Baby Jack is in the hospital

Just a quick update. Jack is in the hospital. He was admitted last night with RSV and an ear infection. He scared Mommy really badly last night with labored breathing and a fever. Pediatrician had us call 911 because he was grunting with every breath and retracting on his ribs. Doctors say he will be OK, but he is in the hospital for at least 48 hours.

Jack's first family outing

Jack had his first family outing yesterday. We went over to his great Grandmother's house to do the family Christmas Celebration. Jack did so well. He was asleep when we got there and slept for about an hour or so after we arrived. Then he was awake and alert and enjoying everyone. He spent time with his Aunt Theresa, cousins Amy and Emily, 3rd cousin Hayley and his Great Grandmother. He also got to meet his Uncle Mike, Uncle Artie and Brian. As well as seeing his Grandma and Grandpa.

It was definitely a long day. Probably more long for Mom, then for Jack. Jack did great but was ready to have some alone decompressing time once we got home.

This last week was so busy it was hard for me to update. Jack is back up to his birth weight now, so we are happy that he is steadily gaining weight now.

Here are a few recent pictures.

Jack's first bath and other updates

Well, all is well here in Jack Land. Jack has a new favorite past time. It consists of waiting until Mom gets ready to put a new diaper on us and seeing if we can pee all over Mom. He has gotten me 3 times now all right as I remove all covering and go to put on the new diaper.

Jack had his first real bath today and boy did he need it. He now smells all sweet and baby like again. He didn't mind it too much as long as he was in the warm water, but hated it when I had to lift him out of the water.





We are going to see the lactation consultant tomorrow to work on our latching a bit better. He does pretty good once he is latched but getting him there effectively has been a challenge and he has some issues on one side latching without causing Mommy undue pain.

Anyway, I know you all don't want words but pics, so here are some more.

pictures for the restless natives

Here are a few pics for the
restless natives

It is amazing how much you can love someone

It just amazes me how much I can love little Jack. It seems like I love him more and more each day. Dave says it is just Jack recharging my love battery after each night of being awake.

Dave and I have worked out a system that is allowing me to get a little sleep and life is now much easier. Dave has been a trooper syringe feeding Jack expressed milk during the 11pm to about 3am shift. I then get up and take the rest of the time Jack is up until he has his long sleep (usually about 3 hours) and then most of the day shift. It seems to be working and I think Jack is slowly but surely changing some of his sleep patterns so he is going to sleep for his long sleep from 5am to about 8am.

Well, I know folks are less interested in words and more interested in pictures, so here are a few we took last night of baby Jack.

Quick Update

I am sorry about no new pictures yet. Jack has been wearing his Mama out. The last 2 nights have consisted of him cluster feeding all night long. He will eat for 45-60 minutes and then sleep for only 15 or 20, so Mama pretty much isn't getting any sleep right now. The feeding frenzy usually starts around 11pm and doesn't end until 8 or 9 am. Other then that he is feeding every 2-3 hours during the day. We just need to figure out how to reverse this trend.

On good news, we had our first pediatrician visit yesterday. Jack is gaining back the weight he lost in the hospital so that is good and he checked out perfectly healthy, which made us very happy.

Now we just got to get through the next couple of days and get his schedule with eating worked out.

Also, they finally got his hospital pic site up. Here is the link Baby Jack's Baby Pictures Here is the visitor password 537915660

We are home

Just wanted to take a moment to let everyone know we are home and doing well. Adjusting to new schedules and our new life.

Jack is doing well. He had his first poppy blowout last night and covered both him and Mom in poop as Mom was holding him at the time.

His hospital pics are not up and showing yet. As soon as they are I will post the link to get to them. In the meantime, here are some pics for the loyal followers.

Saturday, Dec 6 Update - Patty, Dave, & Baby Jack Going Home

Just a quick update from afar...

The new family is going home today. Everyone continues to do well....

Hopefully someone will post some pictures soon before the natives get restless...Jack's fans demand more and more. Some might say they are getting out of control....

Your Daily Moment of Zen - Jack Style

For the fans - your daily moment of zen....

Baby Jack's Blog Hits 1300

Well, gone viral indeed has Baby Jack's blog. We just hit 1300 hits!

He is just so cute - we all want to eat his cheeks.

Friday, Dec 5th Update - Jack is nursing!

Well, Jack finally woke from his long slumber yesterday. He wasn't too interested in rooting or sucking anything - probably due to the aggressive suctioning after his birth. After some cajoling he figured out how to suck and we finally got him nursing - it was an all hands on deck affair! Now, that's one of his favorite things to do...and he gets VERY mad when he is removed!

Q. How many people does it take to nurse Baby Jack?

A. At least 2, preferably 4, and 8 hands.

He is doing well enough now with the nursing that Patty can get him latched on her own most of the time now though.

He also had his hospital pictures taken today. We'll post the link and password as soon as we can. We'll also post some more pictures soon - we just haven't had time to locate the card reader and get them offloaded with trying to appease the ever hungry Baby Jack.

Patty will be released from the hospital tomorrow. She is sore from the surgery but is otherwise doing as well as can be expected.

And, Auntie Amy P. is heading home today - so I'm checking off the blog now! It's been fun and Patty will take over from here when she has the time!!!

Ta-Ta for now!

The Ever Sleeping Baby Jack

Quick Update: Patty is doing well after her c-section, but understandably sore and uncomfortable. She is moving around pretty well and has already been up twice today.

Jack is asleep. So asleep that even being stripped naked and having his face washed with a cold wet washcloth only rouses him momentarily - only to fall right back asleep, so nursing has been a bit tough since he won't wake up long enough to try. We are hoping he'll awake from his long winter's nap soon so we can get a good feeding out of him!

Here is a picture of Rip Van Jack, sleeping, of course.

Two for the fans that made Baby Jack's blogspot got VIRAL!

Our darling little....ok, our darling BIG BOY, Baby Jack.
Look at that hair!

Paparazzi!

Here is a picture of the Paparazzi....they're an aggressive bunch. Security has been called.

I think someone has been arrested. And, at least one grandparent is currently running from the law at large....

Baby Jack is IN THE BUILDING!!!

Baby Jack Lawrence Blaney was born at 5:31 pm vi c-section at Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina. He is 9 lbs 5 oz, 20 1/2 inches long.

He will be starting 5th grade next week and is currently running loose in the halls of the hospital. Security has yet to recatch the EVER ELUSIVE BABY JACK!!!

This is Baby Jack saying "Hey Ya'll" before the Paparazzi ran him off.

The Baby Daddy.

"Yeah, I'm the Baby Daddy. What up?!"

Patty with the best sister ever!

Patty with the Grandparents (Charnleys!)...

Notice Poppy's anticipatory outfit! He's ready! Now, where the heck is Jack?!?

Dave - all dressed up and no place to go!

Isn't his romper cute? I think it has a bear on the butt...we'll swaddle him later.

Getting ready to go to the OR for the c-section.

Almost here! Wednesday, Dec 3rd Update @ 5:21 pm

Well, Patty wasn't progressing enough or rapidly enough and with Baby Jack having some trouble it was decided to provide Baby Jack with his own personal front door exit via c-section. Patty and Dave are in the OR now.....Baby Jack should make his grand entrance soon, if he isn't already here!

Paparazzi get ready! There may be a Baby Jack spotting any minute now!

We'll post a few pre-op pictures as soon as we can!

Please prayers and positive thoughts for the whole family!

Wednesday, Dec 3rd Update @ 4:20 pm

Well, Baby Jack had another really bad moment where his heart rate dropped and wouldn't come back up. Luckily, he pulled around after a couple minutes of fiddling and fluids, etc, but it sure was scary for a bit there. So, they had to stop everything again and give him time to recover. We are started back again to see if he'll tolerate labor or not. Patty is still only 5-6 cm. If he has another bad moment we'll probably build him his very own special front door in which to exit Mama instead...

Please keep those prayers and positive thoughts coming for Patty and Baby Jack's safe delivery. And, don't forget about Daddy Dave- he needs 'em, too.

Gone Viral

Baby Jack's blog has gone viral - going on 400 hits to the blog just today alone!

Wednesday, Dec 3rd Update @ 2:20 pm

Things have slowed down and Baby Jack had a bad moment, so they turned off the pitocin and put Patty on some oxygen. Thing seem to be better and they are going to try restarting everything now and see how he does. Patty is still at 5 cm dilated. Hopefully the pitocin will get her contracting well again so that she can finish dilating and get this baby out. She's been able to get a little nap in and hopefully the rest will have done some good, too.

So, everyone is good now and we are hoping things will start moving again.

We need lots of prayers and positive thoughts that they fly through this all and we see a baby here soon!

"JAaaackkk....come out, come out, where ever you arrrreeee..."

Wednesday, Dec 3rd Update @ 12:35 pm

Patty is resting comfortably. Unfortunately, the epidural slowed things down, so they have increased her pitocin dose in hopes of getting her back into good labor again. But, she has continued to have contractions, just not of the frequency and intensity as before, which is good. Hopefully, a nice rest and some meds will do the trick! Baby Jack continues to do well.

Here is Patty and her nurse, Daniela! She'll be here until tonight and likely will be the one to help deliver little Jack!

Grandparents and Great-Grandmother (Dave's) are here asking "where is Baby Jack already?"!

Wednesday, Dec 3rd Update @ 10:45 am

Things are moving along but the pain was too much for Patty so she got an epidural and is feeling a lot better now. Baby Jack is doing ok. Patty is trying to rest and hopefully will get a little catnap before the festivities start up again!

Luckily, she isn't as hot with the epidural, so we got to turn the heat back up so Dave and I don't get hypothermia! Brrrrrr.....

Wednesday, Dec 3rd Update @ 9:45 am

Moving along slowly but steadily. Patty is 5 cm dilated and hanging in there - so focused through her contractions - actually, she looks rather peaceful (even though she isn't...this stuff hurts!). Still no meds yet - am hoping she can hold off a bit longer. Baby Jack is doing fine - nice and stable on the monitor. Daddy and Auntie Amy P. are a mess, lol!

Wednesday, Dec 3rd update @ 9:00 am

Still hanging in here - Patty is contracting well and all signs point to progress. Baby's heart rate has been fantastic, even through tough contractions. Patty's blood pressure is also doing ok, all things considered! Patty is starting to wear down a bit though - we are hoping she can hang in there as things are likely to keep moving quickly!

Wednesday, Dec 3rd Update @ 8:00 am

Patty and Baby Jack are doing well. Patty is 4 cm and 100% effaced now and laboring well. She just had an internal monitor placed so that baby Jack can no longer be evasive and she can move around more easily. She spent the last hour on the birthing ball and is handling these contractions like a pro! She makes it look easy!

Wednesday, Dec 3rd Update @ 6:50 am

Things are progressing nicely - Baby Jack is stable and Patty is still contracting every 2 minutes and doing VERY well and in control. She's a pro!! Definitely going through transition now. We ARE going to see the elusive Jack today, my guess is before noon!!

Wednesday, Dec 3rd Update @ 5:35 am

Things are progressing nicely for Patty and the ever elusive Jack. Patty's water broke at around 3:30 am and she's been in a nice contraction pattern ever since then every 2-3 minutes with the last 30 minutes being every 2 minutes. She's doing very well and doing an EXCELLENT job getting through the rather tough contractions. They've basically turned the pitocin to the very lowest dose and may turn it off completely - so pretty much she is completely laboring "on her own" now.

Baby Jack's heart rate, while difficult to find, has remained very stable even through the contractions although he is on and off the monitor.

The bad news is that this is the hard part for Patty and it will only get harder from here. The good news is that so far she's handled it well and is on no pain medication at all AND Baby Jack WILL be here today!!

Paparazzi get ready....cameras poised and ready!

Tuesday, Dec 2nd Update @ 9:40 pm

Patty feels better but things have slowed down. They are now replacing her IV because it became blocked. Pretty soon they will restart the induction meds and see what it does overnight. She hasn't had any contractions now on her own since well over an hour ago. We are hoping things will pick back up with the meds.

Here is Patty's nurse, Ann. She'll be here through the night!

Tuesday, Dec 2nd Update @ 7:39

Well, Patty had some good contractions for awhile. They stopped the pitocin to give her a rest and so she could eat something (they starved her all day!).

Below is a picture of Patty really enjoying being able to eat something!

And, even without the pitocin she has continued to have some contractions every 7-10 minutes on her own!

Tuesday, Dec 2nd Update @ 5:36 pm

Well, we have lift off! Patty is finally again in a good labor pattern - with contractions about every 2 minutes or so. The pitocin seems to be flowing and working now.

But, Baby Jack remains elusive on the monitors. The nurses have not been able to get the monitor to consistently track his heart rate - but, he is moving and seems to be doing well when they can catch Stealth Jack-Jack.

Here is a picture of Patty's monitor. The top grid is Jack - as you can see he is a busy boy on the move and the nice flowing trace line is just not there. Now you see him - now you don't! Patty will be placing him right in time out upon his birth for his disobedience, lol! The bottom grid shows Patty's contractions, are nice and regular FINALLY!

Tuesday, Dec 2nd Update @ 4:00 pm

So far not too much happening. We haven't had good luck with the contractions in the last several hours. Baby Jack isn't cooperating with being monitored - although he IS moving all around so we know he is ok. Hoping for some more intense contractions here soon - if not, we'll take a break from the meds, Patty will eat dinner, do some cervix softening stuff overnight again and we'll try again tomorrow to get labor started!

Swaddling works for Daddy Dave

Here almost new Daddy, Dave, shows us how to swaddle....he is nice and calm - the Happiest Daddy on the Block. We did have to shush him...but he calmed right down.

Baby Jack remains elusive, sneaky, and unmonitorable (is that a word? It is now...).

Still waiting for Patty to get back into a good contraction pattern again.

Here is Patty and her nurse, Sandy!

Tuesday, Dec 2nd Update @ 12:05 pm

No Baby Jack yet. He continues to be elusive and doesn't like to be on the monitor.

Patty has been doing well and contracting regularly, although it slowed down a bit in the last hour. Turns out the pitocin line was blocked - so she very well may have been contracting on her OWN! That is good news and means that when they redo the pitocin line that things should pick up considerably.

The IV line continues to be Patty's biggest issue - OUCHIE! It isn't comfortable at all.

The good news is that the nurses have really been pretty lenient with letting her off the monitors and she's been able to be up out of bed quite a bit even on the monitors standing beside the bed.

Blood Pressure has been "ok" - had a high reading earlier.

Ta-Ta for now...

Tuesday, Dec 2nd Update @ 10:50 am

No Baby Jack Yet. No sightings yet.

Patty is at the hospital being induced. Having contractions every 3-4 minutes. No progress yet in terms of dilation that we know of....we don't expect Baby Jack to show until at least tonight, but it could be tomorrow.

Patty is doing well and her blood pressures today have been good.

Dave is taking a nap. Labor is so hard.

Check back here for an update!