Unto Us A Child Was Born

I've noticed something lately that kinda blows my mind. It seems that moms I know who have 2+ children seem to get a lot more done than I do with my one. These other moms I know are throwing holiday parties, making home baked goodies for neighbors, doing really cool activities with their children, etc. Reality is a lot different in the Orr household. I really want to do these things, and I tend to beat myself up when I can't. I'm so scatter brained right now that Jamie had to remind me what I was bringing for Christmas lunch...and it was only one thing! I hardly remembered gifts for all my family this year, let alone friends that we usually exchange with. I feel like I'm just getting by - trying to do it all and coming up miserably short - and this Christmas was no exception.

Christmas is normally a three day affair in our home because Jamie and I have four sets of parents between us. We were really excited about Micah's first Christmas, but I knew that his schedule - which we normally love and live by - might backfire against us during this busy time. We spend Christmas Eve at my dad's house, and as usual, Micah was ready for bed around 7:30. I couldn't calm him down from all the excitement of the evening, and then he wanted nothing to do with his travel crib. And when he cries (which he did, rather loudly, for a rather long time), half the crowd wants me to stick a boob in his mouth, and nearly everyone wants a turn at trying to calm him. Needless to say, Micah got a lot of feedings the last couple of days (some of them were simply to shush everybody up), and I feel exhausted both physically and emotionally. In some ways, this was the best Christmas ever because Micah's here, but in other ways I feel like I missed it. While trying to be the perfect mom raising the perfect baby, I missed the part about it being Somebody's Birthday. I was too busy trying to...well, I don't really know what.

Tonight, Jamie and I were talking about how I set unrealistic expectations for my family, and that only leads to failure. But I do want to achieve that perfect balance in my life, which I perceive is true of so many of my friends. And it's driving me crazy. Maybe this is God's way of humbling me. Me, Mrs. super organized, babysitter to many, reader of parenting books, lover of children, is really just a novice afterall.

Finally!

"Baby Llama, what a tizzy! Sometime's Mama's very busy. Please stop all this llama drama and be patient for your mama." - Llama, Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney

This is my fourth effort at writing a post lately. It seems like every time I sit down to do it, we have some "llama drama." Micah is three months old now. I can't believe how quickly time flies. A few updates on him...we don't have a 3-month doctor's appointment, but I would guess he weighs around 12 pounds. He's in 3-6 month clothes, sleeps 9-10 hours straight at night, and eats about every three hours during the day. We still use a lot of props for naps - rocking, swinging, bouncy seat - that are totally my fault. He goes down so well at night, though, that I tend to excuse/tolerate the other stuff.

Micah is so much fun lately! He smiles and squeals, loves to practice rolling over and likes when I grab his hands and help him go from laying to sitting. Gifts are such an afterthought to me this Christmas, as I really treasure the "gift" of my son and spending time with the family. My dad and step-mom are taking everyone to Disney World for Christmas, a trip that Jamie and I had to pass up due to Micah's arrival. But we have an IOU for a trip when he's older, and we can't wait!

Now that I have a child, I've found myself becoming much more mindful about the TV I watch, the music I listen to in the car, etc. There are so many influences that we can control, and I want to make sure Micah's being exposed to the right stuff. I love watching 18 Kids and Counting, and although we don't share all of their convictions (I don't really like skirts), I think they do a great job of championing family values. Popular culture now dubs certain things "family friendly" that clearly are not. Take Carrie Underwood's "family-friendly" holiday special on TV this week. After her first number, Jamie said, "Is she wearing pants or did they just paint her legs black?" Anyway...

Wishing everyone a very merry Christmas! God is good, and we look forward to celebrating the birth of His son!

Still Cute!

I feel like I won the lottery with this babe. Not that we don't have our moments. Naps have, unfortunately, been on his terms lately, which makes getting work done (or laundry, or housekeeping, etc.) difficult. Right now he's asleep in the swing...not a habit I wanted to start, but sometimes I just gotta get stuff done! He's just so precious and we're already talking about a second one. My friend Melissa told me shortly after Micah's birth that I would be surprised at how soon I would start to want more children. I didn't believe her, even though she'd had a delivery experience similar to mine. But right she was. It'll probably be a couple years still, but at least I'm game now.

Micah's doing really well at 9 weeks. He loves when people talk to him, especially my mom. She has a really animated voice, and when she talks Micah's eyes get so bright and he grins. He also loves noise. He sleeps and behaves best when surrounded by chaos. He definitely has his preferences...for instance, he prefers "fountain" drinks over bottles. And he likes lots of attention. Lots.

Micah had his first set of shots last week. I felt like such a deceitful mom. He was in such a good mood that day...smiling and cooing at Dr. Erwin...totally unaware of what was coming. When the first shot went in, he did one of those silent cries, silent because you can't catch your breath. Broke my heart! I have to keep reminding myself that catching any one of the illnesses that we're trying to protect him against would be worse than one bad day.

2 month stats:
10 pounds, 13 ounces
24 inches
Eating every 2.5-3.5 hours between 6:30am and 10pm
Still cute!

I Can Breathe Again

So serious!

Seven weeks have gone by so fast! I finally feel like my head is above water.

Our sweet little Micah has had some struggles over the last few weeks. He was screaming through some of his feedings, among other things, so I took him to the doctor after he went almost an entire day crying and not sleeping. Dr. Phillips diagnosed reflux, and the medicine we got finally started working after a week.

We've also had some sleep struggles. They probably won't seem like struggles to most parents of newborns, but since Micah usually doesn't wake up more than once a night, we started worrying when he was getting up more often. Naps were also hit or miss. I started to wonder if BabyWise was really working. But now that we're in our 8th week, I can really see it paying off. Micah started sleeping through the night again this weekend - last night he went from 9:30pm-5:30am then went back to sleep until 7:30am. Now it's 9am and he's napping. I'm wondering whose child this is and what they did with Micah. Of course, tomorrow can (and probably will) be totally different. I also can't underestimate the power of the swaddle wrap for calming Micah and helping him fall asleep. My friend, Melissa, introduced us to this, and it's my new favorite gift to give at baby showers. Love. It.

I'm sad that my little baby is getting so big, but as he gets older, we're also enjoying him more. He smiles now and seems a little more interested in his toys. Last week he moved from his bassinet into his "big boy" crib. We're also getting really excited about sharing the holidays with him. I even broke down and paid (almost) full price for a Christmas outfit at Gymboree. Next weekend Jamie's dad (a photographer) will be in town, so look forward to some new pictures of Micah!

A Week of Fabulous Firsts

Micah's first beach trip - October 3, 2009

So guess what Micah did Thursday and Friday night? He slept through the night, yes he did! We are so thrilled! Granted, he eats like he's storing up for the winter during the early evening, but it's so worth it to get a 6-7 hour block of sleep. I don't know how much of it is him (remember, I prayed for a good sleeper) or how much of it is training. We feed him every 2.5-3 hours during the day, even if we have to wake him, and we make sure he has a wake time after feedings before going down for a nap. These are the basic principles of Baby Wise, and although I don't really understand how, they really do help with nighttime sleep!

Another first this week...we introduced a bottle. Micah has had three bottles now and does great. Of course, he'd prefer his beverage from the fountain versus the bottle (who wouldn't?), but we now have a lot more freedom in our schedule. For instance, last night we were able to go out to dinner with my parents, and I didn't have to plan around Micah's feeding time since I was able to take a bottle (I'm not really studdin' breast feeding in a restaurant).

We're still dealing with some evening fussiness. We've decided that we have a pretty cute demanding baby. He's not one to just sit in the swing for 30 minutes so I can fold a load of laundry. He likes to be entertained, and in the evening we have to work extra hard at this as he also has gas. Mylicon drops (medicine for babies with gas) are like putting a band-aid on an arm that's hanging off, but we know this is just a stage :-)

My 1 month stats:
9 pounds, 4 ounces
22 inches long
very cute!

A Few Confessions...

1 month old!

In honor of Micah's 1-month birthday.

- I occasionally plan my baby's feeding schedule around my favorite shows. That way I'm guaranteed to see the first 30 mins. uninterrupted.
- Sometimes we sing lullabies, and sometimes we sing other things. On Sunday night, Micah got several verses from Baby Got Back.
- I've been known to tell people that we have a very good baby. He's then been known to scream all day.
- I love being a mom, but sometimes I miss my independence and my "free" time.
- I insisted I would never put my baby in bed with us, but at 6 a.m., I'll do anything for one more hour of sleep.
- This morning Micah peed on the changing table, creating a stream that went over his head and sprinkled all about his face and mouth. Not exactly the breakfast we had in mind for him.
- I LOVE having a baby boy.
- At this point, I feel our family is complete and don't know for sure that we'll have more children. I also haven't forgotten my labor experience yet. I had a dream nightmare this weekend that the doctors told me they were going to put Micah back inside of me and make me deliver without medicine.

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IMAGE COMING

Me holding Kendall, circa 1996.
She (and her siblings) were my favorite kids to babysit.

Kendall holding baby Micah, 10/4/09

Half A Second...

...that's about how long I have to write this post.

I thought when I became a SAHM (stay at home mom) that I would be able to take care of Micah and get tons of things done around the house, including updating this blog weekly. I was wrong. I'm so busy that I don't know how I'll be able to work the 8 hours/week I've promised Covenant starting in two weeks! I do have to brag on Micah, though. He is such a good baby! He is struggling lately with gas, but other than that he's pretty content. Whenever we go out, people tell me how small he is, but all I can see is how much he has grown since his birth. We're guessing he's between 8 and 9 pounds now.

Here are a few Micah facts...

He has responded very well to the principles in Baby Wise and Happiest Baby on the Block. Most nights he goes to bed at 10:30, wakes up to eat at 3:30 and wakes up for the day around 6:30. I prayed specifically for a good sleeper, so praise God!

He LOVES to be swaddled.

Some of his favorite activities include watching his mobile, being held, and of course eating, sleeping and pooping.

So far (knock on wood) he has been really good when we've taken him out places (except for one tantrum in Target). He loves noise and he loves movement - shopping cart, stroller, car, etc.

And here are a few things Jamie and I have been up to...

I recently started a new Bible study at church called MotherWise...Micah goes with me, and I'm really enjoying it so far. Just wish I could find the time to do all the homework...

Jamie and I have gone out on several dates so far...once to breakfast and several times to have lunch and run errands. I just got a cute new "dress up" outfit, so hopefully we can have a dinner date soon.

Last week we started back with our couple's group on Thursday nights. This semester we're doing a John Ortberg study on spiritual disciplines. We really enjoy hanging out with the other couples...I missed them so much when we were on our summer/baby hiatus.

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We were so blessed to receive meals from friends the first three weeks of Micah's life. Now that the food has stopped coming, Jamie and I are considering sending out another sign-up sheet ;-) Seriously, we so appreciated not having to cook these last few weeks.