Life with Jameson...

Jameson is five weeks old today. And although we're still adjusting to life without consistent or predictable sleeping patterns, life as a family of four is pretty darn beautiful so far.

We still have a lot to learn about the littlest man in our house, but so far he is irresistibly sweet, full of gas, and really good at making animal noises. He grunts all the time, even in his sleep, and does great goat and horse impressions. The boy literally neighs in his sleep! 

This time at home with Jameson has been so different than my first few weeks home with Brody. I have felt so much better this time around that I have been able to focus on him and enjoy him instead of having to focus as much on my own healing. Our lives came to a screeching halt after Brody was born. As much as we thought we were prepared to be parents and care for a newborn, we really had no idea the amount of energy, patience, selflessness, and love that it takes. This time around we were more prepared for that. And Brody has been a huge help in maintaining some normalcy in our lives. No matter how poorly we slept or how hungry or fussy Jameson is, life with Brody must go on. He still needs to be at school at 8am. He needs to run and play outside on weekends, eat lunch and dinner at their respective times of the day, and we all need to read books and have some snuggle time before bed.

As amazed and curious as I am with Jameson, having another child has given me a new appreciation and love for Brody. He is such an amazing kid. He is curious and smart, silly and stubborn. And he is incredibly devoted to Ryan and I and to Jameson. Don't get me wrong, this whole family of four thing is pretty tricky to balance, but it is so worth it!

Here are some pictures of the last five weeks of life with Jameson...

Easter!

Brody's new shark helmet!

Egg hunt!

Mimi and Jameson

Pa and Brody looking for "chippies"

Watching Brody play...someday, before we know it, Jameson will be running right alongside Brody, but for now, he's bundled safely in Daddy's arms!

Swing time! And yes, as you can see in the background, our has has been taken over by the tiny human residents!

Portsmouth Children's Day

Playing around at home...

What a surprise, another baby that isn't a fan of tummy time!

And then there were four

Jameson Jones McCarthy joined our family on March 30th at 8:20am. He entered this world with a strong set of lungs at a whopping 8 pounds 5 ounces and 19.5 inches long. He is perfect and beautiful and is so well loved. We are all getting to know each other and adjusting to life as a family of four. Brody absolutely adores his little brother and has been more gentle, caring, and loving to little Jameson than I ever imagined he could be. And Jameson seems pretty in awe of his big brother. Watching them together is so sweet and heart warming it just brings me to tears. I don't know if I've ever been this happy before or felt so complete...exhausted, but complete. We are so blessed.

 8lbs. 5ozs.

 

 Daddy and Jameson

Sweet little Jameson - brand spankin' new!

Daddy, Jameson, and an extremely worn out, puffy looking Mama!

Brody finally gets to meet his baby brother!

Do you think he likes him?

The best big brother I've ever seen!

Brody helped change Jameson's diaper, tickled his face when he cried, and sang to him. It was so sweet it brought me to tears!

Grammie, Brody, & Jameson

Uncle Pat and Jameson

Grampy and Jameson

Auntie Laura, Uncle Jeff and Jameson

Worn out, puffy Mama and her boys!

Daddy and Jameson

Getting ready to head home!

 

 

The Last Week of the Belly

So this is the last time I plan on being pregnant. Here are a few photos to remember the colossalness that was my belly.

2 Weeks and Counting...

So we've had an eventful month. Let's see if I can quickly recap...

• Influenza-like flu (Brody)
• A couple good days
• Stomach flu (me), and I mean SICK - the sickest I've been in my entire life, followed by two days in the hospital, 6 liters of fluids to rehydrate, and instructions to stay home from work for a week.
• Influenza-like flu (me and Ryan), literally on the way home from the hospital, my chest starting feeling heavy. Ry and I were down and out with a fever for 5 days - couldn't get off the couch. Thank goodness Brody is a good kid and LOVES movies! Ry's turned to pneumonia...I'm still coughing three weeks later, but we seem to be on the mend.
• Perfectly healthy (baby Jameson) - seems that none of this bothered him in the least.
• And last, but certainly not least...Everyone in our house now poops on the potty (me, Ryan, and Brody) of course Ryan and I have had this mastered for quite some time now, but we told Brody last week that it was his "job" to get his pee and poop in the potty. Apparently their is something to child psychology...telling him it is his job instead of asking him if he had to go did the trick. He's been using the potty every since. Of course the cool undies, M & M's, and new batman have played a big role in getting him back on the potty! Regardless, I am thankful that we will only have one stinky bum to change in a couple of weeks!

We're at the big two week countdown now. I just heard that another woman at work who is 34 weeks pregnant was put on bed rest. At 37 weeks with another week and a half to work, is it wrong to envy her?

I couldn't pull it together to post pictures, but we've all been pretty sick and not looking our best so you probably don't want to look at us anyway!