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.

***
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.

***

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.

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.