So I'll be the first to admit that I was a little naive when it came to the whole maternity leave idea. Before Jackson was born, I thought that in addition to taking care of and hanging out with him all day that I would also have 12 weeks to do all sorts of projects that I never have time to do. Wrong! Anyone who has kids knows that taking care of a newborn is a full-time job and that I'm doing good to take a shower, get a load of laundry done, and keep the two of us fed. There definitely hasn't been anytime to work on any sort of project, and unfortunately, I've fallen behind on the blog, too. Therefore, in an effort to catch up, I've decided to go ahead and just blog about Jackson's entire first month of life all at once. I'm going to warn you -- it's a lot of pictures, so if you're not interested in seeing a few an excessive amount of pictures of the cutest face you've ever seen, you can go ahead and stop scrolling now. ;)
The first week of Jackson's life was SO MUCH FUN. Ben took the week off from work, so we literally spent the entire week just hanging out at home as a family. Jackson spent most of the week sleeping and eating, and we spent most of it just soaking it up -- staring at him, taking pictures of him, talking about how much we loved everything about him, and showing him off to all of our visitors. Since he was adjusting to life outside the womb, he wanted to be held close to a warm body at all times, but we didn't mind. We didn't even mind the fact that he would wake up the second we laid him in his co-sleeper and would only slept if we were holding him. We took turns staying up and holding him while he slept between each feeding, but thankfully that only lasted a couple of nights. That first week was quite possibly the best week of my life. It felt a lot like "playing house" as an adult. :)
Our little Aggie
Flowers from my mom, the Cabazas, and my dad & Patty
Abby & Debbie
Snuggling with dad before bed...
...but wide awake as soon as it's time to go to bed
A baby gown from G
When Jackson was 4 days old, we had our first outing -- a trip to the pediatrician for his well-check.
Patiently waiting to be seen
Thankfully Dr. Dawson said that everything looked perfect...
...and we couldn't agree more!
Hanging out in bed all morning with the little guy -- this is the life!
His shirt might as well say "Mommy's Whole World" :)
Finally awake but having a little trouble focusing ;)
Our fur babies
Erin & Abbie
This baby can sleep through anything during the daytime...
...on the phone AND watching TV...
...but is again wide awake at night
Can't get enough of that sweet face!
That first weekend home, we gave Jackson his first bath. Unfortunately, it had to be a sponge bath since his umbilical cord had not fallen off yet, so he didn't really like it too much.
Thankfully he calmed down as soon as he was dressed though.
Uncle Josh
"Pops"
A beautiful gift from the Whites
We also took our first walk that first weekend, too, but Jackson was obviously not a fan, so we made it a quick one.
Bubbs...looking slightly annoyed that his walk got cut so short
Sound asleep as soon as he was out of the car seat
More and more alert each day...
...but not even slightly amused at dad's silly faces
Snuggled up in one of our wedding gifts
CUTEST. FACE. EVER.
One of the many nighttime diaper changes
A picture of me and my "bump" at 38 weeks
The many faces of Jackson...big yawn...
...a smirk...
...and just a little tired of my excessive picture-taking
Having a newborn in the house is exhausting ;)
SUPER exhausting ;)
Staying warm with Aunt Holly
Me & my angel baby
Unfortunately, Ben was only able to take off one week from work, so the second week at home was somewhat rougher than the first. It really wasn't Jackson's fault so much as my postpartum emotions and the fact that we had had so much fun "playing house" the entire week before. I cried all Sunday evening and off and on the rest of the week, too. It really wasn't so much that I needed Ben's help {thankfully my mom was more than happy to step in} so much as I just missed having him there. I did have fun hanging out with Jackson though, and things got better and better as time went on. By week 3, my emotions were starting to level out, and by week 4, I felt pretty much normal again {thank goodness!}.
Hanging out while mom takes a quick shower
Look at those cheeks!
Kathy
An afternoon nap
Our first bedtime story -- "Guess How Much I Love You"
Woke mom up with his hiccups, but he slept right through them
Burrito Boy
Bonding with Annie
Second wardrobe change of the day
Third wardrobe change...but who's counting ;)
I love that gummy grin!
Candy
Posing with his diaper cake
My little model
Both of my babies waiting for dad to get home
Another sponge bath
When Jackson was 13 days old, Ben took the morning off from work, and we drove out to Dripping Springs for a newborn photo shoot. I fed him as soon as we got there, and then he slept for 3+ hours while the photographer worked her magic.
Resting up after his newborn photo shoot
Carly, Bradley, & Amie Kate {and their parents, Scott & Amanda}
Hanging out with dad later that evening
Those cheeks just keep getting bigger and bigger
I took Jackson to his two-week doctor's appointment by myself. He slept the whole way there and was super alert in the waiting room. When I took him out of his car seat to be weighed, I realized that he had had an explosive poopy diaper. Unfortunately, being the first-time mom that I am, I did not have an extra outfit, so in addition to having blood drawn from his heel, he also had to ride home in nothing but a diaper and a blanket. He was not a happy camper.
Recovering at home after a very traumatic doctor's appointment
Friday-night family picture
My two boys snoozing after a long week
Milk drunk
Miles
Cheryl's baby bump {a.k.a. Avery}
So relaxed
My baby and my new haircut
Gold Boots Glitter {the title of the Wheeler Brothers' newest CD}
Couponing with mom
Strike a pose
His very first bottle
Emily & Jon
His second bottle
I think he liked it ;)
When Jackson was 17 days old, I took him back up to the hospital for his hearing test. He had failed the test both times during our hospital stay {because of fluid buildup in his ears}, but thankfully, he quickly passed it this time around.
Kisses
I was dead set against using a pacifier, but one day, Jackson would not stop screaming. It was unfortunately the same day that I had a headache that would just not go away, so I sent this picture to Ben with a text that said, "I caved."
That same day, my family came over for dinner, and we celebrated Grandma's 85th birthday. Unfortunately, Ben came home sick from work that day, so he spent the evening asleep in the guest room while the rest of us partied.
Holly came over early and gave Jackson his first Valentine's gift -- a bib that says "Auntie's Dream Date".
The birthday girl with her granddaughters & great-grandson
"Opa"
Ben slept in the guest room that night and the next so that he wouldn't get us sick, and he ended up staying home from work that day, too. Just to be on the safe side, he kept his distance from Jackson for those 48 hours, which was definitely no fun at all. Being a single parent is tough, but to be honest, I think not holding Jackson was even tougher on him than it was on me.
Missing dad
Now I know why everyone says that he has my nose
Tummy time turned into naptime
"Opa" & Patty
A catnap while mom showers
Happy Valentine's Day {and Happy Birthday to Ben!} from me and the little guy! He had been fed, bathed, and was in his Valentine's outfit, and all I had done was brush my teeth -- welcome to motherhood! ;)
I tried to wake him up for his photo shoot but didn't have any luck
The Valentine's sleeper was a gift from his "Mimi"
And she came by that day with even more presents
A new sleeper with trains on it and a Valentine's teddy bear
"Pops" also stopped by for a quick visit
A sweet Valentine's gift for me from my in-laws -- a little boy charm and Jackson's birthstone
The birthday boy holding his birthday gift from me {unfortunately I didn't get a chance to get out and get anything else}
Ben's gift from Jackson
When Cheryl and Miles stopped by, I asked if she would take a picture of "all of us"
Miles stood right in front of us and said, "CHEESE!" I love that kid.
When he was 3 weeks old, I bundled him up and took him to the mall. He was a much better shopper than his dad -- he didn't make a peep or complain even once!
When we got home, we did a couple minutes of tummy time before hanging out on our back.
Brandon, Kaycee, & Caroline
Eating lunch together
My 2 sleepy heads on a lazy Saturday morning
Uncle Duke, Aunt Martha, Duke, & Maria
A cupcake for his birthday :)
So stylish
Travis, Dani, Olivia, Sophia, & Jack
A couple of selfies in the glider...
...which he was apparently not a fan of {based on his hand gesture}.
Walks are so much more enjoyable in the "Roo pouch"
And baths are so much more enjoyable when sitting in a bunch of warm water {and in a heated bathroom}
Apparently Annie & Amos thought Ben and "Big Momma" needed some help ;)
"Big Momma"
A picture of me and my "bump" on my due date -- February 17th
Sunday afternoon naps
Hanging out with Aunt Holly & Abby {& Mimi} on President's Day
Starting to notice the zebra & elephant on his bouncer
Ben was wanting pictures, but we were having a ROUGH day
Washing his hair in the sink...just like his G
A note for Uncle Pat
A picture for dad
The face I usually get after he eats :)
A picture of monkey-butt & double-chin ;)
A trip to Mimi's house for lunch
"Mimi" & Debbie
How Jackson prefers to do tummy time
Erin
A morning nap
Such a stud
Practice makes perfect ;)
Relaxing after all that hard work
So awake and alert!
Just a swingin'
Milk drunk
Looking adorable in his bunny gown and hat
Such a sweet face
Working out with dad
Morning snuggles with mom
Chris, Leslie, Stella, & Thomas {who was more interested in playing with his new bubble wand than being in the picture}
It's hard to believe that it's already been a month since the little guy joined our family, but you know what they say -- time flies when you're having fun! That statement has never been so true. :)
P.S. Congrats on making it through the longest blog post ever! If this post doesn't teach me to keep updated with the blog, I don't know what will. ;)
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