Time Flies When You're Having Fun!

Jarvis is 2 months old! (One week ago :D)

Sorry I'm a little behind! Jarvis is actually 2 months and one week tomorrow!

He is growing like crazy! Monday he had his 2 month checkup. He weighed in at 11lbs 2 oz- up from 8lbs 2 oz at 5 weeks! He was 23 inches long, up from 20 inches at birth, and his head was 15.5 inches, up from 13 inches at birth. The doctor checked him over and he looked fine! He is growing really well on the formula, eating like crazy! He feeds 6 times during the day and usually takes 5.5-6 ozs at each feeding. He is working on sleeping through the night, but still wakes a couple nights a week for an ounce or 2 of formula around 4 am. But he is well on his way!

He has hit several milestones in the past few weeks. Around 5 or 6 weeks, he started smiling "socially." Which means he smiles when he sees J or I and enjoys making faces and smiling during play time. The best is when one of us is feeding him and then other walks in the room. When he catches sight of the person walking in, he smiles around his bottle- just makes your heart melt!! He also started "talking" A LOT!! He coos and aaas in conversations with us, talks to his toys, and even 'sings' along with the lullaby we sing when he goes down for naps/bedtime.

He has also started actually being interested in toys and mobiles! He spends some time every day laying under the play gym and is fascinated by the mobiles I made for his room. He has also discovered that he can control his arms and legs! If you lay him on his back, he kicks and jerks his arms up down. He often hits himself in the head because his control is not completely there, the poor thing! But he does have enough control to bat at toys and mobiles, and he attempts to open his hand and grasp at them!

He continues to hold his head up well during tummy time, and can hold it no problem while being held upright.

He naps well most of the time, and like I said, is sleeping more at night, which makes Mommy and Daddy happy!

Overall he is a very happy content baby! He does really well on his three hour schedule, and seems to bounce back pretty well from missed naps or being out and about, but does become fussier in those situations. Like any 2 month old, he needs his naps!

Here are my favorite picture from his 2 month shoot that I did- there are more on shutterfly!

He and I will be making our way to Texas in just over a week- we can't wait! I am a bit nervous about traveling alone with him- it's over 8 hours of travel! And figuring out what to pack has been a little different (those cloth diapers are heavy!)

J is doing well at work, very busy, but lots of flying, which is good. He is always working on projects: worktable for garage, computer, hidden monitor in the living room... etc! I have started up an online store to sell my sewing crafts after several orders from friends here in Minot. I am also continuing to sell my scrapbooking supplies. Plus I have made lots of great friends- I go to a Christian group called Mothers of Preschoolers once a week and participate in a playgroup with a bunch of other mothers. Jarvis is the youngest, so he doesn't really play, but it's good Mommy time!

The weather has warmed up here, it's been in the 30s!! The snow is melting and we are seeing roads, driveways, and sidewalks for the first time in several months! The fog has been really bad, but the sun peeks out occasionally! However, we've heard to expect a least a couple more snow storms before spring comes to stay! All I can say- I think I may actually prefer the snow to the mud that has taken over our backyard! Muddy, muddy puppy paws!

Love you all!

J, C, & J

Sweet little boy...

Hello all!

Well, Jarvis is almost 6 weeks old, we can't believe it!

It has been a rough week though, but is looking up! Like I said before, Jarvis is a very content baby, he slept pretty well and seemed to be eating well, however he seemed to be thinning out a lot and last Friday, I became more concerned about Jarvis' weight gain, or possible lack of weight gain. He didn't act hungry or unsatisfied, but I scheduled a visit from the lactation consultant on Monday to assess his latch and see if she could help make sure he was getting enough. She was concerned about his weight gain as well, so Tuesday morning I took him in to be weighed.

In the span of 3 weeks, Jarvis had gone from his birth weight (7lbs, 8 oz) to 8lbs, 2 oz, which is only 10 oz, about half of what he should have gained. Long story short, after much troubleshooting and issues, we've switched to exclusively formula feeding. On Thursday morning, we took him to see the pediatrician for a check up and Jarvis weighed in at 8lbs, 7 oz- which means he gained 5oz in just 2 days- the formula was working!!

His appetite has gone through the roof now!! He is eating like crazy and gaining weight! And now sleeps even better and is even more content- unless you take the bottle away in the middle of the feeding- he wants his milk!! :D

We had some professional photos taken by a friend of him at 2 weeks old, here's the link to view them. You can also order them from this link- just add to your cart in the bottom right corner: http://www.stacyvandyckphotography.com/clients/mccown/

Here are a few one month photos of him that I took, isn't he adorable!!:

We have had to update the dates for our Texas trip, but we are looking forward to it! Can't wait to see everyone there! Email update on that coming soon!

Other than that we are good! J is flying a bunch, long hours, we've had tons of crazy snow and ready for spring!

Much love,

J, C, &J

I'm Back!

Hello all,

I know it's been a while, sorry! We have been adjusting to life with a newborn, and updating the blog has fallen on my priority list :D

Jarvis is 3 weeks old today, and I can't believe it's been that long already!

He is a wonderful baby, very content and chill, and very alert! He is on a 3 hour feeding schedule, which keeps me very busy (basically only 2 hours between feedings!), but is a very good eater! He sleeps very well when put down and sleeps up to 4 or 5 hours at a stretch during the night most nights, which makes things easier!

At discharge from the hospital (two days after birth) he had dropped his weight to 7lbs 1 oz and was 20.5 inches long. (it's normal to lose weight the first week or so!). At his one-week appointment he was 7lbs 3 oz and 20.5 inches long and at his two week appointment he was back to birth weight at 7lbs 8 oz and 20.75 inches long. Basically that means he is doing well and is gaining weight, which when you are nursing is the only way to make sure he is getting the nutrition he needs. He's starting to develop quite the little belly and rounding out!

I am recovering well- it was a rough, very long delivery which included breaking my water, many hours of pitocin, an eventual epidural after nearly 24 hours of contractions, and finally a birth- over 30 hours after we checked into the hospital! However, it was all worth it to finally meet our little boy! We stayed in the hospital for 2 days and had lots of visitors- my parents and J's dad and step-mother. When we got home, we were also joined by J's mom and her fiancee. We had a crazy first few days with them, adjusting and attempting to catch up on sleep!

J was able to take 10 days of paternity leave and help me catch up on sleep and clean the house, which was wonderful! We are settling into routine and J is back to work and finally flying again!

The weather has been very cold here- lots of wind and snow, but nothing like the Christmas blizzard!

Since we have so many pictures of Jarvis, I won't put them up here, but check out the shutterfly website, I add pictures often! jaceandchelsea.shutterfly.com

I have done a few projects for friends/myself, here are a few photos!

This is for inside my diaper bag, holds travel wipes and diapers, makes them easy to find and carry when I'm changing him!

Two that I made for a friend, added ribbons and a cut corner for fun!

Another I made for a friend with a flap and ribbon that wraps around a button to close.

Nursing pads- the disposable ones are expensive!

And I added a tie to this onesie to make Jarvis a cute little dress up outfit! :D

Love you all! I promise I will be better about updating in the future!

J, C & J

Pictures up on shutterfly

Go to this link to see our shutterfly website and see all our great pictures including the newest ones of baby Jarvis.

http://jaceandchelsea.shutterfly.com/

It's a boy!

Jarvis William McCown was born at 11:20 am on January 6th. He weighed 7lbs 8 oz and was 20 inches long. It was a difficult labor, took about 30 hours from start to finish, but very worth it!!

He is a very content baby, eats well, sleeps well, and just hangs out! Here are a few quick pictures- more to come later!

We are still in the hospital until Friday and Mommy is recovering well.

We love you all!!

J

No news...

Just wanted to let you know that there is still no news! :D Sorry to keep you all waiting, but it looks like this child is very stubborn!

We report to the hospital at 7 am Tuesday morning, I'll try to get a post up here as soon as possible, depending on how the labor goes and how soon I have access to internet! My mom has the info and will most likely just be putting up a quick time, weight, and gender post shortly after the birth.

We will be calling as much of the families as possible that day, and of course sending an email that can be forwarded onto more extended family!

Love you all!
J

Due date expiration!

Well, yesterday was 40 weeks, Froggie's due date! We are officially overdue now. We had another appointment yesterday and nothing is happening with labor! It's standard procedure to conduct a Non-Stress Test on the baby when they are overdue. I sat with a fetal heart monitor and contraction monitor and movement recorder for 45 minutes while they monitor to make sure the baby is still doing well. The baby was rather sleepy and did not do as well on the test as they would like to see. So we did a BioPhysical Profile using an ultrasound. They check the baby's heartbeat, breathing motions, and muscle development and the amount of fluid to make sure the baby is still tolerating being in the womb and still getting the necessary nourishment. Froggie looked good on that, so they are letting us go another week!

The induction is scheduled for 7 am on January 5th. If the baby has not made an appearance by then, whether I am in labor or not, they will using drugs to speed up the process. I am not thrilled about being induced- it makes labor much harder on me and the baby, and increases my chances of having to get a c-section, but the doctor doesn't want to let the baby go too far overdue.

So as J and I discussed this morning- only 5 more nights of uninterrupted sleep! We will let you know of course if baby comes sooner, but if not- expect news on the 5th as to how labor is going and how baby and I are doing!

Here's the 40 weeks picture:


It looks like we are having a 2010 baby!

Much love, J

A Very Comfy Baby...

So I feel like this baby is like a household goods shipment when we are moving- they always give you a date that they promise your belongings will arrive no later than, but you never know when you will get that 8 am call saying they are on the base and headed to your house.

I am 39 weeks today, but there is not much going on as far as baby goes, so the doctor has scheduled an induction date of 7 am January 5th. If the baby has not arrived one it's own by then- the doctor will use a variety of methods to encourage the baby to come out. In 7 days I will be considered 40 weeks- my due date, December 30th. They do not like the baby to go more than a week or two past that date for health reasons. We are excited to meet this little one, but also know that labor will be easier on both me and the baby if we let it come in it's own time. Hopefully Froggie will decide that's before the New Year and make Daddy really happy!

Here's my 39 weeks picture...


So keep checking back, but know that at the very latest, we will have a baby by January 6th!

Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas Eve tomorrow- we love you all!

J

Keeping Occupied...

I am 38 weeks 4 days today! My appointment last week went well, no big news. I have started effacing, but no dilating or contractions, so we will see what the doctor says on Wednesday when I hit 39 weeks!

Me at 38 weeks:



I realized I haven't shared pictures of the house decorated- so here they are!


View from the back door


living room


kitchen


kitchen again


center area on one side


center area on the other side!


Entry way


laundry room (entry off of garage by dining room)- and yes we use all of those coats DAILY!!


I love having my washer and dryer back!


the stairway- the baby gate is actually to keep the dog off the carpet upstairs!


downstairs bathroom- Texas!


The storage closet under the stairs is my scrapbooking, sewing, and crafting room!


I love it, it's a perfect space!


storage down at the end


Master bedroom at the top of the stairs


More master



Upstairs bathroom


Jace's office- still a work in progress!



The art I made for the baby's room!


Looking into the baby's room- not completely finished, working on a border and a few other things!


changing station...


crib


glider


Outside lights!


Front porch lights!


Christmas tree lit up!

Anyway- Happy Holidays, we hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and we will miss getting to see you! We'll keep you updated!

J

Still Pregnant!

Hello again!

As of now I am 37 weeks, 3 days, I will be 38 weeks on Wednesday. The OB appointment went well this week, no effacing or dilating. I have been having lots of Braxton Hicks contractions (false labor), but nothing painful or real!

J and I went to childbirth class on Friday and Saturday, I pretty much had already read everything (big shocker!), but it was nice to get to talk to one of the nursery nurses and the hospital procedures and such. J learned some new things and we got to practice labor positions and support and I got a massage :D. Good news- until this past week, the hospital had only been allowing one person to even be on the maternity floor with the mother due to H1N1 and flu season. But as of this past week, two people are allowed in the delivery room and immediate family can wait in the waiting room down the hall! J and I were thrilled about that, because as wonderful as I am sure he will be, I think it will be really nice to have my mom in there too! Plus any family in town won't have to wait until we are discharged to meet the baby! They can come to the room and nursery right after birth!

As far as Christmas plans go, J and I have very few because we don't know if we with be with or without a baby! Some family will be in town for Christmas, and others are coming afterwards. However we do know that we will be sticking around Minot for the holiday season! J hopes to get his ground training and qualifying flights done in the next two weeks and will be working/flying through the holidays! The squad here is very small and work quite a bit, so it's a win/lose situation to have him flying again! It means longer work days, but also means more flight hours, which he wants!

If you've been watching the weather at all, you know that the two of us Texans are freezing our tushies off up here! Literally! It hasn't been above 15 degrees for a good week, and not above 30 degrees for two weeks! We nightly (and sometimes daily) drop down into the negatives, and frequently have a 10 to 20 degree wind chill. In fact tonight we are under a severe weather warning because we will have temperatures around -25 and with wind chill it will be -45!! It's absolutely amazing how cold that is. Your breath gets taken away the second you open the door. Mailboxes, doors, and windows freeze shut. Snow stays very dry and blows in the wind all the time because it never gets near melting (the upside is very little ice!). The dog comes in from 10 minutes of going to the bathroom and has ice crystals on his whiskers. However, we've adapted remarkably well already! I opened the door yesterday morning to let the dog out, and thought- wow, it's really warm outside- then stood outside without a jacket for a minute or two. I came back in and checked the temperature- it was a whopping 13 degrees- VERY WARM! Really we are dealing with it very well. There's just this whole other list of things you have to think of in a cold climate, but we are learning! J has even ridden his bicycle to work the past couple of days. Since we only have one car- this allows me to have the car to go into town, and since he works a mere 10 minute bike ride down the road- he doesn't seem to mind! He does bundle up really well though and we bought some (very expensive) snow tires for his bike. Everyone at the squad thought he was crazy!

We are at the point that we are pretty much ready for this baby to come at any moment, which it could! We hung pictures and my amazing hubby has been ticking things off his to do list since he came home, he really is rather handy!

We are working on setting dates for our big Texas trip, but it will most likely be in the month March. We will email everyone with that information once we finalize the dates, and we will let you know what city we will be in when and such. We know all of our grandparents and siblings and cousins are anxious to meet the baby, and we are sorry it won't be sooner, but J is saving up his leave so we can spend plenty of time down there! We are choosing to drive so we can stay longer for cheaper, so coming down in January or February is not the best time weather wise! Plus traveling with a one-month old doesn't sound like fun- 3 months is much better!

Here's the 37 weeks picture:



We love you all very much! I will try to stay on top of updating more often here towards the end, and we will be sure to post when the baby comes! We will try to call as many people as possible, but tell extended family to check here for updates and pictures! I will have internet in the hospital and plan on using it! :D

J

36 weeks and Growing!

Sorry it's been a while again! We have been busy, busy!

J spent 3 weeks TDY to Spokane, Washington for survival training, part of which was a repeat of some he had done at the Academy and some of it new. It's a rough 3 weeks, they simulate camping survival, evading being caught, POW and hostage situations, and escaping. He was glad to be home!

And of course, the day after he left for 3 weeks, all of our belongings were finally delivered to the house! Perfect timing :D Luckily, my mom was able to take some time off and come up here for a week to help me unpack and she was AMAZING! We unpacked and even decorated for Christmas during that week, and it's so nice to have all of our things back and to be settled somewhere! There are still some things to complete to get completely settled, mostly things the hubby needs to help with, but we are pretty much ready for baby!

Speaking of baby, last week we hit 36 weeks, 9 months, and Froggie is now considered full term and they will deliver when I go into labor! We are both still healthy and growing! We are still doing by the December 30th due date, but who knows when this little one will come into the world!

Here's the latest picture- it seems like we are rapidly growing lately!


Not a lot of news, just progressing normally. I move to weekly appointments starting this Thursday, so we might have more information after then!

I will post pictures of the house soon!

We love and miss you all!
J

Home for a while!

Well, a lot has happened in the past three weeks! We made it to Minot safe and sound with only minor incident (a blown tire on the trailer, easy fix!). We really have been blessed to make 3 cross country moves in the past 2 years and have no major breakdowns, accidents, or problems! We had the opportunity to stay with family along the way, J's Grandma, my cousins, and my aunt and uncle. It was wonderful to see all of them, and they were very sweet to us and the pup and kitty!

As we drove into town, we were pleasantly surprised at the size and variety of shops! The base is about 20-30 minutes north of the town and is nice sized itself. We checked in to Temporary Lodging and stayed there for two weeks. Moving with the military is basically a lot of hurry up and wait, briefing, and paperwork! We are mostly done with all the in-processing stuff and were assigned a house last week! They had told us it would be December before we got a house, but it only took two weeks, thank goodness!

It's a new house, they literally finished construction a few days before we moved in! It's a three bedroom, two bath, two story house with an attached two-car garage, just perfect! We spent last week painting, buying some new furniture, and unpacking what little stuff we had. We are now waiting for the shipment of the rest of our household goods that has been in storage for the past 7 months. Excited for it to get here, but concerned about it's condition since it's been in non-climate controlled and loaded and unloaded quite a bit!

J leaves for survival training this next weekend and will be gone for three weeks. After that he will be able to fly and will start up with the squadron here.

Froggie and I are still heathly and growing as of my last appointment. Still on track and have finally hit 8 months! Just 8 weeks left to go, we can't wait!! Hope you all are doing well.

Here's a recent picture:


Much love, J