1 Month Old!

  

Hello everyone! Ash and I have been enjoying and quickly learning that taking care of a newborn is hard, hard, tough work... BUT often times, its also an experience that's been rewarding, hilarious, and adventure-y (is that even a word? I'm gonna pull the sleep deprivation card here if it isn't). 

Jameson celebrated his 1 month born on date a few days ago and he's grown so much! I look at some of the pictures we took when we first brought him home and I can't believe he was such a little peanut! Now he's a medium 9 lb 3 oz peanut. I know our blog has been a little quiet, but we've got a few posts in the works. We've been trying to catch up on sleep every time we've had a chance. Also, I know Ash has been writing up a post about her experience with the birth and even I haven't had a chance to read it yet.  

For now enjoy this pic of our handsome little bean and have a great weekend!  :)

Video: My Baby Boy

Here's a quick video of my little buddy at literally 2 hours old, on the weighing table.

He's Finally Here!

In later posts, Ashley and I will both give our perspectives on the days leading up to and after Jameson's birth. From the start when Ashley's water broke on Thursday July 19th, to the little guy being born the next day on Friday July 20th.

For now, to sum up what I'm feeling, there's 2 things that were hammered into my head that are truer than Newton's law of gravity.

1) Moms. Are. Amazing. I can't even describe the miracle of childbirth. I am so proud of Ashley and I honestly can't imagine doing what she did these past 2 days. There's no way I could've done that and I'm in awe of the strength of mothers everywhere, especially Ash and my own Mom. Seriously. Reader, call your Mom and give her a hug and tell her you love her. Right now!

2) Yes. Love at first sight is true. When I first saw my son's head of hair and heard him first cry as they brought him to the weighing table and cleaned him off, I instantly loved him more than life itself. In a split second, this guy has inspired me to be a better man in every sense of the word. I can only hope and aspire to be a great Dad. One of the defining moments of my life was meeting this my little guy and now looking at the medical band on my wrist designating me as the father, I'm speechless with humility.

With that said, here he is everyone: Jameson Erik Wint Braceros. Weighing in at 7lbs and 14oz at 21 inches long. Born July 20, 2012 at 3:43 pm at Northwestern Prentice Women's Hospital in Chicago.

Officially Past Due

Well, July 17th has come and gone and Jameson still lives in my belly. I'm not going to lie, I am a bit disappointed. I thought for sure he would grace us with his presence early, however, he has chosen to be like his parents and procrastinate his arrival.

From what I'm gathering, this is probably the most difficult part of pregnancy. The waiting. The anticipation. The false alarms. And with all this excitement, there is of course some fear. Once labor begins for real, that's it, our lives will change forever. It's such a weird combination to be completely excited for this event and terrified, too. That's what must make becoming a parent so profound.

For me personally, this last bit is torture. Not only am I impatient (duh) but the fact that I have NO CONTROL OVER MY BODY in this situation is maddening. This really isn't up to me. Sure, I'm going on walks, eating spicy food, I even went to the chiropractor for adjustments (which I've NEVER done) and acupuncture (which I LOVED), nesting and cleaning, all in hopes that contractions will become regular and he will get here. But to no avail. This really is a test in patience (which I fear I'm failing most of the time) and learning to accept that some things happen in their own time. Probably a good lesson to learn before becoming a parent!

Either way, Mark and I can feel the excitement from all of our family and friends as we await Jameson's arrival. Thank you for all the love and well-wishes.

Due Date Incoming

Its July 17th! Jameson's due date!

I can't really put into words what feelings I have right now. I'm definitely excited. A little nervous. Not so much about the actual delivery. Actually, at this point, both Ash and I just want to see the little guy! The anxiety stems more from the whole being a parent thing, and not only that, but trying to be a good one.

On the bright side, we have a few months before we start having to lay down the law so there will be plenty of time to read more books on parenting. At this point I've read so many baby books that I can probably give a lecture on the delivery process complete with medical terms. (I'm not joking)

On an even brighter side, I have now put in the reps (short for repetitions, a little gym jargon there) for the following:

- Folding/Unfolding the stroller
- Attaching the bassinet/Removing the bassinet from the stroller
- Putting in the car seat/Removing the car seat from the car
- Folding/Unfolding the pack and play (portable crib)

Yes. I'm a little crazy. But frankly, I'm sorta glad I took the time out to do this. I thought for sure that my experience working with Oracle, years of programming and the analytical approach that comes with it, combined with putting together IKEA furniture since I was in college would mean these things would come second nature.

NOPE. 

I remember reading a review on Amazon that a parent had "easily" put the pack and play together in 30 minutes. I remember laughing to myself and telling Ashley, "How hard is it to unfold a crib?? I'll beat this time of 30 minutes with a new record time of FIVE and post on Amazon about this feat."

45 minutes later of trying to put together the rotating changer/napper accessory that goes with the pack and play, and I wanted to throw the thing out the window.  Its not that its hard to assemble... Its that the instructions are horrible.

Anyway, this was a week ago. Thank God for practice. Now I can unfold the pack and play, snap on the changer in about 5 minutes. Same with the stroller. Same with the car seat. So if I were to give advice to future Dads out there (and Moms), get acquainted with some of the products that you will be using. Strollers, car seats, cribs... and just get comfortable with it. That way you're not trying to figure out how something works when your baby needs it! Good stuff!

ANYWAY, NOW WE JUST NEED A BABY. :)

Will definitely update this blog should anything develop! One day closer to meeting my baby boy!

Braceros out!

Becoming a Mom

I went to pre-natal yoga this evening in hopes of continuing to tune into my body and possibly speed up when I go into labor. The last, and most important part of a yoga class is savasana, or final rest. This allows the body and mind to process the practice. Due to our pregnant bodies, we lay in a pose other than corpse pose and today I was laying on my side. I mildly digress.

During this time, my mind for some reason wandered to when my cousin Breanna gave birth to my niece Isabella over two years ago. I got the call in the morning that she was going into labor, and my trusty partner-in-crime/roommate Chelsea and I rented a Zip car and took off for Pure Michigan to meet a baby in her first hours of life. When Isabella was born, we were taking a quick stop at Burger King somewhere in the middle of nowhere. We arrived to the hospital an hour or two after to meet a new life in our family.  

Completely overwhelmed meeting Isabella. She was so tiny!

And this is what I remember thinking: Breanna had just gone through something that I couldn't possibly imagine; she gave birth to another human. I realized then that her and I were now different. She had crossed this threshold that I couldn't possibly comprehend. I reflected on that memory during yoga this evening. And now here I am, my body and mind are actively preparing for birth in many ways. I can't believe I'm here.

Every birth video we see, each time I watch A Baby Story on TLC (a guilty pleasure lately), I am brought to tears when baby, Mommy, and Daddy meet for the first moment of life. I can't believe that soon I will join the ranks of Motherhood. It seems so huge yet humbling all at the same time.

I wish I could say I'm patiently waiting, but I'm not. I'm anxious, excited, nervous. I'm wondering when and how it will all begin. I hope it's sooner rather than later because I sure am impatient! We're hoping Jameson has that spunk and wants to come early and meet us all too!

If you can, send us healthy, happy, and speedy labor vibes!

Final Countdown!

I can't believe it, but we are less than 3 weeks away from Jameson's due date! I hit 37 weeks on Tuesday, meaning this guy is technically now at full term. We're just playing the waiting game! Trust me, I am ready. Well, ready but anxious, nervous, excited all at the same time. I guess it's the calm before the storm...

My Mom came to visit last weekend and help out with preparing the nursery. Her help was greatly appreciated, especially since I am unable to get a lot done at this point due to discomfort or exhaustion (which frustrates me quite a bit). I couldn't have done it without her as I felt pretty clueless in my first attempts to put some things together and organized. I had such a great time with my Mom over the course of the weekend, including a doctor's appointment (she loves hearing that "strong heartbeat"!), brunch at The Bongo Room (one of the best spots in the city), mani/pedis, a trip to Target, and more great food. It was such a great weekend and I was sad to see her go but excited about the next time I'll be seeing her and my Dad...before the arrival of Baby Jameson!

The nursery is ALMOST done. Just waiting on a few final touches. I promise, pictures will be up once it is complete. It's a room I absolutely love and can't wait to spend a lot of time in there.