Three Weeks Old!

The wonderful and talented Brittany came and took some newborn pictures of Jake last week! He is just like his father and was SO excited to be in front of the camera...

Here are some more sneak peaks and I'll link to her blog once she posts more.

We are lucky to have friends so talented with their cameras!! Dabney (aka "Auntie D") is flying in later this afternoon to meet Jake for the first time and I guarantee you she'll also have fancy camera and photoshop in tow. Bet you can guess what we'll be doing the next couple of days!!!

Jake is also THREE WEEKS OLD TODAY.

Otherwise known as my maternity leave is 1/4 over. Boo :(

But he is getting so big! We've guestimated that he's maybe 7.5 lbs right now. What in the world??? He is officially out of preemie clothes and well into newborn clothes too...so finally we can start wearing the 80 bajillion outfits we have. You've never seen a baby boy with so many clothes!

Helllloooo photo ops!

Although Seth might kill me if he found out I was playing dress up with his son during the day...

So About that Child Who Slept Through the Night...

Did I say that Jake slept good at night?

What I meant to say is that of course my child doesn't sleep good at night! That would be silly.

Sigh.

So we are tired. Maybe that can be a good excuse for my lack of posting?

But I promise a good post is coming. Maybe one that has to do with something like this?

No, guys...that's not a model family on my bed. That's US! But I can see why you made that mistake. Happens all the time.

Jake's Stats

Today Jake weighed in at a hefty...

6 lbs 15 oz!

Talk about a growing boy! He gained 11 oz in 9 days. Breaks a mama's heart to see her little boy growing so fast.

(I think I might have scared our doctor. It's not that I don't want him to grow...it just happens too quickly!)

That puts him in either the 5th or 8th percentile (the nurse didn't have the best handwriting)

He was also 20 inches long. So that means he's grown a HALF INCH since birth. Crazy.

In other news, as they were taking his temperature (rectally...super fun) the following took place...

Mary: So, do babies ever poop on the thermometer while you're taking their temp? That'd be so gross!

Nurse: Oh yeah, things like that happen someti...

Jake: Totally inappropriate bodily noise that results in a jet spray of poop

Nurse: Taking cover

Mary: Oh...hmmm...betcha wish you wore a mask!

He continues to make us so proud!!!

Growing

I know you want pictures of the super cute elephant outfit. Quite honestly, I wasn't ready to take my chances again this morning. Just too soon. But it is washed and ready to go for round 2 whenever I get brave enough!

How about a cute monkey outfit instead? Thanks Jen & Mike!

Still working on our head control...
So cute!

We play a LOT on our playmat everyday. Look at all the playing going on!

Sorry, you'll have to turn your head. But look how sweetly he swings!

Both my boys down for a nap :)

Can't forget about our tummy time! He can lift his head for a few seconds but spends the rest of his time in a face plant. Don't worry, all supervised.

So tired

We have our 2 week appointment with the pedi later this afternoon so we're anxious to see how he's grown since the last time! I can't decide if I should mention his affinity for the long division or not...

Take Cover!

Ladies and gentlemen.

My child slept for 8 hours last night.

10:30pm - 6:30am.

WHAT?!

Every night I think this is a fluke. Because the night before he slept 7ish hours. And the night before that. And then before that it was 6. But every night continues to prove me wrong.

Please tell me this means we have a good sleeper!

I decided to reward him by putting him in a super cute elephant outfit from Gymboree today. Albeit, a little too big, but sometimes we have to put size aside and focus more on the fashion.

He repaid me by projectile vomiting all over it (and me) an hour later.

Sigh.

Did Somebody Need a Doctor?

I cannot believe I forgot to mention my celebrity sighting this weekend!

I asked Seth on a scale of 1-10 exactly how famous he thought this woman was. For measurement purposes, I told him Justin Timberlake was a 10. Naturally.

He gave this certain person an 8.

I beg to differ, but it appears my husband was a bigger fan of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman than I was.

Yes, Jane Seymour was at The Woodlands Mall promoting her "Open Hearts" necklace. Or as my sister lovingly refers to it, the "two sets of butt cheeks".

She's sweet, isn't she?

I was a little confused to see the line of people outside the temporary art gallery they had set up. Because yes, Dr. Quinn is an artist by night I guess? So she brought paintings of all her inspirations and then was signing autographs. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience.

Ok maybe not. But it's not everyday you see famous people in your hometown!

Except if you happen to run into me a lot...

Maybe you're wondering, "Why the heck did you take Jake to the mall?!" Don't worry, I didn't. Seth got a couple hours of daddy time while I ran a couple errands real quick. It was nice to get out of the house and from what Jake tells me, they had a great time!

More Baby Stuff

I just realized I haven't blogged since Thursday. Oopsie!

Look kids, I've been a little busy, ok??

We had a fun weekend and it's hard to believe Jake will be turning 2 weeks old on Thursday! He might as well be getting his driver's license. Anyway...Emily & Kyle came to visit and spend time with their new nephew. They loved him (of course) and we made sure they changed every stinky diaper during their stay.

Kidding. I'm not that mean. But that would be a good policy for visitors. "You want to visit? Ok...but please change one dirty diaper on your way out!"

I LIKE IT!

Potty training cannot come soon enough.

We didn't do a whole lot, seeing as how the whole world is infested with major flu/swine flu/other nasty germs, but we did at least take Jake to the pumpkin patch at our church on Saturday afternoon. It was awful sunny and kiddo needed some shades but at least it was warm enough for him to sleep through all the picture taking. Because that's really what all this is about.

Jake with Aunt Emily & Uncle Kyle


His newborn Halloween outfit swallowed him!

I also tried to pose Jake for more pictures on Sunday. So beware, you're about to see more cuteness.

You're welcome.

Daddy reading Jake a bedtime story

Disclaimer: The following picture is not an indication of a bad mom. Just a wiggly baby...

I took a nap one afternoon and woke up to find Jake sideways in his swing. Oops. I was a little horrified. Didn't think he was big enough to need strapping in. Apparently I was wrong...

Don't worry, it won't happen again. Seth told me not to post this picture. But at least we got a good laugh!

Zero Months Old

Jake's "Auntie D" sent us the cutest pack of stickers a few weeks ago to help document Jake, in the cutest way possible, as he grows. So here we are at 0 months old. This was taken a few days ago. Can y'all believe he's already ONE WEEK OLD?! At this time last week, I was trying to keep it together, wondering if we should go to the hospital, and trying to do last minute loads of laundry just in case we did!

At 11:02pm tonight you can sing him Happy Birthday if you'd like. Just please don't call because we'll hopefully be asleep :)

You Asked, You Got It!

What's that? You guys want more pictures of our beautiful baby boy? You don't care about our dogs...or what I think about daytime TV...or....or...

I've lost you already haven't I?

Ok, well here goes. He has been such an angel this past week (I keep wondering how much longer we have in the "baby honeymoon"...I hear 2 weeks tops!) so we are taking advantage of it while we can. I feel semi-rested, the house is semi-clean, and we even went on our first walk to the mailbox today. Then we promptly turned that stroller around and headed home because it feels like 100 degrees outside. In October. Sigh.

Hanging out with Daddy
Are they not the cutest?
Wide-eyed!

Our little taco

We're working on looking at the camera...hopefully we can perfect this skill by the holidays

Shortly after this picture was taken, this precious outfit was both peed & pooped on. Hey, at least all his "systems" work...

Well, helllllloooo ladies!

Please stop taking pictures of me, Mommy!

Look at how this outfit swallows him...it's PREEMIE.

Jake's 1st Bath

Jake got his first bath on Sunday morning. I think baths are just a semi-selfish thing for the parents when they're this little because you know you're just doing it so they'll smell extra good!

I hate this! Get yours hands off of me!!!
Nice and clean
Oh wait...now I hate this again. Where are my clothes??

Daddy trying to warm Jake up. I had a little bit of deja vu when I took this picture and couldn't figure out why. So I started looking through old picture folders on the computer and came across this one...

Same shirt, same hair :) Almost the same cuteness! This was from April 2007 when we had just found Miss Maggie

Jake also had his first pedi appointment today. Of course he was perfect. My hopes are really high for a full-ride to Texas A&M or something because he just keeps passing tests and check ups with flying colors! Like mama, like son, right?

No...really.

He had gained an ounce since we left the hospital, bringing him to 6 lbs 4 oz (5th percentile). His length was about the same and in the 25th percentile. He also set a world record of 3 dirty diapers at our visit.

We are so proud!

How the Stork Delivered Jake

Well, I have seriously been trying to blog all day long. And now it's 10:30pm and I still haven't finished. Do you know how much this is killing me?!

At least it's a precious little boy keeping me from the computer and not something completely miserable! Because he's about the furthest thing from miserable I could possibly think of.

I know everyone wants to know how this all went down. Because just a few days before his delivery I was complaining about being pregnant forever, I hadn't progressed, and was basically going to set a world record (in my head at least). So here goes:

In the middle of the night on Tuesday (October 6th), I started having contractions. Not super painful, but enough to where I could finally start "timing something". I woke Seth up once a little freaked out, just because I didn't really know what was going on. They continued all day Wednesday. Not really painful, just enough to be uncomfortable and noticeable. I chalked it up to nothing and thought, "this must be how all women start to feel before they have their babies." Of course I was secretly hoping that everytime I stood up my water would break or something but no such luck. :)

Wednesday night was a different story. I woke up around 1am in a little more intense pain! The contractions were coming every 7-10 minutes. I finally got up and came to watch TV so that Seth could get some sleep. By morning, I was starting to freak out a little. I called the hospital to talk with a nurse and they confirmed what I already thought...that they wouldn't admit me until contractions were 2-3 minutes apart. But I was confused because at the doctor on Monday I hadn't progressed at all! So I called the dr's office as soon as they opened and they told me to come in right away. Seth decided to stay home from work and go with me. When we got to the doctor, he told me I was 2cm and 90% effaced! WHAT?!

Dr. Rawson told us we could possibly expect to be at the hospital later in the day Thursday or Friday morning. But he also warned us the contractions could stop at a moments notice and I could have several more days. We went home and took the dogs on a walk. Bet people in the neighborhood didn't know what to think of the pregnant woman having to stop approx every 4 minutes and cringe! By about 2pm, the contractions had gotten so bad that I could hardly stand up. Seth was having to hold me up and I was getting really lightheaded. He also thought this was be a good time to take a video of my contractions.

Said video has now been deleted. I mean, really?!

Now that I think about it, it probably would've been hilarious to post on the blog. I had the most horrible face and kept telling him to turn off the camera.

Anyway...

We headed to the hospital around 2pm. When we got there, I was dilated 4cm. THANK GOODNESS! I was so scared of being sent home. I told them I needed an epidural STAT. It's probably a good thing I didn't know how long it would take, otherwise I might've punched the nurse if I knew it would be 6pm by the time I saw the anesthesiologist!! We were admitted shortly after and were in a room by 4pm. Dr. Rawson came to break my water and I got the epidural a couple hours later. Ah, the anesthesiologist. My guardian angel in green scrubs!

The dr. said to get some rest because we could probably expect an early Friday morning birth. To make a long story short, I progressed from 5-10 centimeters in about 4-5 hours and was ready to push around 10:30pm. They called the doctor and we were so freaked out! I was scared, Seth was sick to his stomach, and it was so surreal because we knew our baby would be here SOON! I started pushing at 10:44pm and Jake was born at 11:02. I know 85% of the women reading this might want to kick me, but that 18 minutes felt like 5 hours!!!

But looking back, it went so smoothly. My labor wasn't terribly long...I didn't push for that long...I didn't need any stitches...and I almost felt like a champ the next morning. Man, I should have a baby everyday!

JOKES PEOPLE.

And it goes to show that nobody can predict the future and this truly was ALL up to God! Here we thought he would come late and he came early. We thought he'd be born on Friday, and he made it by Thursday! I thought I'd never make it through delivery, and here I am today. :)

And.this.little.boy.is.so.worth.it!!!!!!!!!

I apologize that was so lengthy. Most of you are probably falling asleep on your keyboards about right now but I needed to document this, at least for me! Because you know next week I'll be knee deep in re-telling some other long-winded story about his first trip to the pedi or something. You never know in the exciting world of being a mom!

We are enjoying being home this week and spending time as a family. Seth has a few days off and Jake is probably loving all the attention he's getting! I apologize if I haven't been able to return all your calls, messages, etc. It feels like the phone has been ringing nonstop and emails are coming left and right! It's like I gave birth to a celebrity.

Dang him. And I was the one who was always supposed to be famous! The sacrifices we make for our kids!!!

I'll start y'all off with some pictures from his first few hours and then have some super cute ones to post shortly after. Perhaps during our middle of the night feeding. Unless I'm catching up on the 2.3 million TV shows I'm behind on. It's such a toss up.

p.s. An hour or so after Jake was born, I looked at Seth and said, "We missed Jim & Pam's wedding!!!!!" He looked at me like I'd lost my mind. Even through the pains of labor, I still knew which shows I was missing...

:)

Jacob Garrett Anderle
So emotional! I couldn't believe he was finally here! Jake meeting his Nana and NonnieProud daddy!
Dr. Rawson was the BEST. I seriously have the best OB. He was so encouraging and did a wonderful job with the delivery.

Alright, that's all for now, folks! I am dog tired and have a hungry child. And I probably desperately need some sleep too. But hey, I think this post might be long enough to keep all you reading for at least a few hours tomorrow...

Who Needs Pictures??

Don't worry, this isn't the post. I still have some work to do on that. Because I want to post all about the exciting happenings last Wednesday and Thursday as we slowly and shockingly realized our baby was on his WAY! But I know several of you were on edge hoping to see some more pictures ASAP.

So here's a little teaser...

He was so sad to leave the hospital!

Oh...you didn't want pictures of them? Too bad :) They love their baby brother!

More to come...more to come...

40 Week Belly Picture?

I just know I'm going to get yelled at for not blogging sooner. But hey, I've been a tad busy. It's a hard life being a mom to a precious baby boy, eating cookies from your cookie bouquet, trying to look good and maintain a vigorous exercise regimen, and all the other fun things that go along with HAVING A BABY!!!!!

Jacob Garrett Anderle was born on Thursday, October 8th at 11:02pm. He was 6 lbs, 7 oz and 19.5 inches of pure perfection. We're not biased. The hospital did tell us he was the best looking baby they'd EVER seen. We are so blessed! He is doing great so far, I am doing great, and we actually got some sleep last night. We have had the best nurses here at the hospital.

And yes, Seth is even better of a dad than I could've imagined.

Speaking of dad, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SETH! I think we got the best posible birthday present ever this year...wouldn't you say so?

Anyway, I will for sure post things in a little more detail later but I at least wanted to get the news out there for those of you who hadn't seen the 8 million pictures already on Facebook. And yes, if you're wondering, Jake WILL be going home in his gameday outfit today. We will get a million and a half pictures.

Gig 'em Ags!

39 Weeks

Ladies and gentlemen...it seems as if I will be pregnant FOREVER. My child seems to think my uterus is a 5 star luxury hotel.

Which it probably is. But what little Jake doesn't understand is that sometimes we have to check OUT of our hotels too.

Using your best context clues, you can probably assume that today's dr's appointment had NO news. As in, no change from last week. Which means you will probably get a 40 week belly picture. Maybe even 41.

But I will be frowning in that one.

God is really teaching me a lesson in patience. And trusting Him. And learning that I am not in control. Which is probably the most irritating thing for a control freak to hear.

So anyway. Here we are at 39 weeks:

This picture makes it a little easier to see how Jake has dropped in the past couple of weeks.

So now we wait. And wait. And wait some more. But I was told not to expect a baby this week either.

Is there an inkling of me that is still expecting a baby this week? Of course. I live for setting myself up for disappointment!!

I'm sure you're wondering about the candy corn progress as well. Don't think I left you hanging.

At this rate, we will definitely have to refill prior to Halloween. Which would be such a joy shame.

In the meantime, we will be attempting to enjoy ourselves for what could potentially be our last child-free week. That.is.weird.