddled.
-Holding his hands by his face (a reminder of one of the reasons labor was so difficult for me) and rubbing his head and face with his fingers. He's fast asleep in this picture:
-Being in a baby carrier. I think it reminds him of being in the womb.
-Being held like this when his belly hurts:
-Being sung to.
-Getting silly kisses from his dad.
Jack doesn't like:
-Being naked when it's cold. I don't like it either, so it's understandable.
-Having clothing pulled over his head. Any outfit with all buttons or a zipper up the front are our favorite.
-When we don't put him down for his nap when he's ready. When we miss that window of opportunity, he let's us know that he's not happy about it.
-To wait too long to eat. When that belly is empty, he's ready and can't quite understand why he's being made to wait any longer than five minutes. Then we hear what we have dubbed his "angry cry," but it's more like a guttural yell. He's got two parents that really like to eat, I should've seen this coming.
This little man has already brought so much joy into our lives, it's so exciting to look forward to watching him grow and change into the person he will become.
We love you so much Jack, and that will never change.
