Things I Love About Not Being Pregnant:

• I can see my feet
• I can shop all day and still have pretty ankles
• I can lean over the bathroom sink to put my makeup on
• I can flip over in bed without causing a tsunami
• Caleb fits in my lap again while we read a book together
• I can pack the maternity tops away
• No more feet jammed into my ribs
• I can fall asleep in any position and not be sore in an hour
• And best of all, I get to look at my newborn son's beautiful face!
  

Introducing: Micah James

I finally have some time to write a post about Micah! Caleb is with Grandma today at a waterpark in Brainerd, so I get a nice quiet day at home with Micah.

Here's how Micah made his entrance:

Friday March 12th I was admitted into the hospital to begin the induction process. They started with citatec (a cervix ripening drug) in the morning, and then we were able to leave the hospital to get lunch and go for a walk outside. When we got back, the monitors showed I was having contractions every 3 or 4 minutes. Even though they were weak, our doctor decided to wait and see what they would do. That evening at 6pm he started me on Pitocin (causes contractions) to try to get the contractions going stronger. We continued to wait around and try to fill our time. After six hours on Pit, he sent me home to get a good night's sleep before beginning again in the morning. Joel and I headed to my parents' house right in town around 1am and got some sleep. We went back bright and early Saturday morning ready to begin again.

Saturday morning began the same as Friday. I received a dose of Citatec, left for lunch and a walk, and returned to the hospital by 2pm. Then they started me on Pitocin at 3pm. At 5pm I was still only dilated to a 3, so the doctor broke my water. From there, the contractions quickly got stronger. We tried to pass the time by playing cards and watching tv. My parents brought Joel supper and distracted us for a while. Around 9:30 I asked the nurse to start setting up for an epidural. I didn't get an epidural with Caleb, but this time the contractions were different on Pitocin, and I was hoping the epidural would help me relax so that things would move quicker. The anesthesiologist arrived in the room at 10pm and finished admistering the epi at 10:15. By 10:30 I was fully dilated and ready to push. Our doctor arrived at 10:45 and after 15 minutes of pushing, Micah was born at 11:05. The epidural made such a huge difference - pushing was so much easier this time! And now for some pictures from the hospital:

The proud new family! Don't mind the smeared mascara under my eyes from tears of joy!
Joel's parents even brought Caleb in the middle of the night to come meet his new brother!
We were so anxious to introduce the two of them to each other.

The doctor gave him a perfect bill of health!

Caleb: "I hold it?"

The next morning - enjoying some awake time.

Caleb was a little more rested this time, but just as busy!

Welcome to our family Micah!

Love!

Getting ready to head home on Monday morning.

Joel took the whole week off, and it was so wonderful to have him here to help, especially with Caleb! We enjoyed lots of visitors all week, and even snuck in a nap almost every day. Micah had a few rough nights, but is now sleeping very well - waking up twice to eat and going right back to sleep! Things are challenging with Caleb - he has been defiant, hyper, and not napping well. But now that we figured out he has an ear infection, the napping is getting better. I'm starting to settle into a bit of a routine with the two boys now that Joel has been back to work for a week. Micah has cooperated very well so that I can have plenty of one-on-one time with Caleb each day. We're anxious for the weather to warm up enough to take both boys outside more.

Waiting...

I've said all through this pregnancy that I've expected to go past my due date, but now that I'm closing in on that magic date, it's so hard to keep that perspective. I'm so very anxious to meet our second little boy, and to introduce him to his big brother. It's tough to stay focused at work, and I also find that I don't have as much patience with my students as I usually do. I get SO antsy when I don't have something to fill my time. I've been quite creative in trying to make up more lists of things to keep me busy until it's time.


Caleb has been so sweet lately. He loves giving his baby brother love - squeezes, kisses, songs, etc. He also talks about hearing baby's heartbeat all the time, so occasionally he takes out his doctor's kit to listen.


I'm trying to remember to take in these moments with Caleb before our world gets turned upside down. Sometimes that means I consciously need to decide to make a memory today.

A Refreshing Weekend

This weekend Joel and I had the rare opportunity to spend some time alone. We thought it would be a perfect time since it's Valentine's Day weekend, and also since very soon it will be much harder to find time alone!

Saturday morning we dropped Caleb off with Grandma and Grandpa. I am so glad that Caleb just loves spending time with family members. He doesn't cry when we leave - just happily gives us kisses and waves out the window as we drive away.

Joel and I headed toward the cities to spend some time shopping. Our first stop was Carter's. It's so hard to control myself in that store! We picked out a going-home outfit for our baby boy, along with a couple other things from the clearance rack. Then we had Famous Dave's for lunch - Joel was in heaven!

During the afternoon we spent some more time shopping. We didn't have too much on our list to get, but it was so relaxing to spend as much time as we wanted just looking at whatever. Shopping with a toddler, our focus is to get what we need as quickly as possible and get out. I think now I feel like we have everything we need if baby decided to come today. After most of our shopping was finished, we headed to Caribou to enjoy a coffee date. Oh, how I've missed coffee dates! We each grabbed a drink and sat next to the fireplace to enjoy chatting together for as long as we wanted! For some reason, that atmosphere is so calming and refreshing.

After a little more shopping in the evening, we drove down to Maple Grove to have dinner at Biaggi's. We first ate at a Biaggi's in Moline, IL when we were dating. It is a beautiful and very yummy place! Surprisingly we only had to wait 30 min for a table. It was the perfect way to end a perfect day.

Sunday we slept in a little and enjoyed church together without distracting a 2-year-old through the whole service. We had a lazy afternoon (including naps!) and then went to Joel's parents to enjoy dinner together to celebrate his mom's birthday before bringing Caleb home.

The stress that has accumulated lately concerning money, school, disciplining a toddler, and fatigue during 3rd trimester all just melted away as Joel and I spent that quality time together. Sometimes it's so hard to have great conversations when Caleb is competing for attention, and by the time he's in bed, I'm exhausted! I feel so much closer to Joel, and I also feel more ready to have this baby. Joel has been so great at taking care of Caleb when I need breaks, and checking often to see what he can do for me, but nothing can replace that extended time to just connect again. We've decided to make it more of a priority to have some time alone (maybe one coffee or dinner date a month) to keep this connection strong. It's such an adventure going through each stage of life and figuring out how to adjust relationships and priorities as our family grows. What a joy to have my best friend at my side the entire way!

Girls Night!

Last Thursday some wonderful friends decided to throw a girls pampering night in honor of two preggos being almost ready to give birth. It was a very relaxing evening spent exchanging fun Valentine gifts, encouraging each other, receiving foot and hand spas, and eating some very yummy food! It has been too long since we all got together without any kids, and we really enjoyed hanging out and catching up. Thank you Lord for such wonderful friends!

Due 5 days apart!

Approx. 36 and 37 weeks!

Saturday Thoughts

The count-down is now at four weeks! I just can't wait to meet our second little boy. I want to know what his face looks like, and how much hair he has. I want to introduce him to his big brother, who already adores him. The nursery is almost ready, and it was completely surreal to pick up those newborn clothes and imagine a baby that small! Yes, Caleb was that small, but he's not anymore, so it just seems impossible.

I am still feeling ok for the most part. My feet swell some days, my back cramps up sometimes, but other than that I really can't complain. I think the biggest challenge right now is the crazy hormones messing with my emotions! Poor Joel - he's so patient with me! But I'm sure he's excited to have this all over with too! It's such an amazing joy to watch and feel my little boy squirming around inside me. I never get tired of feeling that movement - even if it's uncomfortable sometimes. What an amazing God we have who created us in such a way that we can have such a strong bond with an unborn child! Thank you Lord for blessing us with this new life!

Caleb is such a typical 2-year-old. His favorite word is "NO!" He is testing every limit. Temper tantrums in Target are not fun. I pray every day for patience, because it is his job to test boundaries so that he can learn how to make decisions and see how they affect his surroundings. And yet, it is so challenging to be a parent! We call him our little sour patch kid, because one minute he is the biggest sweetie ever, and the next, he is hitting, or throwing a fit. This, combined with my crazy emotions, and a high-stress job, sometimes throws me over the edge. Oh Lord, thank you for your Scripture.

Scripture is what brings me peace, and it doesn't matter what form it's in. Today the three of us drove to St. Cloud to get some groceries and necessities. On trips like this, we usually play some good old G.T. and the Halo Express for Caleb to listen to.

Did you ever listen to this growing up? They are fun kids stories with songs that are straight Scripture throughout. I think we listened to four episodes today, and my soul just drank in every Word. The Lord knows exactly what we need.

Weekends are such a wonderful time to spend as a family, and I am especially looking forward to next weekend. Caleb is spending a night with Grandma and Grandpa, and Joel and I will get the rare chance to do some fun shopping, go out to eat alone, and have a date at Caribou. I don't think I've shopped without Caleb in over a year! It will be so nice to get some rejuvenating time as a couple before a second child joins our family!

Random

My grandma gave Caleb this "Kissing Elmo" for Christmas. He loves it, and I love how it has seemed to bring out a compassionate side of Caleb. He takes Elmo for a walk, feeds him a snack, gives him hugs and kisses, puts him to bed, and, as in the picture, takes him for a ride on his truck. It's so cute!

Caleb absolutely loves playing in the snow, so it was fun to have a little warm weather a couple weeks ago so that I could take him out. He goes out at daycare sometimes and also has with my mom a few times, but I hadn't had many chances to play with him outdoors, so I really enjoyed this sunny Saturday afternoon (Jan 15th).