Micah's First Week

9/11/09 - Micah emailed this picture to his Mimi at work.
It made her cry.

I can't believe my baby is a week old. Ahhhhhh! I wish time would stand still now that he's here. We have been enjoying him so much this week. God not only gave us a beautiful baby but also one whose personality and disposition fits really well with Jamie and me. Micah is content most of the time, and when he's not, it's pretty easy to figure out why. He eats and sleeps well - often in 4 hour stretches at night.

We couldn't have planned Micah's birthday more perfectly, as Jamie was off all week. We have gotten some great family time this week, and thanks to many of our friends, we haven't had to worry about meals. We are all sad that Jamie has to return to work Monday. He is so crazy about that baby! He was really scared leading up to the birth since he had no experience with newborns, but now he holds Micah and changes him with no problems. One day early this week, he peered into Micah's crib and then came and told me, "He's just so precious." I just loved that!

Here are a few stats on Micah's first week:

Eating: He doesn't eat, he dines, normally taking 45 minutes to complete a feeding. My mom calls him "Frenchy" because he takes all day to eat his meals.

Sleeping: He loves being wrapped up in his swaddle blanket. I call him Burrito Baby.

Nicknames: MVP (Daddy bought him an outfit with this logo, so now that's what he calls him) and Squeaky (Mommy calls him this because of how he cries)

Favorite Activities: Nursing, going for walks in the stroller, having Mommy hold me and talk to me, occasionally the bouncy seat and swing

We couldn't have hand picked a more perfect baby for our family.

The Story of Micah

Micah James Orr

We have a baby!!! Teeny little Micah James arrived on Saturday, September 5, at 10:56pm. He weighed 7 pounds and measured 20 inches. He is so darn cute, but then again I guess we are biased. Micah's birth was not quick or easy, but he's healthy, beautiful and we're so in love!

In a twist most ironical, I was told at my doctor's appointment Friday that I was not dilated at all and would probably go a week or more overdue. I was so upset. I went home that afternoon and cried several times, but Jamie was so sweet and suggested several fun things for us to do over the weekend to get my spirits up. Then at 12:45am Saturday morning, I woke to discover my water had broken! We headed to the hospital around 9am and were very pleased to get the labor room and the midwife that we wanted.

Since my water had broken and I was more susceptible to infection, I had to take Pitocin to regulate my contractions. That is the worst drug over, and I had a hellish time with it. I was given some IV pain medicine, but it didn't last long. By afternoon, I had only dilated 1cm and was in terrible pain. I had decided that I would get an epidural, but the nurse and midwife were encouraging me to wait until I was further along. Finally I did get it (took two tries before it worked) and it was the best thing ever! I really started to progress and was ready to push by 9pm.

I pushed well, but by that point several things were working against me: almost 24 hours with no food or sleep, and Micah just didn't want to slide under my pelvic bone. I pushed a solid hour when the midwife suggested we get Dr. Avery to come in and try to turn Micah. He did that, but I still had a lot of work to do. For my mental and my physical health, I needed him out soon. I said as much, and Dr. Avery said, "Well, I can use the vacuum and he'll be born in two pushes." It was a very unpleasant 2ish pushes, but he came out at 10:56pm.

I will say that labor tested my physical and mental capacities beyond anything I've ever experienced before. He was so worth it, though. We just can't get enough of him! Jamie and I left half of our camera equipment at home, but as soon as we get it, we'll upload lots of pictures.

The Present Is Still Wrapped

As I'm sitting on my sofa today trying to will this baby to come out, it occurred to me how all my dreams are coming true. I know that sounds sappy and I'm usually not, but God has really been so gracious to me, not holding back any good gifts. Often I wonder, "Well why?" But then I remember that Christianity has nothing to do with what I deserve (thankfully!). I'm even excited about labor because meeting my child is one of those days I've looked forward to since I was a little girl "mothering" my dolls.

Today I cleaned the whole house. I even moved stuff so that I could vacuum in areas that hadn't been touched in weeks. Jamie said, "Mmmm, Micah's coming." Apparently he's heard about nesting. People are starting to throw out their "labor" day predictions, and unfortunately, most of them are after Labor Day. These predictions were promptly rejected.

I have to give a shout-out to my mom. She makes dinner for us several times a week, calls me everyday to see how I'm doing, and had her hospital bag packed before I finished packing my own. She is so excited about Micah and has been such a great support to us. She told me the other day, "It's like Christmas, and you're bringing everybody a present." Hoping that the next post I write will include a picture of said present.

Sitting On "Go"

We were surprised by a really great weekend! Jamie had a race to score Sunday in Raleigh that had been causing us a lot of stress. Micah's imminent arrival was never far from our minds, but with the midwife's blessing, I decided to travel with Jamie. I knew that if I just sat home waiting for the baby to come, I would go crazy.

We got to Cameron Village Saturday morning to help with pre-registration for a couple of hours. We set up in a shady spot, so I was actually able to help without getting tired or over-heated. We had a great lunch in a nearby deli and then spent the afternoon at Crabtree Valley Mall. I felt great...had a lot of energy...and even bought some fall clothes to wear post-baby. Deciding what size to purchase is such a guess at this point, but I felt good just buying something that wasn't maternity.

After shopping, we had dinner at our favorite restaurant, Bonefish Grill. Sunday morning I got up at 6am to eat breakfast with Jamie, then sent him on his way while I went back to bed. We got home Sunday afternoon, did a few things around the house, then had dinner with Jamie's mom at Outback. Of course, I proceeded to overeat, then thought I was in labor (really just gas pains). I refuse to learn even though the same thing happens nearly every night.

Speaking of night, I get up probably 8 times to use the bathroom. I told Jamie this morning that getting up every three hours to feed the baby will be a breeze compared to this. But several of my mommy friends on facebook told me otherwise :-( In any case, now that the weekend is over, we are so ready for Micah to come! I'm 39 weeks today, so it could be anytime. Micah moves and kicks so much now. I keep telling him, "Dude, there's so much more room out here!"

Hello, Fall!

Me: I'm ready to get my old physical self back.
Jamie: I'm ready for you to get your other self back.
Me: What self is that?
Jamie: Your non-irritable self.

Welcome to week 38. If I could use only one word to describe this pregnancy, it would be normal. That's what I hear every time I go see the doctor: "Everything's normal...baby's a normal size...baby should be born right around his due date...he'll weigh a very normal, average weight...heartbeat is normal." We're so thankful for that! And yet, now that I'm just days from the end, I wouldn't mind if he did something just a little bit abnormal and came early. Some of our friends said to us the other day, "You're both very punctual people, so Micah will probably be punctual, too." I hope he's at least that!

We spent some time at the river this past weekend. On the way, we stopped at Wal-Mart in Washington and got Micah his first Halloween costume. I won't divulge anymore...you'll have to wait for pictures on Oct. 31...but it's so cute! Mommy has already committed to take him out visitin' that day - probably to Covenant to see my co-workers and then to see my parents at their jobs.

Jamie started back school this week, so summer is officially over. I'm really excited about fall, though - it's my favorite season. We were a little nervous about Micah coming on the first day of classes...not too good to miss the first day...but now we're really hoping he comes on Friday, September 4. Jamie is off work for six days straight, so that would be ideal. But as much as I want to plan this thing, I know that I can't...sigh.

Is It Time Yet?

I hate to whine because God knows how blessed I am to be pregnant, but I am so ready for my little boy to be born! My co-workers say I've dropped (yay!), and I think they are right judging from the increased pressure on my bladder the last few days. It's hard with the firstborn to know if the birth is imminent or not. Most days I think, 'I cannot do this another three weeks," but watch me. We've been doing lots of things around the house to get ready for Micah's arrival - boiling passies, pruning bushes, washing bath mats, sort of packing for the hospital, etc. As you can tell, I don't expect we'll be able to do much immediately after he comes, but I may be wrong.

A lot of people have been asking me, "Are you nervous?" Well, I wasn't until people started asking...ha. I look at it like this: I have to be there. And there are drugs available if I need them. I think my excitement about him just overshadows what it will take to get him here.

Speaking of excited...I'm super excited that Angela Blankenship is going to take Micah's first professional photos! My neighbor and I are both expecting within days of each other, so Angela's going to come out and photograph both boys at the same time. We cannot wait - Angela does incredible work!

I'm also excited about a special gift from my husband. He asked at one point if there was anything that would be especially helpful to me once the baby arrives, and I said, "Yes, somebody to clean the house." So, we got somebody! She's actually a good friend who is going to come a couple of times after Micah's born, just until I'm back up on my feet. If you know me, you know that this is better than any piece of jewelry I could ever get. Thank you, Jamie!

Near Term Randomness

My name is Jennifer, and I'm obsessed with buying baby clothes. (in unison..."Hi Jennifer.") My son already has fall clothes - that is, fall 2010 - and more than enough for all seasons in between. Part of the reason is because I just love to buy him clothes, and part of it is that I love a great deal. Like today, I found OshKosh half-price at Target, so I bought him a couple of polos and some pants for next fall. $15 for three pieces. Now I just hope the sizes match up to his age!

Many of you know that Jamie and I completed Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University course this past spring. As we prepare for Micah's arrival, one of Dave's recommendations is that we write a will. Part of the will is deciding who gets Micah if something should happen to both of us. This is a hard decision for us as we have four sets of parents, so we're thinking about just leaving him to Dave. Not only do we agree with his financial wisdom, but we also like how he's parented his own three children. Do you think our parents would be upset about that? We'd love your thoughts ;-)

So I'm ready for the baby to come OUT. We've actually worked out a deal, me and the baby. He can stay in until Monday when he will be considered "term," but after that, it's GAME ON! I've noticed that I take really deep breaths now, probably because my lungs are squished, and most nights I get up 6-8 times to pee. I'm just ready. Aside from being uncomfortable, I'm really ready to see what he looks like and learn his personality. I also bought his passy clip today, so what's holding him back?!?!