Getting Jack ready for bed

I have been trying to catch Jack smiling, but either I don't have the camera or he is not smiling on command as I would like him to. I finally caught half of a smile. His eyes are closed, but that's all I got for now.

Jack's first trip to Elba's Taqueria

Daniel and I have an addiction to the taqueria across the street. Elba is the lady that owns the place and she make the best Mexican food. We had her cater for our housewarming party and her food has been a staple in our diet since we moved to Savannah. She is such a sweet lady. She was so excited to finally see Jack.

2 weeks have flown by

Jack is exactly two weeks old right now. He has grown and changed so much over the last two weeks. He gained a pound from his Dr.'s visit last Thursday to his Dr.'s visit this Wednesday. His umbilical cord stump fell off on Wednesday. He is a big boy now. He is eating good and sleeping good. He started smiling, thanks to his wonderful Aunt Bekah. It is just so amazing to finally have a child of my own. I have been holding and caring for other people's babies all of my life. It is truly a miracle to hold my baby and know that he is a part of both Dan and myself. He is so precious, I can't stop staring at every move he makes. I don't think I have ever cried so much, every first thing he does just gets me emotional. (I am crying now thinking about how amazing he is.) Jack had his first babysitter outside of the family. I had to run and fax something from the front office, so I left him with our neighbor Jennifer. It was only for a few minutes, but I was rushing to get back as soon as possible. We went to visit Daddy's work yesterday and got to meet all of his co-worker's. We have been going on walks with Charlie all week, Jack loves being in the sling close to Mama's belly. Charlie has been doing very well with Jack. He is jealous of mom's lap always being occupied, but he listens well and seems glad to have me at home.

On the porch wih Jack

My front porch has not gotten any use in the last year and Tuesday night at a 3am feeding I had the idea to use the twin bed that was in Jack's room as a daybed outside. My mother put it all together so Jack and I could have a comfortable spot to relax. My parents and I were able to play one game of dice out there before they left on Saturday morning. I was so sad to see them leave. I think Charlie is the most heartbroken that they are gone, he is not getting fetch time with grandpa or walking time with grandma.

Getting Ready for Bed with Jack

Jack did not like his first bath at home. Daddy did a wonderful job getting every nook and cranny clean. Momma loves the smell of his baby lotion. We're all doing great, settling into our new routines.

We thank heaven for Jack

Jack's first movie (Our first nap)

Charlie "our puppy", Kara and Jack

We are home!!!

Jack, daddy and mommy came home yesterday morning at 11. Our house seems so different now with our newest member of the Stricklin family. It was so great to sleep in my our bed last night. Jack slept so good in his bassinet. He only woke up once last night for a late night snack. I got 5 solid hours of sleep, Daniel has had 8 and still going.
We had such an amazing experience at Baylor. The hospital just opened in July, so it has the best of everything you could want in a hospital stay. The room was large and beautiful, and the technology was impressive, the plasma tv, the care view system where my family could see live on the web what we were doing, Jack's low jack system (his ankle bracelet so no one could steal him). All of the staff was so helpful and they were truly happy to be there for us. We had more than one-on-one care. The food was so good, I know it sounds shocking, but have a baby there and you will see (We had a Steak and Lobster dinner). I was most impressed by the nourishment room stocked with plenty of diet cokes for me.
Now my labor on the other hand was not the best experience of my life, but so worth every 25 hours of it. I am just so lucky to have had such a easy and happy pregnancy, I guess my body thought I needed a little payback.
Jack has gotten to meet his wonderful family at the hospital Grandma and Grandpa Collins, his aunt Bekah, Monie and Poppa, his aunt Marcy and Nonnie. Jack had some visitors yesterday, Carl and Susie came to keep us well fed, THANK YOU. All of our wonderful neighbors came to peek at our little bundle. Jack's "uncle" JT is on his way now. Everyone is welcome to come see him. We can't wait for all of you to meet Jack. We think he is pretty amazing.

Proud Mommy

Proud Dad

Baby Jack, 30 minutes old

Jack is Here

Jack Thomas Stricklin
Born: 10:11 A.M. September 7th, 2007
8 Lbs, 9 oz's
21 inches long

September 7th, 4 A.M.

Hey Gang,

It's early and Kara is still in labor, she has slept most of the night and generally feels good except for occasional nausia.

We are making slow but steady progress about every two hours, my feeling is that Jack should arrive around noon.

Regards,

Dan

9:05 P.M., September 6th

Hey gang,

Right now Kara is still in labor and doing well, it is getting late and it looks like Jack may arrive tomorrow:)

Keith and Von "Kara's Parents" brought me some McDonald's so I'm doing well. Too bad Kara has not eaten in 24 hours, she has had a popsicle and some ice so everytime I eat today she has to suffer through it.

Thanks for the phone calls and support,

Dan

We are inducing tomorrow at 7:30am. Hopefully Jack will be here by this time tomorrow. I can't wait to see him!!! My parents are in town and will be holding down the fort, taking care of Charlie. I assume we will be back home by Saturday. Things will probably be hectic at the hospital after Jack is born. We want to see all of you once we are back at home. Wish us luck!

Counting down the days

We've got a few days left before Jack arrives and we are soooo excited. Daniel has been harassing me all weekend to "give me my baby". I am so anxious to see what he looks like, but I am ok to hang on for a few more days if he wants to stay all warm and cozy. I went to the doctor last week and we decided to induce him on Thursday, September 6th. She is having her fourth in a couple of weeks so I didn't want to have to have another doctor deliver Jack in case she is early. His due date is Sept. 3rd, but I have had no contractions yet. My parents are coming down from Utah for a week. They will be first time grandparents and they couldn't be more excited.
We are so prepared for Jack's arrival. We have been so blessed with everything under the sun that this child could ever need. Thank you all for all of Jack's things. His room is so adorable. It is decorated with pics of his wonderful parents when we were babies. He has a beautiful antique rubbed black crib and a black changing table. The colors in his room are navy blue, black and khaki.