Newborn Photo Session

The sweet Maria Shook took some newborn photos of Jayden and she gets an award for her patience that day!  Jayden was fussy, hungry, and not being cooperative for pictures yet you would NEVER guess it in the photos she took.  I was so grateful for how she never seem bothered or like she was in any hurry and how she just LOVED holding him.  She even laughed when he peed all over her props!  She is a jem!

Jayden is 19 days old in the pictures below.  It's like he just skipped over the 'newborn' stage!

 

 

 

 

Rance and I were not supposed to be a part of the newborn session but she took a couple of pictures at the end of us and little man!

 

That SECOND week...

Have I mentioned how thankful I am that God planned Jayden's arrival to be when Rance was out of school for the summer?!?!  Even though Rance has been gone often with ministry related things - it has been a blessing to my heart that he has so much more personal time with Jayden each day than we would if he were teaching all day long! 

THAT second week, it was just Rance, Jayden and I and we must have taken 1,000 pictures or more!  The camera is constantly clicking.  How do you begin to capture a LIFE that God is growing every single day?  The intricate detail that the Father gives to each new life amazes me and to think we can get to KNOW Him every single day too - I mean, imagine the DETAIL of the Father!  That thought alone leaves me speechless.

I thought I learned a lot about myself when I got married (like, how selfish I really was) but add a baby to the mix and Father just keeps revealing more and more things about my lovely son of Adam (or daughter of Eve) nature.  Bring it on!  You really cannot fully understand what it is like to be a mom until you are one (lesson learned Jennifer-even though I did always try to relate as best I could).  I finally understand:

1. how an entire day can go by and not a thing got 'accomplished' outside of changing diapers, feedings, and attending to a child
2. how all the days just run together - what day is it again?
3. how you can feel totally disconnected from the outside world because you have withdrawn to baby world; afterall, Jayden is the lord of the universe right now (as our mentor Colin constantly tells us)!  He calls the shots at this point because he is totally helpless on his own.
4. how taking a shower is considered a huge task accomplished for the day.
5. how you can get overwhelmed by having 'too many' things scheduled or planned because it takes work to be everywhere with a newborn and all that is needed for him.
6. how prayer time and quiet time looks entirely different (I'm still trying to figure this one out).
7. how hard it is to even think about going back to work or being separated from your child at all.
8. how your heart aches beyond all aches when they are hurting.
9. how you can stare at them for hours and not even realize it.
10. how you have no idea what you are doing sometimes yet you just figure it out along the way (OR call upon your friends that are parents).
11. how IMPOSSIBLE it is without relying upon God's wisdom every single day and focusing on Him.
12. how exhausting, yet rewarding (heart overflowing) it really is.
13. how the love you hold in your heart for this little one is without words - unexplainable!   

I could go on and on and on with this list!  This new journey is humbling for me because I have a 'get it done' personality.  I like to check things off my list and know that I have accomplished certain things each day.  I have completely thrown this mentality out the window (although I can still battle it).  The Lord has been so gracious to my heart to show me that - at the end of the day - if I have taken care of Rance and Jayden well, met their needs, and loved them well - I have completed what He has given me to do.  That's my job!  My mindset has totally changed so when I do get a load of laundry done, or a blog written (I started ALL these blogs 5 weeks ago and add a little each day or every few days), or dinner cooked, or a room cleaned - I am grateful!

A picture summary of week TWO:

He does this O face often!

We are outside A LOT!

I cannot imagine the craziness of our household
when Jayden gets older!

Jayden's 2nd week of life on earth!

DIAPER GENIE FULL! :)

LUNCH TIME with naked boy

making eggs for breakfast!

That O face again

He's blushing!

Jayden's follow up circumcision appointment

Road side diaper change and feeding!



Another morning prayer time picture outside with daddy!

GET OUT OF MY FACE WITH THAT CAMERA

lovin' on Jayden!

MORNING PRAYER TIME!
EARLY in the mornings Rance & Jayden pray outside!

Mama Long & A-Long with Jayden! 
Mama Long will be Jayden's babysitter!

love how that nose flares out

 

 

Let me tell you what happened on day 13 of Jayden's life!  It was later in the afternoon and Jayden and I were sitting on the front porch and I was praying over him.  I love these sweet moments with him because he just stares at me and has no idea his mama is praying for his salvation, his health, his heart, his compassion for others, his desire to choose the abundant life, his wife, his friends in the future, and that the Lord would protect him from the evil one.  In a split second, I stared out across the yard watching the leaves blowing in the trees and when I looked back down at Jayden a wasp had landed on his forehead.  I flicked the wasp and of course his forehead too and within that second Jayden started SCREAMING.  Oh my word what had just happened???  The wasp sting immediately popped up on the side of Jayden's face.  Rance's cousin Charlena was at the house (just arrived) and put baking soda on the sting to help take away the pain (I would not have known to do this).  In the meantime, we called the pediatrician to see what we needed to do.  You see, Rance is allergic to bee/wasp stings and will swell up right away when he is stung so we had no idea if Jayden would be allergic also (plus, he was only 13 DAYS old).  Rance and I both knew (even though it was not communicated at the time) that the reality was - Jayden could have an allergic reaction and be gone.  THAT WAS REALITY.  Afterall, you cannot give a baby benadryl like you can an adult.  In a crisis situation, we did not panic, we worked together well as a team, we made a fast decision to head to the Emergency Room in Sylva where Jayden was born, and we were covering it all in prayer (knowing Jayden belongs to the Lord, not us).  We were in the car headed to the hospital within minutes and even called the ER on the way to let them know we were coming.  My flesh wanted to make me feel like the worse mom ever, but I knew those thoughts were not from the Father!  Rance held ice to Jayden's sting the entire drive and he didn't make a peep (even fell asleep). 

 

 

When we arrived at the ER, they were shocked to see we said a 13 day old baby, not 13 month old - apparently they misunderstood.  They took all of his vitals and everything checked out great.  He never broke out or had any type of reaction.  They kept us there a couple of hours just in case but little man took his first sting like a champ.  What a TEST! 

 

 



 

Mama hurting for her boy
(although he was great and nursing well)

 

Other random photos that SECOND week:

 

I tend to pass out in my car seat!

 

yep, wet the bed!

and a diaper change later!

stretching it out!

Rance created this picture and I think it is crazy to see
Jayden go from the womb to my arms!

 

Father's Day

Now let's talk about the fact that from the moment Jayden came out of the womb - it was very clear who he looked like - his earthly daddy! We were and still are fascinated at the tiny details of DNA that God knits together to create a child that has some of the exact same CRAZY features as either the mom or dad. Here are just a few:

1. Both of Jayden's pinky fingers are crooked like Rance.
2. Jayden's right ear sort of bends at the top just like Rance (only one ear for both that does this).
3. Jayden's head shape is identical to Rance's baby pictures.
4. Jayden's toes are just like Rance and the way he spreads his toes out = identical.

We joke about what Jayden got from his mama and Rance says "he definitely got the big part from you!" That sounds awful doesn't it? He is right though. We have BIG babies in my family so it was no surprise that we had a 9 pounder; however, it was fascinating after Jayden was born and trying to figure out how the heck HE came out of me?!!?! Explain that perfect design people!

I loved the timing of Jayden's birth and the fact that when my daddy came to pick up my mom a week later, it just happened to be father's day weekend! How fun is that?!? 

 

 

You will notice Rance & Jayden are dressed similar A LOT
 (and that is hands down Rance's doing!)

Jayden is 1 week, 1 day old in this picture!

 

 

His shirt says "I have a permit to carry these GUNS"
with arrows pointing to his arms!

That's all for now folks!