6 Weeks & Smiling

Micah is 6 weeks old today and it's hard to decide if it seems like a lot longer or shorter than that. In some ways it's hard to believe he's that old, but at times it seems like forever ago that we were sitting in the hospital watching Dan in Real Life and waiting for our little guy to come out.

Things are settling down at our house and we're really enjoying being a family of 4. Micah is on Nutramigen (hypoallergenic formula) and seems to really be doing well on it. It's helped with his GI issues and we're all thankful for that. On the downside it smells terrible going in, and much worse coming out. But it's worth it for a happy baby.

He's now enjoying bath time a little more, and we love the fresh, clean cuddles we get post-bath.

With baby #2 it's rare to find a time to snuggle together, so it makes those moments all the more special.

I wanted to take a couple of pics to show the color of his hair. You don't notice it as much unless it's clean and in natural light, but it's definitely an auburn color. I love it :)

Sophie and I have been having some fun also. She recently discovered the joys of Nutella.

And here are some pictures from last night - Micah is finally starting to smile, and it is so precious and rewarding!

Family Time

Yesterday was Micah's 4 week birthday and he celebrated it by getting his first shot. I remember Sophie getting her first shot and she didn't seem to notice it - Micah was not so naive. He let me know that he felt every second of it. But then he slept it off and we're friends again. We got a great report from his doctor - he now weighs 8lb 4oz and is 20.5 inches long. His weight percentile has increased from 8% to 18%, so we're happy that he's enjoying Mommy's milk and growing well. And he should be, because we had a crazy growth spurt last week that had Mommy, Sophie and Micah all in tears one day. But all good things come to and end, and now we're just fine.

Actually, speaking of Mommy's milk, I had a checkup with my cardiologist last week and got some bad news. The echo showed that my heart was weakened by the delivery, and my ejection fraction went down to 45% from 55%, so he wants to get me on some medication to hopefully strengthen it. He said I could continue breastfeeding and we'd do the meds afterward, but when I talked to him about Micah's allergies and my diet, he felt it was best that we get Micah on a formula so I don't lose a lot of weight like I did with Sophie. So over the next few weeks we'll be transitioning Micah to formula. We're going to try soy first in the hopes that he doesn't have the soy allergy - only dairy. But if that doesn't work we'll have to go to a hypoallergenic one. And as far as his allergies go, I really don't know what's going on. I've been off every trace of dairy for 3 weeks, soy for 2 and he's still having lots of issues. So I'm not sure what the deal is, but hopefully we'll quickly find a formula that works and we can all be healthy and happy.

We've had lots of family in town, which has been so great. Micah has experienced no shortage of cuddling from his grandparents. My parents left last Monday, so we were on our own for a week. My dear friend Amber kept Sophie for me one day, which was great for both Sophie and me since Micah was growth-spurting and eating every hour for awhile. It's hard to explain that to a 2-year-old. Then Friday Erik's mom came and was joined by his dad Sunday and Monday. Sophie LOVED playing with them and was a little sad today when Gigi had to leave to go back to AL.

We are so grateful for all the help from our moms (and dads). Now we're on our own indefinitely and ready to tackle this 2 kids thing. I don't know how I ever thought having one baby was hard. But on the upside, it's a lot easier to take everything in stride this time around. And some wonderful women from our church have been bringing delicious food for us, which helps a ton. Thanks!

He WILL love her...one of these days

Papa & Gran

Cuddles with Papa

Micah's "poop face"

Learning about the wise & foolish man with a graham cracker house

Pops with his grandkids

Cuddles with Pops

A visit from Jimmie & Great-Granny

More of Micah

Micah is now 2 weeks, 3 days old. I took him in to the pediatrician yesterday and he now weighs 7lbs, 1oz - 14oz more than last Tuesday! So he's a healthy little guy who likes to eat, sleep, and occasionally wince when his sister comes around. Unfortunately he seems to have Sophie's allergies, so I've cut all traces of dairy and soy out of my diet and am hoping he'll improve. Sophie's allergies were gone by 1 year, but they may have cleared up earlier - I just wasn't brave enough to try. But we're so thankful that he's otherwise very healthy and is such a sweet boy.

Sophie Videos

Here are a couple of videos from before Micah was born. The first is of Sophie singing "The Gospel Song" in Mom's van. You can't see her because we were trying not to let her know she was being filmed. The second video is from a gymnastics birthday party Sophie went to. She LOVED the tumble track - the long trampoline. She was supposed to jump on it, and she bypassed 1/2 of the obstacle course, but she had a great time.

Micah's Arrival

Well Micah is 1 week old and things have calmed down enough for me to write a bit about his birth. I'm notoriously bad at keeping records and a terrible journaler, which is a shame for an English major, so I'm going to write the whole story here on the blog where it will be immortalized. That being said, if you don't want to read a novel, feel free to look at the pics and move on. In fact, I'll write a little abstract for those who just want the facts:

ABSTRACT: My due date was Monday, the 16th, but on Saturday the 7th my blood pressure rose. I monitored it over the weekend, had blood tests and urinalysis on Monday (came back negative for preeclampsia, which I had with Sophie), and then it rose again Monday night. Doctor decided to induce on Tuesday a.m. Went in and started Pitocin at 10:15am (80% effaced, not dilated at all). Drugs worked, got epidural after 4 hours, had Micah after a bit of pushing at 7:40pm. Weighed 6lbs 5oz and was 18 inches long. Came home on Thursday evening and have been enjoying our sleepy guy ever since.

FULL VERSION: After having preeclampsia with Sophie I was very wary of headaches and rising blood pressure this time around. After taking Sophie to a gymnastics birthday part on Saturday the 7th, my blood pressure was higher than normal (my baseline is 100/60 and it was 125/70) so I continued to monitor it through the weekend. I had a headache constantly, so I went in Monday a.m. for blood tests and urinalysis. They all came back negative, but my doctor said he was on call that night and had no problem inducing me at 39 weeks if my symptoms got worse. We went to dinner with friends that night and my friend Amber decided to try to convince me to have the baby that night so she could come hang out w/ me at the hospital. I said that would only happen if my blood pressure was higher. Went home and it was 136/75. Called doctor, he said he thought I was fine but if we wanted to have the baby before I got sick, we should probably induce Tuesday a.m. So we got some sleep and went to the hospital the next morning. Around 10:15 they started the pitocin. I was 80% effaced but not dilated at all. I got an epidural at 2:15 and was 3cm and almost 100% effaced. Most of the day was just a waiting game - Mom crocheted a blanket for Micah, Erik froze and watched episodes of The Cosby Show, and I tried to sleep a bit. At 5pm I was still at 4cm, but doctor broke my water and by 7pm I was complete and ready to push. I pushed casually for a little while to try to get Micah to turn - he was presenting with his ear and they weren't sure which way he was facing. He ended up coming out with his head turned sideways and took a big gulp of amniotic fluid on the way out, which was a little scary but they kept assuring me his coloring was good and he just needed to have it suctioned. He was 6lbs 5oz and 18 inches long.

I was really wanting to have him in time for Sophie to meet him that night, so our friends Chris and Jan (and Amber) graciously brought her around 8:30 or 9 to see her brother. She was so sweet and just kept saying that she loved her baby brother. Of course she looked huge next to him, and I still can't get over how big she is. She was a lb heavier than him when she was born, and he just seems incredibly tiny. When we left the hospital he weighed 6 lbs even, and as of his 1 week check-up he's back up to 6lbs 3oz.

We are adjusting well to life w/ 2 kiddos, thanks in large part to my mom being here. She is our personal maid, chef, and nanny and we are so grateful to her. Erik's parents came over the weekend and Sophie was thrilled to have them to play with. She pretended to be "Erik the Dog" most of the weekend. Then we were blessed with a visit from Erik's uncle and aunt from Indiana, and Sophie immediately took to Uncle Jim and wrestled with him for an hour Sunday afternoon. So if anyone wants to play rough, Sophie is ready and willing to take you on. She is not exactly a gentle, quiet child - I blame her father for this - but she is adjusting well and seems completely in love with Micah.

One matter for prayer is Micah's stomach. Sophie had a severe dairy/soy allergy when she was an infant and apparently this can be genetic. I don't know that that's what's going on with Micah, but he's been showing a few symptoms of it and we're praying and hoping that it's not an allergy. I had to abstain from all traces of dairy and soy for 8 months with Sophie, and I'm not sure that medically that will be good for my heart this time. So just pray for wisdom if you think of it, and for a healthy baby. Other than that he's completely sweet and content - a great sleeper and he's becoming more alert and a better nurser each day.

We are so thankful for our sweet Micah Henry. Micah means "Who is like God?" and we pray that he will be a witness to our amazing Creator as he grows up.

From the moment he entered the world he has loved sucking in his lower lip. It's really precious, but makes nursing a major pain.

So blessed to be holding my healthy son

Meeting his big sister

At home with his proud Daddy

Micah Update

Here's the latest on the pregnancy. I was 38 weeks this past Monday. When I went to the OB last Friday I was 80% effaced, but not dilated at all. He said he didn't know how I was walking because the baby is so low, but unfortunately that doesn't seem to be helping me dilate. I woke up one night this week with contractions for about 45 minutes, but they stopped when I got out of bed to go down and eat a 2 a.m. snack. Micah is still really active and kicking all around, so that's reassuring. So that's all I know at this point - I go back Friday for another exam and my doctor said we might have to talk about induction if I get to 3 or 4cm and am fully effaced, but not in labor. He's worried that labor will go really quickly and I won't make it to the hospital in time. And after having 2 friends pushing their 2nd babies out en route to the delivery room, just to deliver a few minutes after getting in the room, I'm wanting to be cautious. Erik doesn't want to deliver this kid.

If you think of it, please pray for our family as we prepare for these changes and adjustments. I'm especially praying that God will grant me patience with Sophie as I deal with Micah - I don't want to take my exhaustion out on her. And I'm just praying a lot for her to adjust well to her little brother. Thanks!

Here are a couple of pics:

Final FL Pics

Here are the last of our vacation pictures. One of my favorite parts of the trip was getting to take Sophie to the pool. She was a little hesitant at first, but soon got the hang of her water wings and loved swimming.

Sun-bathing

I think Sophie's favorite part of being at the pool was the snack break

Daddy-Sophie time

Post-swimming lunch on the screened-in porch. She wanted to live out there and frequently went out and played for a long time by herself. Anyone know how I can get a free porch installed?

All that swimming and playing takes it out of you

And here's a little swimming video: