Happy 1 Month Jesse!!

Guess who's a month old already...that's right little Jesse Mitchell!!  I knew he'd grow up fast and even cried about it the first week (can you believe I cried about my baby growing up fast in the first week??) when I was all hormonal still!

So what is Jesse up to now that he's a month old??  Well besides being much bigger and heavier...

• Jesse is almost too big for his newborn clothes.  He can barely straighten his legs and if it snaps around his belly, well then it barely snaps!
• He can hold his head up all on his own
• Still can't keep the binky in his mouth for very long 
• Has discovered his hands and just today has been able to keep them in his mouth for more than a few seconds
• His movements have become less jerky and more smooth
• He likes to push up with his legs and try to stand while you hold his chest
• Has slept through the night twice already!!  
• Is on an eat/wake/sleep schedule (and sticks to it better than Mommy ever does!)
• Loves bath time and kicks his little legs like a pro swimmer
• Still has blueish grey eyes
• Sleeps in his pack n play right next to Mommy's side of the bed
• Loves his new mobile that hangs over his bed (he used to get very angry when his old mobile would stop after a few seconds...darn dancing bears had to be fired!!)
• Endures tummy time without a fuss
• Loves to look at himself in the mirror

My list could go on forever but you get the gist...he's growing up!

What a big boy!

So here are some of Jesse's long awaited stats (His 6 week appointment is in 2 weeks so we'll see how big he's gotten then!!):

March 26, 2011
7 lbs 14 oz
20.5 in long (I was mistaken about the 21.5)

March 27, 2011
7 lbs. 4 oz.
(this was the morning after a very long and difficult night trying to feed Jesse.  On this day we had to finger feed him because he was not eating enough and was extremely dehydrated.  He was so dehydrated that the midwife could not do his PKU (where they poke his foot and try to fill all these circles on a card with blood).  She was only able to get a few drops of blood and had to poke his foot 4 times!!

March 28, 2011
7lbs 5 oz.
(this morning I had to go see the lactation consultant to see how Jesse was eating)

March 30, 2011
7lbs. 7oz.
20.5 in. long
36 cm. head circumference
Rated a 12 for Jaundice (very low on the scale)
(Jesse's first doctor's appointment)

April 4, 2011
8lbs 1oz
21 in. long
36.8 cm head circumference
(Jesse got circumcised!  My little trooper didn't even cry and Mommy was brave and stayed in the room to hold the little guy's hand!!)

April 13, 2011
9 lbs 6 oz. (70th percentile)
21 in. long (60th percentile)
37.9 cm head circumference (70th percentile)
(We got Thrush and have to take Ginsen Violet to treat it...notice his purple lips)

The stork dropped him off...

It has been some time since I posted anything about Jesse or myself and that is because as you know, Jesse has arrived and as you may not know, Mommy has taken some time to adjust!!

I began having contractions March 25 at 3 a.m.  They weren't strong contractions but definitely noticeable.  I had been slacking off on getting Jesse's room ready so I used that as a means to distract myself from the pain of the contractions.  I pretty much cleaned up his whole room in that one morning.

By afternoon the contractions started getting stronger and I was so ready for Jesse to be here!  Joe and I decided to go to Fred Meyers so that I could do laps and hopefully get the little guy to drop and allow the labor to progress.  The people there must have thought we were crazy!  Here's this huge pregnant woman literally looking like she's ready to pop stopping every few minutes for contractions!!  Lol!!

Well by 6pm the contractions were very strong and getting closer together.  Joe called the birth center and we decided to stay at home for a couple more hours.  By 9pm we called again and were on our way.  When I arrived I was dilated 4cm and my cervix was effaced about 80% and was very soft.  I was Group B Strep positive so I had to be given antibiotics through an IV.  After the IV was hooked up the fun began!

I was able to try just about every method imaginable to manage the pain (minus the drugs).  I was in the shower, the tub, on the bed, on the toilet, doing squats, on my hands and knees, and laying on my side.  It was pretty amazing that I was actually able to fall asleep immediately after a contraction, be passed out for a minute and wake up for the next round!

I honestly cannot say what the worst part of labor is; each part has it's very own awfulness.  I can say that the hardest part though was the very end when I finally felt the urge to push.  By this time it was already March 26 early in the morning.  I ended up on the bed because I was so exhausted and could no longer squat.  This was the only point where I really felt as though I could not do it.  It was so hard and so painful and I was terrified that I would tear!  I was beginning to get discouraged because I would feel the urge to push and then feel Jesse move further down.  I would stop pushing and then feel him move back up.  I felt as though I was losing all the progress I had just made.  The last push was the hardest and most painful!

As soon as Jesse came out I started crying like a big baby!  I don't know if it was excitement over him finally being here and me finally getting to meet him or over the fact that the pain was over!  Probably a little bit of both!

In all I'd have to say that giving birth to Jesse at a birth center was an amazing experience.  I cannot imagine doing it at a hospital!  My midwife and her birth assistant were wonderful and Joe was and awesome coach (I don't know if I could have done it without him!!).  I'm still amazed that I was able to have him without any drugs!!  It blows my mind still today.  This was without a doubt one of the most difficult things that I've ever done and now that I'm feeling better I can say that I wouldn't mind more kids in the future!

The stork dropped off a perfectly healthy, beautiful little boy!  Jesse Mitchell was born March 26 at 4:16 am.  He weighed 7lbs. 14oz. and was 20 inches long!  The Lord has blessed us abundantly for sure!!

40 Weeks

Well, today I am 40 weeks and yes this is baby Jesse's due date!!  I've had a lot of braxton hicks contractions the past few days and only a few that caused any uncomfortableness.  My last appointment with the midwives was on Tuesday and I was 2 cm dilated and 60% effaced, however, my cervix still needed to soften.  I'm hoping that I've made some more progress!!  Come on baby Jesse, Mommy's ready to hold you in her arms!!

Your Baby in Week 40 of Pregnancy 
Congratulations! This week marks the official end of your pregnancy. Your baby probably weighs anywhere from six to nine pounds and measures between 19 and 22 inches (though tons of perfectly healthy babies are smaller or bigger). The bones in his skull haven’t fused yet — Mother Nature’s way of making it easier to get through the birth canal during labor and delivery. He now has enough fat under the skin to maintain his body temperature outside the womb (with a little help from those cute outfits and swaddling blankets that you’ve been stocking up on!). You (or actually the placenta) are still providing the antibodies he’ll need to fight off infections for the first six months of his life. And if you plan on breastfeeding, your milk will be giving him more antibodies that’ll boost his immune system.

Your Body in Week 40 of Pregnancy 
When will your body know it's time to deliver this baby? Well, about half of all pregnancies go past the 40-week mark, but your baby's birthday will absolutely be sometime in the next two weeks, as your practitioner won't let you go longer than 42 weeks. One event that's not guaranteed before the onset of labor is your water breaking (the rupture of membranes surrounding your baby that contain the amniotic fluid he's been living in for the past nine months). Despite what you see in the movies, very few women experience a public water breaking. In fact, more than 85 percent of expectant moms enter the birthing room with their membranes fully intact. Even if you do end up springing a leak, it's more likely to be a slow trickle than a big splash.

38 Weeks

Now you see me...

Now you don't...

Jesse has been cooking for 38 weeks and I can't believe it!  He only has 2 more weeks until his due date and can come at any time now!  He's really poking out but still has yet to drop.  At times he feels like he's dropped a little lower which makes it difficult to walk, however, he hasn't decided to stay engaged in my pelvis yet.  So far I'm still feeling pretty good!  I've been getting tired very quickly and have been taking several naps throughout the day which has kept me going.  I've also had some really bad indigestion and acid reflux at night which has made sleeping pretty terrible.  I've resorted to partially sleeping upright and sometimes that helps.  Joe has also resorted to making sure I get out of the house and walk at least 30 minutes each day, which I appreciate because it's just nice to get out!  At my last appointment the midwife said that she thinks Jesse is going to be somewhere around 8 pounds so we'll see here pretty soon!!

37 Weeks

So that's right I'm now 37 weeks and the countdown has begun.  I can now legally give birth at the birth center which is awesome, but hopefully Jesse doesn't come too soon.  It was a wake up call not too long ago when a friend with the same due date as me gave birth to her little boy (big and healthy) at the end very end of February!!  

From Whattoexpect.com

Your Baby in Week 37 of Pregnancy 

Congratulations! You've got what is officially considered a full-term baby, even with three weeks to go. That doesn't mean he's finished growing — in fact, he's still packing on about a half pound a week (at this age, the average fetus weighs about 6.5 pounds). That makes it a little crowded in your uterus, so he’s probably not kicking as much, though he’s probably stretching, rolling a bit, and wiggling (all of which you’ll be able to feel!). Right now, your little superstar is busy rehearsing for his big debut, inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid (to get the lungs ready for that first breath), sucking his thumb (to prepare for that first suckle of milk), blinking, and turning from side to side.

Your Body in Week 37 of Pregnancy

Your body is going through its own preparations for childbirth as your practitioner starts looking for signs of labor. On the checklist: the baby's position in relation to your pelvis (engagement) and whether effacement (thinning of the cervix) and dilation (opening of the cervix) have begun. Your practitioner may also determine whether your cervix has begun to soften and move to the front of the vagina, another indication that labor is getting closer. Keep in mind that these processes can occur gradually (over a period of weeks or even a month or more in some women) or overnight. So while they're clues that you're indeed progressing, they're far from sure bets when it comes to pinpointing the actual start of labor.

Baby Shower

So my baby shower was March 5, 2011!  I was kind of worried because I knew that Jesse could actually arrive early causing me to miss the celebration.  But as the day drew closer I knew that this little guy would be late if anything!!  

Thanks to my wonderful hosts, my mom and friends Kathy and Jessica, my baby shower was everything I had hoped it would be!  I was surprised at how many of guests were able to make it, especially considering that there were actually several birthday parties and events that just happened to be on the same exact day!  Thank you so much to all of you who were able to attend and I sure hope you had a great time!  You all made my day special!!

For those of you who didn't get a chance to make it to the shower here are some pictures of the fun:

Here's a sample of the decorations!  All thanks to my mom, Kathy, and Ginneh for the awesome decorations and set up!!  

The Games!  Thank you Jessica for setting up the fun games for us!  We played a game where we had to fill in the blank on nursery rhymes (this one was kind of hard!!), baby ABC's, and the game where you can't say "Baby", "Jesse", or my name!  We had four game gifts so for the final gift we did a name raffle!  Look how hard everyone is concentrating!!

Small Group Shot...we completely forgot to get a big group shot before everyone left!!

Can't forget the pic of baby Jesse...

Take a look at the amazing gifts that our awesome friends were kind enough to give us!