Jasie Dean Stinky Feet

Birth

JDSF born May 16th, 2007, has rocked our world from day one. He came on his own terms, even though I was scheduled to be induced that very morning! After a rough ride down the birth canal he sported a fist sized hematoma for six weeks that we thought would never go away. That was fun..."what is wrong with his head?" is what we heard from inconsiderate (rude) strangers constantly. I bought baby hats and bonnets in every color to hide the huge bump and boy did it frustrate my picture taking efforts! Thank goodness that it was nothing serious and he was totally healthy other than that.

Birth to 3 months

We had a bumpy road with the breast feeding thing. Whoever said that this was going to be easy and natural was CRAZY! It is painful and frustrating and I spent more hours on the internet researching how to make my baby latch on to my angry nipple than looking for a wedding dress. Nevertheless, he thrived and was a most pleasant newborn. He ate about every four hours and sometimes I had to wake him..."let sleeping babies lie" was definitely my mantra for those three long (looking like I just rolled out of bed) months. Yes...that is all I could stand of having to take two hour shopping trips or vacating to the back room of peoples houses in modesty.

3 months to 8 months

What a pleasant little baby boy he has been! Jase just seems to fit right in with our family. He goes everywhere and does everything like it was always meant to be. I guess with four of us entertaining him at all times, he never wants for nothing;-) He is a busy little guy and keeps all of us on our tippy toes. It is going to take the whole village to raise this one! He is so inquisitive and into everything (reminds me of his daddy a whole lot). He loves music and is intrigued with commercials that have a catchy tune. He is such a precious gift that has brought so much joy to all of our lives. And most surprisingly...Paden absolutely adores him! Cami has turned out to be Jase's favorite person in the whole world and is an awesome little mommy in training. He thinks she is so funny and laughs at her when she is just talking to someone.

8 months to 1 year

My other children were not crawlers. I have gotten so much pleasure watching Jase crawl- it is just so darn cute! I have a feeling that he won't walk quite as early as they did, because he simply won't need to. He loves to go into our kitchen for some reason and can climb the stairs in the foyer as fast as the rising gas prices! We have to watch him like a hawk! He is so goofy and makes us laugh constantly. He mimics our words and I swear I think he has already said shit! Better watch what we say from now on. It could have been much worse;-)

The first year

It has been such a pleasure to have been given the opportunity to do this "baby" thing all over again. I enjoyed my older children so much, but with maturity comes the insight that Jase will be grown before I can blink my eyes. I am way more patient (now that I am old...older) and just allow myself to relish every moment. He has definitely taught me to slow down and enjoy the ride. I think we all forget to do that and hopefully not all of us have to give birth again to realize what life is all about! But more than anything, I have learned that my heart is full of love. That having a child truly is a miracle and these little human beings are such a blessing. Being a mom has been the most rewarding job I have ever had (and one of the hardest now that Paden is 13)! There is no love like a mother's love! I love you JDSF!