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My apologies to Nana. It’s been nearly three weeks since I posted any Jackienews here on ITISTDFM (if other blogs can go by initialisms, then so can mine). If it had only been a couple of weeks, I would blame a new work project and other distractions for the gap, but three weeks is too long.
The weekend before last was spent in the North Carolina mountains with the Burns clan. Special thanks go out to Ben & Janet for the wonderful accommodations. It was Jackie’s introduction to her great grandmother and great aunt, and I’m sure they enjoyed meeting her as much as she enjoyed meeting them. I’ve posted a video and some pictures.
Note to the grandmothers: More Jackie news is forthcoming. Check back on Monday.
Our baby is changing in front of (and away from) our eyes. Today is her one-month birthday and it took five inches of snow, which is essentially a debilitating blizzard here in Raleigh, to prevent Katie and me from going to the Cupcake Shoppe Bakery to score celebratory cupcakes. Instead of birthday sweet treats, we sustained ourselves at home with inauguration coverage and my return to the working-from-home world.
This past weekend our family, minus the four-legged members, visited the grandparents, uncle, aunt, and great grandmother in Boone. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit and my parents were gracious, loving hosts despite their hectic move back home a couple of weeks ago. The Watauga Literary Society, also known as my Mom’s book club, threw a wonderful shower for Jackie. Our daughter was able to attend one of her own baby showers ex utero and Trimella Chaney, Susan Dubberly, Jeannie Caviness, and the rest of the Pearl Girls were extremely generous. Little Jackie was even initiated as an honorary Mini-Pearl Girl. Thanks to the entire group for the food, fun, and gifts!
We also appreciated our time with Uncle Rich and Aunt Mindy. Little Jackie has been showing emotion for a couple of weeks now, but it took some quality time with Uncle Rich to bring out a bona fide smile. Some of our daughter’s amusement at her uncle’s silliness was captured in this video:
Great Grandmother Jones met Jackie, and the highlight of our visit to the retirement home was seeing my daughter’s tiny hand in the hand of a woman three generations older. Here are a few pictures of that visit and some other fun had over the Dr. King weekend:
Finally, Katie and I took the baby out to brave the elements in Boone. It was her first snow:
Little did we know that her second snow would come today in the eastern North Carolina piedmont…
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:
I accompanied Katie today to her appointment at the obstetrician’s office, and the ultrasound was about what I expected (including complete amazement and wonder at the tiny little girl inside my wife). The baby was flailing her arms and legs throughout her time on screen. Her heart rate was right at the normal rate of 150 beats per minute. Katie’s fundal height is 24 centimeters, which is at the higher end of the normal range for a pregnancy at week 22. So, everything is copacetic.
We’ve narrowed down the child’s name to either Jacqueline (Katie’s choice) or Jacquelyn (my preference). Regardless of which formal name we choose, her name will be Jackie. If you’re wondering why we chose to name her after my mom, click on the link to the Perseverance page on this blog. Katie and I aren’t parents yet, but we already know we want to give our children the means, values, and mindset they need to be a positive part of the world around them. With the name Jackie, we can also give our first girl a legacy of kindness, strength, and love.
Please don’t get the wrong idea. Naming our child Jackie is not just a tribute to my mother and her struggle. It is not a memorial. It is part of the expectation that our little Jackie will soon be able to look up, literally and figuratively, to her grandmother Jackie. Here’s my definition of hope: I look out the window on a sunny day and see them walking down the sidewalk, hand-in-hand.
Here’s a picture of little Jackie at 22 weeks:
I have one other brief domestic update. Here’s a picture I took of 320 Avon Drive when Bax, Robah and I jogged past last Friday…at least they spared the old dogwood tree:
According to the ultrasound today (images are shown below), all systems are go for baby Jones. She/he has now surpassed six centimeters, so her/his length is about the same as the width of my iPhone. If you click on the first image posted below and view the larger image size, you’ll see that she/he already seems to have Katie’s nose. Katie has been feeling fairly good lately except for some nagging allergies.
We’ve just begun deliberating about potential names for the child. There will be plenty of future debate, since Katie and I have only agreed on the family names that we’ve had in mind for awhile now. Speaking of family names, we’re probably going to let Robah keep his.
Katie had her first ultrasound a couple of weeks ago; the images below are our first looks at Baby Jones. As you can see she/he still relies on a knapsack full of sustenance during this early stage. She/he is only about 2 cm, and her/his appendages are just starting to take form.
By the way, Dr. Spock said that it’s perfectly normal for expecting parents to have a preference when it comes to the child’s sex, so I don’t feel bad about sharing our partiality with our family and friends. For the record, Katie wants a boy and I want a girl. Oh, and we’re both much too impatient to wait until the baby is born to know the sex.
I think I spent the dog food money 