Happy Due Date, Knox!

I have had this day circled on my calendar for months and months. Even though he wasn't born on this day, it will always hold significance for me. It's the date I have thought about, planned around and anticipated since being told at our first ultrasound. It's still surreal to me that he is here and not in my belly. Sometimes, I think I feel him kicking (nope, just gas), and it takes a second for me to realize, wait, he's right here in my arms. Even though I had always felt that Knox would come early, once that moment arrived, I couldn't help but feel slightly terrified. But once I was in the hospital room, I was instantly okay. I was ready to give birth to him, to meet him. I think about the long months of anticipating his arrival, and how in just one second, he's here. And I'm changed forever. My life is totally different from the way it was before. Sure, everything else is technically the same, there's just one more person in the mix. That one person, though. Is everything. Such a tiny, little guy has made the biggest impact on me and changed my life in more ways than I can count. My priorities, my goals, my dreams, everything revolves around him and his little fuzzy head. My marriage is stronger and more loving, my life is more full and my home is a happier place. All because of him.

Whoops. Mommy Fail.

So... I kinda made some of Knox's hair fall out. !! I was giving him a bath and used the scrubby hair brush they used in the NICU to try to banish some of his cradle cap flakes, and it apparently made his hair thinner. I feel horrible! Granted, he still has a head full, but now it's way thicker in the back than it is on top. He's like a tiny old man with a thinning mullet. Poor baby, his mommy sabotaged his cool do. I will definitely be exercising restraint from now on when I scrub his little head!

Growing boy and Three Weeks Old!

We had our follow-up visit with the pediatrician on Thursday. The first was last week, so it's been nine days since we were there last. At the first appointment, Knox had lost some weight, which is normal, and he was about 6lbs 14oz. This week, he weighed 7lbs 11.5 ounces. That's a weight gain of 13.5 ounces in only nine days!! Great job, Knox! The doctor was very pleased with this, and said Knox looks great, overall. He also said "He's got some hair, doesn't he? That's so cool." It cracked me up. We go back again in a month, around the same time we have a follow-up with the cardiologist.

The initial cardiologist visit on Monday went great, too, and the doctor anticipates no long-term issues with Knox because of the SVT. We were very happy to hear that! He will stay on his medicine for six months and then go off of it. They did an EKG on him when we were there, and it looked great. Basically, most babies grow out of this fast heart rate, and that's what they think Knox will do, as well. We have not seen any evidence of another Tachycardia episode since he's been on the medicine, which is definitely a good thing.

Today, our little guy is THREE weeks old! How did that happen?? I do believe he is in the midst of a growth spurt, as well. He wants to eat constantly. He had been going about four hours at night between feedings, but now, he doesn't go two and a half before he's wailing for more. That's fine by me, he's a growing boy and needs more food! I really love breast feeding, and I feel like things are improving on that front. My right nipple is feeling much better- I think it must have been bruised or something. It still hurts when Knox latches on vigorously, but feels better when his latch is correct. Sometimes I have to re-position him five or six times, but it's worth it for a pain-free nursing session.

We re-visited the lactation consultant this week because of the nipple pain I was having, and to check on Knox's latch and how much food he was getting. Everything looked great. If your hospital has lactation consultants available when you have a baby, utilize them! It makes me feel so much better to know that he's getting enough food, and I'm doing things right. Breast feeding doesn't always work perfectly right away, and it really helps to have a pro show you the ropes.


Lifting his head all by himself:

Best Buddies... How cute is this?!

Knox finally got to meet his new best friend, Noah. They are too cute together! Knox looks like such a shrimp next to Noah who is five months old, but I am sure things will even out between them eventually. :) I am so excited to watch them grow up together and become as good of friends and their daddies (and mommies!) are. Precious!



Lindsey and I with our boys

Cole and Trevor with their sons

Baby swap


By the way, you guys are AWESOME! After posting my request for shameless self promotion (through the Mommy Blog voting link) I jumped from #108 to #50 within a few hours. My readers rock! Keep those votes coming, you can vote once a day, and I really appreciate it!

Wanna do me a favor?

Vote for me at Top Mommy Blogs if you dig my flow. And I promise never to say that again.

Click on the link to the right, and that click will add a vote to my tally. I'm #108 at the moment, and I'd love to bust into the top 100. Thanks, guys!!

Without further ado... I give to you: my husband.

Hey it's Trevor, Jessica's Husband. She put me up to this. So here it goes.

nlvaden wants to know:

1. What were you thinking as Jess was pushing? Scared? Nervous? Grossed out?
I was actually anxious and very excited. After she got the epidural it was all downhill from there. Before the shot I was terrified.

2. Now that Knox is home, what is one thing that you were not expecting about being a new father?
Well, I pretty much was expecting all of the feelings I've had. I wasn't expecting how obsessed I'd be with keeping his surroundings clean and safe. I love Clorox wipes and hand sanitizer.

3. What is your favorite thing about being a father thus far?
Reading my boy bedtime stories. I hate to read, but love reading to him. I don't think I will ever miss a night.

4. What sort of changes have you noticed in Jessica since she has become a mother?
I haven't really noticed a particular change in her. She still drives me absolutely crazy with her worrying about every little thing. But I have noticed once Knox entered this world our relationship felt so much stronger.

***Questions 5&6 are for you and Jessica***
5: Favorite baby product so far?
Trevor: Diapers. They keep a nice barrier between me and the pee and poop.

Jessica: I would have to say the breast pump has been the most necessary and useful thing. I highly recommend getting one if you're breast feeding. I used one in the hospital before we came home, and I can't imagine how awful it would have been if I hadn't been able to use it to relieve engorgement. It would have been worth it just for that! Now, I have been using it to regulate and even out my supply. It's awesome.

As far as other more directly-related-to-the-baby stuff, the Boppy is just as awesome as I anticipated. Great for feeding, tummy time, sitting in, etc.

6: Most useless baby product so far?

Trevor: I don't get too much use out of the breast pump.

Jessica: Skinny burp cloths. Get the old skool cloth diapers to use at burp cloths. Knox is not a puker, but the five or so times he has spit up, it's been projectile. Try landing that puke on a skinny little piece of fabric. Uh, no. I am mainly using the burp cloths at this point to catch the breast milk that shoots out of my boobs while I am getting Knox situated to eat. They're all over the house.

I also have not used the nursing pillow (My Brest Friend), that's not to say I wouldn't, but the Boppy has worked great for the same job.

Lindsey wants to know:

1. How do you manage to put up with Cole [her husband/ my best friend that I work with] every single day?!
It's a give and take relationship. He gives me crap, I give him crap, and then we find something funny and laugh about it. I love him like a brother.

2. When is our next game of Apples to Apples??
Now! Come over. Please. Haven't played since last time we all played. Maybe this weekend after yall move in.

3. What is YOUR least favorite word? :) [Lindsey's is cream. I say it every time I see her... which is a lot.]
Well it used to be "poop", but since Knox I have gotten used to it. So now, rich, thick, creamy cream. And the only reason that it's my new least favorite word combination, is so that you will read it and think about it for the rest of the day.

Thusa wants to know:

1. Mr. JLT - When did you first know you wanted to propose to Mrs,JLT?
When all my friends started to propose to their girlfriends.

2. Did you pick the ring yourself?
Yes. I talked to the jeweler and had it custom-made. I was very picky and obsessive about my choice. I knew Jessica wanted a princess cut diamond. I learned all I could about clarity, cut, color and carats so I could make good choices. Currently, I am trying to convince Jessica to pawn it for a boat.

3. How many diapers have you changed since Knox has been home?
Ten or so. Only been peed on once. I guess you could say I have a 10:1 ratio.

4.What kind of work do you do?
I work for a non-profit organization dealing with donations.

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would you live?
Alaska. It's wilderness, secluded, there's a bunch of animals, and I could wear a lot of flannel shirts. I could get one of those hats with the furry stuff in it, and I could wear boots all the time. Then, my wife couldn't yell at for having too many boots. I would have an excuse to throw my car into 4 wheel drive more often. I also wouldn't mind having a big bear for a pet. Oh, and there are moose. And for dinner I would eat salmon fresh out of the river in my backyard.

Angeline asked:

1. Is there anything in particular you might miss out on now that you have become a daddy?
Maybe the opportunity to take my MMA fighting to the next level. I don't think I would do that with a wife and child depending on me.

2. Do you want to try for baby #2 right away or wait a few years?
Wait a few years. Maybe even a decade.

3. How has becoming a father changed you as a person and your life as a whole?
It's made me a much better person. I strive to do well in everything I do so that I will be a great role model for him as he grows up. Everything I do is for him, now.

Casey asked:

1. Trey [her husband, me and Cole's friend] wants to know...when can we go camping?
Maybe sometime in March on the lake. Nowhere too far. If you want to go ahead and set it, we can go the second weekend in March.

Erin wonders:

1. From a male perspective, what is it like to deal with infertility issues?
Honestly, I was initially overwhelmed and nervous about having to spend that much money on it. The whole time, I had the feeling it would happen naturally, even though we were told it wouldn't. I had a lot of faith in God. That is why Knox is a true blessing.

2. How did you feel when your wish for a baby finally came true?
Unbelievably excited. Like all 26 Christmases I've ever had put into one.

3. How do you feel about more babies in the future? (I know it may be too soon to ask)
Babies? Yes. Jessica's worrying? No.

4. What emotions did you have when you first saw your sons face and then realized he looks just like you?
When I first saw him, I couldn't help but cry with excitement. It's cool that he looks like me, but that wasn't really a big concern for me.

Rebecca wants to know:

1. what advice would you give other expectant dads in the final days of their wives' pregnancies?
Sleep now.

2. what was going through your mind while JLT was in labor?
That is was finally about to happen. It was hard to see Jessica in pain before she got the epidural.

3. what was the first thought that entered your mind when you first saw Knox?
I'm a father.

Hope wonders:

1. Any advice for a new father for the first few weeks at home?
Sleep when you can. Be there for your wife, encourage her. Try to keep her mind focused on positives and not negatives.

2. Anything you wish you would have known before the birth?
I like surprises.

But really, when you're checking out your son on the scale, don't turn around because you'll see a river of blood pouring out of your wife's vagina.

3. What has surprised you most over the past few months?
The past two weeks, I've been surprised at how much Knox poops. During pregnancy, I was surprised at how much Jessica peed.

Brandy questioned:

1. What is your favorite thing about Knox's room?
The surfboards everywhere. I love the surfing theme.

2. Have you had to carry a diaper bag and purse at the same time yet?
Yep. In the hospital. I didn't mind. I also had to buy hemorrhoid pads at Target. That sucked.

3. Who do you think will win the Superbowl?
Da Bears!!

jCam asked:

1. What do you honestly think about Jess blogging?
It's a little too time consuming. Takes away from her dinner preparation time.

Really, I honestly don't care because I don't look at her blog.

2. Has your opinion changed from when she first started blogging to now? I know my husband gave me the side-eye at first!
I guess. Now that I realize what she's actually doing and talking about it's not so bad.


That was my first and last blogging experience. Hope you liked it.

Trevor's Blogging Debut...

Is coming very soon. :) I asked my dear husband if he would be game to do a Q&A post as his intro into the blogosphere, and he reluctantly agreed. (I think he's a little nervous!) So, please comment on this post with your questions for Trevor. Ask anything that you want (really, anything) and he will answer all of your burning questions in his post. Get excited, I know that I am!

AND... sweet Knox is two weeks old today! I can't believe it! He is so, so precious and I am more in love with him than I would have ever thought possible. To celebrate his two week birthday, here are some pictures.

Check out the hair on this kid! I love it!