Sleep much?

Well we've made it through almost 3 weeks now! I can say that life with a newborn is a little crazy at times but we love spending each day with Bryson. He's already growing and changing so much and it's fun to see what each new day brings. I still stare at him for hours wondering how he could be mine! What a precious gift from God.

I made it through my first week of being a "stay at home mom"! It's so weird being home and not going to work every day but I'm enjoying it so far! Thankfully Bryson is a very good sleeper during the day time so my job is pretty easy. We snuggle and watch TV and he sleeps the day away. I just need to figure out how to make myself sleep the day away too!

Saturday we took Bryson for his first photo shoot and he did so good! I am thrilled with the pictures we got! He is so adorable I can't hardly stand it! He did poop on me during the naked shots, but I imagine it wont be the last time that happens! I thought I'd share some of the pictures from the shoot. Enjoy!

Love,

Jennifer

Surprise delivery!

Well what a week this has been! Much to our surprise, Bryson decided to come a little earlier than planned. Tuesday morning (the 30th) I woke up at around 1:00 AM with contractions. At around 4:00 AM I called the doctor and he told us to head on to the hospital! When we got there, we were disappointed to learn that I hadn't dilated any yet but they were going to keep me and monitor me for a few hours. They talked about possible sending me home if I didn't progress much. (In my head I was thinking...the heck you will!! I'm not leaving without a baby!) After a few hours I had still only dilated 1 cm, however the doctor could see that my contractions were coming fast and hard so he decided to keep me. After a few more hours they gave me some meds to speed things up a bit and let me tell you, that stuff works immediately. Almost as soon as they started my IV, I immediately started experiencing some very strong and painful contractions coming only a minute or two apart. Needless to say, soon after I was requesting my epidural, which I was told would be given to me in approx 20 minutes. Unfortunately for me, it was a very busy day at the hospital and I had to wait an hour and a half before the anesthesiologist paid me a visit. This was the longest hour and a half of my entire life!! After the epidural I was on cloud 9 though. Medicine is a wonderful thing! Anyhow, a few hours later I was fully dilated and ready to push. Fortunately for me it only took a handful of pushes and he was here! I keep telling everyone that the delivery was the easiest part of the entire day. I couldn't have asked for it to go better. Bryson Alexander came out weighing 6lbs 10 oz and measuring 20 inches long. (that ultrasound fooled us!) Also, his head is absolutely perfect...no bobble head on this baby! He looks EXACTLY like his daddy and is absolutely adorable. He inherited my nose and ears but the rest is Jeffrey. It's too funny!
Now we've been home a few days and it's definitely been an adjustment for us getting used to a newborn in the house. He's an absolute angel during the day and sleeps peacefully for hours. At night is when the fussiness begins. We've had a few loooong nights but he's starting to come around and get the hang of things so we're very thankful for that. Breastfeeding has been a bit of a challenge for both of us but just in the past day he's improved a ton so that has been a major relief. We had his first doctor's appointment this morning and everything is great. She said we have a perfect baby! (of course, we already knew this)
Other than that, there's not much to say other than we feel SO blessed to have such a beautiful baby boy. We stare at him for hours in amazement, still in shock that he is our son. We couldn't be more proud. I'll try to keep the blog updated as much as possible...it's a little tough to find free time these days! :) For anyone that would like to email us, my email is JLJohnson84@yahoo.com and I'll be checking that as much as possible during the coming weeks.
Now for some pictures of our sweet little boy:





Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and prayers during this time. We are absolutely blessed to have such a beautiful child. We can't wait for you all to meet him!


Until next time...
Jennifer

bobble head dolls are the coolest.....

Jennifer and I got another peek at Bryson on Friday. At 37 weeks, our little man weighs in at 7lbs 7ozs!! His arms and legs are measuring at 37 weeks, BUT thanks to his daddy, Bryson's head is a little on the large side. Sorry, buddy! I wouldn't wish this bobble head syndrome on anyone, especially you! You'll just be as smart or smarter than me. Probably smarter! See you soon, little-big man.

We are so close to finally meeting him! Thanks to all of you for your prayers.

Jeffrey

Another week bites the dust

Well another week has come and gone and we are one week closer to meeting this little guy. It's unbelievable how fast the time has flown. People keep telling me the last few weeks drag by so slow but it's just the opposite for me. They have been zooming past! I finally have the nursery organized and everything is put away and ready to go.

As of this past Friday I have not dilated any, but the baby's head is down and ready to go so that's good news! Now we just wait. I go again this Friday and they will also be doing an ultrasound to see how big this guy is. I'm curious to know if we've got a hefty baby!

I wanted to share some maternity pictures we had taken by our friend Ashley Hutto-Gaskins. I just picked a few of my favorites to share. When the pictures of Jeffrey and I were taken, it was an extremely muggy/humid day and we were miserable! We weren't to happy with our appearances that day but what can ya do? That's SC weather for you!

That's all for now! We'll keep you posted!

Love,

Jennifer

Hand over the tissues...

So we are now coming into my 35th week of pregnancy which means there are only 5 weeks left until this little guy gets here. Did you hear me? I said 5 WEEKS! I don't think anyone is as freaked out as I am about this! I am so excited to meet my child, but I am terrified at the same time. I have so many emotions running through me all at once that it is absolutely insane. I've never been such a basket case in all of my life. I find myself crying all the time...which can be embarrassing at times when this happens in public places. Fortunately, everyone tells me this is normal so I feel better about that! I feel like time is going by SO fast and I feel like even after all these months of preparation...I'm just not ready! (Although I'll probably be singing a different tune here in a few weeks when I grow increasingly uncomfortable.)

Other than me freaking out, we are all doing very well. Bryson is active as ever and gets the hiccups at least once a day. We have fun playing "name that body part" as he moves around and gets situated. I think most of the time he likes to stick his little rear end up for us to see. Seems like he's already a little jokester like his daddy. :)

We definitely have some very generous friends and family because the amount of stuff this child has already brought in is insane. His little nursery is slammed full of stuff and now we just have to figure out where to put it all! I'm so thankful for every one's generosity. I can't tell you how touching it is to know that so many people care about us and this baby. It really and truly means the world to us. Thank you!

Please continue to pray for us and little Bryson as we enter into these final weeks. It's definitely going to be a crazy ride!!!

time keeps on slippin slippin slippin....

It's hard to believe that Bryson will be here so soon. It seems like only a few short weeks ago that we found out Jennifer was pregnant. Time flies when you're having fun! Right? I'm having a blast and he isn't even here yet!

Our family and friends have hosted a couple baby showers for Jennifer. We are so thankful for all of you! Bryson's nursery is full of things that we'll need to care for him properly. Keep us and the little dude in your prayers. Only a few short weeks left!!!!!

Club foot???

So I wanted to share my latest issue with you. After many months of no swelling, I have been shocked to find that my right foot is now starting to swell by the end of the day. Yesterday I swear I thought I had a club foot! I felt something like this:

My fingers also occasionally look like hotdogs, so that's lovely! I'm afraid that pretty soon I wont be able to wear my wedding rings at all....which I think I'm still in denial over because I still fiercely shove them on every day. I am hoping and praying that the swelling doesn't get too bad and doesn't spread any further. Fortunately, after I go home and lay down for a while, the swelling subsides.
I suppose I should be thankful that instead of dealing with this stuff for months and months, it's just now happening at the very end. However, I was really hoping I'd be lucky until the end. :(
Sadly enough I even cried a little bit over this to Jeffrey yesterday......stupid hormones. Thank God I've got a wonderful, patient husband to deal with my wacky emotions! He's been so supportive and loving to me throughout this pregnancy and I know I couldn't have done it without him.

Anyways, that's all for now!

Here's to hot dog fingers and toes!
Jennifer