Say what?

Since Jennings has come home there have been lots of things said that have made me stop and think- "You have to blog about that?" Sadly about 98% of them I didn't write down and therefore have forgotten but here are a few things I've heard and do remember that made me stop and ask "Say what?"


On the way to school one of the first days, Isabelle said, "Mom- do you just keep Jennings in the baby kennel when I'm gone? - Um, say what Isabelle?

As we were sitting down to eat dinner one night Gabriel took a drink of his milk and said, "Mom does it feel weird to breastfeed?"  Thinking to myself, this isn't a conversation I ever expected to have with my teenage son, but okay whatever... "Kind of Gabriel, its an interesting feeling to have milk released (again probably too much info, but he asked right?"  Gabriel paused for a moment, I could tell he was thinking.  Then he said, "Imagine how Jennings must feel- he has to be freaked out each time he has to eat!" - Um say what?

Madelyn and I have spent quite a few days at home... quite a few to be exact.  Most days are well, pretty boring for her. Don't get me wrong, she's such a great kid.  She entertains herself for hours playing Barbies, Legos, puzzles and pretend.  But every once in awhile she's kind of over giving up all the attention to Jennings.  Last week, as I was feeding Jennings she wanted me to go upstairs and play with her.  I told her I would after I finished feeding him.  Madelyn said, "No Mom- put Jennings down now (and pointed to the hard, cold, tile floor), he will be just fine.  Leave him and we go play mom"  -Say what Madelyn?

Most of the kids ask me if they can hold Jennings a lot, well all of them except Michael.  He's usually too busy creating the next "I'm going to be rich with this X invention" that he doesn't have time to hold him.  Yesterday, Michael was sewing and I was trying to study and holding Jennings and feeding him (do you see a pattern here?).  Michael finished his project and came over to see me burping Jennings.  Michael said, "How come I never get to hold him?"  In my first "Um- say what" thought, I said Michael most of the time you have no interest, when I ask you say, "I'm okay" and go on doing what you are already involved in.  Michael responded, "No I don't mom" Deciding not to start a debate about what really happens I just let it drop.  Michael in a moment later decided he was going t start sewing scrunchies (those 80's hair ties are back!) and went back to the sewing machine.  Jennings finished burping  and I turned to Michael and asked, "Would you like to hold him now?"  Michael looked up from his sewing machine and said, "No, I"okay."  - Say what Michael?

So I may have actually made him hold him this time so he couldn't tell me he never gets to hold him

And finally Jarrett.  I've gotten Jennings evenings figured out. If he goes to bed before 8:30 he wakes up at 1 to eat and then again at 4.  If he goes to be after 8:30 he eats at 2 and then again at 6 (which is so much nicer to get up only once during the night.  Last night he went down at 8:20 and I hoped, well that's close enough to being after 8:30 maybe he will make it til 2.  Momma is tired.... with this class now started, I get everyone down to bed and then I study until around 11:30 only to wake at 1 or 2 feed him, then pump and I go back to bed for a couple of hours, only to wake the whole house.... did I say I am TIRED?  Anyway tonight/this morning what ever you call it, Jennings woke up at 1:15, I got up, fed him, burped him and decided I'll skip pumping til the 4 am feed.  I crawled back into bed so completely exhausted and started to doze off literally 20 seconds later when I heard Jennings rustling in is bed... he had another burp.  I reached across the bed (over Madelyn) and tried to wake Jarrett.  He wouldn't stir.  I didn't want to speak loudly not to only avoid waking Madelyn but also to alarm Jennings and possibly wake Isabelle (yes she's sleeping at the foot of our bed in Madelyn's bed because she said she didn't feel good- she just didn't want to sleep in her bed).  Side tangent... could we have more people in our room at night?  I guess the answer is yes, but seriously.
Anyway, I decided it was finally worth it to shout to wake up Jarrett- I seriously needed to fall back asleep.  I asked him to get up and burp Jennings to which he replied, "Um my hands don't feel like they can do that right now."  -- SAY WHAT? Now granted he might have still been sleeping as I know he's tired too, but seriously... say what?

Yes there have been quite a few crazy things spoken around our house these last 6 weeks (Yes Jennings is 6 weeks today and I'm I complete denial).  Wait, say what?  He's six weeks!  That's probably the most crazy thing at all for me to hear.  Where is the time going?

And now I'm headed back to bed for another 1.5 hours (please) of sleep before we get back up and do this all again.

Until next time,
Angie

Jennings First Month

Last Thursday Jennings turned 1 month old and it was literally the fastest month of my life.  I can't believe he has already been with us for 30 plus days and yet I can't now imagine our lives without him.

While it has only been a month, I think I've taken 3,000 pictures of him.  We know our family is complete and this will be the last of the baby stages I get to experience as a mother.  Therefore I am capturing every possible moment I can... so much so I'm kind of convinced Jennings thinks my phone is another appendage on my body.

In the hopes to trying to grab some shut eye before I have to wake up again, I'm going to do a photo blast of these last few weeks.  Stay tuned for lots of cute pictures below...

He was so skinny and had chicken legs.  We are getting him to fill out now.  And his face, I think he's thinking... "What are they doing to me now!"

Of the four big kids, Gabe and Isabelle ask to hold him the most.  I think Gabe is excited to show him all the boy things he can.

And Madelyn loves to kiss him.  Madelyn, Jennings and I have spent a lot of days at home now that school has started for the three big kids.  She loves to sing to Jennings, talk to him and kiss him all over!

Can't believe how fast the time is going. 

After birth Jennings dropped from 6 pounds 12 oz to 6 lbs 4 ozs.  Now at a month old he weighs 9 pounds, 6 ounces... as I said he's figure out the eating thing!

Jennings is truly one happy and content baby... he smiles, is so even mannered and loves to be held.

Belle LOVES her little brother and greets him with so much love when we pick her up from school.  She misses him the most.

In the beginning Jennings had Jaundice and he wasn't interested in eating.  We had to set him infront of the open windows to get some light and we ended up having to give him a bit of supplemental formula to get his body the extra start of fluid to process the extra cells he didn't need anymore.

It made it a bit of a challenge for my milk to come in and we ended up having a lactation consultant come out to help me.  It was such a different experience compared to with Madelyn and I'm so glad we had her come help us, because I'm afraid without her reassurance and help, I probably would have stopped breast feeding.  I wanted to do this not only for the money it saves, but I think it is a good source of nutrition and antibodies for him and selfishly I love the bonding time nursing brings.  With 5 kids, and a million other things, my priority is always being his food source so it makes me take the extra time with him.

Yep, still really tired and look it, but I love him so much he's worth every minute of lost sleep.

I mean, come on... how can you not love this!

Jennings isn't the biggest fan of his car seat... especially when we have to sit in the parent pick up line, directly in the sun, in this August heat.  I can't blame him, I wouldn't like to be so tightly strapped in and forced to sweat (even with the air on full force)!

Nana made Jennings this rainbow blanket which is the perfect size.  Doesn't he look adorable in it?

Proud Nana, Papa and big sister.  Jennings looks like a little doll here to me!

My Godson Knox and his family sent Jennings this super adorable onesie, and Jennings loved getting to wear his #teamKnox outfit.

Notice the tiny chicken legs he was still sporting.  

I love this picture!

Oh and this one too!

Marybeth, our friend who performed my weekly ultrasounds, and was one of the very few people who knew Jennings was a boy (she did a GREAT job keeping it a surprise for us) was on an incredible family vacation when Jennings was born.  On his first day in this world, she sent me a picture of an incredible rainbow in the most beautiful surroundings.  It was definitely another reason I smiled that day.

When she got back, she stopped over to meet the boy she had been helping us see and monitor for so many months.  I'm so grateful we got to have that time together and for her great care in helping us bring him home.

WHAT IS THIS MOM?

He's so precious to me.

Sometimes Jennings makes the funniest faces and I swear he looks like actor Wallace Shawn.  Isn't it funny the similarities in these two photos?

Lots of people say newborns look like old men and in this case, I kind of agree.

Um Mom, I think I'm a little too small for this! 

Another Gabe/ Jennings bonding moment.  Look at how comfy Jennings looks!

Jennings likes his swing and it usually puts him to sleep.  Which gives me a couple of minutes to try to throw some dinner together.  Last week Michael helped me make a monthly meal calendar which (although is a huge tangent) is a great time savor and stressor for me.  Who knew I spent so much time trying to figure out what to make for dinner.

Now I can use that extra time to hold Jennings.

he loves his morning stretches.

and still contorts himself in strange positions

Madelyn lined up all her babies in our bed one night and I couldn't help but add Jennings to the mix.  Madelyn thought it was so funny!

Love him so.

Yep just a bit bigger than the baby doll.  

Here is a cute outfit our friends shared with us for Jennings.  I love the booties and the onesie with the matching gloves.  Who says girls only have cute clothes!

My friend Melanie's son had a baby just a few day after Jennings was born and we had them over for his first playdate.  Miss Madison was so quiet and precious.  Jennings was hungry so I decided to make this picture.  

Bedtime routines... reading with the three youngest.  It's crazy but we are starting to figure it out.

yep still looking like a hot mess, every single day (referring to me).  Jennings looks cute.

We are starting to do tummy time now that his umbilical cord finally fell off (at day 19).  He's pretty good with it and doesn't seem to mind it, unless he has a burb.  Then he is not too excited about it.

His smiles are the best.

Love this monthly tracker our friend shared with us.  He doesn't even know how much baseball is in his future.  He's already been to 2 games in his first month of life.

Thanks to my sister for these name blocks.  She's made them for us for the last several kids and we love them.  They are so adorable!

The whole crew!

I'm thankful that hopefully they will always have each other and built in friendships (of course when they are old enough to become close friends and stop fighting)

I have very few photos of him being fussy, because he really isn't.  That is why I had to take this one.... 

Jennings, this first month of your life has flown by.  We are in a groove now after those first few hard newborn days.  I have to say I cherish the moments with you, especially those in the middle of the night when we sit in dim light and you feed.  You look now just like your daddy and definitely have his personality. 

We are seeing signs that you recognize me and all the time we get to spend together.  When you are not happy in others arms, you seem to calm down when I get to hold you.  I think it might be the food you like the most, but daddy tries to tell me it is that you like me.  Buddy I like you, like a whole  whole lot.  

Jennings as our final baby, I am cherishing these moments and I already want time to slow down.  I dream about the future with you and how you are the final piece to our family puzzle.  I dreamed for many years to be a mom and after years of heartache and struggle, and honestly fear of never getting to be one, I look around now and feel like I won the jackpot.  A momma many times over.

And just like I felt with each of the kids, getting to be your momma is also a privilege and gift for me.  I love you so much.  Getting to see and feel you grow inside of me was one of the best feelings in this world and then meeting you for the first time was overwhelming incredible.  And now getting to know you, to care for you and love you here, is magical in so many ways.

Jennings you love to be held, you LOVE warm baths and hot showers (you fall asleep), you seem to prefer noisy surroundings instead of quiet (I can't imagine why LOL), you are getting to be quite good at holding your head up and you are officially out of newborn clothes and diapers (goodness that went too quickly).

Jennings I'll never be able to fully express just how deeply my love goes.  I never understood it myself until I became a mom and I pray someday you'll get to know too... when you become a dad.

Thank you for the blessings you've given us in who you are.  I hope you know just how much you are wanted and how deeply you are loved by all of us.

Your tired, but over the moon in love with you momma.

Until next time.

Angie