Noah Day 2

 

These are just a few of the hundreds of pictures I have taken in the last 24 hours of my newest baby. I am loving getting some one on one time with just him in the hospital and getting a bit of a break from running after my toddler. Its nice to relax and get treated special because hello I did just push a baby out! I still can't believe I did it again, its amazing even the second time around. 

Hanging At The Hospital.

We are on a mini vacation staying at the hospital. We had never left Max for the night and I have really never left him for more then a few hours to its been a nice little break from the madness of chasing a toddler. Larry and I have had lots of time to hang out watch movies and Larry keeps bringing me whatever food I want. I love spending time with him, we even sleep in the hospital bed together...maybe I should just keep having babies to get this alone time together :)

Noah is so sweet and little and I am completely overwhelmed with the amount of love I already have for him. He has soft pink/yellow {thanks jaundice} skin and dark brown hair. He makes little old man scowls and we can't really tell what color his eyes are, they are pretty dark so I am sure they will be brown like Larry's. He is a great little nurser when he decided to actually wake up and eat and has the longest fingers and toes. He has some jaundice issues but with some supplement and nursing we are hoping he will poop and pee really good and won't have to go under the lights..we shall see. Apparently really small babies that are less active in utero tend to get jaundice as well as genetics so he is following in Max's footsteps.

I am pretty nervous to go home and to take care of two babies. Max is such a little tornado I am nervous that he will hurt the baby and that I won't be able to take care of both of them the way they deserve. I know the only saving grace is that my mom is with me and I know that she will be able to give Max the love and attention he needs until I can get everyone on a good schedule. Larry has been in heaven with a couple days off. He had to go take a quiz the night Noah was born and went to the office for a couple hours this morning but overall he has gotten a little break and been able to bond with Noah. He is such a great dad and I am so in love with him, and so glad we are in this together!

Our Newest Arrival...

Noah Dean Harris

March 28, 2012 11:13 am

6 pounds, 4 ounces

19 3/4 inches

He is here! He made his arrival in speedy time. It was such a great low key amazing delivery. The Dr. broke my water around 7:20 and pretty quick after I started to have intense regular contractions. I got my epideral at 9:00 and was happy as can be. At 10:45 I felt that I was ready to push and my amazing Dr. came right in broke down the bed and said we were ready to go. I pushed for 10 minutes about 5 times and out he came! It was so great having Larry by my side, making jokes and chit chatting about Harry Potter. It really was so nice, quick, and easy! I feel so blessed and extremely grateful to have had these great deliveries, it leaves me wanting more and feeling so amazing that my body just created and pushed out another little human.

He is a tiny little guy with brown peach fuzz and long skinny fingers. He seems so little and every time he cries I feel a little anxious because I don't know what he wants or needs yet. Even though I've done this before it feels all new again. He latched on pretty well so hopefully I make some good milk and he is inclined to want to eat, the feedings are always the thing that stresses me the most. I am falling in love already and am so grateful to have a healthy baby. I feel an out pouring of blessings from my heavenly father for giving us this special untimely little gift, I think he knew what I needed more then I did with having this sweet second baby so soon after Max. I love that we are a family of 4 and need to remember that through all the challenges these memories and family relationships are the only things that really matter.

Welcome to the world little Noah! More pictures to come!

My Thoughts On Motherhood...

"Let every mother realize that she has no greater blessing than the children which have come to her as a gift from the Almighty; that she has no greater mission than to rear them in light and trust, and understanding and love; that she will have no greater happiness than to see them grow into young men and women who respect principles of virtue, who walk free from the stain of immorality and from the shame of delinquency.... I remind mothers everywhere of the sanctity of your calling. No other can adequately take your place. No responsibility is greater, no obligation more binding than that you rear in love and peace and integrity those whom you have brought into the world."-- Gordon B. Hinckley

I love this quote and I thought it was fitting for the events about to unfold in my very boring but wonderful life. Tomorrow morning is the big day. I will be a mother of two if everything goes good tomorrow with my induction. I am so happy to be done with this pregnancy and to meet the little guy coming into our lives. I have had bitter sweet feelings about it all day as I played with Max and took care of him. I feel bad for him having no clue what is happening. Tomorrow night will be the first night I have left him and really it will be the longest time we have ever spent apart, I usually only leave him for 2 maybe 3 hours. Its going to be rough on him and on me. I get upset thinking about leaving my sweet little baby and then bring another one home...its weird, exciting, emotional all in one big package. Anyway wish me luck, for some reason I am a lot more nervous the second time around then the first time :) I keep praying its quick and painless like the last and that everything goes smooth, and that he is healthy and happy little boy!

Maybe an overload of Max?

Yesterday was a beautiful day so naturally we spent most of it outside playing with all of Max's balls. It was so sunny I even got sunburnt. For some reason I applied a hefty amount of sunscreen on Max's face but didn't think twice about mine, bad move. Anyways I tried to snap some pictures of Max and he totally knew I was trying to so he refused to look at me. Its so funny how such a little person can develop certain attributes in his personality at such a young age. He played ball for a good 2 hours. I keep thinking good thing he is getting a little brother that can be his new ball boy eventually because I get balled out after about an hour of it. I do love though that he is easily entertained and that he loves being outside, it's a good quality instead of wanting to watch TV, plus we can't waste the beautiful California sunshine being inside...right!

Don't you just love that he is wearing no pants and those salt water sandals are to die for? I could seriously eat his cute little feet up. And don't worry my child usually wears pants they had just gotten really wet from playing in buckets of water earlier and he insisted they be taken off. Can't you just imagine me trying to get him to look at the camera and he is consciously ignoring me? So great right?

Feeling Big and Blue

I am still pregnant, and frustrated about it! I am still dilated to a 4 and just waiting. Its really fine except I can't go anywhere because it could happen at anytime. My mom had planned a girls day down in fresno today to do crafts, eat, and then have a baby shower for one of my cousins...I honestly thought I would be able to go when we set the date a few months ago not knowing I would be so far along at 38 weeks pregnant. Well sadly I didn't get to go after Larry putting his foot down and my Dr. putting some common senese into me yesterday at my appointment. I kinda fell apart last night when my mom was getting things ready though, I think its just those postpartum hormones gearing up. I feel like I will be pregnant forever and stuck at a 4 forever as well as getting fatter by the day. The one good thing is my dr. said if I don't have this baby this week she scheduled my induction for next wednesday. So even though there is an end sight and having a baby a week early is great I am still tired and ready for this pregnancy to be ending. I think its really just because I've had so many contractions and false alarms these last 5 weeks! Hopefully the blue and big feelings will subside when I hold that sweet little newborn any second now!

21 Month Old Max

{Don't mind the blurry pics, story of my life with him}

Loves To:

Run, jump, skip, hop, gallop

Be outside always

Jump in his crib for a solid hour sometimes

Take baths

Play in and with water

Play with ALL balls, or things that look like balls

Help mom fill the dishwasher,put the soap in, and turn it on

Unfold clean laundry

Climb anything

Scream loud

Watch Curious George

Play on his slide

Run outside in the dark

Go on walks with mom

Peal oranges

Chase turkeys that come in the backyard

Give his baby dolls kisses

Destroy the kitchen while I cook

Hates To:

Be told no

Brush his teeth

Hold still for more then one second

Get his nose wiped

Have no one to play with

Be left behind when someone is going somewhere

Come inside after playing outside all day

Eat his vegetables

Have help doing anything

Get out of the bath

Get dressed

At 21 months Max is such a toddler boy its pretty awesome. He is a busy little thing that is non stop from sun up till sun down. Thank goodness he still takes a long afternoon nap to rest and recuperate from all his wildness of the morning and to gain more energy for the afternoon play. He is smart and watchful and will try to do everything you do like turn on the stove when mom is going to the bathroom. {yes this happened, and no I never go to the bathroom alone anymore} He loves to play rough, be tossed around and he is so independent. He says no to me way to many times a day and pushes me away when I try to help him. He can play with puzzles pretty well, open & shut doors, move chairs, climb almost anything and is pretty fearless. Everyday is a race chasing after him, playing with him, and trying to teach and discipline him. I get exhausted just thinking about it sometimes. He is amazing and I love to watch him grow and learn. He has recently started to say more and more words that I can actually understand, and has taken a big interest in different animals we see on our walks. Being his mom is pretty great.

The Trouble With Kids...

Okay so I am feeling a bit frustrated at the moment with my sweet little Max. The trouble with kids and toddlers in general is that they are always changing. Its a good thing right... learning, developing, its all great. Except when you are standing infront of your child as he is going nuts and are clueless as to who this little monster child is and where he came from. I don't know if the dumb time change has him off his rocker or if he can feel the big change in the air at any moment of the arrival of his little brother. He has been so fussy, hyper, and his amazing sleep schedule is way off right now. I have to keep telling myself its a phase and he will grow past it...or maybe he is teething {those 2yr molars are a killer} so here is some tylenol to make you sleep :) He says NO with way too much sass and has literally turned into a monster at times...I keep looking at him and thinking OH NO have I done this to you? But then he will do something sweet like pat my back or kiss me so who knows toddlers are crazy.

Whats the best thing to get right before you give birth??

Oh thats right a UTI!

I woke up at 4 am on Thursday with strong sporadic contractions. I decided to take a shower, get ready, and then decided if I wanted to go to L&D. The contractions stopped and I went on with my day then later that night they were back but along with it came that feeling...you know the feeling of having to pee one billion times with no liquid there. I proceeded to go to sleep and woke up around 5 am with strong contractions and felt like maybe my water had broken...I decided to call my dr. around 8:00am and slightly mentioned the peeing problem. Sure enough after a long morning at the office {poor Larry I made him miss work and come with me) it was decided that my water was still intact but I indeed did have a UTI. I was checked dilated at a 4 and was put on antibiotics and sent on my marry way with a follow up for Monday which hopefully I have the baby by then or we will be scheduling my induction :) Either way I am so exhausted and ready for this little guy to come because waking up at all hours of the night with a sweet newborn is 100 times better then having a UTI. Such an awesome day. The best part of the morning was my dr. going through the steps of how to catch/deliver the baby if Larry needed to do it haha his face was pretty classic.

Rain Rain Go Away!

Its been rainy the last couple days and we are going stir crazy around here. Yesterday I got so desperate for our usual long walks that I went to the mall with my mom and walked up and down the mall pushing Max in his stroller for an hour...it was a good workout and we didn't stop once to look at anything. The workers must of thought we were crazy. Its pretty hard to be cramped up in the house all day especially when you are use to sending your very busy toddler out side to run and jump and play. Max did manage to escape for a little while and run outside in his socks which he loved, and ended up getting 2 baths. I am going nuts cooped up but feel like I can't go anywhere because I could go into labor at any moment. I hate having zero control over this especially because I am such a control freak. I have hard contractions for about and hour and then they vanish its frustrating and a little un-nerving when you alone all day with a toddler. Anyways lets hope to some sunnier days a head and hopefully this waiting game will be over soon enough, cross your fingers for me!

Full Term!

I made it 37 weeks! Had a Dr. appointment this morning. This pregnancy has been very interesting and similar/different then Max's. My fluid is looking low but still in normal range so that is good and baby looks like a tiny little thing similar to Max's size hopefully. My Dr. says I am almost 100% effaced and dilated to a good 3 :) All those contractions and long walks are paying off. She stripped my membranes and told me if I feel anything unusual or some strong contractions to RUN not walk to the hospital because the head is so low she thinks its going to be a speedy birth similar to Max. I had my usual ultrasound and NST baby sounded good but wasn't moving too much but they think its because he is so low in the birth canal he can't really move a whole lot. Hopefully my body will kick it into high gear and we can have this baby this week! If not then my Dr. said she would schedule an induction for the week of the 26th so I don't end up having the baby in the car. So at least I know 2 weeks from now I will not be pregnant anymore...but I am crossing my fingers that stripping my membranes did the trick and he makes he arrival in a hospital bed this week. For those of you who do not know there is a history of rapid births in my family and being that my first delivery was unusually fast the second can be even more so, like my Dr. said second babies are notorious for being delivered places they should not be for example the car :)

Anyways here I am in all my glory with a full term little baby boy, Max & Larry.

{Notice how Max will not stay still at all}

Deadly Cookies.

These cookies no doubt are the reason I have gained like 5 pounds in one day. I am sad to admit I ate 5 of these bad boys today. I am using the really good excuse of the fact that I am only going to be pregnant for a little longer and I work out everyday which I do but still there really is not a good excuse, BUT these cookies might be the exception!

Soft & Chewy Snickerdoodles

Ingredients
1 3/4 cups sugar (12.25 oz), divided
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 1/2 cups (12.5 oz) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt*
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter* (not margarine) at room temp
8 tablespoons vegetable shortening
2 large eggs
*if using salted butter, just omit table salt

Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon in shallow dish and set aside. Whisk flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt together in medium bowl.

Beat butter, shortening, and remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3-6 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping down bowl as needed.

Reduce speed of mixer to low and slowly add flour mixture until combined, about 30 seconds. Give dough final stir to ensure that no flour pockets remain.

Working with 2 tablespoons of dough at a time, roll into balls. Working in batches, roll dough balls in cinnamon sugar mixture to coat and set on prepared baking sheet spaced 2 inches apart.

Bake 1 sheet at a time until edges of cookies are set and just barely beginning to brown, but centers are still soft and puffy, about 10-12 minutes. The cookies should look raw between the cracks and seem underdone. Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature. Makes about 2 dozen 3-4 inch cookies.

Dinner Attire.

The other night Max was running wild outside with just his shirt on and his winter hat. When we go on walks in the morning or at night or when it actually is cold here Max wears his hat really well. He thinks it's so funny to wear it when he doesn't really need it...well I am assuming he thinks it's funny because he doesn't actually speak in that detail but you get the point. Dinner time at our house consists of everyone sitting down together including Max who usually eats chicken strips, cereal, or on this occasion a bottle. He is the center of attention and he loves it, hopefully he doesn't mind sharing it in the next few weeks.

25 years Old.

I turned 25 years old on Sunday. It seems pretty old, or I feel pretty old with these creaky sore hips of mine, and having a hard time going up the stairs 50 times a day. Anyways we had a really low key day of church and then had the Martins over for dinner. Pretty successful dinner with 7 kinds in attendance. I kept telling Larry I didn't want anything because I only want clothes for when I am back to pre pregnancy weight/body, but I did get a new pamper chef baking stone and some cute plates for summer days. Overall 25 is not too bad, it seems so old because I was 23 when I had Max and that seems like ages ago and sometimes it seems like yesterday, time really does fly. Anyway everyone made me feel really special and and heres to hoping this year goes by a bit slower then last.