Fun Family Time

First I want to make mention and remind you that I'll be changing my blog address to www.our-3-blessings.blogspot.com on Wednesday. So don't forget to update your blog list or favorites, however you find me. :-)

My sister is in town for a week since they are on spring break at home. Her youngest daughter Katelyn will be a year old at the end of this month, so they threw her a family (and one friend) birthday party on Saturday. The cousins especially enjoyed each other. Rebekah and Taylor always hit it off because they are both girls, and Joshua enjoyed both Taylor and Katelyn. He doted on Katelyn some like he does Micah. Katelyn even was interested in Micah as well. It is so fun to watch them enjoy each other. I just wish we all lived closer so we could spend more time together.


Katelyn crawled over to visit Micah.



Carrie made the cake - too cute!



The funny faces of Kate-Kate (or who Joshua calls Kate-Cake)





Playtime!





By late afternoon Rebekah was not acting herself. She was trying to keep up with Rebekah and Joshua, but she was dragging. She even chose to go lay down after an unsuccessful nap for the three-year-olds. She managed to eat a little bit of dinner but soon curled up my in dad's lap under a blanket. It is unlike her to settle down like that unless she is tired or sick. Since Rebekah was finishing up an antibiotic for an ear infection my first thought was that maybe her ear was acting up again. She had a low-grade fever, so Darrin took her to PM Pediatrics to get checked. The doctor said her ear is fine now, but to continue the medicine, and that she has a viral infection. While there they noticed that Rebekah was developing a rash.

Last night, or early this morning, around 3:30 AM Rebekah came crawling in bed with us scared of the dark. As Darrin was getting ready to leave for work at 6:15 he was going to take Rebekah back to her bed. She cried not wanting to go, so I told him he could let her stay. As I kissed her forehead I noticed she was warm to the touch. Her temp had gone back up to about 100.0. Darrin decided to stay home and take her to the pediatrician since not only was her fever back, but her rash was worse. Dr. R. confirmed that this is a virus. Rebekah was really difficult this morning. It was obvious she wasn't feel the best, but throughout the day she has felt better. Her rash also hurt this morning before giving her Tylenol. She has been back to herself this afternoon playing quietly, making paper books, drawing, dressing up, and even asking to make up a fruit salad concoction of cherry yogurt, chopped apples, sliced bananas, and wheat thins. Her temp has been normal all day, so we will see about getting together with my sister again tomorrow. It will really all depend on if she has a fever again and how she is feeling since the rash itself is not contagious. As long as she doesn't have a fever she won't be contagious.

So, if you would say a little prayer for Rebekah. Hopefully no one else will get sick and we can enjoy some more family time before my sister and her family head back home.

One Month

It's hard to believe, but on Monday Micah hit his first month birthday. It seems like he should still be this little newborn. Wasn't he just born? He is starting to grow out of the newborn stage now and looking more like an infant.


At his check-up on Wednesday he weighed 8lbs. 2oz. and was 21 1/2 inches long. He gained a whole whopping two pounds from the time we left the hospital! He is doing great in his milestones as well. He is lifting his head up really well and is even starting to track with his eyes. I noticed one day last week that he would turn his head to follow me with his eyes.

Micah is sleeping well too. He is going about 5-6 hours every night before waking up to feed, and he only wakes once in the night. What a blessing that is! He usually wakes between 2:30 and 3:30 and then the next feeding is the start of his daily routine. He is not on a strict schedule, but he definitely has a routine of sleep, wake and eat, and play time.

Even though this child was definitely a little surprise he has been such a joy and blessing in our family. I am so thankful for our precious baby boy. And even though Rebekah really wanted a sister she is enjoying her baby brother too. The other day as I was holding Micah Rebekah approached me and asked if she could play with him. I laid him on his play mat, and let her enjoy him. Joshua came running behind to join in the fun. It was so precious to see all three of our children enjoy each other! What a blessing that is for a mom to watch!

I have decided to change my blog address. It will be www.our-3-blessings.blogspot.com. The only change will be the number from 2 to 3 to fit our family with 3 children. This will take place on Wednesday. I will post a daily reminder so that you don't forget.

Check-ups and Life with Three

OK, so I need to update my header, but that is the last thing on my mind right now. It's more about sleep and life with a newborn.

We've had a couple of check-ups in the last week or so. Joshua's 3-year check-up was just a few days before Micah's birth. Joshua is 33 lbs. and 38 inches. He is really gaining on big sister who is about 38 lbs. and 44 inches. His build is just rock solid, so he often feels heavier to carry than Rebekah. Joshua had his blood drawn for a CBC (white blood cell count) test as well as a RAST test to determine if he was still allergic to casein, the protein in milk which gave us suspicion for causing his chronic ear infections. Darrin received a call Friday while at the hospital that the test returned negative, so Joshua is no longer allergic to dairy! We are so thrilled! We have decided to reintroduce dairy gradually as if it is a new food for a baby to make sure there is no allergic reaction, so he's not drinking straight milk yet, but he's enjoying all these foods like mac and cheese. Praise the Lord for that report! I am so excited to get to prepare and eat casseroles again!

Micah had his first office visit with the pediatrician yesterday. When we left the hospital he had lost 6 oz. which is right at around 5% of his original birth weight. He has already gained two of those lost ounces back, so he's well on his way to returning to his birth weight. Micah is nursing really well, and my milk has come in which seems to be lasting him a little longer than the colostrum did.

Some of you have been praying for the kids as they adjust to having a new baby brother. I had told you how concerned I was, particularly about Joshua taking to his little brother and dealing with jealousy. Things have gone much more smoothly than I could have dreamed. Rebekah doesn't want to hold Micah as much as I thought she would, however, she loves taking care of him! She is already a little mother hen, and she prides in the opportunity to watch him for a couple of minutes while Darrin and I tend to other things. She has already determined and learned that she can give Micah a paci if he starts to cry. Micah has fallen in love with the hospital paci, and Rebekah will put her thumb or finger inside it and hold it in his mouth to soothe him.

Likewise, Joshua is all about his baby brother! He loves to hold him or just look at him. Every morning when he gets out of bed he has to go see Micah. He is totally in love with his brother; it is so precious! Joshua has had a few meltdowns which could be related to Micah, but overall, I've been really pleased with how Joshua has taken to him.

Now, I just hope all this love and the kids have for Micah does not wear off! I'm concerned Rebekah will tire of helping out with him, but I'll take what I can get for now. Hopefully it will last a good while.

Here are a few pics of our last full day at the hospital, going home (well, visiting the kids at my parents' first), and spending time together as a family at home.

Little MAC

Soon after my last post Dr. Harnsberger arrived to break my water. It was great timing because my contractions were already around 5 minutes apart and regular, so my body was starting to go into labor on its own, but with a little help. It took a while for my cervix to reach 6 cm and 90% effaced. After a while I felt like my epidural was starting to wear off, so I called for extra. One of my nurses checked me to discover I was 7 cm. She left to see about extra medicine, but my next contraction hurt a lot more, and another nurse came in to find me complete! It was 5:50 PM, and Dr. Harnsberger was scheduled to be off at 6:00! I got a little extra medicine and then started pushing. Dr. Harnsberger came in at 5:55, and Micah was born after about 3-4 pushes. It was an amazing experience! I had really hoped for a similar delivery as Rebekah's, and it was even better. I only labored for about 3 1/2 hours, and I got the perfect VBAC.

I've been thanking God so much for His allowing me to have such a great delivery and that I could avoid another C-section. I am also so thankful that my OB got to deliver. Another OB from the practice was on his way to perform the VBAC, and although I'm sure he would have been fine, I really wanted Dr. H. to do it. We had a special moment afterwards when Dr. H. prayed with us over Micah and our raising him.





Dr. H. praying over Micah





We had the option of letting Micah go to the nursery for his newborn tests and bath while I move to a mother/baby/recovery room or stay in the labor & delivery room while they transition the baby in the same room. I opted for the latter so that Micah could stay in the room with us. It put moving me to a recovery room late that night, but it was so worth having him in the room for those 2+ hours instead of being separated from him.

In the meantime, my parents brought the kids over to meet their baby brother and to spend some time with us for a little while. Rebekah was very interested in looking at Micah, but she didn't want to hold him. Both the kids seemed more interested in hanging out with me, although Joshua was intrigued with Micah as well. Both the children did give their brother a quick little kiss, and Joshua held him with me. They are looking forward to seeing Micah again today, so that is encouraging.





Our little "MAC" - Micah Andrew Church. He was 6lbs. 7oz. and 18 3/4 inches long.

The Waiting Game

Please excuse any typos...I have a monitor on my finger keeping track of my heart rate.

Yesterday morning I woke around 4:00 with contractions. I couldn't sleep, although the contractions were not regular. I had a hunch our baby boy could arrive that day, but I wasn't sure. Darrin decided to take off work for the rest of the week, and we got up and ready in case we needed to head to the hospital. Contractions reduced significantly, so we just waited it out throughout the day.

I had a pedicure scheduled, and I really wanted to get my toes done before having to go to the hospital. When I got out of the shower Darrin asked me if I was nervous. I told him that I just really wanted to get my pedi in before Micah's birth. We had a good laugh about that.

As the day went on I had some more contractions, although they were pretty sporadic. They calmed down overnight, although I had to get up in the night due to discomfort and pain.

This morning I was having a fair amount of pressure and some pain along with sporadic contractions. Sometimes I'd have them 5 minutes apart and later it would be 30 minutes before I had another one. Darrin and I felt it would be best to go see the doctor to be checked. Dr. Harnsberger found me to be 3 cm dilated and 80% effaced. He believed I would go into labor tonight. We had the option of waiting it out and having another doctor deliver our baby or being induced. We really wanted Dr. H. to deliver Micah, plus with the rainy weather Darrin didn't want to risk having to fight traffic and all. My parents were already picking up the kids from preschool, and we were already prepared to go straight to the hospital. Darrin and I prayed about it, and we decided to go on to be induced.

Since then we were able to eat lunch, and I have been prepped for delivery. Contractions have increased on their own, although I have not progressed any, so they have started pitocin to help things along. My epidural has kicked in as well, so I'm not feeling much pain at all during contractions, and they are continuing to feel more like pressure than anything.

So now we just wait on Dr. H to break my water and for our precious baby boy to arrive. We are looking forward to meeting our new son soon.

38 Weeks

Wednesday marked 38 weeks in my pregnancy. It's so hard to believe that we are approaching the day of Micah's arrival. My parents were so wonderful to come over to my house and help get things ready for the big day yesterday. I dropped the kids off at preschool, and they came to the house and worked in Joshua's and Micah's room. My dad cleaned out, organized, and boxed Joshua's clothes that he has outgrown that were still hanging in his closet, and he hung some things on the wall for me as well, while my mom worked on pulling out Joshua's baby bedding, working on the new bedding, laundry, and some general housework. I did housework in the meantime.

My dad picked up the kids from preschool and brought them home. When Rebekah saw her Granddaddy (knowing full well he was going to pick her up) she made a bee-line to him so excited to see him. It's not often that he or my mom pick up the kids from preschool, so it is a real treat for them when the opportunity arises.

The boys' room is coming together really nicely! My mom is stitching up the bed skirt (twin size) to fit the crib, and I still need to do the boys' names with letters on the wall as well as wash some more baby clothes. We will continue to work on that on Sunday evening while the kids and Darrin are at AWANA. I am so grateful that my parents are helping out so much!

Darrin has also been busy helping around the house, installing car seats, and cleaning out the van. It is a blessing to have a husband take care of so much for me at this time. Of course, he's a great dad overall, and he's been wonderful to take care of the kids in the evenings when I am wiped out.

Last Monday I had a check-up with my OB. I get really nervous at times because I have some swelling in my feet, legs, and sometimes hands. It is normal pregnancy swelling, however, with my history of pre-eclampsia with Joshua I am more on edge about it. For the past two weeks I have asked my doctor about it. He has assured me that everything is fine and normal. My blood pressure is very good, and I have lack of protein in my urine, which indicates no pre-e as of now. Lately we had been taking it a week at a time, but now I feel like it's a day at a time. Technically, Micah could come any day, however, the doc thinks it will be sometime late this next week.

The baby's head is pretty far down into my pelvis now. He's around a station -1 (as of Monday) and has been putting some pressure on my cervix, so it's beginning to thin. I had not dilated much since my previous visit, however, but that does not indicate much. I'm beginning to have some very mild contractions this week - nothing alarming. I had multiple contractions per day with Joshua a few weeks before his due date, so we'll just see what happens this time around. Other than that I am feeling pretty good. I am staying busy, and people, including my mom, wonder how I am able to keep going like I do. I take lots of breaks, but I keep moving. By afternoon I am pretty tired and don't feel like doing much, but I continue to take the children to their weekly activities, and will do so until the big day arrives.

I even hosted a Mother/Daughter Tea Party today for a couple of our friends and their daughters, friends of Rebekah, which I'll post about later. I think people thought I was crazy for planning it so close to Micah's birth, but I had to wait until after Joshua's birthday, and this was the first available date we had. It was so worth it, though, and we had a lot of fun!

Now, if I can fit a pedicure in before Micah's delivery, that would be great!

Update on My Pregnancy

So, it's been a while...again. I finally gave my blog a fresh, new look to take it into winter, so now it doesn't feel out of season. Maybe I can stay better on top of it now that I feel like it's up-to-date in its look.

Today marks 35 weeks of pregnancy. It's hard to believe! I only have about five weeks left before our new bundle of joy will arrive, and we will have THREE blessings in our family. Darrin and I have tossed around names and just could not make up our minds. I leaned toward one name while Darrin leaned toward another. We finally came to a compromise, and our new baby boy is going to be called Micah Andrew. His initials will spell M.A.C. which is a little nickname we have been calling him for the three top names we had for a first name: Micah, Andrew, and Caleb. I am in love with the name Micah, and Darrin really likes Andrew, so we're using them both instead of a family name for the middle name as we have done in the past. So, it looks like MAC is going to stick, but that will be our little pet name for him around the house.

Almost three weeks ago I got to have a 4D ultrasound. We thought Micah was not going to cooperate because his back was actually facing us in the images, but he finally turned, and we got some decent shots. The tech offered to allow us to come back again since the fluid around his face was not as much as it could be, but by the time my next appointment was approaching, his head was settling down pretty low into my pelvis where the fluid was even less prominent. So, I just decided to cancel my second appointment and settle for the photos I did get, which weren't bad. In the first photo you can see his leg and knee pulled up to his face.




I also made the big decision to go for the VBAC. It was a difficult decision to switch doctors, but I really love my new OB, and with each visit the more I like him. I am getting really excited about trying for a VBAC as well. My doc told me the other day that he and another OB in the practice believe I am a PERFECT candidate. I pray all goes well and that my recovery will be smooth, especially with having two older children to care for in the meantime.

I am feeling pretty well lately. I get tired, so I take frequent rests, I'm on an Rx for acid reflux, but other than that I am feeling pretty good. I feel big, although I don't really look it. The baby is measuring small, although not small for my kids. Micah will probably weigh around 6 lbs. or so, right about on target with Rebekah, although smaller than Joshua. Of course, you never really know until the baby is delivered.

Rebekah is pretty excited about having a new baby in the house. She came up with some ideas that she can do to help out, such as dressing him and such. I am more concerned about Joshua. He is such a "Momma's Boy", cuddles a lot in my belly and chest, and wants to act like a baby himself sometimes. I know it will be harder on him, so I'm going to really try to focus on including him during feeding times and give him extra attention when his baby brother is sleeping.

I will close for now and return with updates on what the kids are doing these days. There's just too much to share in one post!

Please comment if you're still reading! I'm so sorry it's been a while since my last update. I hope to still have an audience with whom to share our adventures.

Our weekend

Rebekah was supposed to have her birthday party with her friends on Saturday, but we ran into a roadblock. Friday evening my parents came to the house to give Rebekah her gift. It was already getting late for dinner, and neither of the kids were eager to eat. They finally did eat, but not much. Rebekah looked rather peaked by the time my parents left. I figured she was just really tired from all the birthday celebrations and adrenaline from the past couple of days.

The next morning Rebekah acted really tired. She laid down on the couch to watch cartoons with Joshua and ended up falling asleep. Wow! She must be really tired! Not long after she started vomiting. We spent that morning getting Rebekah and everything around her cleaned up, taking care of her, calling the location of the party for reschedule, and calling parents of our guests.

Rebekah felt much better by the afternoon, but we opted to keep her home on Sunday morning from church as well even though she never had a fever. My mom offered to keep Rebekah for us so Darrin and I could attend church together. When Joshua woke up he was acting rather abnormal, unlike himself. He was more testy than usual, and he just didn't seem right. Since my mom was already keeping Rebekah we decided to let Joshua stay home as well. After church my mom informed us that he had diarrhea, and when Darrin check his temperature he discovered Joshua had a low-grade fever. We were so thankful we had kept him home!

Rebekah was tired most of Sunday, but by the time she got a fair amount of food on her stomach she was feeling back to normal. We decided to let her attend Cubbies while my mom kept Joshua again that night. Rebekah attended preschool yesterday while Joshua stayed home with me. He was still sick with a low-grade fever and not eating as much as normal. However, he wasn't thrilled about missing preschool after I dropped Rebekah off through the car line, but he calmed down quickly on the way home.

As of last night, Joshua still had a low-grade fever. If he is still sick this morning I will call the doctor. I'm thinking it is probably just a little bug he has, but today will make it day 3, so I want to be pre-cautious as well.

Good news, however!!! Today at nearly 17 weeks we are going to see the OB and should find out if the kids are having a little brother or a little sister! Be watching for the big announcement! I had accidentally scheduled for last Monday when the kids were in preschool and then remembered I wanted them to go with us and find out when we do, especially Rebekah. When I was pregnant with Joshua Rebekah went with us to see the ultrasound and see that we were having a baby, so I wanted Joshua to have this experience as well, but since he's been sick he won't be going with us this time. However, I'm really glad that Rebekah will go with us to find out what her little sibling will be.

So, what do you think? Do you think it will be a boy or a girl? I really don't have an inkling this time other than that Rebekah had prayed for a baby sister before we even got pregnant. I will be happy with either another daughter or another son. I love having both a girl and a boy, and they each have their special advantages. So, I leave you guessing until next time.