Baby Cheeks

So the other evening Jonah had been up for a while before he ate his dinner. I thought (and hoped) that he would fall asleep after he finished. He did just that and these were some pictures mom got of those sweet baby cheeks.

Jonah's First Month

This little boy has grown so much since being born one month ago today. He is over 9 pounds now and has grown about a half inch. He eats 5 ounces every 3 hours, yes that's a lot of formula. But he is still in newborn clothes. Since Jonah has been born there have obviously been many changes in our family. It is hard for me to believe that he is a month old. He definitely can track objects now (very slowly) and turns when he hears my voice. Jeremy and I both have gotten a smile out of him, which was so sweet. I really think he looks so much like Shelby, her one month picture is underneath the single ones of Jonah. We all love having this little boy in our family, especially the kids. Gabe wants to hold Jonah and is always giving him kisses. And whenever Shelby hears him crying, she gives him his bottle (usually empty), or paci, or a blanket. She also sits beside him a lot and just watches him. I am hoping Jonah will soon skip a feeding durning the night. I am doing Baby Wise with him but he seems to need a bit more tinkering to the whole process. But he is a great baby and a wonderful little cuddle bug.

Washing Dishes

Gabe has been wanting to do many more things on his own lately, including washing the dishes. So the other night Jeremy had Gabe and Shelby at the sink "washing dishes." The kids were really just playing in the water and laughing at the soap bubbles, but the dishes did eventually get washed.

Fun at Bebe's

We arrived in TN a little over a week ago and the adventure has not stopped. Between taking care of a newborn, watching Shelby run around with Charlie the dog and keeping Gabe under control, I have little energy for ANYTHING else. But the kids are getting adjusted to being here and really enjoying the fact that there is a big yard to play in. We have had some beautiful days here (along with really yucky ones) and were able to enjoy the outdoors. I love photographing the kids outside in the sunshine.

Jonah's Home Birth

I am finally getting around to blogging about this incredible experience. I have to say that having a home birth ranks up there with the best moments of my life so far. I began having contractions in the middle of the night. They were intense and consistent for about a half hour and then nothing. So I got up around 6 am and told Jeremy I was going to Wal-Mart to walk this baby out of me. So in the middle of a big rain storm, I drove my very pregnant self to the store. After walking around for a few minutes, the contractions started again. I called Joi and she sent Stacy over to check on me. She arrived around two p.m. and I was 4 centimeters dilated. So we decided to go ahead and get things going. She stripped my fibers and then I started having more consistent contractions. They were not very painful and I was just walking around feeling quite excited. Joi arrived a while later along with April, my Doula. I progressed quickly but Stacy soon discovered that my cervix was posterior, it kept moving into my backside. So, she moved it forward. Talk about PAINFUL. I wanted to let my body try to break my water but after waiting about an hour or so, we decided to have Stacy do it. Once that happened, I was dilated to a ten almost immediately. But my cervix would not cooperate and Jonah was not all the way past my pubic bone. So we waited, and waited and waited. I pushed on and off for about five hours. Joi and Stacy were there the entire time and April was so encouraging. Jeremy never left my side. He was really great. We enjoyed some fried chicken and sides that was brought to us by one of my MOPS friends. I was allowed to rest, walk around, lay down, whatever I wanted to do. But I was getting extremely tired and making no progress. Around eleven p.m. I told Jeremy I didn't think I could push anymore. He was very understanding and just kept giving me encouragment. Joi told me what would happen if I went to the hospital and that it was just up to me. I decided to lay down for a bit longer and then make a decision. As I stood up from the birthing stool, I felt Jonah shift down. And then the terribly painful contractions started. I made it through five and then told Jeremy to get everyone. So we were all huddled in our bedroom and I gave birth to Jonah on our bed. I pushed three times and Jeremy and I pulled him out and layed our baby on my chest. i know I screamed loudly and was in so much pain but I just remember feeling so much relif afterward. Jonah stayed on me for about 45 minutes, still connected to the placenta. He never cried but just looked around making little snorting noises. The ladies cleaned him a little but left the vernix on to be reabsorbed, which made his skin so soft. Then they weighed and measured him and brought him back to me in the bed. Then Joi and Stacy did the laundry, cleaned the dishes and wished us a good night. Jeremy fed Jonah his first bottle and then they both came to sleep.
We certainly do not plan to have anymore children, but I wish my first two were home births as well. I would recommend it to every woman to at least try one time. It was an amazing experience that I will treasure forever. And Jonah will have a very cool story to tell about the day he was born.

Welcome Jonah

Here is the first time the kids saw Jonah on Saturday morning.

Baby Progress

I am so excited. I was seen this past weekend and there has been a good bit of progress made where Jonah's concerned. We are hoping he is born by the 24th of this month. I have had some real contractions and keep hoping that he comes soon. Jeremy and I were just talking tonight about how excited we are to see another little face, little fingers and little toes. Although this has been a very tiring pregnancy for me, the thought of having another family member is very exciting. I am also anxious to experience this home birth, since it is like nothing we have done before. I totally trust my midwives and doula to take care of us and do everything they can to ensure a safe and healthy labor/delivery. We do have an emergency plan in place just in case. But I am not focusing on the "what ifs" because those always exist. I am hoping and praying everything will go smoothly and that little Jonah will be with us before we know it :)

Silly Siblings

Gabe and Shelby have been getting along lately. It's so much fun to watch them cuddle and giggle together. Here are some photos from the other night when Gabe pulled Shelby up on the couch and they began tickling each other. And a picture of the Jonah belly...it looks awfully big to me!!

Wonderful Air Mattress

With only four and a half weeks to go, I finally found a way to sleep through the night. We have a single air mattress that my Mom sleeps on whenever she comes. She visited a few weeks ago and we had the bed set up for her. After she left, I decided to try it out. HEAVEN!!!! I have been sleeping on it ever since. I am now only waking up to use the restroom and not everytime I need to switch sides. I miss my bed but when it comes to the last weeks of pregnancy, you will do almost anything to just feel comfortable and get some shut eye.

7 Weeks Left!!

Holy cow, this pregnancy has flown by! It feels like just yesterday I was blogging about not having much time left with Shelby. We went for my 33 week appt today and everything looks great, no swelling, low blood pressure and low weight gain. Jonah is head down, thank God! We are just trying to prepare now for this home delivery. I am scared of the pain of course, but ready to have an amazing labor and delivery. Jeremy has decided that he wants to help deliver Jonah, which I think is really awesome. It's not everyday you get to deliver one of your children! And I was lucky enough to be introduced to a Doula, April. She is part of a non profit organization here in San Antonio that offers their services for free. So she will come for three prenatal visits, be present for the whole labor and delivery, three postnatal visits and then up to seven other visits. She is more mine and Jeremy's coach and support through the process, although my midwives will be a great support too. But the more people we can have on our side the better! April will also come to help with dishes, laundry, meal making and really anything else I need after Jonah arrives. I am so thankful to have been told about this program. My mom will be here for two weeks but after that I am on my own. Gabe heard Jonah's heartbeat today and was really excited. Unfortunately we have all been sick this past week and have severe cases of cabin fever. I think we are all getting better now though. Hopefully the next month and a half will go by easily.

Support Your Country and Leader

I hope that each and every one of us will contribute to change our country. After all, the President is only one man. Even though I don't really feel like celebrities should use their popularity in politics, I found this video quite inspiring. What will you pledge??


Celebs 'pledge' to support Obama

Silly Kids

I really love doing these little videos of the kids. They are so fun to go back and watch and it's just a small glimpse into their worlds.
Gabe loves to sing. He has learned lots of little songs from school and some from me too. We usually sing before bedtime and in the van.

Shelby recieved the baby stroller from Aunt Jessie for Christmas and didn't really seem to know what to do with it at first. But now she is loving it. The other day she had baby elmo in there and gave him a tube of chap stick to hang onto.

Signs of A Growing Boy

This morning Gabe got in the bed with me. He normally won't do this, but he just crawled right in and laid beside me. He started asking about Jonah and then told my belly/Jonah that he is going to let the baby sleep in his bed, teach him how to hunt dinosaurs and give him his bottle. Then he kissed my belly button and said, "I wuv you baby Jonah, okay go to bed". I was so touched by his innocence and love. He will probably end up picking on Jonah just like he does Shelby, but the moment was too sweet. Gabe is growing and changing so much and I love it. The conversations we have now are so much fun and he makes me laugh with many of the things he says. I enjoy having babies around, but I am starting to really love having a child that is discovering the world and can talk to me about it. I love hearing him sing songs to himself as we drive down the road or hear him play pirates in his room as he does all the different voices. Of course he has his 3-year-old moments when I want to pull my hair out and his, but what parent doesn't deal with that? Gabe is a great kid and I am so glad he is ours.

Shelby Discovering The Zoo

Even though Shelby has been to the zoo several times since she has been born, we finally gave her the opportunity to walk around and check out everything out of the stroller. She was amazed by all the animals and it was so neat to see her reaction to animals she has never seen before.

Changing Children

As I watch my kids each day, I am so surprised by the new things they can do. Gabe is fiercely independent most of the time: getting snacks on his own, cleaning his room, dressing himself, and trying to take care of Shelby. He plays for hours with his new pirates and dinosaurs and really loves school. He asks Jeremy and I so many questions and has an amazing imagination.
Shelby amazes me too. The other day I asked her to bring me her bowl and she did. She is a very good listener and doesn't seem to have caught on to selective hearing yet (like her brother)! She is running around everywhere but is so gentle and calm. She can entertain herself with a shoe, book or simple sheet of paper. She is such a happy child but knows how to turn the tears on when she wants some love from Mom or Dad.
I know many people say there is not a difference between the sexes, but I don't think those people ever had a boy and a girl. I know their personalities come into play, but there are definite differences in my two children. I know there is a big change coming in a few months and I am eager and nervous to see what a third child does to our family. But I have no doubt that my wild monkeys will teach Jonah all the good and bad things they have learned so far!

Wedding Photos

Finally Home

Wow. After ten days we are happy to be home. Jennifer's wedding was great and then we went to Murfreesboro. The kids had a great time and enjoyed their new Christmas presents. Gabe was so excited about his pirate costume from Santa, he wore it for two days straight. Both kids loved playing with Mom's new dog Charlie. He is super cute and small enough for the kids to grab. We decided to drive home and ended up making a sixteen hour trip. Shelby was difficult in the car to say the least and we had to keep stopping. I guess she is not a professional traveler like Gabe. He was wonderful and never complained. We got home at 4 a.m. Sunday and have been taking it easy. Gabe does not have school this week so I am hoping to get him out of the house to see some of his play group friends. The weather is beautiful here so I am sure we will be spending some time outside. And we have no big plans for New Year's Eve. Just hang with the kids and probably fall asleep before midnight. Hope everyone has a great New Year's.

Getting Ready For Our Big Trip

We are leaving Thursday morning for our Christmas vacation. Our ride to the airport is picking us up at 4:30 am-YIKES. I hope the kids cooperate on the 3 hour plane ride. We will be in VA for the weekend celebrating Jennifer's wedding. Then on Sunday we have an eleven hour drive to Murfreesboro. We may have to break that up into Sunday and Monday, it just depends on the kids (and how comfortable I am). We'll be in TN for the week and come home Monday the 29th. We are very excited to see both sides of our families this year. I know the kids are going to have a blast and I can't wait to see them all dressed up for the wedding. Gabe has asked Santa for a Pirate Costume, so we'll see if he can pull that off. We celebrated our family Christmas this past weekend and the kids were so cute opening everything. It will be great to see them on Christmas morning.

Merry Christmas Everyone.

It's A Boy

I had another ultrasound today and we are having a boy. We are very happy. I am so glad to have one of each and know that Jonah Collin will be a joy to us like Gabe and Shelby. Just wanted to update everyone :)

Thanksgiving and Our New Place

Well we had a very interesting week. First we moved to another apartment because we had a rat in our other place. This occurred when we first moved here too but the manager then would not let us out of our lease. But I guess when dealing with an irrate pregnant woman, the new manager was happy to oblige us. But I did threaten to call the health department and news stations. So, we moved most things the Sunday before Thanksgiving and then throught the week Jeremy went back over there to bring the rest. My Dad visited for the holiday and we had a great time. Gabe came down with an outer ear infection, inner ear infection (one in each ear) and strept throat. So he was grumpy most of the week, but finally came around on Thanksgiving Day. I cooked my first ever holiday meal and have to say I was impressed with myself ( I was extremely worried about how it would all turn out. Although I did forget to cook a few things, everything I did make was really yummy. We love our new place and the kids have had a great time going through the boxes with me and playing with old toys (and beads).