JLB {three months}

Three months old.  I wrote tonight on Instagram that I was going to stop blinking because the months keep flying by.  It's oh so true.  I have a three month old.  

This little boy has captured our hearts.  He has the sweetest disposition--  just so relaxed and calm.  I never felt like anything was absent from our lives, but somehow he fills in all the missing pieces.

Month three has brought changes.  Foremost my return to work and Jack's start at school.  He's handled it well considering. Naps at school are hit or miss.  There are days he takes a few good naps, and then days he hardly naps at all.  He's content, though, and has fallen madly in love with Ms. Traycee.  She is beloved by Reese, as well, and we are so thankful to have her loving on our Jack.

The benefit of daytime exhaustion is nighttime sleep.  Our babe is sleeping a good ten hours at night.  We take a bath around 6:50 then it's right to the rocking chair for a bottle and snuggles.  He remains the slowest eater ever, but is usually fast asleep in his crib by 7:45.  I take care of the bedtime feeding while Lofton handles bedtime for number one.  It's the perfect chance for me to recharge my mama batteries.  I miss my flock so much during the day.  We wake him most mornings between 5:45-6:00 to eat and get ready for the morning hustle.

Jack takes five six ounce bottles per day.  We still follow the Mom's on Call schedule, although with the hit or miss napping I have to be a bit more flexible.  We always have a 5:00 pm bottle, though, and then bedtime is firm.  Again, this sweet kiddo just rolls with it. He still takes medication for reflux and struggled this month with a nasty flare up.  We added a bit of rice cereal to a few of his bottles and things seem to have leveled out.  I'm not rushing to start solids, but also hope when we start those the reflux will hit the road.

This month has also brought with it newly acquired skills.  Jack is blowing bubbles, smiling unprompted {my favorite time being when I walk into his classroom}, grabbing for objects {although it is still hit or miss}, and on Wednesday {September 24} he rolled over from his tummy to his back.  It surprised us both.  I had just been telling someone at school that the second child syndrome had struck.  With your first you devote so much time to practicing every trick and encouraging every milestone.  With number two you're just content to ride the wave.  While Jack sleeps on his tummy we have been neglectful in practicing tummy time.  Between soccer and kindergarten homework, he's lucky to get a bath.

I'm still struggling to adequately express my feelings for this little guy.  Admittedly, my obsession with my children runs deep.  As with Reese my love for Jack grows with each day.

Stats:

Weight-- guessing between 15-16 pounds

Wearing-- 6 month clothes //plus a few 6-9 or 6-12 month onsies, size 2 diapers {barely} 

working mama

Four months.  That's how long I've been home.  It has been such a hard and special time.  The weeks leading up to Jack's birth were tough.  I felt awful and was so emotional about Reese's end as an only child.  It was sweet, sweet time with him, although our activities were limited.  This last month with only Jack at home has been equally as sweet.  Getting to know this baby of mine without anyone else here has been precious time well spent.

It's a month I chose to take, knowing someone else would be starting the school year in my place.  I've worked from home, an hour here and there, to write lesson plans and enter grades.  Tasks that don't go away even when you're on leave.  That's the job of a teacher, especially an elementary school teacher.  It doesn't stop and it's often exhausting.  But it's a job I love.  It's been strange to imagine someone else getting to know my kids and living in my second home, but so worth it to be with Jack.

Lofton and I talk often about God's calling in our lives.  Without a doubt he has called me to a wife to Lofton and a mama to our babies, but I know for certain that he's also called me to be a teacher.  What a blessing it is to be a part of these extra kiddo's lives.

Monday, I return to work.  I'm sad that our time at home is ending, but really my thankfulness that I've had these weeks outweighs anything else.  Am I going to cry?  Absolutely {a lot and often}.  But Jack is going to be loved on everyday by the sweet ladies who loved on Reese.  I have no doubts that he will be well taken care of. And we will all settle into a new routine.  The mornings will be hectic, as will the nights, and our weekend time as a family will become even more precious and protected.  I'll again be rushing from work at 3:30 to pick up my favorite five year old and then he'll travel with me to Auburn to scoop up our favorite baby.  And then I'll take a big, deep sigh of happiness because my chickadees are once again under my wing.

JLB {two months}

Our Jack is two months old.  The days fly by and life with him as a piece of our puzzle just keeps getting better.  We all agree he is the sweetest addition to our family.

Month two has brought lots of changes and adventures.

We have continued to try and follow a daily schedule.  I've found that it helps Jack sleep more consistently at night-- always a plus.  I use Mom's on Call {with the exception of the swaddling component} and if I follow the schedule they've laid out he does wonderfully.  Currently we are using the 8-16 week schedule. Our days begin with a 6:30 feeding.  He then eats 5-6 ounces every three hours or so with two good naps thrown in.  There's usually a cat nap or two in there as well, but they aren't nearly as consistent.  In the afternoon, he gets a bottle around 4:00, a snack at 6:00, and then bath and a bedtime bottle around 7:30.  We've followed this schedule for three days now with relative success.  Friday night he slept from 8:00-6:20, Saturday night he woke up at 4:00 for a snack but then easily went back to sleep, and Sunday night he slept from 8:00- 6:30.  He woke up fussy around 2:00 but a little patting {and reinserting the pacifier} and we were good to go.  Lofton would say I'm obsessive about the following the schedule, but as I tell him the schedule works.

Emo came at the beginning of August to keep the boys so I could work in my classroom.  It was the first time I left Jack for any length of time.  He did great, I cried on the way to work.  We also had a visit this month from Aunt Linda and then an overnight visit with Cassie and Penelope.  Before Reese started school, he worked as my assistant and we practiced getting out a few times without Lofton.  I try to work our errands around Jack's feeding and nap times so no outing lasts too long.  We've been to Target, Publix, and the post office.  I wear him in the baby wrap every time.  My cuddly baby loves to snuggle up and more often than not snoozes.  Our favorite errand to run is a daily one; picking up big brother from school.  We've also been out to eat a few times this month.  Jack either sleeps or just contently looks around.

Jack also went to church for the first time this month.  He stays with me, not in the nursery, but basically just sleeps like a champ right on through service.  Dream baby.  Jack also took two car trips this month.  One to Buck and Emo's house and the other to Atlanta.  Both trips he slept almost the entire time.  Reese was a horrible car rider, so I was prepared for the worst, but aside from a few fussy moments right around nap time Jack was perfect.

Our reflux is improving and with the combination of Similac Sensitive for Spit Up and Zantac we seem to have it under control. I'm hoping sometime between twelve and sixteen weeks he'll outgrow it, but with the stomach issues both my other boys have I'm not holding my breath.

My favorite part of month two has been Jack cooing and talking.  His voice still surprises him sometimes, but it is sweet music to this mama's ears.  Big brother likes to chat with him, too.  In addition to the baby coos, Jack has started smiling.  He smiles out of the side of his mouth like a certain five year old used to do.  I melt. He's started kicking his legs and waving his arms around when he gets excited, can hold his head up for extended periods of time, and has really started focusing on objects and people.  I call him my deep thinker because when he's really staring at someone his brow furrows.  He continues to be such a laid back baby and a complete mama's boy.

I would say with confidence that month two is where we hit our stride.  I know there is lots of change coming our way {hello going back to work in two weeks}, but for now we've hit a sweet spot.

Stats:
Weight-- 13 lbs, 8 ozs. {94%}
Height-- 23 and 3/4 inches {85%}
Head Circumference: 16 and 1/2 inches {95%}
Wearing-- 3 to 6 month clothes //plus a few 6 month onsies, size 2 diapers 

kindergarten {reese}

Reese started Kindergarten yesterday.

There is so much weight and emotion wrapped up in that one little sentence that I truly don't know where to begin.

How did we get here?  Did I blink and miss the last five years flying by?  He's really old enough for real school? Mandatory, required school.  It feels heavy to me.  Like this a huge, huge deal.  And it is.

We met his teacher on Tuesday afternoon.  She is wonderful.  Sweet and bubbly and crafty and all the good things you think about when you think about a kindergarten teacher.  We've heard nothing but amazing things about her so I'm excited to see what the year holds for him.  I've wanted so badly for this experience to be a positive one for Reese.

He bound out of bed yesterday morning and jumped into my arms while exclaiming "Today is the day I get to go to Kindergarten!"  I would have cried if he wasn't so darn happy.  We loaded up to go, all of us, which in itself was a big deal.  You see I've lamented for YEARS that I wouldn't get to walk him in on the first day of kindergarten, I'd always be at my own school greeting my own new kiddos.  But God winked at us and gave this family a baby a few months later than we planned resulting in a well timed maternity leave :)  Funny how that happens.

So in we walked, our family of four, to take a picture with his teacher and see him line up with his new classmates.  I held it together surprisingly well.  In fact, I didn't cry at all until I went into his room to gather his dirty clothes to wash.  Then I lost it.  Luckily there was no one to witness the ridiculousness of me crying into Reese's dirty clothes.  I fully realize if I was at work I wouldn't be feeling this way, but being home affords me the opportunity to experience the stillness of the house without my favorite companion.  It's quiet and I'm missing him.

But he had an AMAZING day.  He loved every minute of being there and was excited to go back this morning.  It's also Friday so DUH Chick Fil A breakfast with Daddy is back. What did Jack and I do this morning?  We went to Target, of course. I was the third grade teacher on maternity leave wearing my baby while buying wine and laundry detergent at eight in the morning.

JLB {one month}

Our favorite baby turned one month old yesterday.  Just like with Reese, the time flies by in a blink.  It's like Jack has always been with us even though it never felt like anything was missing before.  Does that make sense?

We are settling in to as much of a routine as we can.  Jack sleeps at night but it's fairly unpredictable.  We feed him around 9:00 and then he usually wakes up between 12:30-1:30 to eat again.  He then wakes up between 3:30 and 5:30 for another feeding.  That's a pretty wide window :)  Lofton takes them middle of the night feeding and I take the early morning one.  I don't go back to sleep after my shift which is a problem when Jack gets up at 3:30am.  I'm also not a great napper.  This has made for some long days.  

He naps well, though.  We usually try for at least two naps in his crib and then another few on me.  Because he won't be a baby forever.  He's a belly sleeper like his brother but the pediatrician assures us it's okay.  I wouldn't have told the doctor we were sleeping on our belly, but Lofton has a big mouth.

Just last week we moved Jack back into his room at night.  Back into his room because initially he was in our room, then we moved him into his only to move him back to ours when his reflux got really bad.  Yep, another Beasley boy with belly issues.  Jack was diagnosed with silent reflux about two weeks ago.  It basically means that sometimes he spits up, but primarily the food comes back up into his throat just enough to cause him pain and make his choke.  He does best in an upright position because his choking episodes occur about an hour or so after he eats.  That means he's spent a WHOLE lot of his nights sleeping on me while I'm propped up in the bed.  We've tried a few different formulas and a week on Zantac.  The Zantac didn't really work for him and so just last Friday we switched to hypoallergenic formula.  It's expensive, but if it works I'm willing to sell a kidney on the black market.  Just kidding... sort of.  

Jack came into this world weighing 8 pounds, 13 ounces.  At our one week weight check he weighed 9 pounds, 6 ounces and at two weeks was up to 10 pounds, 2 ounces.  Last Friday he was a whopping 11 pounds, 6 ounces.  Basically demonstrating that for whatever reason Lofton and I have giant kids.  He takes seven 4 ounce bottles per day and the doctor said we could feed him more if he's hungry.  

Other highlights this month include:  tons of visitors {BB, Hannah & Justin, friends from school and church}, two lunch dates with Daddy {Tropical Smoothie and Newks}, and a trip to the mecca that is Target.  

Jack is finding his voice, staying awake for longer periods of time, figuring out how to keep his pacifier in his mouth, tracking objects and people with his eyes, and learning to sleep through the noisiness of two crazy dogs and a rowdy five year old.  He loves to snuggle, particularly with me, and slips his hand just inside the neck of my shirt once he settles down.  He seems much more laid back than his brother, which I'll attribute to Lofton because no one has ever described me as laid back.  The pediatrician had to removal his umbilical cord on July 25th so we are still waiting for the remaining portion to dry before we can take our first tub bath. 

I am doing my best to soak up every second of each day because I know this time is fleeting.  

Stats:

Weight -- 11 pounds, 6 ounces

Wearing -- 3 to 6 month clothes and size 1 diapers

Jack's Birth Day

I sing for joy at the works of your hands. 

Psalm 92:4

Lofton and I wondered frequently in the weeks and days leading up to Jack's birth about the difference between knowing the day your baby is going to be born and just going into labor.  Neither of our children's birth dates were surprises, which is both a good and bad thing.  Obviously the benefit is having time to plan, but the negative side is the agony of the waiting.  It gives an anxious person like myself lots of time to get worked up.

 When I was pregnant with Reese I cried A LOT toward the end.  I was tired, teaching full time at the beginning of a school year, and it was hot.  There was also so much uncertainty with a having a baby.  How would our life be?  What would change?  What if we failed totally as parents?  With Jack there wasn't as much of that.  We felt pretty confident in our ability to parent.  The only uncertainty was adjusting to being a family of four, not three.  In the days leading up to Thursday, June 26th, I cried anytime Reese and I went somewhere.  The doughnut place, Target, Chick Fil A.... Lofton thought I was a nut.  But I knew at every place it would be the last time we'd go as the three of us.  Monday was particularly bad.  I was so thankful Reese had VBS that week so I could get myself together before he came home each day.

My parents got here on Wednesday around lunch and Lofton came home early from work.  We packed {or in my case repacked} our bags and Jack's bag, I went over the three pages worth of notes I had typed for my mom regarding Reese's schedule, and Lofton zipped around finishing up last minute house projects.  That afternoon the hospital called.  The plan had been to get to the hospital at six on Thursday morning.  My parents would come a little later, once Haley got to our house to keep Reese. Sally was going to meet my parents at the hospital. The nurse on the phone asked if we would mind coming earlier.  "How early," I asked? Five.  No problem for early risers like us and who were we kidding-- sleep was going to be minimal anyway.  We began texting and calling people to let them know the schedule had been moved up.

Sleep was elusive Wednesday night.  Even Lofton-- who sleeps through anything-- was restless.  At 3:00 I got up and got in the shower.  We went in to say goodbye to Reese around 4:30 and he was awake.  A little disoriented and weepy, too.  Of course I got teary telling him we'd see him in a few hours.  We arrived at the hospital shortly before five and they took me, alone, to a room.  I HATE being by myself in hospitals and had reminded my doctor that when my tonsils were removed a few years ago I had a massive panic attack when they wouldn't let Lofton be with me.  True to his word, Dr. Alverson had noted that in my file and Lofton came back to be with me quickly.

We then waited and waited.  The nurses hooked up my IV {busting two veins in my right hand} and all the other necessary tubes and such.  At 6:45 they told us it was time.  I walked to the OR and was greeted by what seemed like fifty people.  In actuality it was probably ten.  Dr. Alverson gave me a hug and I sat down on the table to have my spinal put in.  They got me situated and I remember someone asking why we were operating so early.  Dr Alverson laughed and said that Lofton had made him promise we'd be in a room by the time USA played soccer that morning.  Apparently it's out of the norm to have a scheduled cesarean so early in the morning.

Lofton was brought in and surgery started.  I don't remember much from my surgery with Reese, but I was very alert this time.  The spinal was strange and at times it felt like the numbness was rising in my chest and keeping me from being able to breathe.  Lofton said he could see my blood pressure start to rise every time I thought I was starting to suffocate.  They put an alcohol pad on my nose to keep me from getting sick.

After what seemed like an eternity, Dr. Alverson told me I was going to feel a lot of pressure and with that our sweet boy entered the world.  He started screaming immediately and Dr. Alverson held him up for us to see.  He said then that he thought Jack was going to be bigger than Reese, and by just three ounces he was.

The rest is a blur.  Lofton went to be with the baby and then brought him over to see me.  They let me touch him {which did not happen with Reese} and after surgery wrapped up Lofton carried him to recovery so we could all be together.  The nurses let me hold him, which would have been great if I didn't have the worst chills and shakes from the anesthesia. After an hour we were taken to a room.

The remainder of the day zoomed by with family in and out, nurses in and out, and us trying to rest and catch our breath.  The hospital has mandatory quiet hours from 2:00-4:00pm so that was really the first time Lofton and I got to be alone with our new addition.  We looked him over and said probably fifteen times how amazing and perfect and wonderful it was to be parents again.  We agreed our hearts felt like they could burst.  All the worry of would we love him as much as Reese, or how was it going to feel to have two babies instead of one, went out the window.

At 7:08AM, on June 26th, our family became complete.

Jack Lofton

On June 26th, at 7:08 in the morning, we welcomed our precious Jack Lofton.

Weighing eight pounds and thirteen ounces {slightly larger than big brother, Reese} he has stolen our hearts. Even our favorite five year old is enamored.

I'll be back soon with more details from Jack's birthday and an update on our first few days and weeks at home.

For now we are counting our blessings {and some really adorable fingers and toes!}.