3 weeks in...

Oh hey... just look at this little man! Will put on his first pair of shoes on him today for grins. I just keep giggling. (minutes after this picture was taken I had to change him and he peed all over his socks and shoes. so the giggling didn't last long). Looking back at pictures of the days after his birth, he already looks different! Time is already flying by. 

A couple of days ago I was changing his diaper and noticed that his cord was gone. "Finally", I thought. Looked for it in his onesie, but couldn't find it. "Hmmm, I guess I'll eventually find it". Find it I did, after I washed and dried it! It fell out of the dryer with some lint stuck to it. Gross. 

He got his first bath that night with his Papa...

then peed all over the bathroom.

How are Will and I? Well we're still Will and still Jessica, we've just got a wee one that gets a lot of attention. My big thing right now is trying to get out of the house. Every time i get anxious though cause I don't know what Knox will do. Will he sleep the whole time, or all of sudden get hungry, pee all over me or the bathroom, or spit up everywhere, or cry no matter what i do. But for my sanity I have to get out of the apartment. The past week and half I've tried to get out once a day with him to try and ease into it. Here is a picture after our first walk at the park featuring the stroller Will camped out at REI for. 

Will has been the best! In the middle of the night, when Knox won't go back to bed, Will pulls out what he calls, "full court press" which is swaddling, pacifier, swinging, and white noise from his iPhone all recreating the womb...and within 20 minutes he's back to sleep. I'm not looking forward to the nights of feb 3rd and 4th when will is going out of town for the freshmen yl retreat... maybe full court press won't be needed by then??

This week we're missing A LOT of our friends at the YL All Staff Conference in Orlando. We're sad to be missing out on all the hugs and laughter and Harry Potter. Maybe in 2016.

"In its time and great patience

beauty had come upon us,

greater than i had ever imagined."

-Wendell Berry

Thanks to our friend's, the Grigby's, blog for sharing this quote from a family favorite. 

soundsfromthebackporch.blogspot.com

Can't wait to meet their beautiful baby girl, Olive, someday!

TA DA!

Little did I know that in my last post I meant T-Minus 1 DAY. We went to the doctor the next day and she said that everything looked so great and how I had such a "favorable cervix" (her words a number of times over) that if we wanted we could be induced that next morning! It was perfect scenario for us. We immediately called Will's parents and my dad to get there butts to Houston, cause we're having a baby tomorrow! We went straight home to clean our apartment. I definitely was not going to cook that night so we went to Studio Movie Grill for dinner and a movie. We were having a baby in a few hours and we were sitting and watching Mission Impossible. Labor Day Story short... Harold, my Mr. Bean look alike anesthesiologist, Aspara, my sassy black lady nurse, Sharon, my doctor, and Wilson, ice chip delivery boy and calmer to my soul, all were my knights in shining armor and helped deliver the most precious gift!! Knox was born at 7:08 pm. Weighed 7 lb. 14 oz. and 21 inches.

 Knox's first family photo!

He's the best. This is after his first sponge bath. So glad Will is home to help me.

He was very popular this weekend!...especially with the ladies.

Who do you think he looks like? 

And just for laughs, the most awful picture of me ever taken... as an excuse it was right after some pain meds kicked in...Harold, the anesthesiologist, was getting backed up, therefore I needed something to tide me over til he got there. 

He's one week old tomorrow. That has already flown by. We are all great...Will and I are tired but loving every minute of it.

T-minus 1 week...

Well the time is coming... and I can hardly take it any longer! I walk around with butterflies in my stomach all day in anticipation for our baby to come. Last week, Will and I were sitting in the living room just looking at each other, and Will said "So, is this how it's going to be til he comes?" I knew after Christmas would be hard because we had no more plans except this baby coming. I've been trying to plan things, make myself busy somehow, but it doesn't seem to help my anxiety. I keep analyzing what I'm feeling,   asking myself "Is this a contraction?" and analyzing my body fluid asking myself, "Did my water just break or did I just pee my pants a little?" Don't worry folks, I've just been peeing my pants (I think). 

So we live in a one bedroom apartment here, so Knox doesn't have a nursery. He's got a corner...

That's our nightstand turned into a diaper changing station. I had to mourn the fact that I wouldn't have what I'd always imagined bringing my baby home to. But it's ok. Honestly, we don't have much room, so we've kept everything down to a minimum with all the baby stuff. He's got a bucket of toys... 

My favorite is Broccoli Rabey (The big green thing on the right... it's stuffed broccoli).

We shifted and downsized Will's side of the closet to share with Knox...

and THE diaper bag. I took a sewing class this fall so I could A) learn more about sewing and B) make a diaper bag that I accidentally spent a lot of money on the fabric. I was happy with how it came out, I just hope it doesn't fall apart on me the first week.

Eat your heart out Skip Hop.

Best Meal of the Year... Christmas Breakfast in Houston

This year we weren't allowed to travel to Knoxville due to the anticipated birth of Knox. It was hard, especially for Will. I never grew up around many traditions. Christmas has always looked different to me besides the past 3 years. Will's side of the family has many Christmas traditions... watching White Christmas, The Waltons Christmas, Mimi and Big Daddy's house for 2 meals, and more, but the most anticipated is Christmas Breakfast. Most things you can eat for breakfast are made for this meal. We decided to make our own Christmas Breakfast...it was a feast for 2! We had eggs, bacon, sausage, homemade biscuits, gravy, peach peeling preserves, strawberry freezer jam, semi-homemade cinnamon rolls, chipotle cheese grits, and had a perfect small dish for pineapple casserole (will's favorite). 

and the damage.

And never fails... every year Will and I give each other the same gift...

2 years ago: stationary

1 year ago: bread machine/bread cookbook

this year: South Division Champs Texans shirts