Brotherly Love

We weren't sure how Micah, at 15 months, would do with Judah when he was born. At first he seemed to really not care. At all. Then he seemed slightly interested, but in a bit of a rough way. But most recently (although I'm sure they'll always be moments of jealousy) he has seemed more interested, more gentle, and more excited about Judah. Especially when we tell him that Judah wants to kiss him. He loves that! This is him exploring his new little brother.

Toes...

Head...

In awe?...

Belly...

And Judah is so good about all the touching...at least for now!

Self-feeding

It's very fun to give Micah food and watch him play explore as he eats it. This was a bag of the last bits of animal crackers. Some small pieces, but mostly crumbs...

He is looking at Matt here. These are the eyes that say 'don't touch my animal crackers'!

crumbs, crumbs, everywhere...

finger licking good!

Washing the Car

What a great day. The start of spring. Slightly warm out, though the water was still cold. Good father-son bonding time (helps prevent the jealousy of the newest addition to our family, little brother). And Micah just had a blast!

Magnetic

This isn't exactly what I had in mind when I bought these letters...but they keep him occupied...and sometimes he puts them back up...it's what he likes to do with the letters in the bathtub too (knock them off the side of the tub back into the water), so I guess it is sort of to be expected...

 This is where they all end up, on the floor (that is in the process of being remodeled but got put on hold for a bit with baby #2 arriving).

This is the lone letter left on the cabinet. Yes, what's cool is that our cabinets are magnetic, so we can use the refrigerator and all our cabinets...but we (Micah) seem to like the floor the best for now.

Letting is slide... no more...

For a while I feel like I got into a food slump.
Feeding the same easy foods to my toddler, knowing he would like and eat them.
Knowing it wouldn't be a battle I would have to deal with as he spits out food, or won't even taste a bite of food that doesn't look familiar, and then be angry and hungry when I don't offer him an alternative.
But I decided this needed to change. He is 15 months, he should be eating more of what we are eating, and I should be trying more new foods, textures, flavors, etc. with him.
So we have been. Dinner has been early (for us), together, and has been (surprisingly) a good experience. He never ceases to amaze me.
We have had quiche and chicken enchiladas (still food that was brought to us after the new baby arrived) and this morning we had eggs for breakfast. He has tried them all, has been eating with us, and has totally surprised me at his willingness to eat new foods. I thought it would be a big battle each night (which isn't fun at the end of a long day), but we are blessed, and our little Micah is quickly becoming a big boy!

Alone Time

No. Not for me.
This is not an expectation I really have for myself right now.
But I do find it kinda cool and funny at the same time that my 15 month old really seems to need it.
Micah often takes a long morning nap still, and I am SO okay with this. But he definitely can't go from when he wakes up from that nap until bedtime without another nap. At least not yet. Or at least it seems.
Most days around 2 or 3 in the afternoon (right about when we all hit our afternoon slump, right?) he starts acting tired again. And he is usually very willing to go to his room. And he is usually quiet for a bit, but then he starts talking.
We leave him up there until he starts to sound like he is ready to get out, not like he is just up there talking to himself and enjoying his time. I told hubby yesterday that we need to put our video camera in there one afternoon just to see what he does during this time.
I think it is great that my kid is just over a year (though he has done this for quite some time) and already he knows that he needs some time in his day where it is just him and his own little world in his room!

Double Trouble!

I might use that term a lot in the next few years...but honestly, for now, it's not that bad!
I am loving having a newborn in the house again! Even though my oldest is not that old, it's hard to remember that he was even a bit smaller at birth! And now he seems so huge!
Judah is a great baby! He had a first "milestone" yesterday as the last bit of umbilical cord fell off from his belly button! So excited to give him a real bath now!
Judah is very consistent with when he wants to eat, and he is very efficient about it! The nurses in the hospital kept getting upset with me that I wasn't doing enough to keep him awake and make him eat longer, but he seemed satisfied. And my dr. is okay with it, and he is gaining weight at a very normal rate! He's just quick. Just like his delivery, and maybe we are just seeing an early trend in his personality. Very chill, very efficient, and just like Micah he seems to greatly enjoy personal touch!
Micah is doing well in the transition, for all that he is going through. He is 15 months today! Time flies! We had a check-up with both boys yesterday (and thank goodness for both of us being there!) and though Judah slept through most of it, Micah has become so much more aware of what goes on. And he wasn't happy about it. Not happy to be measured or poked or examined or anything. And certainly not happy about shots! Hopefully he won't remember I was the one holding him down to get them. Don't want him to think of me as the bad one! It's the nurse really!
But even through all of that, as well as having 6 teeth coming in right now (2 more molars and all 4 eye teeth!!!), and the whole transition of another baby in the house, he is doing great! He is talking up a storm lately, trying to repeat everything we say. He likes to say Judah's name, loves to touch him and give kisses, and goes right to him whenever he cries, as if he is going to be the one to help him. How sweet.
He has been trying to get a bit more attention than usual. But that's about the extent of it. He still sleeps great at night and for naps, he still tries to be the best big brother he knows how in his 15 month mind, and if it means that he just wants more hugs and time on my lap...well, I think I am okay with that!

New Addition

 

Judah Matthew

6 lbs 5 oz., 19.5 inches

born 3/1/10 at 1:48 am

Just wanted to make record of our newest addition to our family. Micah is doing great as a big brother. He likes to poke, but also loves to give kisses. And thus far, he is continuing with his great ability to take good naps during the day and sleep all night! Praise God!

I would not normally be one to talk about a birthing experience, but to me, this was a great experience that totally showed us how good God is and how blessed we truly are!

My first pregnancy had a few complications toward the end, enough so that I was put on bed rest around week 35 and was sent to the hospital twice before I actually delivered Micah. I had high blood pressure and double vision, and I dilated quite early without any other signs of labor. Because of being 7 cm dilated at 37 weeks (and the other stuff I was dealing with) I was once again sent to the hospital. This time, since my body was virtually ready, my water was broken for me to get the process started. After a few hours I started having hard contractions, and after a few more hours I started pushing, and within and hour I had Micah. All told, it was about 12 hours from when my water was broken to when I actually delivered. In a very controlled environment...therefore I had no idea what to expect this time with Judah...

I didn't dilate quite as much quite as early, and I wasn't having real contractions (at least that I could tell) and my doctor was quite nonchalant about the timing. I was a little more worried since I delivered early with Micah (and in such a controlled way), so my doc measured me at almost 38 weeks and I was 4 cm and "thinning" and he finally sounded a little more serious and said "I wouldn't waste any time getting to the hospital once you think this guy is coming."

And God couldn't have made the timing of everything happen any better! I had been out and about most of Saturday, and almost all of Sunday, no where near the hospital and not near my husband for much of this time. Then he was out Sunday evening until about 10pm. We went to bed around 11:30, and although I don't think I fully fell asleep (since it is hard to get good sleep at this stage in pregnancy) I woke fully around 12:30 thinking that I was maybe feeling a contraction but not sure. I went to the bathroom and thought that my water had possibly broken, but it wasn't a gush, so I still wasn't sure...maybe I was just having more problems holding in my bladder...

Since I thought maybe it was a contraction and maybe my water broke, I started to watch the clock. When I did, I thought maybe I was having contractions at about 5-7 minute intervals, but still wasn't sure. I didn't want to wake my husband since he was sleeping so well, but needed help with the timing and knowing if it might be real.

I woke him at 12:45am. He started getting dressed, found his phone, made a few phone calls, waited for a call back for someone that could come stay with Micah, and was helping me watch the clock. He seemed more concerned about getting someone to the house as soon as possible (a good thing knowing how the timing ended up). We got through to a friend (who always turns he and his wife's phones off, but forgot that night, praise God!) who was already dressed, jumped in the car and headed to our house. We also got through to my mom, who was going to come stay with Micah, but was coming from further away (why we needed the friend to come wait for her with Micah in the house). 

Our friend arrived shortly after 1am and we walked (me, painfully walked) out the door as he walked in. We drove to the hospital and kept trying to count the time between contractions. This was hard for me as it seemed the time kept getting closer together instead of staying consistent, so I thought maybe I was doing something wrong...I remember seeing the clock in the car say 1:20 when we pulled into the parking garage. We walked in, got on the elevator and I crouched in pain. We buzzed the maternity ward, she nonchalantly found my paperwork and asked why I was there (as I crouched again in pain!). Didn't my husband just tell you? I am HAVING a baby! She opened the door and started walking down the hall (who knows how far she was planning on going down the hall!!) but as I crouched again from the pain she decided she would let us into a closer room. Gee, thanks! She slowly got me a gown and told me what to do. Luckily my husband helped with all the clothing changes and such, because I was becoming no use at this point. I finally got in a bed and buzzed that I was in the bed...then someone casually walked in to be our nurse. She started asking questions and getting the equipment on me to monitor heart rate and contractions. My husband asked if I could get pain medicine, but I don't think she thought I was for real and she said they had to take care of some things first. Then she measured me. 8 cm! Whoa! She got serious then! She called down that I needed to be admitted and that I needed the pain IV. There was lots of confusion, I guess the intercoms weren't working well or something because she had to repeat herself a few times and then still had to send someone back for what she was really asking for. All the while, my contractions are getting more painful and much closer together! Ouch! Where are the meds??

The lady finally arrived with the IV, cleaned my arm, said it would pinch and then burn. And it did. But just about that same time, I also told everyone that there was too much pressure and I needed to push!! I was a bit preoccupied with my own pain, but my hubby said they all looked at each other like "oh no! get the doc!" and then started scrambling. They were telling me to stop pushing since they wanted to wait for the doc. Yeah right! But I got confused, so I did. But then the doc was there and he was like "you need to push to get his shoulders out or he is not going to breathe!" Oh, I was so confused...ok, so I can push now? So one more push (yep, 2 pushes total) and the little guy was out. And my husband's like "Ang, you just had a baby! It's done!" 1:48am. Less than 90 minutes from when I woke up thinking I was having contractions and maybe my water broke.

Well, thank God, because I never got those pain meds and it hurt! I heard him cry, got the rest of the gunk out of me and then got to hold my baby. What a great experience! I was so doped up on pain meds with Micah that I didn't get that experience (or not as a memorable once since I was so unaware of the world at that point!).

My husband  called my mom and she was still on the way to our house! Thank God we got a friend to come by. Thank God he left his phone on and made it as fast as he did, and we live as close as we do to the hospital, and it wasn't when I was out all day or hubby was not home with me, and on and on, oh the MANY reasons to praise God. And it was FAST! 

Unfortunately for Judah, it was so fast that it bruised his little face for a few days. He was purple, but healthy! Thank God for Judah Matthew.

 

Micah's first visit with grandma to meet his little brother, Judah.