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This is my last full week at home before I return to work, so the Jones family has several more days of full-time bonding. Jackie is a fantastic sleeper. In fact, she has slept at least six straight hours during each of the last four nights. She even managed to calm down and sleep well last night after watching her Tar Heels shoot an upsetting 35% and lose to the tie-dyes in Winston-Salem.
Jackie has been a little more fussy during the day lately, but it’s too early to label her as colicky. Like most babies, there is nothing more soothing than motion. Family walks, like the one in the video below, are a regular part of our routine. The crows are cawing up a storm in the background; there must have been some prime roadkill on Glenwood Avenue the other day.
Fussy or happy, awake or asleep, we love our baby girl. Mornings have been especially fun:
We’ve been fortunate to be treated to dinner the last three nights from family and friends. Thanks to Rich & Mindy (Italian on Friday night), Sarah & Eric (Lilly’s on Saturday night), and Jack & Nancy (homemade enchiladas last night). We appreciate their support!
Miscellaneous pictures:
Jackie will be two weeks old tomorrow and I’m starting to understand why parents always say that their kids grow up so fast. Our daughter has come a long way since her birthday on the 23rd (which she shares with her Aunt Holly). She seems pretty comfortable with the nursing routine Katie has established. As the waste management technician in our household (my vast experience picking up after two large dogs made me a shoe-in for the position), I can attest that all systems are fully operational.
Every passing day brings more active and awake periods, and those little eyes are opening wider and focusing a little better all the time. Here’s a video of Jackie having some wake-time today with her mama after her 1:00 pm feeding:
Here are some more pictures of Jackie meeting her family and her parents’ friends:
Jackie with Sarah Burns, Katie, and Nana
Jackie with her Grandfather Burns
Uncle Rich and Aunt Mindy hangin' with their niece
Sara with Jackie (not pictured: shy Uncle Stew)
Jackie with Dan Wilkinson
Her favorite position, this time in artsy black & white
We are #1 (oops...were #1). Jackie and her dad are pictured here jinxing the Tar Heels. Cool Carolina threads courtesy of Elizabeth and Noah.
I guess this is blackmail fodder for later in her life? She's obviously embarassed, yet undeniably cute.
It has now been a full week since Jackie’s birth, and our new family configuration is really starting to thrive. After a difficult and fussy first three days, Jackie settled into a peaceful, healthy routine. Katie deserves all the credit for making our daughter happy in her new home. As I told my mother (big Jackie) and mother-in-law (Katie’s mom Janet), I have a new appreciation for mothers after seeing Katie face and successfully meet the initial challenges of childbirth and nursing.
What, me worry?
Janet has been with us for the past nine days, and we’re very grateful for all her help looking after the dogs while we were in the hospital, cleaning up around the house, running errands and shopping for us, and helping prepare meals. When she isn’t helping with things around the house, she can usually be found doting on her granddaughter. Life during Jackie’s first week would have been chaotic and extremely difficult without Janet’s hard work, love, and support.
Joyous Nana and her granddaughter.
Nana also gave Jackie her first bath the other day, and it went much better than I ever dreamed it would. Our old house stays pretty cold in the winter, so a mid-winter’s sponge bath couldn’t have been too comfortable for the baby. Give Janet credit for making it as pleasant as possible…
I’m also appreciative of Jackie’s two older brothers, Baxter and Robah, for their good behavior. We predicted that Baxter would be curious at first, and then disinterested with a tiny human who can’t even hold a tennis ball, much less throw it for him. We predicted Robah would be loving and slobbery. We were right about both. Surprisingly though, both dogs are quite protective of their little sis. The five of us went on our first family outing today — a thirty-minute walk around Five Points.
Baxter and Robah meet/sniff Jackie.
Daytime feedings have become fun-with-music sessions. I guess we like to nourish Jackie’s ears while Katie feeds her stomach. First, I play dance or big band music and dance with Jackie to get her awake and ready to nurse. When Katie takes over, she plays oldies and sings along as Jackie eats. Jackie may or may not like these meal-time theatrics, but I assure you that Katie and I are having a ball.
The rest of the family, including my parents, Katie’s dad Ben, my brother Rich, and Katie’s sister Sarah, haven’t had too much time to visit Jackie yet. Sarah and Rich did hold Jackie at the hospital…
Here are some assorted pictures from the past week. Feel free to come visit whenever…we want Jackie to meet the rest of her family and parents’ friends.
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- What, me worry?
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- Baxter and Robah meet/sniff Jackie.
Many thanks to the Burns family who traveled from Georgia, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Florida to be with us in Raleigh for the Thanksgiving holiday. Our time together was fantastic. The effects of post-visit depression are already obvious in Robah and Baxter as they mope around the house looking for attention.
Dinner on Thursday was traditional and resplendent. On Friday, some of us witnessed a Lady Tar Heel soccer team beat Texas A&M in the NCAA tournament regional finals in Chapel Hill. On Saturday, a different group of us witnessed the Carolina football squad eke out a victory over Dook [sic] in Durham. We truly enjoyed laughing, eating, and hanging out with everyone.
Katie has been doing great — still working hard and dealing well with ninth-month aches and pains. Jackie is due December 12th, so it’s truly the final countdown. I feel confident that we’re ready (probably because we’re so excited).
Here’s a brief tour of Jackie’s nursery (minus Jackie), recorded with a new camcorder (Canon Vixia HF10) we recently bought. We only have two small lamps in there, but I think the picture quality is fairly decent considering the low-light environment.
I think I spent the dog food money 