Jack William, otherwise known as “baby brother”, is here! He finally arrived on January 30th at 6:37pm…and I’m so glad. No more wondering when he will come. No more wondering what he looks like. NO MORE WAITING! Hooray!!! 🙂 Here’s a little bit about his arrival and first few days on earth…

I delivered at Garrett County Memorial Hospital in Maryland and had a beyond-wonderful experience! My doctor was sweet and calm, the nurses were caring and excited (mostly for Jack’s hair and his fast delivery), and I felt very “at home” during my time in the maternity suite. Thanks a million to the FCMS staff! You gave us a wonderful birth experience! 🙂

I went into the hospital at 2pm on the 30th for my seventh non-stress test. While there, I had regular contractions, but nothing to get too excited about. I had a doctor’s appointment right after my test, so I walked across the parking lot (doc’s office is conveniently located right next to the hospital) to see Dr. Gotsch. She checked me and surprisingly I was already 6cm! I was sent right back to the hospital and suddenly, it was “go time.” Long story short, the nurses started monitoring me at 3:40pm and Jack was born at 6:37pm. Three hours!?! Crazy!!! Brian and I could hardly believe how quickly things happened, but I was more than OK with meeting our little man sooner than later.

Jack was 8 pounds, 4 ounces when he was born. When he first came out, I thought he was pretty close to Ally’s birth size, but nope! He was a pound and a half heavier and over an inch longer. He did have as much hair as Ally did when she was born, and everyone was lovin’ it!

Now for his name…

“Jack” had always been a favorite name for Brian and I. When we were pregnant with Ally, we had “Jackson” picked out as our boy name with the intention of calling him “Jack.” When we found out we were having a boy the second time around, our first choice name was actually “Isaac.” But then, we decided to go back to our original plan and “Jack” was put at the top of the list. Brian wanted something tough, and “Jack Fike” definitely fits the bill.

Jack’s middle name comes from the boy we sponsor in Bolivia. His name is William and we consider him a part of our family. So Jack is partly named after his brother, William Alcoron. Jack will also be the first male in the line of almost 11 great-grandkids to carry on the Fike name.

I didn’t take any pictures until after Jack arrived, but yes, I did have one of my cameras with me…duh! I loved capturing the “just arrived” moments in the hospital…

Jack hung out in the “baby warmer” for a little while to get his temperature up…

After his first feeding, we welcomed our first visitors…my parents and big sister Ally. Finally, she was able to meet her brother. 🙂

Ally has a thing for stools these days…

Ally brought along one of Jack’s blankets and some music to share with him…

I sort of hated being tied down to the bed during all this, but at least I had a good angle for picture-taking!

Luckily, my mom had spent the night with me since Brian was out of town for work, so she had Ally while I was laboring in the hospital and my dad met up with us after Jack was born. He also brought me a Reese’s blizzard from Dairy Queen. 🙂

Time to get a bath!

Everyone was so obsessed with Jack’s hair! I love that my kiddos are born with lots of it. 🙂

Mom and dad brought Ally back to the hospital and she held him for the first time! We also got our first pictures as a family of four. 🙂

This was the first of many kisses! Ally has been loving Jack non-stop since we brought him home!

Family of four!!!

Mom and dad with Jack!

Ally also brought the present she picked out for Jack…a Care Bear! She got one from her great aunt and uncle for her birthday and she loves it so much she wanted to get one for her baby brother, too. 🙂

Brian’s parents made it from Virginia within Jack’s first 24 hours!

And we had more visitors after we got home! So glad my best friend Jaclyn was home in the mountains just a couple days after Jack was born! It’s so awesome having her closer for baby #2. 🙂 And Brian’s brother Jason and his wife Heather made the trip from Virginia to meet their new nephew. I loved being surrounded by loved ones during Jack’s first days!

Then, it was just me, Ally and Jack in the house for a few days…

Ally stays close to Jack whenever she gets the chance…

Even while eating her lollipops, she wants to love on her brother…

I think this might be my favorite from the week!

I love when Brian comes home and can spend some time with Jack while he’s awake. We get so excited when we see his eyes!

Jack looks like his daddy…a lot!

I still need to take some “official” newborn portraits of Jack, but because I won’t have time for that for a few more days, I took these quick portraits to hold us over…

Here’s Jack at exactly one week old!

And here’s Jack in his super awesome Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle hat!!

This boy sleeps A LOT!

Back to the colorful blanket (made by Brian’s mom, Pam! I love it!). And the hand knit blanket was made by Brian’s grandma. I think Jack may have more blankets than onesies. 🙂

Now for some sister-brother portraits!

Jack definitely looks to be smiling in this one, but I really think he was on the verge of crying, ha!

I took some Valentine portraits of the kiddos today. Not sure how they turned out, but I’m hoping the matching hair bow and bow tie are a big hit! I’ll try to share those next week. 🙂

Ah. So glad Jack is finally here! I feel like this pregnancy went super fast and it’s sometimes hard for me to believe it’s all over. I cannot wait to keep welcoming Jack into our family and capture his progress, both as a baby and as a brother. I’m also hoping to get some nice mommy-baby portraits sometime soon! I’ll be sure to share more in the future.

Happy weekend, y’all! And thanks for checking out our little Jack!