Smilin' for mama

So fun and so sweet to see your babe smile and start to laugh! Sebastian made mommy's day today!...and everyday for that matter!

Surprise! We pulled it off ;)

Last Sunday, we had a surprise 40th birthday party for Tim. It was labeled as a "Father's Day get-together," and he had no idea what was waiting for him when we arrived at his parent's house. The party was also 11 days after his birthday, and we had already celebrated the big day, so Tim was totally unsuspecting. When we pulled into the driveway, Tim saw all the people and the decorations, and he just kept saying "oh my, oh my, oh my word..." and then he asked "did you know about this!?" Ha!!!
It turned out to be a great party - lots of wonderful family and friends, good food (and I'm so, so, so thankful for all the good eatins that everyone brought to share), fabulous music by the Old Time Liberation Front, games and trampoline-jumping for the kids, sunshine, and the beloved birthday boy! Tim had a terrific time and was blessed by all that were there... not to mention surprised! Hooray!
I could never have pulled it off without the help of so many, especially Tim's parents and his sister, Jill (decorator extraordinaire), my parents, and Marvin (thanks again for the Costco run!), Doug & Lydia, and many others, I'm sure. Thank you, merci, gracias, danke, tusen takk!
Check out the slide show of all the fun!

One month...

Where does the time go?!? Our little boy is already one month old - as of yesterday - and he's not so little anymore... Sebastian had his one month well child check today, and he weighed in at an impressive 10 lbs 2.9 oz! His length was 22 3/4 inches (88th percentile). Tim had guessed he'd be 10 lbs and 23 inches, so I guess he wasn't that far off! I can't believe how quickly these babes grow.

In other news, he's started to have more alert time, which is great as long as it's not crying time ;), and he's started smiling in the past couple of days - like real smiles, not the gas-passing ones! Those precious little smiles make all the tired, frustrated moments just melt away in an instant. Sebastian continues to be the cutest thing in the whole wide world. What mother wouldn't think so (or any other person, for that matter)?

We finally did it!

And it felt sooo good! Today was an amazing day! I now measure successes very differently than I previously did - pre-baby, that is... Sebastian and I took our first walk all by ourselves! It may have taken us until 3:45 pm to get out the door, but we did it! I put the little munchkin in the Baby Bjorn and off we went. He was calm and quiet the whole time. B-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l! And, I got to see some adults and have some big people conversations along the way. Hooray for people who are at home during the day on a gorgeous Monday in June and that live within walking distance! Thanks Phil & Jen for the adult conversation. :) Funny how I used to get tired of talking to big people all day long at work... and now I understand why so many people crave it when they're at home with the kids all day. I was getting cabin fever for sure with the incredible amount of rain we've been having, and today's outing was just the medicine I needed.

Ahhh... a sleeping baby

Finally! Sebastian has been sleeping peacefully for about the past hour now. Thank goodness! I normally have a pretty easy baby, and we can't complain - he's not colicky, and his crying spells usually are short-lived. However, the past several days, he's been more fussy than normal. We're definitely at that stage of heightened irritability that occurs between 3-4 weeks of life. It makes us thankful that we don't have it that bad - we've heard the stories of other parents with newborns who never sleep - they're completely exhausted, can't see straight, at their wit's end, etc. We are fortunate!

But, for some reason this morning, Sebastian must have believed that he needed to nurse - ALL morning long! This mama needed a break, and finally it came. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Sebastian, for letting up a little on your mama.

The sight of a sleeping baby is too delicious to not capture in a photo... especially after a very long morning. We all needed a little break ;).

Uh oh! I may have spoken (written) too soon! I hear whimpering from the other side of the room... sigh. It doesn't change how precious he is, though!

That was then, this is now...

Several months ago, after my cousin's second son was born, his wife posted a picture of their son in a baby basket/bassinet... She wrote that 27 members of the J family had slept in that basket. I had no recollection of it, and didn't think that I was one of the 27. Turns out I was wrong! I still had no idea when the basket was presented to me at one of my baby showers. It was only when I was sorting through old photos to make an album for my parents for their 40th anniversary, (which was this past weekend), that I came across this picture of me:

So, count me in as a J family basket baby, and count our little Sebastian as number 28!
I'm so curious to know who will be the next heirloom basket baby...! Also, I think it would be super cool to document with names and photos (if available) all of us who have had the opportunity to rest our weary heads in this family gem. If you know of any info, please pass it along!

Sebastian meets more cousins

My brother and sister-in-law and their kids were in for the weekend, as we celebrated our parent's 40th anniversary. Sebastian got to meet Isaac & Lauryn for the first time. The kids were very fond of him and took good care of him - Lauryn always making sure he was eating right on time and Isaac acting as his body guard!

For Rachel... on parenting and Mr. Rogers

My friend, Rachel, recently posted a list on her blog of her favorite things that "have made parenting much easier, more fun, or just cooler." I'm just getting started at this parenting thing, but a few of the things on her list are already very much a part of our repertoire - cloth diapers, for example (love bumgenius), and the hotsling (which I'm still working on getting the groove of, but was a fantastic gift from Rachel herself).

We haven't read The Sleepeasy Solution book yet, but as of now, I'm hoping we won't need to - since we have an 18 day old who sleeps from 6-8 (yes, EIGHT) hours a night as of late (don't hate me, Rachel!). If that changes, we'll be sure to ask to borrow your copy!

As for the other things, we'll have to transition into them over time, like the wagon, the glider rocker, construction equipment, etc. Before we know it, I'm sure our little boy will be wanting his own dump truck!

Coffee is still decaf at this point - we'll see how long that lasts, but I'm eternally grateful for Counter Culture Coffee that sells a great decaf blend, 17 de Septiembre - que rico! I'm going on 15 months with no java and still surviving!

We'll be sure to tune into to Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood if we ever have the TV on for Sebastian, as the Neighborhood has always been near and dear to our hearts! Again, Rachel, this is not intended to make you jealous! :) But I have to admit, it's pretty darn cool when the Neighborhood actually comes to your own house! And no, I didn't photoshop him into the picture... ;)

Ever since I met Rachel and her husband, Peter, over five years ago, I've always really admired their parenting skills and felt that there was much to glean from them. They have great kids, and their patience, kindness and love has paid off! Thanks for your example, guys. :)

And now, it's definitely time to change a diaper... bumgenius, here we come!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

When we first got married, Tim casually mentioned that it would be nice to reach the milestone of having our first child before he turned 40. We all know that God's timing is perfect, and He was totally in control of planning the conception, pregnancy, and birth date of our beautiful baby boy. But I believe he's a pretty groovy God, having allowed us to birth our first son just 17 days before Tim's 40th birthday - right on time!

So this year, Tim got the best birthday gift ever - a little early - but right on time! Sebastian has filled our lives with tremendous joy. As I watch Tim father him, love him, swaddle him, talk to him, read to him, care for him, change his messy diapers, calm him, hold him, kiss him... I grow more in love with the man I married each second of each new day. Tim has had a heart for caring for the fatherless for many years - a gift that God placed upon his heart and equipped him for...just one of the many reasons I fell in love with him from the start. And now, he also has the opportunity to care for his own son, which is a holy and beautiful thing to witness.

Today we celebrate Daddy Tim's big day and we celebrate Tim! We love you and give thanks for you! Now come home soon, so we can get some partying done! :)

P.S. We got started with the partying a little early last night at Tim's parent's house, where we enjoyed great family time, a delicious meal (many thanks to Sylvia, Jill & Harold), and lots of fun - even with sparklers!

Bath time!

Sebastian had his first bath yesterday - in his little bath tub, that is. His umbilical cord had fallen off a few days prior, and we had a party to go to last night, so we knew the time had come to take the leap into the water! Sebastian seemed to not be bothered at all by the water, and actually might have enjoyed it! It was a fun time for all of us - daddy doing most of the washing and mommy and Aunt Jill shooting photos. We managed to get him out just in time, as he was starting to poop in his bath water! These are certainly monumental events that warrant being captured on camera, don't you think? Take a peak...
Thanks, Deb for the tub and ducky, and Aunt Lillian for the turtle hoodie towel!

Obama's Cairo speech

posted by Tim

On my way to work on Thursday I heard a few snippets of this speech. Knowing that it was focused on a variety of cross-cultural dynamics I was intrigued to hear it in its entirety.

If you are fully aware of all the issues discussed--Islam/America, Israel/Palestine, nuclear weapons, free governments, religious freedom, women's rights--you will be amazed what was covered in less than 1 hour. If some of these global issues are new to you, listen with an open mind and a desire to learn about some of the larger challenges in our world.

Obama tackled many hot topics. It is very likely almost no one will agree 100%, but we must be thankful when leaders are willing to address difficult areas with sensitivity and respect.

While many prefer to see things from only their own perspective, it is important to be challenged to view from all sides while not denying our beliefs. To respectfully be a student of the world while maintaining a solid foundation.

Sebastian's first photo shoot

When Sebastian was six days old, we had a photographer, Regina Martin of Radiant Images, come to the house to do a photo shoot. Check out some of the great pics that she posted on her blog.

He's just so gorgeous and precious and wonderful, isn't he?

Our little guy is growing!

It's hard to believe we haven't posted anything since we left the hospital. Everyday I write a blog entry in my head, but it never seems to actually make it to the computer...
Sebastian is 10 days old now! I'm constantly amazed at how wonderful it is to be a mother, yet how time consuming it is to keep this little guy fed, diapered and content. At least for now, not much else gets done (by me, that is!). I'm recovering well, taking it one day at a time, and off pain meds now. Hooray!
Tim went back to work on Monday, which was a bit traumatic for me - getting easier each day, but we've been hugely blessed with daily help from Grandma J and Grandma M. I am so incredibly thankful for their presence and their willingness to help out in so many ways!
We're all learning together - each day brings new joys and challenges. Just when I think I've figured something out about Sebastian, he changes his routine up on me, and the guessing game starts all over!
Anyways, I wanted to share the sequence of his weight checks... he really is growing well, and that brings much comfort to a new mama's soul!

Here is a shot of his birth weight (7 lbs 15oz):

When we left the hospital, he was 7 lbs 5oz... and then we had a weight check when he was 5 days old - he weighed in at 7 lbs 8 oz:

And here is a shot of his weight yesterday at his first official well child check with Dr. Donna (we were up to 8 lbs 3 oz!):

As you can tell, he totally digs being on the scale!

Here's one last shot I can't resist including - I think it's a beautiful picture of Sebastian and his daddy the day after he was born (thanks to my sister-in-law for snapping this one!). I just can't get over how much I love these two guys!