Michael Joseph

After many requests for more pictures...here ya go. Mom and baby are home from the hospital and we are all adjusting and doing well.

We went into the hospital Tuesday night to "start" the induction...and after contracting all night with minimal sleep I reached a 4 by 8am. Dr. broke my water a little later and I reached a 10 before 11am. This is Mommy shortly after the epidural kicked in (he did a perfect job by the way). The epidural is really the only reason I'm smiling at this point...and the thought of getting baby out.

After an hour and a half of pushing (now I truly understand why they call it labor)...out comes our new baby boy!! Dr. and nurses were all saying (before he came out), if they were to guess the gender, it would be a boy since he was being so stubborn coming out. Baby was posterior (face up) and didn't want to come out. They worked a miracle with the forceps and baby came out, much to my relief, healthy. And yes, I was in tears...relief that baby was here, the power in the room, and the sweet relief knowing that the pushing was over. Seriously, it's really hard work!

Adam and Grandma came to the hospital to meet baby. Adam was rather apprehensive and didn't want much to do with the baby the first visit, but it got much better after that. Tonight, he even gave him a good night kiss after prayers.

A picture just for Brian's mom with eyes open. After taking a while to name our little boy, we decided on Michael Joseph. He has Jaundice and so we're working on that with the doctor, but other than that he is very healthy. He's doing well nursing and I have hopes that we'll continue to be successful.

A big thank you to all of you for your thoughts and prayers on our behalf. We feel so very blessed. We are grateful that all went well with the delivery and even more grateful that things are continuing to go well.

Baby is here!!!

It's a boy!!!!

The most important part is that mom and baby are doing very well! Thank you for your thoughts and prayers on our behalf!

Baby Update

Sorry, no baby...yet. Dr. agreed to induce me on Wednesday (yes, THIS Wednesday!!). I go in tomorrow night and then Wednesday we should have a baby!! We finally get to find out if baby is a boy or girl! I'm just a little excited.

Tonight a VERY sweet lady at Brian's work brought us the MOST delicious dinner!! I ate so much I couldn't move for a little while afterwards. Yummy ribs, AMAZING potatoes (and if you know me well, you know I LOVE mashed potatoes!!), super tasty broccoli salad (with an amazing dressing)...I need to have Brian ask her if she'd be willing to share some recipes. We are so grateful for friends out here...we are being so well taken care of. Thank you!!

Well, since there's only one more day before the baby comes...that's one more day to guess what baby is! My mom asked, "is there a prize if you're right?" You will have the joy of being right. :) If you lived close, I'd invite you over for cookies. Stay tuned for baby news!

February Fun

I thought I'd just put up some pictures of the fun we've had so far this month (it's only going to get better, trust me). Adam helped us make some chocolate chip cookies for some friends. They were so tasty!!

Adam also helped Daddy fix the dresser for the baby. The drawer tracks had come undone since several of the holes were stripped. Adam really likes to help Daddy with the tools. He gets a little upset that Mommy won't let him play with Daddy's tools and stuff them into the electrical sockets.

On Saturday, Adam enjoyed helping Mommy and Daddy make bread. Since Mom hasn't felt too well the last several months, it hasn't happened much...but she felt guilty. Plus, a neighbor up the street fell down the stairs at his church and broke his neck--his family definitely needed some homemade bread. I'm making it more now.

And for those who wanted a picture...here's me. I am 37 weeks pregnant (practically, in the picture anyway). Brian took at least 20 pictures and then deleted all but two. I am sure that my belly has gotten bigger since this was taken. We went to the doctor's today...not dilated, but I am 80% effaced. We're getting there!

And of course, yesterday during nap time, Adam wouldn't nap. So what did he do? He removed all the diapers in the box and played with the box (among other things). It was just too cute to get too upset. I don't think any diapers got stuffed down the vent...I hope not.

A few weeks ago I was trying to work on a baby blanket for a friend. Adam was playing around the house. I look over and this is what I see: Adam sitting on his dog, reading a book, minus pants. Silly boy took his pants off! I guess it's more comfortable that way? I don't know, the tile's pretty cold.

Baby Excitement

Sorry, no baby yet, but that's a good thing. While most women hate the last month of pregnancy...all of these necessary evils are sort of a good thing. I'm trying to stay positive. These are some things I'm trying to see in a good light:

Not sleeping: it's preparing me for when the baby is up all night or at least up multiple times a night and I can't sleep

Contractions: not fun, but it's getting closer!

Not able to bend over: I don't have to scrub the toilets and I can't really mop my floor myself. Sad thing, the epidural man is going to keep telling me to bend further when I'm already curling over as far as I can...

Can't put Adam in his crib due to huge belly: Brian gets to put Adam to bed...and transitioning to the toddler bed is coming soon!

Swelling: I'd say I can wear flip flops, but as it is winter that doesn't work. But, Brian does help me take my shoes off every night. He's so sweet.

Huge belly: yes, I bump into everything and seem to get everything all over my shirts, but people are usually really nice to me. I assume they are thinking: "poor girl...she's going to burst!" or else, "How cute! A pregnant lady...what a trooper!" I hope that's what they are thinking.

Maternity clothes: they are just comfy and in a few weeks, I get a new wardrobe! Well, at least I get to wear my old clothes again, so it's like getting a new wardrobe.

Countdown: what's NOT good about the countdown? It's finally ending!

Stretch marks: the only people to see those are me, Brian and the doctor. Regardless of what husbands may say, women still think they are ugly on themselves, no matter who doesn't see them.

Somewhat annoying baby movements: the baby is healthy! And it's almost out! My ribs are sore...but "this too shall pass..."

We decided to be surprised on the baby's gender. While it's been frustrating seeing all these great sales and clearance items and not being able to get a good "deal," I'm sure it will be worth it when we are surprised. We'll let you know when we find out!

We toured the hospital where the baby will be delivered and I feel ready, but decidedly nervous now. I've done this before, but I still feel nervous. Plus, being a mom of 2? I'm really glad my mom will be here to help me! I hope my children appreciate me one day as much as I now appreciate my mom. I hope the delivery goes well and that my nerves are settled. I truly have so much to be grateful for. Hearing the story about the woman who went into labor and had her baby on a plane over Christmas made me so grateful. I would have died, seriously, because of complications with Adam, but I'm glad she did ok. Or that woman who had her baby at a gas station? Personally, I'm happy with a hospital, doctor, nurses, and an epidural. Thank heavens for modern medicine!!