Coming Home with Baby Jack

We came home from the hospital with our little guy on Tuesday morning after a great stay at the hospital. We got Jack dressed to come home in the same outfit that his daddy, Barrett wore home from the hospital about 36 years ago!
All dressed - shoes and all!

So small in his car seat.

We are so excited to bring you home, Jack!

Jack is ready for the big ride home!

Jacks first ride in the car.

Jack slept the whole ride home.

Our first stop once we got home was to the Christmas tree. What a wonderful Christmas gift Jack was to us!!!

Hospital Stay with our New Baby Boy

There are so many pictures I want to share, but here are just a few to document our first couple days in the hospital. Jack's 1st picture ever taken of him - besides his sono pictures. He is just seconds old!
He weighed 6 lbs 5 oz. This really surprised us. We were guessing he would be much bigger than that.

1st Family Picture

Mommy and Baby. I could not believe how tiny and incredibly cute my very own little baby was!

The proud Daddy with his new son.

I am in love with these big dark eyes.

Precious cheeks!

The doctor and nurses were commenting on what a big crowd we had waiting in the waiting room. Sure enough about 30 family members were there anticipating the arrival of Jack...and there were many more that weren't able to make it. Jack, we all looked so forward to meeting you!

GramPam and Jack

PaPa and Jack

Mom-Mom, Pepa, and Jack

Jack and his best friend Zach, our neighbor just 7 weeks older than Jack.

Mom-mom got this Christmas outfit for Jack just in case he arrived early. He missed Christmas by one day but still got the chance to wear the cute outfit. Mommy said it was alright - close enough to Christmas!

I just can't stand it! He is toooooo cute!!!!!

Barrett is in the shirt Jack gave him for Christmas that says "Jack's Daddy." He got the shirt just in time - within 24 hours of Jack's birth.

Our Family

Jack holding Daddy's Hand

Jack Ryan is Here!

Jack made an early arrival on

Sunday, December 26, 2010

at 1:25pm

6 lbs 5 oz

19 inches

We LOVE him so much!!!!

He is one beautiful baby boy and doing great!

More updates will be coming soon....

38 Weeks

Today I am 38 weeks along in my pregnancy with Jack! I am still feeling really good. I have spent the last week off my feet for a majority of each day due to having high blood pressure. My swelling in my feet has gone down dramatically since I have been off my feet so much. I was even able to wear shoes the other day that I had not been able to fit in for over a month which was a real treat! At yesterdays appointment my blood pressure was still high. The doctor said that most likely he will want to induce labor a week early! That would make the induction day next Thursday, December 30th - one week from today!!!! It is still not a for sure thing. I will go for my regular appointment next Wednesday and we will know for sure then. It is hard for me to believe that it really is time for Jack to be born. In a way it doesn't seem like I have been pregnant for 9 months. We are more than ready for him to arrive though! Everything is as set as we can get it for now. Right now we are just enjoying Christmas time and anticipating the arrival of our little guy!

The Walch Express

A couple years ago on an ice day off from school I decided to have a spur of the moment afternoon at our house called "The Walch Express." Driving slowly on the slick streets, I took the Santa Fe "Sleigh" the block to each of the the nieces and nephews houses from around the neighborhood and took them back to our house for a movie and popcorn. Little did I know this would become some sort of tradition over the years. Throughout the years the kids keep asking me when we are going to do the "Walch Express" again. We have done it a time or two since that first time, but it was time for another round! Today was the day! The Walch Express made the rounds around the neighborhood picking up the kiddos. It was no where near as icy a drive as that first day. It is 5 days before Christmas but in the 70's outside! Showing today was the movie "Elf."
We had a lot of fun! And what an easy thing to do while being 2 1/2 weeks away from my due date and trying to stay off my feet...I was still able to spend that whole time lying on the couch watching a fun Christmas movie.

37 Weeks

Well we are almost there - 3 weeks to go! Jack is still nice and active and finishing up his cooking inside my tummy. Yesterday I had my doctors appointment. My blood pressure was up higher than it has been in all my previous visits, so the doctor wants me to take it real easy and lay down on my side as much as possible, take 1 baby aspirin a day, and let him know if I have any headaches or am seeing any spots. These would all be signs of preeclampsia which is not good for mom or baby. He said if it got bad the baby is at a point that he could be delivered anytime now if he had to be. He didn't officially say the words "bed rest" but just to rest. So that is what I have been doing today - laying on my side by the Christmas tree and cozy fireplace reading, knitting, cutting out coupons, just chillin' out. I'll enjoy this time of rest while I can since there won't be much of it happening in the months/years to come. :-)
I finally got one of the things I have been craving....the hand-spun peppermint chocolate chip milkshake from Chick-fil-A. I can't say this is a true pregnancy craving since I just love milkshakes to begin with, but it has been on my mind for the past month and I was sooooo happy to finally get one! I predict another trip to Chick-fil-A in the coming week for another one!

The Gift of Christmas

This weekend I made it through all 3 nights of choir rehearsals then 6 performances of "The Gift of Christmas" while 36 weeks pregnant. As I went back and forth deciding if I should participate this year my main concern and hope was that my water would NOT break on stage! Thank you Lord that did not happen! It was fun to have little Jack along for all the singing this year. He loved dancing to the songs. I could tell that his favorite song that was sung was "Joseph's Lullaby" that all the men sang (including his daddy.) He was always extra active during this song. Once Jack is born I think I will be able to play the CD with all the songs our choir recorded and released this year of all these Christmas songs and hopefully it will give him something familiar to listen to and relax with. Choir Performance 2010

36 Weeks

I realized I haven't given a real pregnancy update since 29 weeks. Ooops! So here is a weekly picture from week 30-36 and then my 36 week update. Really things have been going so smoothly this whole time, there is not much of a change from week to week.
31 weeks

34 weeks

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 36 Weeks

Size of Baby: The books say he should be about 6 pounds and 20 inches long. I have a feeling he is bigger than that, but we will find out in just a few more weeks.

Gender: An active baby boy, Jack Ryan

Movement: Jack is moving quite a bit still. The movement has changed from mostly kicks to more what feels like rolls. He gets the hick-ups several times throughout the day. He also likes to poke me in the ribs on my right side with what I think is his little bottom. I love it! It is so much fun to feel and see him rolling around in my belly.

Sleep: I still have been able to sleep very well at night which I have been very thankful for! I get up 2-3 times to go to the restroom, I turn from my left side to my right side many times a night bringing my big body pillow with me with each flip. I really don't nap at all during the day (only on special occasions) since I am sleeping so well at night.

Symptoms: My feet and hands are swelling so I spend part of the day with my feet up on pillows trying to get the swelling to go down. I have lots of fun stretch marks on my tummy. Although the stretch marks don't look real pretty it will be a great reminder to me through the years that the Lord did give me the incredible blessing of being able to carry a child which I am soooo thankful for! One more symptom, I can still eat like there is no tomorrow!
Cravings: Um, food!!! Still love a cold bowl of cereal for breakfast each morning.

Aversions: Fish

Emotions: Super excited! Can't wait to meet my little man!

Best moment of the week: In the past week or so I packed Jack's diaper bag to take to the hospital with his going home outfit and a couple other various things...just in case. Today I even began the process of packing my hospital bag. Can it really already be time to do this? I guess so. He is due in less than 4 weeks now!

One other fun thing going on this week is getting the chance to be a part of the Christmas program at our church. This is now my 9th year to sing in the program. Originally I didn't think I would be a part of it this year since I would be 3 1/2 weeks away from my due date, but with things having gone so well throughout this pregnancy I decided to go for it. Jack just hangs out with me while we sing, often dancing to the music. So far we have had 2 performances and there are 4 more to go. So far, so good. My feet are a little extra swollen when I get home, but nothing a little foot massage won't help to cure (Hint, hint, Barrett.)

What I'm Looking Forward to: We are now going to the weekly doctor appointments. It is very routine stuff they do each week, but it is still exciting to go. Once Jack is here, I'm looking forward to playing dress up with him. :-) So many cute little clothes are here just waiting to be worn.

Parents-to-be Ornament

To others our Christmas tree may look like just a bunch of miss matched ornaments, but to us, it is a tree full of memories. Most of our tree is covered with ornaments Barrett and I had growing up, but over the past 4 1/2 years we have been married we have added special ornaments we have collected along the way from things like our wedding, vacations, our 1st house, Barrett's special red Jeep Wrangler ornament, and now......Parents-to-be!!!! Isn't this snowman daddy and mommy with a big belly the cutest ornament ever?!?! I love having a tree full of memories to look at with each passing year full of life experiences and big changes that happen along the way. Next year - Baby's First Christmas Ornament...unless Jack decides to arrive in the next couple weeks of course!

Coming Home Sweater

After a long search for a sweater to bring Jack home from the hospital in, I found it! I ordered it on etsy and it came all the way from a mom that made it in Japan. Ha! Just about 4 more weeks until he will be wearing this on our first cold adventure out the doors of the hospital and into his home with mommy and daddy!

Christmas Tree and Decorations

I am always counting down the days until we can start decorating for Christmas. This year we started decorating the day after Thanksgiving. By this point we are finished with the inside of the house, now we just need to work on the outside. Hopefully this weekend we will get the lights and garland up on the porch and balcony. We found the perfect tree for this year!
All tied up and ready for the drive home on the roof of my car.

Here I am at 34 weeks pregnant with Jack by our Christmas tree all decorated! This is a dream come true. For the past few years I have wondered...will we have a baby next year???....will I be pregnant while decorating for Christmas??? Well this is the year!!!!! It has been so much fun getting ready for Christmas while carrying our little man around in my tummy with me. What a miracle our little baby Jack is!

The living room

Our second tree in the front dining room window.

Garland and lights on the banisters

Patio doors

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Christmas Time Is Here!!!!!!!!!!!