4 weeks old...

I can't believe my baby is already 4 weeks old!! Time has just flown by. She looks completely different than when we brought her home. She has started to get rolls on her thighs (YAY!). She is showing a lot more personality and is on the verge of smiling for us (she is already smiling in her sleep).

Speaking of sleep...we have moved Jayden to the nursery. We had her sleeping in the cradle in our room until Monday. She has done great in her crib this week. We started the new routine of bathtime after her last feeding time and then putting her down. Each night has gotten better and better. The first night we put her in bed at 8:57 and she finally fell asleep at about 9:45. The second night she only cried for about 30 minutes total (it was split between 2 crying sessions). And then last night she cried for about 20 minutes and I went in there only once...at which time she fell asleep. Now tonight...we put her down and she lasted 17 minutes before making a peep. I just had to go in there, but I think she is down for the count! :)

Earlier tonight, Travis let me go get a massage while he watched Jayden. It was great! It is so hard to be away from my little girl though... Tomorrow, Mimi is coming over to watch her while I get my hair done. I am really going to have to start spreading these appointments out because being away from my little girl is really hard!!!!!! Does it get any easier?! Ugh... I am fine leaving her, but then I just can't wait to get back to her. I'm sure she is already thinking, "Come on Mom...you don't have to kiss EVERY part of me EVERY time you come home!"

Ah...motherhood! :)

Update with Lots of Pictures

This weekend we went up to Arlington to meet Mom and Dad when they got back from Zambia. We drove up Saturday so that Juli Beth, Lara Jane and I could go see Mama Mia together. It was soo fun! The guys let us go to dinner too. We ate at Abuelo's and it was so nice to have sister talk again! Then we went to the movie and it was AWESOME!!! I am downloading all the music to Travis' ipod today! :) Before we headed out to dinner and the movie we had some time to introduce the cousins to Jayden...

I didn't get any pictures of Lara Jane or any of her family with Jayden...:( I will do better next time! They are planning to come see us soon, so hopefully I will get lots of pictures then.

On Sunday we went to Pleasant Ridge for church and got to introduce Jayden to a lot of people. After service we went to meet Mom and Dad at the airport. Mom was excited to see Jayden again and had fun showing her off to all of her friends from the mission trip. It was so good to see them! I know we got to see them right before they left, but there is just something special about being there when they get back from this trip each year. We took them to lunch at Khaki's and Jayden's umbilical cord came off at lunch! Yay!!! She has a cute belly button! :)

Last night we gave Jayden her first full bath. It was fun! She enjoyed it so much more than the sponge baths we have been giving her. Her hair seems to be getting longer and curlier! Yipee!! :) I love it! Travis took a video of her after the bath...

And the morning after her bath...her hair looks like this...(notice the outfit! "Daddy did my hair")

Photobucket src="http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m296/shaunacallaghan/mchamcopy.jpg" border=0>

Weekend with Family!

This weekend was fun! My sister Dava Lynn and her family were able to come stay a night with us. Her husband had a conference in Galveston and suggested that they come see us on their way home. It was so much fun to see them and hang out with their 4 boys! It was a short visit, but a great one. We don't get to spend much time together so the time we had was exciting. It was fun to watch the boys love on their new baby cousin. Bennett was the most interested in holding her every chance he got! Here are a few pictures of the weekend:

Here are a couple that Dava Lynn took of us...

Celebrity Morph by MyHeritage

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities

Anorexic Ankles and 2 week update

I have lost most of my water weight...yahoo!!!!! However, now I don't even recognize my ankles! It is weird. They just don't seem like mine now. I thought I had a picture of them when they were swollen...but I can't find it now. Stay tuned for a before and after comparison! :)

We went to Jayden's 2 week check up today. She is doing great! She weighs 8lbs 2.5oz and she is 20 inches long. That puts her in the 39th percentile for length and 45 percentile for weight. We had to do her newborn blood labs today too. She was NOT happy! She had just fallen asleep and then they pricked her little heel. She screamed and kicked through the entire thing! I don't blame her. :)

VBS discussion

Travis and I went to the store today and on our way back home he asked, "What is VBS?" The conversation that followed went like this:

JK: "Vacation Bible School."

Travis: "I know that. I mean, what does it consist of?"

JK: "Oh. Well, some churches are different, but I grew up going to VBS where we were split into groups (which might be tribes or families of the Bible) and we would go to different 'stations' or 'classes' to learn a story or concept."

Travis: "Ah...gotcha."

JK: (After a few moments of reflection, broke into song...sing with me everyone) "Booster, Booster, be a booster. Don't be grouchy like a rooster. Booster, Booster be a booster. And boost our Bible school!"

Travis: "You are like having Saturday morning cartoons with me all the time!"

I can't help it!! I blame my family! :)

Baby's First Outing and Family Visit

On Thursday Travis had to work really late. It is just that time (quarter end). So, he didn't get to bed until about 2:00 am and slept in a little. That meant that instead of riding the bus into work, he was going to have to drive in. Instead of staying in the house all day, I decided that Jayden and I would drive him to work and hang out downtown until lunch time. So, that is what we did! We drove Daddy into work, introduced the little one to his co-workers, fed Jayden in the car and then met up with Travis again for lunch. After we ate, I headed home with Jayden for a relaxing afternoon! It was good to get out of the house and socialize a little bit.

This morning Muna (Pop's mom) and Aunt Sandy (Pop's sister) came to meet Jayden. We had such a good visit! We got a picture of the 4 generations of McHams and some other cute ones too! :)

McHam Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities - Collage - Morph

The 1st Night on Our Own...

Last night was our first night on our own and it went really well! Travis and I were able to relax a little and catch up on some of our shows while Jayden slept and ate. Then at bedtime we gave her a bath! The poor kid wailed through the entire thing. So...we didn't get any pictures. But this kid has curly hair when it is wet!! I mean...KINKY hair!! Sooo cute!

After bath time we headed up to bed for the night. Jayden ate and we all went to sleep. We only had to get up once in the night!! She woke up at 2:45 am and ate and then didn't wake up again until 6:52 am! It was so nice! We know this is going to be a rare occurance, but it made our first night by ourselves a nice one. :)

Today has been good too! I have been able to nap and shower and eat lunch! Jayden is such a good baby so far! I am loving being a mom. This is the hardest job in the world, but we have had an awesome start!

1st Doctor Visit for Jayden

**Edit to Play by Play post**
Jayden Bridgwater McHam was born 7/3/2008 at 9:10pm. She weighed 8lb 3oz and was 19.5 inches long!

Having my mom here for the past few days has been awesome! It was so great to have her there by my side while I was in labor, right by my side as I was learning to nurse my new baby, and having here right here by my side while I learned how to adjust my home life around my baby. She is such an amazing support and source of information and experience. We were so blessed to have her here. God has answered so many prayers during this pregnancy and even now afterwards. He is soo good! Another answered prayer was having my dad here for the experience too. I was so worried that he wouldn't get to see his new granddaughter before leaving for Zambia. It was so fun to watch him hold Jayden and love on her. It was also great to see Grandma Mary. She got to hold her 21st great granddaughter! It made me miss Grandpa Emmitt, but I know that he loved on her and held her tight before she came into this world.

Mom was able to be here for Jayden's first doctor visit this morning. The doctor said that Jayden looks and sounds great! She did lose exactly 10% of her birth weight (which is expected), but my milk finally came in today so she will start gaining it back soon! Yay!

So, Mom left this evening to go back home. My parents leave for Zambia on Thursday so they have some packing and preparing to do. It was hard to see her go. All my emotions from the past few days and shear panic hit when she drove away! I know that I can do this and that Travis is already proving to be the best dad ever! It just hit me all at once.

Tonight has been great. Travis got home from work just in time to say good-bye to Mom. Then he cooked dinner and it was sooo good! Now we are just relaxing and taking care of our new bundle.


This week we have so many friends who want to bring us dinner and meet our new little one. It is amazing how many people care to be part of this amazing life changing event. We are surrounded by awesome friends and family. Thank you to all of you who have kept up with us during the labor and the past few days. Thank you for all of your prayers and thoughts. Here is another picture of Jayden...

The day after...

Jayden is an absolute doll. The bruising on her face has gone down some, but she still looks likea little Eskimo. Here is a photo from today.

I cant tell you how excited we are to start off on this adventure, and as hard as we know it is going to be, this precious little one has already won us over.

Just as an update, I think the previous post said we would be in the hospital until Sunday, but we now think our doc was a day off and thought yesterday was Friday. We are getting to go home sometime on Saturday, and YAY for that!

We can't wait to see all of you, and introduce our little one to the crazy people in our lives. Warning... she already knows how to work that bottom lip of hers... between Pop, Opa and I, we dont stand a chance. This girl is going to have the world if she wants it!

In baby health news: the docs tested her for diabetes because of Jana's gestational diabetes... she past all four blood tests with flying colors, so praise God for that. A wonderful side note to that is that Jana is no longer diabetic either! No more pricks, no more shots!

She got her daddy's blood type of A+, let's hope that's a sign of grades to come :)

Jana is doing well too, with a little rest between feedings throughout the night, she is still managing to be bright eyed and joyful today. I know it gets harder and harder from here, but if anyone is up for the challenge it's Jana, and she will drag me along for the ride.

We had a visit from Oma, Opa, Pop, Mimi, Winkle Danny and Grandma Mary this morning. It was precious to see Mary holding her 21st Great grandchild. It's just the 3 of us sitting here at the moment, Jana is feeding baby and we are both looking forward to a little nap soon.

Thanks again for everything.

Play By Play

Okay, here it is, 10:15 the night before we induce labor. Jana just took a sleeping pill and is watching my type this post from her hospital bed. We came in tonight to have Cervadil (sp?) applied which is a medicine used to "ripen" the cervix. There is a small chance that it will send her into labor, but the plan is to start Petosin (sp?) at 7 in the morning.

My plan, and mind you what happens when you make plans, is to update this blog throughout the day tomorrow to let those who cannot be here for the blessed event, keep up to date with the goings on.

So far, there is not much to tell, and that is a good thing. Check back periodically to hear the latest. We love you all, and appreciate your prayers.

7:00 AM - July 3rd
The Petosin was administered at 7 on the dot.. much to the chigrin of the sleepy husband. Jana slept well, but is a little more uncomfortable with each contraction. The number of chords and wires she has hooked to her makes trips to the bathroom quite the ordeal too.


9:00 AM
Mimi showed up with breakfast, much to the chigrin of the hungry mom to be. We were in the middle of a rousing game of Yahtzee when the doc came in to check up on her. After a quick check of the cervix, he announced that she had dialated some, and the cervix had grown soft... all good things. He decided to break her water!

That went well, the fluid was clear so all good signs that the cervadil and petosin were working correctly. We're getting ready for the ride, and will try to keep you all posted.

10:30 AM
Things are progressing nicely. The contractions are coming very regularly, every minute and a half or so, and they are staying pretty intense. Jana is saying her pain scale is at a 2 on a scale of 0 to 10 where 5 is crying. She is such a trooper!

A few of my favorite moments so far:

• Last night Jana was talking in her sleep and woke me up when she blurted out "Food.... foooood".
• Jana has been eating ice chips and with each bite saying "Honey nut Cheerios, chocolate doughnut, etc as she pretends she's eating something more pleasant than plain ice.
• Here is a picture of Jana during one of her contractions... notice the spoon!
  

More to come as things progress!










12:30 PM
Mom and I just got back from a lunch run. Jana apparently slept for most of the time that we were gone. Her contractions have fizzled a little so they are upping her dose of Petosin. They are going to gradually increase the dosage to get her contractions into a regular rhythm before they check her progress.

We're all sitting around eating our sandwiches, and feeling sorry for Jana. She is SO hungry. They added glucose to her IV drip to help regulate her blood sugar.

Jana just announced "I smell a pickle!" poor baby.

Here we are trying to relax... we're hoping Jana can get some more sleep through these early stages.

2:00 PM
The nurse just checked her, and we are at 4cm dilated 80% effaced. So things are moving right along. Jana's spirits are high, although she's starting to give me the evil eye more and more often. I just knew this was going to end up being my fault.

Her breathing is doing well, and I am soooooo proud of how she is handling this. She is managing to stay relaxed in a situation Lord knows I would be the biggest weenie ever in.

The nurse says that we've had excellent progress, so we are all getting excited for the arrival of the little one.

Thank you all for your prayers and comments. Jana has appreciated them as I read them aloud to her, although I have censored the ones about 16 hour labors! ;)

Stay tuned...

4:00 PM
Well the doc checked her again, and we are STILL at 4cm. They are upping her dosage of Pitocin once again. We're really trying to kick this girl into gear, but as we all know this is quite the process, so it will happen when it happens.

The good note is that when the doc walked in this last time he said "well we need to check you since this epideral is working so well..." then we informed him that she has not had one! That's right, my baby is so calm and collected, and not one drop of pain medication has been administered. I am more proud of her than words can express, not because I have anything against the drugs, but because she has just been so strong through this whole process. I am amazed by her, even more now than I had been before, and that is saying ALOT!

6:00PM
Awaiting the epideral. The nurse checked her at 5:20 and she was still at 4, but the pitocin was not allowing the contractions to stop. She was going for 5 minutes at a stretch with 10 to 15 seconds between. Such hard work, and killing em to sit here and watch. We opted for the epideral because of the lack of progress, and the extreme exhaustion of 11 hours of labor so far.

Just a minute ago Jana had the urge to push, and so the nurse checked again and she was at 6cm. 2cm in half an hour! We're not sure where this leaves us, we are still waiting on the doc to administer the drugs.

7:00PM
The last 40 minutes were some of the hardest I have ever experienced, and I wasnt even doing any of the work. After agreeing that she wanted the epideral, Jana had a contraction that lasted 12 minutes... non-stop.

She was soooo strong through it, but it was so hard to watch. The "happy" doc finally showed and we got the epideral in, but here's the kicker. In the 40 minutes it took to get him in here Jana went from 4cm to 7.

Thank you all so much for your prayers, and please keep them coming. I feel like we are in the home stretch. Jana is much happier at this moment, and back to talking about food, and how hungry she is. Funny how her mind goes right back to food when she's not so distracted.

7:43 PM
The doc just stopped by to check on the much happier Jana, and guess what... she is almost totally dilated, and the expect her to start pushing in 10 - 20 minutes... that's 8 on the nose for starting... PLEASE PRAY FOR US!!!! Jayden is almost here, and we are getting ramped up for the last push! (litterally).

Thanks for hanging in there all day with us... the next post I assume will be welcoming our daughter to the wonderful adventure that is life.

9:10 PM
Jayden Bridgwater McHam entered the world, in a very eventful delivery. Her shoulder got stuck during the delivery and the doc had to do some very quick manuvering to get her out. It was very scary, and thank God Jana did not pick up on the tension in the room because she was so busy pushing. Jayden eventually broke free, as the doc says, 30 seconds before drastic measures were to be taken.

Everything is perfectly fine now, and Jana is feeding her now, and so we proudly present to you... Jayden



The blue face is bruising from the exciting delivery, she has a nice pink hue everywhere else, and a small little birthmark on her hip. She has a FULL head of long black hair!

Needless to say we are all exhausted... it looks like we will be here in the hospital until Sunday. Visitors are, of course, welcome during visiting hours from 8:30am till 9 pm.

A huge thanks to all of you who have prayed for this day, and this event. We ask that you continue to pray for Jayden and our family.

Good night, and God Bless!