Sleeping and Eating-

So everyone keeps asking me to update the blog with more pictures but all we've really been doing is eating and sleeping so, while we have taken thousands of pictures of him there really isn't much new to show everyone. We've had lots of visitors over the last week. Several of our friends have been bringing us dinner during the week which has been a blessing. Jeremy's good friends from Florida, Pam and Eddie Potter were in town this past weekend and got to meet our sweet boy. My mom also came back this past weekend. James and I both missed her! I think James already knows that he can get whatever he wants from her! Everyone keeps telling me that newborns schedules change all the time - the past several days have been pretty good. He's eating about every 3 hours during the day and takes about an hour and a half nap between feedings. Most nights we're getting a good 5 hours of sleep before he wakes up to eat again and then he'll usually go back to sleep for another 2 or 3 hours, so we're all getting a pretty good nights rest. I pray we can keep this up!
Here are some pics of some of our visitors and more sleeping baby pictures - they're too cute!!

Rodney, Beau, Jeremy and James

Matthew, Kristina, and Jeremiah Day with James

Captain Eddie and James

1 week old!

I can't believe it's already been 1 week since our sweet baby boy was born. My mom left yesterday which was a little hard on both me and James - I guess it's time for Jeremy and I to figure out how to manage all of this! We're very lucky because so far James has been a great baby. The past three nights he has slept atleast 4 hours straight! Ofcourse, I wake up every hour to check on him so I'm not getting as good a nights rest as he is. He had his first visit to the pediatrician on Friday and everything was perfect. By the time we left the hospital on Monday he had dropped from 7 lbs 15 oz to 7 lbs 7 oz and by Friday he was back up to 7 lbs 12 oz - almost back to his birth weight which is very good.
Here are a couple new pictures:
Sleepy baby! So sweet!


Spending quality time with daddy-


Swing time!

We're Home!

Today we got to leave the hospital and bring baby James home. It's exciting and a little scary to know that we can't call the nurses when we don't know what to do! Thank goodness my mom will be here this week to help us out. Here are a couple more pics:

I look just like my daddy!


Here is the car ride home -it started pretty smoothly but got a little rocky before we made it all the way home -



Me and daddy taking a nap after the trip home

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He's Here!

James John-David Allen was born at 6:44 p.m., August 11th. He weighed 7lbs 15 oz and was 20 1/2 inches long - After two long days of having contractions at home we went to the hospital around 11 a.m. on Saturday to find out if we were progressing at all. I was having contractions about every 4 minutes and was going to be really upset if they sent me home again - When the nurse checked me I was in full labor and 4 cm dilated! I cried I was so happy! Soon after I got an epidural and we were on our way. Less than 8 hours later he was born!
Here are his first pics:
James and mommy!

James and Daddy!

The Allen's





He has really long toes!!

James meeting Grandpa Allen for the first time

James and Aunt Anne-Michelle

James and Grandma

Snug as a Bug!

Our dear friends Chris and Jenni had thier baby on Thursday - Cooper Vaughn Goodson - Here we all are - James' first buddy!

Contractions but no labor!

Well, Thursday night I had contractions every 5-7 minutes from 11 p.m. on. I went to the doctor this morning thinking for sure I was in labor only to find that I was still barely dilated and as uncomfortable as the contractions have been they haven't been strong enough to push me into labor - I was very sad to hear this and also very tired since I hadn't slept at all the night before. The dr. said I can take some tylenol pm to help me sleep so I did that and was able to get a couple hours of sleep. I was awoken several times by contractions but they were much farther a part. So, now we're just waiting for more painful contractions - lovely! I'm pretty uncomfortable right now and feel like I'm kind of in limbo being on the "edge" of labor! We're praying that my water will break so I will know for sure that I'm in labor rather than spend the weekend with these mini contractions.
Hopfully baby James will be here sooner rather than later!

40 weeks + 1 day and 103'

Well, I'm officially past my due date! I went to the doctor yesterday and he thinks I could go into labor any day now but no real answer as to when. We are going to wait through the weekend and see if anything changes and then go back on Monday and we will talk about inducing me later in the week. I was disappointed when I went in yesterday and there wasn't any real news - I was hoping to hear that I was 4 cm dilated and needed to head to labor and delivery ASAP. I have been feeling what I think are contractions but they aren't consistent. I've had some other signs that my body is heading towards labor but there's still no science as to when it will actually happen. I'm trying to be patient - I know he'll be here soon enough!
On a side note Birmingham has a high of 103' today! I can hear me now when James is older telling him how I carried him through one of the hottest Augusts on record!!
We'll keep everyone posted!

1 week to go!

Only one more week until the official due date. I went to the doctor yesterday and I'm still about the same. He said I could go in to labor any day now. He said he won't let me go more than a week past my due date so the latest I may have him would be August 15th - but we're really praying that I will go into labor on my own without having to be induced - we'll just have to see what happens! It is very surreal to think that in no more than 2 weeks we will have a little baby. Our emotions range from excited to unsure about all of this! But he'll be here before we know it! Hopefully we'll be able to post some pictures soon!