Happy Halloween

We had a fun week last week.
Monday: It started out with a visit from a good friend, Amanda, who lives in Belgium. Jacob and I both really enjoyed it.


Wednesday: The Blue and White game, first UK scrimmage of the year. Jacob got dressed up for that.

Thursday: Jacob turned 6 weeks old. We went to small group that night. He did really well.

Saturday: Halloween, Jacob dressed up like a pumpkin. He was too cute. We had some trick or treaters come by but we didn’t go out anywhere. Jacob is too young for candy.

Sunday: First time to take Jacob to church. He slept through the whole thing which was a great relief to me. He looked really cute that day. We told Jacob that he can’t always sleep through church but right now it’s perfectly fine with us. This was also the first week we dressed Jacob for the Titans game and they won for the first time this season. Maybe our son is good luck for them. Who knows!


Update: Jacob is now 6 1/2 weeks old. I can’t believe it. He is able to sit up pretty well with the help of his Bumbo. He likes to try to stand up with help. He has been sleeping much better and eating much less. This past week we moved him to his crib to sleep and it was hard for him the first two nights but now he’s doing really well. He’ll wake up and then fall back to sleep without crying. He got to experience his first UK game (Blue and white game) and Titans game. He was dressed appropriately for both as you can see from the pictures.

Fall Fun

This past weekend we had some fall fun! It started out on Saturday when my brother Andrew, Dad, and Selwyn all came up to visit. We went to the Fall Fest at the Franklin Fresh Market. The only problem is that I didn’t know there was a closing time and we got there when they were putting everything away. Too bad. We just walked around The Factory after that. Then we headed back home.

We spent most of the afternoon watching football and then Dad and Selwyn babysat for us that night. Ben and I went to a fall party with some of our friends from church. It was fun. We ate chili, chicken tortilla soup and lots of great desserts. Then we had a bonfire and roasted some marshmallows for smores. That was the first time I had smores in probably 2 years. It was great. We headed home fairly early just because we’re not used to being away from the little one. Jacob did great and slept while we were gone though.

bonfire

On Sunday we had trunk or treat at our church. We dressed Jacob up like a cow and he looked adorable. It didn’t quite fit but it worked. He slept almost the entire time and woke up as soon as Janet started holding him. He did great! This was the first time we got to introduce him to a lot of our church friends. Next week I hope to take him to church. We had an eventful weekend and Jacob keeps doing better and better.

At trunk or treat

The whole family

Update on Jacob: Jacob has slept 5 hours in a row for about 5 nights now. This has helped me tremendously! He is also waiting a little longer to eat although he grows through periods in the day where he is especially hungry. He likes to “snack.” I have been able to take Jacob to Publix, Target, and the mall. I have found that taking him out helps him to take a good afternoon nap. He may cry when I put him in the car at first but then he’ll cry himself to sleep. Jacob keeps growing. He is able to hold his head up pretty well and even tries to roll over although he doesn’t have that down yet.

Really good news!! We have found someone to keep Jacob when I go back to work in January. Our good friend, LeAnne, offered to help us out and watch him. She’ll come to our house which is so convenient for us and keep him all day. I am so thankful for this and I know this was an answered prayer. We were worried but then decided that God would take care of it somehow and someway. He always does! What a blessing.

Our nanny, LeAnne

One month outing

On Saturday Jacob turned one month old. My in laws came to visit for the weekend and we had a good time. We decided that we needed some pumpkins for fall so we found a local pumpkin farm to check out. It’s called Hicklen Farm and they have all kinds of pumpkins and squash. It’s out in Nolensville, TN and it’s a very cute place. We’ll definitely be going there again. The prices are excellent. We got 3 pumpkins and 2 small squashes for only $10. Here are some pictures of the event. Jacob slept through the whole thing, like usual.

4 weeks old

After this week I’ll just start counting the months I guess. Today Jacob is 4 weeks old and he keeps growing and growing. On Monday we’ll go back to the doctor to find out how much he weighs. He is probably between 8-10 lbs. He has had a rough week. It seems like he can’t get enough to eat. I’ve had to supplement some with formula to get him good and full. Otherwise he doesn’t sleep and he’s constantly fussy.

Last night we had a really good night of sleep so I’m hoping we’re getting past this stage. He is still getting used to being in this world and all the fun things that come with it like gas, poop, pee, and eating. He didn’t do all that 4 weeks ago. He gets very uncomfortable if those don’t come quickly enough. I don’t blame him though.

On Sunday Ben and I took Jacob to Ben’s office to get some good pictures of him. They have photography equipment like backdrops, lighting, and a tripod. We got a few really good shots and we can use one for his birth announcement, coming soon. It took us most of the day to get just a few pictures done because Jacob would need to eat and then his diaper needed to be changed, then he’d get fussy…etc. Here are a few good pictures from the photo shoot. On Saturday Jacob will be a month old. Crazy how time flies by.

3 weeks old

Yes, it has already been 3 weeks since I gave birth to my baby boy. He is already changing so much. He is starting to focus more on objects. We have done some tummy time and he’ll try to lift his head a little bit. When I lay him down on his activity mat he can reach for some of the objects and grab at them. We have gone on a couple of walks around the neighborhood. He mainly just sleeps though.

Jacob is still very unpredictable. He is on no particular schedule for eating or sleeping. He can sleep up to 4 hours at a time but other times it’s only 1 hour. He wakes up hungry and ready to eat. He doesn’t let mommy have much time to get ready to feed him. Here are some new pictures of Jacob.

The first outing

On Saturday night we went out on our first outing with Jacob. I was real apprehensive about it because he has been really unpredictable lately. He can eat at anytime and there is no consistency. Sometimes he can wait every 3 hours and other times only 1 hour. So we decided to venture out and take a chance.

After a feeding around 6 in the evening, we packed up and went out to Green Hills mall. We decided that Jacob needed a few more outfits in the newborn size. All of the 0-3 month outfits were too big for him. We only made it to the parking lot before Jacob was hungry again. I had to get him out of the car seat and feed him in the car. Luckily it was dark and not a big deal. After a short feeding he was sound asleep so we went into the mall.

We first went to baby Gap where we found 2 cute outfits that would fit him now. Then we went to the Apple store. That was Ben’s idea. He wanted to get a picture of Jacob and an iphone but we didn’t want to wake him up. Then we went to Janie and Jack, a store that I can never resist but to check out everytime I walk by. They have the cutest clothes. We got a onesie that says “little pumpkin”. Jacob slept through most of the experience but he did look around some. He doesn’t know it yet, but his mommy will be taking him to the mall many times in his life.

2 weeks old

Believe it or not it was two weeks ago today that Jacob was born. Time is flying by already. Jacob is doing really well. He is gaining weight at a great rate and he’s starting to be awake more of the day. He also likes to be awake at night, much to my disappointment.

I’m used to not sleeping though. Remember all my posts about that in my pregnancy? When I do sleep now it’s much more comfortable though. If Jacob sleeps a 3-4 hour stretch that’s really good. The past few nights it’s only been 2 hours or less. I find myself at 1 am rocking Jacob to sleep for an hour. I don’t say this to complain at all. I actually enjoy these times the most. He is so precious when he is falling asleep. I love watching his many faces that he makes.

I also want to take the time to thank all the visitors who have come by and all the food we have been provided. This is just one less thing that I’ve had to think about. Thank you to all of our friends and family who have helped us! We love all of you.

“It’s been one week…

since you looked at me…” (Barenaked Ladies song) This morning at 10:29 am Jacob turns one week old. I can’t believe it. He is starting to adjust to being in the world and in our family. I have enjoyed every minute of it. Even at 1 am when he doesn’t want to go to sleep. I cherish the moments that he looks up at me and seems to smile. He is the sweetest baby boy and he’s growing every day.

Jacob is eating really well along and with that comes the other, more messy part. He is sleeping well and is more awake every day. He is starting to get used to night and day and hopefully will start sleeping more at night than the day.

I have enjoyed being a Mommy so far. There are frustrating days but the precious moments are far worth it. Ben is a great Daddy. He is very sweet with Jacob. We both could stare at him for hours and we do. We thank God every day for such a precious gift.

He’s here!

This is my first post since the birth of Jacob Thomas Wilkins. Here is the short version of the delivery.
I woke up at 2 am on Thursday morning and realized that my water broke. I got up quickly and woke up Ben. I said, “Ben, my water just broke.” He woke up immediately and said, “Ok then. Let’s get ready.” We called the doctor and they told us come on into the hospital. We got our bags ready and headed out the door. Everything went fairly smoothly. I started contractions immediately and things progressed quickly. I was already ready to push by 10 am. He was born at 10:29 am. He was perfectly healthy.

Jacob Thomas Wilkins weighed 6 lbs 14 oz and was 19 inches long. He has a full head of hair and is perfectly healthy. We got home around 1 pm on Saturday. We’ve had a lot of friends and family come to visit and it’s been quite an eventful time.

The first night was very difficult. I was very tired and sore while trying to take care of a fussy baby. With the help of Hilda, my mother-in-law and Ben we all took turns trying to calm him down. He didn’t know what he wanted and was trying to get used to this hard world.

Last night was the first really good night. We got on a good feeding schedule and he’s eating much better now. Therefore, it makes him sleep better. Ben and I are getting used to this being parents thing and we’re learning by trial and error.

We are so blessed by the family and friends who have helped us out. I thank God all the time for such a beautiful and healthy baby boy. I love him more than I could imagine I could love someone. In my opinion, he is the cutest baby ever! Here are some pictures.

Snap, crackle, & pop

Those are the sounds of my body when I get up in the morning! I promise everything cracks when I get out of bed. I haven’t had a good nights sleep for awhile now and have trouble getting comfortable. I went to the doctor yesterday. Here’s the short and sweet update.

I’m still 1 1/2 cm dialated but now 70% effaced. The big news is he has dropped and ready to come. His position is at 0. It could be any day at this point. I get quite a few contractions throughout the day. None are too painful yet but more frequent. I’ll keep everyone updated. Keep us in your prayers!