Jack's First Week

As a heads up, this will be the greatest amount of photos we ever post to the blog. But with it being Jack's first week, we have so many to share! To back up, we were discharged early from the hospital and came home on Monday afternoon. Soon after, we all realized that Ella was suffering a pretty nasty cold. Watery eyes, cough, and more snot than anyone should ever have to deal with, she was miserable. This made getting to know her new baby brother rather difficult, but fortunately, she was more interested in his tiny diapers and how well they fit on all of her baby dolls and stuffed animals than the snuggly newborn in the house. Grandpa C. (now known as 'Papa') left on Wednesday afternoon, and Grandma C. stuck around until Sunday morning to help us out. And what a help she was! Jack has been a fantastic baby so far, sleeping a ton and hardly even fussing when he's hungry. In fact, he's got his mama worried about his lack of interest in eating during the night, and I've lost more sleep trying to wake him up to nurse than anything else. On Friday night, Jeritt and I took Ella to the Zoo Lights display at the Lincoln Park Zoo. It was a nice night, and it was good to spend some time alone with her. On Saturday, Grandma V., Aunt Jill, and cousins Ava and Reid came to meet Jack. We played and hung out all afternoon, and then enjoyed brunch with them at Uncle Jeff and Aunt Kristin's new house on Sunday morning. All in all, it's been a quick, good week, and it's hard to believe Jack is already one week old. Monday is my first day flying solo, but thankfully Jeritt will have a few more days off this week to help me out. Stay tuned for week two!

Grandma and Ella at the park on one of the nice days.

A pitiful picture, but it illustrates how miserable she was.

Aunt Jill meeting Jack.

Ella riding the Zoo Lights train.

Cousins!!

She learned this from her dad.

Eating cake for Grandma V's birthday, or as Ella calls it "happy day."

Grandma playing with her grandkids.

Mommy and Ella watching a little Elmo.

Ella tickling Ava.

Ava with her new cousin. 

Grandma V. and her latest grand baby.

Reid holding "Baby Jack."

Grandma C. protecting Jack's soft spot.

Just another meal with Ella...

Wearing his mommy's 'coming home from the hospital' outfit.

Rabbit and Moo Cow got plenty of diaper changes this week.

Grandma C. and her first grandson.

Aunt Erin and Jack.

Grandma C. and Ella having a tea party. Please note Ella's choice of outfit.

Me, Ava, and Jack.

One More Makes Four!

As suggested by the new title of our blog, our family of three recently grew to four! Jack Collins arrived at 2:24 a.m. on December 2, weighing 6 pounds, 10 ounces, and stretching to 20 1/2 inches long. He's just a little peanut, but so perfect! Backing up a bit... Jeritt and I were able to squeeze in a much-anticipated date night on Friday. We had tickets to a Ray LaMontagne concert and were hoping that we'd be able to attend. I can't say I was extremely comfortable, but it was a great show, and Jack definitely seemed to enjoy it as well! Early Saturday morning I began feeling, as Ella would say, "icky." This continued all day on Saturday (while Jeritt and Ella attended soccer), and later in the day my contractions picked up to about 10 minutes apart. Aunt Erin came over to stay with Ella, and after we put her to bed, we headed to the hospital. Of course, on our way, the contractions slowed way down, so they made us pace the halls before admitting me around midnight. However, after that, things happened quickly! Jack was born just a couple of hours later, and we arrived in our room around 5:30 a.m. Sunday was a blur of visitors, with Erin, Martin, and Ella arriving first. While she was definitely interested in her new brother, Ella was also excited about the new baby doll Jack gave her, and even managed to snag a few of the hospital diapers for at-home play. Later, Grandpa and Grandma C. arrived to meet their second grandchild, then Abbie and Eric and Uncle Jeff and Aunt Kristin rounded out the day. It was wonderful to have so much company, and we were pretty exhausted by early evening. Thankfully, Jack was, too, and we got some much-needed sleep. We're so happy to have such a healthy, beautiful little boy, and can't wait to get to know him more in the coming days and weeks!

Ella meeting her brother, Jack.

Dad and his little boy.

Ella feeding her latest baby doll, which Jack gave her:)

Uncle Martin and Aunt Erin took great care of Ella while we were at the hospital!

A family of four (plus one Cabbage Patch doll).

Grandpa and Grandma C. meet their first grandson.

Eric and Abbie with Jack.

Proud Uncle Jeff.

It wouldn't be a Bushaw birth without champagne! 

Aunt Kristin snuggling Jack.

Our 'Lil Kicker

As a win-win for all members of our growing family, we signed Ella up for a soccer class with Daddy on Saturdays. The first class was this past weekend, and though she wasn't quite as enthusiastic as Daddy was hoping, they had a good time with her friend, Harper, and her dad (Harper is also getting a little brother soon!). I was home on the couch, anxiously awaiting our little guy's arrival (stay tuned for an exciting post about that!), but look forward to catching her in action soon. 

All decked out in her uniform.

Daddy and Ella getting ready for soccer.

She was slightly shy upon arrival to soccer...

Ella in action!

Ella and Harper.

Hopefully she has more fun next time!