Owen is One Month Old!

I cannot believe it's already been a month since my little man was born!  Here is his one week photo...

And here is his one month picture!

And I couldn't resist posting this picture too...

I love that little smirk!

Sleep:  The first four weeks went really well.  Owen is sleeping soundly at night, waking every 2-3 hours for feedings the first three weeks.  As he grew and eased into his fourth week we lengthened his sleep time during the night to 4 hours.  Now he has his last meal at 11pm, one middle of the night feeding at 3am, and a morning feeding at 6-7am.  This allows us to get some more sleep!  Most nights he does really well sleeping, then waking up, eating his whole bottle, and returning to sleep.  Of course, sometimes we have fussy times in the middle of the night... who doesn't with a 4 week old?!?

During the day he is eating every 2.5 to 3 hours.  He has some wake time afterwards and then goes to sleep until his next feeding.

Size:  At his 3 week appointment he weighed 7 pounds 11 ounces and was 20.75 inches long.  We can tell he has gained more weight since then and is growing longer.  He is in the 65th percentile for his height, and 50th for his weight, and size of his head.  Right where he should be!

He is growing so big already!  We noticed his newborn diapers are getting really tight around the legs and that sometimes they would leak, so we moved him into the 1s.  They fit great around the legs and tummy right now, although he still has a little bit of growing room in the length.  I anticipate we'll stay with this size for awhile.

Some of his newborn clothes already don't fit anymore!  I have yet to pull them out of his dresser and put them in a storage container for our future children... one of these days when I get a break, that will get done! Some of his newborn clothes are still fitting... and he can now fit into the 0-3 month sizes.  Sometimes it all depends on the brand of clothes, seems like not all 0-3 sizes are exactly the same!

Special Visits:  We have had TONS of visitors in the past month!  Of course we had lots of family come visit us in the hospital and at home.  I tried to get pictures of each person holding Owen... here are a few:

Cody holding Owen for the first time!

Auntie Lulu holding Owen for the first time!

Uncle Matt and family came to visit from Texas!

Special Trips:  Owen's first outing was with me and my Mom to dinner while Jimmy went golfing.  He did wonderful, he was an angel!  Slept the whole time!  Next, Jimmy and I had to get a new dishwasher so we took him to Lowe's with us.  On the way home we stopped for lunch.  He was wonderful the whole time!  This past Friday Jimmy and I took him to my Dad's office to surprise him.  He was so surprised, it was really sweet!  My Dad and Jimmy got to show him off.  :)  Afterwards, I met up with some friends at a winery and brought the little man along.  He did GREAT!  Slept the whole time, even when he was being passed around.  My friend (who has two kids) wanted to feed and change him, he did great with her, of course, she is a pro!  She showed me how to change his diaper right on her lap.  Looks like he will do great at the wineries!  Woo hoo!!!

Owen had his first trip out of state!  On Monday this week we took a trip to Jimmy's office to show him off. He did really well on the drive up to Columbia, Maryland.  All the ladies in his office were just goo-goo-ga-ga over him.  It was adorable to see!  Even Jimmy's boss held him for a little bit!

Firsts:  Owen had his first bath a few weeks ago.  He LOVES bath time!  He sits in his bath hammock and lets me pour warm water and suds him up.  He doesn't cry at all and actually looks really content and happy.  I think he likes the warm water washing over him.  Afterwards we wrap him up in his whale towel (thanks Auntie Lulu!) and he just loves being snuggled up!

Love the look on his face!

About to snuggle in his whale towel.

Owen also had his first photo shoot!  We set up a package with a photographer and she will be doing his newborn photos, and then another session at 4 months, 8 months, and one year.  We are so excited for her to capture these moments in our lives, she is an amazing photographer and we LOVE her work!  Here is a sneak peak photo.

Isn't he just precious?!?

She also did a blog about her time with us and Owen where you can check out some more of her photos.  Here it is:  http://alicaudillblog.com/?p=

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Developmental Milestones:  Owen is getting stronger each day.  He is holding his head up more and more and for longer periods of time.  He was doing this at less than a week old.  I don't think it will be long before he is holding his head up on his own for as long as he wants!  He is now starting to follow you with his eyes and recognize my and Jimmy's voice.  He will turn his head and look in our direction when we talk.  He is also starting to interact through smiling.  His smiles are progressing from just a reaction to gas, to a reaction to people.  It is precious to interact with him and he smiles back at you!  One of life's little precious moments!  Owen also has started tummy time.  He really enjoys it.  When we put him on his mat he kicks his back legs like he is trying to crawl and lifts his head up.  He is now recognizing the toys on his mat and sometimes reaching for them.

Chillin on his play mat... check out those baby blues!

Well, I know this blog was really long, so thanks for spending the time reading it all!  I hope everyone enjoyed hearing all about our little man and I hope everyone is having a fabulous summer so far!

Love,

Judi and Jimmy

Baby Owen's Birth Story

He's here!!!!! 

Meet Owen David Blankenship

Born June 25th, 2012 at 11:12 am

7 pounds 5 ounces and 19.75 inches long

The love I have for this little guy is indescribable, simply magical.  I can't imagine my world without him.  

He truly is the love of our lives!

As most of you know, I was scheduled for a c-section on June 25th because Owen was breech.  All went according to plan.  I was nervous the morning of the c-section, not knowing what to expect and what pain I would experience.  Overall the experience was great.  The most painful part was the IV (sorry to those who have had natural births!)  I was taken into the OR at about 10:30 where they gave me a spinal, which was no more painful than a regular shot!  I was expecting it to be much more painful.  Soon most of my body was numb and then they brought Jimmy into the OR.  Jimmy sat right next to me holding my hand.  I was squeezing his hand SO hard!  And of course, already crying, just from being overwhelmed with emotion.  They began the surgery and everything went perfectly!  Out came Owen!  I'll never forget the first time I saw him, when they held him over the sheet for me to take a peek as soon as he was out.  I'm tearing up now just thinking back to that moment!

While they were weighing him and checking him out Jimmy got to walk over and watch them.  He got some really cute pictures of his legs sticking straight up (being breech, that's how he was in the womb).  I haven't had the time to put them on the computer yet, still on the camera or iPhone.  Once he was all cleaned up they brought him to me while they finished sewing me up.  I got to hold him right against my cheek.  The anesthesiologist was so sweet, he kept wiping my tears!

After the surgery was over they moved me back into recovery.  Jimmy and Owen were already waiting in recovery for me.  I spent about an hour and a half there while I regained feeling in my body.  It was such precious time with my family.  We each took turns holding Owen, and me crying of course!  I'm pretty sure Jimmy shed a few tears in the OR and recovery room as well!

Once my recovery period was over they moved me into a private room.  This is where all my family came and got to meet Owen for the first time!  Here are some pictures of the grandparents holding him...

Owen and Grandma 

Owen and Papa B

Owen and Nana

Owen and Pops

Owen and Mimi

Here are some more cute pictures of Owen!

Owen and Uncle Aaron!

Hello World!!!

Happy Birthday Owen!

Daddy ordering me some Jello!

Sleeping on mommy the first night home.

Overall, my experience was wonderful.  All the doctors and nurses were kind and caring.  The pediatrician came daily to check him out and each time he was doing wonderful.  My OB came each day to check me out as well and each time I was doing well also.  The c-section went extremely well.  My healing is great.  I barely took any percoset in the hospital (only twice) and haven't had to take any at home.  I am already going up and down the stairs more than once a day and on my own!

He is the joy of our lives and we feel so incredibly blessed by God to be this little guy's parents!

I hope you enjoyed all the pictures!

Love,

Judi and Jimmy

38 Weeks

Almost there!

Along: 38 weeks!  Owen is now full term and could come at any time!

Size of Baby:  This time, instead of typing what my book tells me about his size, I actually have an accurate size!  On Tuesday this past week we had an ultrasound which told us he is already about 7 pounds.  His head, abdomen, and leg percentiles are all in the normal range.  He could now come at any time and would be considered full term.

Gender:  BOY!!!  Owen 'Secret' Blankenship. 

Sleep:  I've still been sleeping pretty well.  I'm waking up once or twice a night.  Each morning I wake up I'm thankful for another mostly restful night, as I know this will not be the case for very much longer!

What I Miss:   I still miss wine.  I really miss it this time of year when the weather is so nice.  All I want to do is sit outside on our deck or go to a winery and relax and enjoy the weather with a nice glass of chilled pinot.  Only a little while longer... :)

Cravings:  Still craving the sweets a lot.  Smoothies, pop-tarts, peanut butter... root beer floats!  Luckily my weight gain is still in the normal range, considering all the cravings!

Symptoms:  I'm pretty swollen now.  Today I was at Target picking up a few things and some woman tells me "Oh my gosh you're feet are SO swollen!!!"  I laughed, but thought to myself... thanks lady, as if I don't already know!

Best Moment this Week:  The best moment this week was getting to see him on the ultrasound screen one more time before he arrives!  He was moving around a ton - of course!  We got to see his heart pumping and hear his heartbeat, just such a magical thing.  Truly is a miracle!

SPECIAL UPDATE:  We found out this week that Owen is sitting breech!  That means I'll be having a scheduled c-section.  The c-section is scheduled for Monday, June 25th.  It is interesting that I was sitting breech when my Mom was pregnant with me as well, and I was her first child.  Kind of funny that the same exact thing is happening to me, AND Owen will be born on the 25th - same day as me!  My Mom said he'll be just like me - a happy go lucky baby who always smiled and laughed.  Boy, I hope that's the truth!  Jimmy says he is breech because he just wants to be closer to my heartbeat, which of course, made me cry!  So keep us in your thoughts and prayers on June 25th!  And pray he doesn't decide to come any earlier than that!

Since Owen will be born on June 25th, this will be my last blog as a preggo lady!  Next blog will include pictures of Owen and his birth story!  I can't believe this is happening so soon!!!  

Love to all!

Judi and Jimmy

36 Weeks

Holy cow... I'm huge.
I wore this same outfit a couple weeks back in one of my blog pictures, I thought it would be interesting to see how much I've grown when wearing the same shirt!  Looking at this picture now... I'm scared.  LOL!

Along: 36 weeks!  One more week and Owen is considered full term.  

Size of Baby:  Owen weighs about 6 pounds and is measuring about 20 inches long now.  In the next few weeks he will just pack on the pounds until he arrives.  All his systems are equipped for life outside the womb!  

Gender:  BOY!!!  Owen 'Secret' Blankenship. 

Sleep:  I've been sleeping pretty good still.  I get up once a night and easily fall back asleep.  Most nights I'm still sleeping pretty comfortably, considering the belly!  Each morning I wake up I'm thankful for another restful night, I know it won't be like this for very much longer!

What I Miss:   WINE!  A new winery opened up about two miles from us.  It looks so awesome and I'm a little sad I don't get to enjoy it just yet... a few more weeks and I can go tasting!  Hold on Pinot... I'm coming for ya!!!

Cravings:  Lately it's been peanut butter, chocolate, smoothies, and sweets in general.

Symptoms:  I'm now getting pretty swollen.  I had to take my wedding rings off the other day and it was pretty difficult and hurt quite a bit.  I was getting scared they weren't going to come off!  I'm probably not going to put them back on until after Owen arrives and my swelling goes down.  I still have a mark on my hand where they were because they had gotten so tight!

Best Moment this Week:  My Oma and Opa came to visit last weekend!  My Opa went to his 50 year reunion at West Point and they drove down from New York after the reunion to visit for a few days.  It was so nice to see and spend time with them!  They came over to our house for brunch and lunch on Saturday last week and we got to sit and talk for awhile.  They got to see the nursery all set up and Owen's bathroom.  My Oma was taking pictures and video taping his room!  It was so touching seeing both of them so excited for Owen!  I always miss them so much when they leave.  Jimmy and I are already talking about how we can make a trip out there next summer with Owen so they can see him and spend some time with him (and all my other California family too!).

My Oma got a kick out of Owen's bathroom and so I thought I would add some pictures of it!

My mom found these cute sea themed decals, so we put them up in his bathroom to continue the sea theme from his nursery!

Another set of decals I put up.

My Oma got a kick out of his little robes!  I know he won't be able to fit into them for awhile, but we had the hook on the back of the door, so I figured, hey, why not hang them up!

I hope everyone is enjoying the start to their summer!

Love to all!

Judi and Jimmy

Baby Shower!

Our parents threw us a couples baby shower this past weekend!  Guys and gals were invited to help us celebrate!  We had such an amazing time seeing all of our friends and family and are so glad that so many of them could make it!

Where:  My parent's house in Catharpin, Virginia  :)

When:  Saturday, May 19th 12-4

Hosted by:  All the grandparents to be!

Guests arrived at about 12 and had Famous Dave's Barbecue for lunch!  I had one request - the mac and cheese - and it was amazing!  There was none left in the tray, so I think everyone else liked it too!  Then everyone began playing games...

Delish!!!

Since it was a couples shower and men were invited, my Dad and Jimmy came up with some games for the men to play.  My Dad cut the grass in the front yard to mimic a golf course and the guys made a competition of hitting golf balls closest to the flag.  They also played corn hole outside and enjoyed drinking beer (of course!).

I only have one picture, but I think they had fun!

Meanwhile the ladies played 'Guess The Baby Food,' 'Can't Say Baby,' and 'What's In Your Purse' inside.

After a little fun everyone gathered together for gifts!  Jimmy helped me open the gifts while everyone mingled and ate cake.  Check out the cute whale cake:

  The cake was from Costco - my favorite!  And yes, I will admit, I definitely had two pieces!  Haha!

Thanks to my Mom for the adorable decorations!

The cake table looked too cute!  She also iced the whale on the cake!

My Mom made wrapped these boxes up to spell out his name at the door.  So cute!

My Mom made these whale cookies and frosted them.  I went over to help her package them all up!

Momma T and Cindy found some cute whale outfits and hung them up in the living room.

The labels say 'Owen's Baby Shower.'

It was so amazing to see and feel all the love our family and friends had for us.  I was overwhelmed with love and gratitude for being blessed with such amazing people in our lives.  We had family send gifts all the way from California and Arizona, and family and friends put so much thought into their gifts.  I really cannot express how moved we both were by everyone's thoughtfulness.  Here are a few pictures of some of my favorite things...

My cousin Mindy painted this stool for us to match Owen's nursery theme.  This has to be one of my favorite things, it was so sweet and thoughtful, and it is SO special to me!  I was holding back tears opening it!

Here is another picture so you can see the side.  It is already set up in his nursery!

She also did a matching picture frame!  I mean, seriously, does it get any cuter?!?!

My Gammy found this whale wall hanging for us!  Jimmy already hung it up in the nursery above the door!

My grandparents searched far and wide for this Radio Flyer wagon.  I thought this was just the coolest thing ever!  I cannot wait to use it to take his 1 year pictures in.  It's going to be so fun to tool around the neighborhood with!

My parents got us the matching stroller and car seat awhile ago as a baby gift.  I'm getting excited to start using it!

Jimmy's parents got us the matching pack and play.  We'll use this in our bedroom for the first few weeks as his bassinet and then to travel with for a few years as well.

We are just so blessed by everyone in our lives, really couldn't get any better than this!

A huge thank you to everyone who was able to make it!

We are also so incredibly blessed to have parents who did all of this for us.  It was a lot of work to put on this show and we are extremely appreciative of all they did!  I'm not sure we could get any more spoiled!  We love you Dad, Momma T, Mom, Jim, and Cindy.

Love,

Judi and Jimmy

34 Weeks

34 Weeks!
(Isn't he cute?!?!)

Along: 34 weeks!  Babies are considered full term at 37 weeks (I had thought it was 38, but found out I was wrong), so only three more weeks until he is considered full term and could arrive.  My doctor would like him to come early (2 weeks or so), so we'll see!

Size of Baby:  Baby Owen could be about 20 inches long and almost 5 pounds right now!  I haven't had an ultrasound since week 26, so of course I don't know his exact height and weight, I'm just going by what my book says!  I'm measuring right on track with weight gain and belly measurements, so I'm sure he is right around what the book says.  :)

Gender:  BOY!!!  Owen 'Secret' Blankenship.  I have to say, I'm getting so excited to share his middle name when he is born!

Sleep:  I'm still sleeping pretty well considering... Some nights I'm so tired from running around all day that I sleep through the entire night without waking up once.  Some nights are more restless, moving around a lot trying to get comfortable. 

What I Miss:   The past two weeks I've really missed wine and cocktails.  With the weather being as beautiful as it has been all I want to do is sit on the deck and enjoy a glass of Pinot or a Marg!  Only a couple more weeks though!

Cravings:  Lately it's been milk in the mornings and peanut butter in the evenings.  

Symptoms:  I'm starting to get a little more swollen.  Thank heaven for flip flop season!  My back is really starting to hurt more too.  Just unloading the groceries the other night was killing my back.  Luckily after I sit down for a few minutes the pain subsides.  I'm definitely going to have to have some help packing up my classroom this year.

Best Moment this Week:  BABY SHOWER!!!   The baby shower our parents threw was amazing!  See my next post for all the cute details!

Love to all!

Judi and Jimmy

32 Weeks

32 Weeks preggers!

Along: 32 Weeks!  I'm now considered to be in the 8th month of pregnancy.  Crazy isn't it?!?  8 More weeks until his due date... 6 more weeks until he is considered full term and could arrive!  I'll be 38 weeks pregnant at the 6th grade graduation and during my last week of work.  I'm hoping he makes it through that point.

Size of Baby:  Owen is just about 4 pounds and measures about 19 inches long.  From now on I should be gaining a pound a week and half of that goes straight to him!  He is just fattening up for birth now so that he is born with a layer of fat to keep him warm.  

Gender:  It's a boy!!!  Owen "Secret" Blankenship (as my family has been saying!)  We are planning on revealing the middle name when Owen chooses to reveal himself!

Sleep:  Sleep is still great!  I get up once a night about half the time, the other half I don't get up at all.  I know I'm lucky to still be sleeping somewhat comfortably without waking up several times a night!

What I Miss:   At this point I just miss being able to move around like I used to.  It's hard to get into the car when another car has parked close, it's hard to put my shoes on, or bend over for ANY reason!  

Cravings:  I've been craving peanut butter a couple times.  Still craving sweets a lot too.  I've been managing my weight pretty well so far...

Symptoms:  Pain and numbness in my upper abdomen.  The doctor said he is pushing on my diaphragm.  It feels like it is being pinched!  Some lower back pain.  Other than those two things, I really don't have much to complain about!

Best Moment this Week:  Hiccups!!!  I had this odd little feeling (what I thought was kicking) that was rhythmic... I'm thinking, what in the world is he doing in there?!?  Then it hit me, he has hiccups!  He is getting them every other day or so and they last for a few minutes.  It's the sweetest thing!   


Speaking of feeling him move around... this little guy is SUCH a mover!  Sometimes Jimmy and I just watch my stomach in the evenings, you can see bumps and ripples, it is so cool!  He is getting so big in there now that I can press on my stomach and feel a little hand, knee, foot... some body part!  If I push against him sometimes he will move around in response.  Sometimes I'll find him and push on him to move around so Jimmy or my parents can feel him.  It's a special moment for them, they get a kick out of it!


I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend and enjoying the spring time!  Our baby shower is coming up and Jimmy and I are SO excited to see all of our family and friends!  I'll definitely have to do a post with tons of pictures from the shower.  :)


Love to all!


Judi and Jimmy