Day 15- Week 2

As we complete our second week of being a “FAMILY” we are still learning a lot about each other.  Dad is enjoying taking care of Jaydyn and loves cuddling with her.  She has been a good sleeper (during the day atleast) and wakes about every 3-4 hours to eat and get changed. 

She loves to travel in the car and sleeps the whole time while in her car seat.  I went shopping at the mall the other day and was there for about 2.5 hours and she never even woke up (except for me to change her).  She is such a joy!

We did however get to take some photos of Jaydyn (unfortunately not without her beloved pacifier).  The pacifier serves as a cork or a mute button.  If she doesn’t have the pacifier in her mouth she is either eating of screaming because it isn’t in her mouth.  Man it is crazy how they become attached to certain things so quickly.  She also has a favorite pacifier and if you give her another one (different brand) she pulls it out and throws it (Yep!  Throws it!!)

Here are a few pictures of the photo shoot:

On top of the photo shoot, mom and dad have been trying to catch each others photos while cuddling with the lil one:

Here is just a random photo of her and her bottle!!

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!!

April 21, 2012

Well this past week has been an interesting one. I have learned a lot of things, which I don’t think are in books. There are basically three reasons a baby will cry; they are either hungry or need to be changed. If you are able to decipher which one of these are for which cry, you got this newborn thing under control.

This past Wednesday we went to the UF Pediatrics to meet Jaydyn’s doctor. Dr. Mauldin has been practicing pediatrics for 38 years and definitely takes the time to explain everything that has happened and what to expect will happen. He definitely makes you feel valued and takes the time to understand and listen to your concerns. He came highly recommended by co-workers. According to the “standards” she is in the 89% for her height and 33% for her weight. So, I guess you could say that she is long and lean (LOL). We also are supplementing some of her feedings with formula, which is now a Similac Soy Formula to see if it is better for her to digest.

The nights have been long, but could be longer. She is waking us up every 3 hours to be fed and changed. At least we have the 3 hours to get some rest. 

I attempted to do the newborn photo shoot on Thursday, but that was a bust. I decided that I would turn the air off in the house to make it warm and comfortable for her, set everything up (camera and props), fed her and then waited for her to fall asleep. Well…. You guessed it…. She wouldn’t fall asleep. I waited for over an hour for her to fall asleep, but was unsuccessful. I did get a few photos of her awake, but couldn’t use the props to get her to sit still. I guess I will attempt it again within the next few days. We are also going to attempt to do a family photo. Wish me luck!!

Here are a few more photos of baby “J”

I love to sleep with my mouth open.  I think she is trying to catch flies!   LOL   4.20.12



Giving Kisses!  She just melts our hearts <3

Heres looking at you!!  4.20.12

Jaydyn and her BlahBlah doll
(Gift from Mrs. Kim)

"0" months sticker- 4.20.12 
Thanks Mrs. Kim and Mr. Dustin

 

Just Born Sticker- 4.20.12
Thanks Aunt Kasey and Uncle Gordon

As I write this blog post, I am elated to say that we have welcomed a beautiful baby girl into this crazy world on April 11, 2012 at 7:56 am. True to my word I am making sure that I take the time out once a week to update this blog. The blog will evolve over the next few months/years allowing for the purpose of these posts as a metaphorical photo album. 

On April 11, 2012, my alarm went off at 3:30am to get up and get ready for my c-section. My husband and I got up quietly and didn’t talk too much on the way to the hospital. I know that I was scared to death about what was about to happen, but also scared that I was going to be a mother within the next few hours. Once at the hospital, sitting in the parking garage, I looked at my husband and said… “Can we rethink this whole parenting thing (with a smile on my face)? His response was, “I think we have gone to far at this point to turn back.” As we both realize that the clock in the SUV (had to buy because a car seat wouldn’t fit in my 370z 2-seater) read 4:55 am. We had to report to the Labor and Delivery Wing of St. Vincents Medical center. As we arrived in L&D, we checked into Suite 3 and my IV was started. We both took a nap in between the caregivers coming in and out of the room, but by 7am the anathesiaologist came into the room and said lets go. We got up and I walked 4 rooms down where I was given my spinal block around 7:20 am, my doctor arrived at 7:30 to prep my stomach for the surgery and little Miss Jaydyn Elizabeth Wellborn was born at 7:56 am. As soon as she was born, they let me see her quickly and told my husband to follow them. She came out screaming with a good set of lungs and weighing 7lbs 10ounces at 20.5 inches long. Not only did she come out crying she also came out with a head of hair. When I say a head full of hair, I mean…. A LOT OF HAIR & LONG.

After being weighed and having Papa take some good pictures, the doctor continued to close me up. The whole experience was surreal and hard to explain. You can feel everything that is going on, but you cannot feel the pain. Much to everyone’s amazement, she was a bigger kid and they were not really sure where I hid this kid. For the total pregnancy I gained 32 lbs and had a fundal measurement of around 34 weeks. Since my 34 week prenatal appointment, my stomach did not grow outwards but I continued to gain weight and feel Jaydyn kicking around my hip bone. She was jam packed in there. 

Statistics:
Jaydyn Elizabeth Wellborn
Born: April 11, 2012 at 7:56 a.m.
Length: 20.5 inches long
Head Measurement: 14 inches
Chest Measurement: 13 inches

I was put back together and back into my postpartum room by 8:30 am. Upon arriving at my room Jaydyn was welcomed by her father (with a HUGE smile on his face) and my father and step-mother. Within minutes, the in-laws arrived to see the first granddaughter on the Wellborn side and first grandchild on the Hendricks side of the family. Within the next hour my mother arrived and we have a hospital room full of love and excitement. Jaydyn was asleep and was passed from one set of loving arms to another. I swear she was about to start growing mold on her cheeks because of all of the kissing she was getting. I stayed in the hospital from Wednesday through Saturday morning. Over the next few days there was a plethora group of people who came to see her. I was given the option to leave Friday evening or Saturday morning. After highly contemplating leaving on Friday, I realized that it was Friday the 13th. That was an easy decision for me, I would stay until Saturday morning. I knew that if I went home on Friday the 13th and something was to happen, I would never forgive myself ( SIDE NOTE: I am not superstitious, but this was not the time to change my theory).

After arriving home from the hospital, it was an adventurous next two nights. Being that neither my husband nor I have every really been around babies much less newborns, we had no clue why she was crying. She was fed, clean diaper and being held by papa. 

Night #3 was much better. We are not getting out patterns down and she is waking every three hours (on the dot) to feed. After a feeding and a change of diaper she is back sleeping within minutes. While feeding Jaydyn loves to stare at your face and grab onto your hand. Her little face and beautiful slate blue eyes (with a light bluish/green ring around the iris) melts our heart. There is nothing about her that isn’t like her father. She looks like him 100% and my contribution was carrying her for 39 weeks (LOL). She LOVES sleeping on her fathers chest and smiles when he talks to her. She adores him.  

Today will be a fun day. I purchased a new camera lens and I am going to photograph her for the newborn photos. A few props have been purchased to complete this task, but they will be simple and classy photographs that we will keep for years.

I will post a few photos once I have them completed and edited (so it may take a few days). 

Here are a few more photos that have been taken: 

I love to cuddle and sleep





I dont want to wake up, so here is my mean look or a "stink-eye look"

4.11.12- Appox 5 hours old



Heres looking at you with my big EYES!!

I told you that I had heartburn and as a result Jaydyn has a head of hair

My mom lost a bet therefore I have to wear a Georgia Bulldog outfit.  Dad is happy, but mom is not!!!



My First Bath- Just drying off

4.14.12  Headed Home

4.14.12 Headed home to see where I am going to live

Until next time... Have a great week and SMILE!   Life is great.....

Oh the joys of pregnancy and preparation

Well as we continue to countdown the days until lil Jaydyn arrives, I am preparing everything around the house and making sure that the hospital bags are packed and/or ready to go. 
There are a few items that I am having leave out of the bag until it is actually time to go: Laptop/Charger, Kindle Fire/Charger, iPhone/Charger, and a charged camera w/extra batteries.
As I sit on the couch (watching TV), I am gaining weight and feeling the pressure on my feet when I stand up.  UGH!! What keeps me going is knowing that within the next few days I will have my bundle of joy in my hands. 
Until then.... HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

...and we continue to count down...

One more day at work and then I am off until Jaydyn Elizabeth arrives into this wonderful world.  It appears that Jaydyn will be welcomed by grandparents from both sides of the family upon her arrival. 

I have given each one of the grandparents the task to select the name that they wish for her to call them by...  Granny, Grandma, Mimi, etc.

What do your children call their grandparents??

How to make a crib dust ruffle

How to create your own crib dust ruffle

After much to my dismay at Babies-R-Us when I was trying to buy a baby crib dust ruffle by iteself but they do not sell the bed skirts by themselves.  They sell a crib set (bumpers, comforter, crib sheet, dust ruffle & mobile).  So.... I decided to that I was going to save $140 and make my own crib skirt.    The reason I only wanted the skirt was because I had created my own owl theme in the bedroom and didnt want a comforter. 

The project took approximately 3 hours to complete.

The items you will need are:

1.) 5 yards of 44in fabric (the fabric you want to be visible)

***When you purchase the fabric from a bolt at the fabric store it comes doubled over.  I got my fabric from Jo-Anns's (Craft store) only because I had a 40% coupon off of the fabric, but find that Wal-Marts fabric is cheaper.

***If you want to save money, you can purchase only 3.5 yrds of the lilac fabric.  Since the only parts of a crib you generally see is the front and the two sides.  You dont have to made the back side ruffle, since it will never be seen if the crib is up next to a wall. 

2.) 2.0 yards of muslin (whatever color you want, it will not be visible)
-NOTE: Muslin should cost about $1.99/yard or you can purchase a twin flat sheet from walmart or a discount fabric will do.

3.) Spool of thread (should match the visible fabric color

4.) Marker/Pen (or something to mark the fabric)

5.) flat pins

Since my daugters room is done in different colors of purple, I used lilac colored fabric for the shirt and white muslin for the part that goes under the mattress.

I own the Carter's® Manchester 4-in-1 Crib (Black Cherry).  When you take the mattress out the mattress board measures 51 inches by 27 inches.  Cut out a rectangle of 53 inches x 29 inches from the muslin.  To make it easy take your fabric marker of a marker of any kind and place a 1 inch border all the way around the 4 sides of the muslin and place this to the side.

With the 44 inch fabric make sure that the fold is even on both sides.  To ensure this use an iron and get all of the creases out of the fabric.  Once you have the fabric ironed take your scizzors and cut along the long fold.  This will give you two long strips of fabric. 

Place the two long strips on top of each other and measure out: 
1.) 53 inches and cut.  Measure another 56 inches and cut.  You should now have a quantity of (4) 53 inch by 22 inch strips of fabric. 

2.) 29 inches and cut.  Measure another 29 inches and cut.  You should now have a quantity of (4) 29 inch by 22 inch strips of fabric.

You will need to repeat this step for each of the sets of fabric. 
1.) Take two of the 56 inch strips and sew the 22 inch sides of the fabric strips together.  You will repeat this two times

2.) Take two of the 29 inch strips and sew the 22 inch sides of the fabric strips together.  You will repeat this two times if you are going to make the front and back ruffle.  Only once if you are just doing the front ruffle.

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For these instructions I am going to provide instructions for completing all four sides of the cribs ruffle.
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You should now have 4 long strips of fabric.  Create a 1 inch hem on three sides of each strip.  If you are looking at the fabric horizonally.  Sew the hem on the left, bottom and right side of the strip.  Leave the top unhemed and make sure that the hem is also the same direction of the hem for the joined sides.

Now you have 4 strips of fabric (which are all hemmed on three sides).  Now take the muslin and lay it down on a flat surface.  With the muslin use the long piece of fabric and and create a overlapped pleat along the long side of the side.  This make take some time to get it right, but you will have to play with it.  The easiest way I found to do it was to pin the ends first then find the center and pin that with straight pins. When looking at the lines you drew out on the muslin.  Pin the left 1 inch in from the end (this is where you mark should start on the fabric. You will need to leave this open because of it fitting around the posts on the crib.  Repeat this process on all 4 sides of the muslin with the strips of fabric.  This should look like the same as a cardboard box unfolded (i.e. 3 panels up and 3 panels wide).  Take the fabric to the sewing machine and sew a 1 inch seam with the lilac fabric and the muslin.  Make sure that your seam in facing correctly before you sew it together.  The seam should fold down and when finished you should not see any seams. 

After the lilac fabric is sewen to the muslin you are ready to fit it to the crib.  The 22 inch drop will end up being right around 20 inches long with will just touch the flooring when the mattress board is raised to its highest.  You may need to adjust the height as you lower the mattress in the crib.  At the point of needing it to be adjusted, just hem the fabric at the bottom accordingly. 

The item fit perfect for a Carter's® Manchester 4-in-1 Crib (Black Cherry).  Please make sure that you measure your own crib to ensure the fabric is cut correctly.  Measure the inside of the crib and add 1 inch to each side (2 inches total). 

Here is a picture of the ruffle completed

Here are a few links that I have found this week that have great tutorials.  Good luck and let me know if you have any questions.  Have a great week.
http://www.makeit-loveit.com/
http://www.make-baby-stuff.com/