That's right, Joshua may not have facial hair, but he can still sport a goatee. Granted, it may be made of green beans, but it looks cute on him anyway.
He's downing the fruits now, but isn't quite as sure about green vegetables. I have yet to try peas. I really don't like peas, although I think I did when I was little. Doesn't it usually work the other way around, you start to like foods more as you get older?
Paul is excited that Joshua is saying Dada now. But it's really more a continuous dadadadadada.....you get the idea. And in case you can't picture it, here's a video:
There are so many fun things happening as he gets older. He's such a joyful little person (unless he's hungry or tired, which shows how much he is like his dad). I'm enjoying all of the giggles, talking, sitting up, playing with toys, and also being able to put him in clothes that are a little more fun. One thing about having a boy is that the clothes options are nowhere near what you have with a girl. But I notice there's alot more variety as he gets bigger. Of course he doesn't care, but it's fun for his mom to shop for him. Here's a picture with his daddy and his first hoodie. I wonder if these will still be popular when he gets to school? 
Maybe he'll be rolling his jeans like I did in grade school (heaven forbid).
And here's a picture with one of his favorite toys, his Sassy links. He likes to shake them and chew on them.
Caroline and Naomi are visiting this weekend. Joshua loves having both of them here, he thinks Naomi's hair is one of the coolest things he's ever seen. Of course this means he's pulled her hair several times, but she still likes him. She is enjoying playing with his toys, but he tried to reach for her beanie jaguar that she got from a Happy Meal, and she said "No, that's my toy from Old McDonalds." Which happens to be one of Joshua's favorite songs. Every time I sing it to him he giggles when I make the animal sounds. Especially "oink." So he's a boy after Papa Jim's heart apparently.
Naomi and Joshua played with his bouncer for quite awhile this morning in their PJ's.
Then we went to the zoo. It was really fun but so cold! Caroline and I both forgot our cameras,
so I hope you weren't expecting any pictures. Caroline asked Naomi what her favorite animal was as we were walking back to the car and she pointed to a squirrel and said "That one!" Great, we spent $7 so she could see a squirrel. :) It actually is a pretty good zoo for being on the small side.
Well, that's it for now. Hope to be doing updates more frequently. Oh wait, didn't I say that a month ago, when it had been a month since I last posted? I'm noticing a pattern here.
I just finished my first week back to work. It went quite well. I had no idea what to expect with leaving Joshua at daycare, but he did great. They give you little sheets every day that tells you everything from their mood, to their diaper experiences, to their naps and then general comments. The three boxes always checked off for Joshua's mood were happy, busy and talkative. He did struggle a bit with napping in the crib, but by Friday he was taking at least a part of every nap there. His main caregiver seemed to think that was really good for the first week. I really like her, if I would have had to pick anyone in the room to take care of him, it would have been her. Here's a picture of him on his first day.
I actually accomplished some things at work and it felt really good to be back at Life EMS. I am still struggling a little bit with the anxiety, but it keeps getting slowly better. I appreciate all of the prayers so much.
Here's a picture of Paul trimming Joshua's nails. It was his first try, and he did pretty good. He got one of the thumbnails a little short, but Joshua didn't seem to mind at all.
It's a rainy day today, which kind of bums me out, I was hoping to be able to get a stroller walk in. I guess if we go anywhere, we'll be going by car and covering up with umbrellas. Paul is recovering from either the stomach flu or some sort of food poisoning, we're not sure. I'm hoping Joshua doesn't get sick. He's been a little bit "loose" if you know what I mean, but no vomiting and he's still sleeping good and happy/smiling, so I'm trying not to worry about it too much.
Joshua has really started to enjoy trying to touch things with his hands. He doesn't have alot of depth perception yet, so he'll swing away at something that might be WAY out of his reach. He'll figure that out at some point. :) Here's a video of him on his playmat. Don't feel sorry for the fish, they're just plastic and I'm sure can't feel a thing.
Joshua's other favorite new thing is chewing on his hands. He does his best to jam his whole fist in his mouth, but he can't quite get it in there all the way. Which is probably a good thing.
Caroline and Naomi are here, and Joshua is still "my baby" to Naomi. They enjoy smiling at each other. It's crazy to think how quickly she's gotten to two years old and is talking so well. I know the time with Joshua will fly by too, he's already getting close to four months old!
Joshua's favorite place to sleep during the day is his swing. He is sleeping through the night in his crib, but he sure loves this swing! I can usually get him to take a nap in his crib in the morning, but end up giving up after that because for some reason it's way more difficult in the afternoon.
He had a good time with his Papa (my dad) this weekend. My dad also watched him for a few hours while I went back to work for the first time. I worked a partial day. It was both good and a little bit overwhelming. There's alot I have to catch up on and remember, but it was good to see everyone again and do a little problem-solving. I start up again full-time on Monday, so I am praying that goes well and that my anxiety will continue to diminish.
Joshua had his first non-family babysitter today as I took him over to my friend Sarah's house while I had to go to an appointment. Apparently he was an angel the entire time. He's so smily and happy most of the time, and it was good to know that he did so well, even for that short time.
Caroline and Naomi are on there way to spend a few days with us. That should be a fun time! We've been really blessed to have so much family support.
Joshua has had visits from two of his cousins in the past couple of weeks. He's still a little bit too young to appreciate them as playmates, but he does alot of smiling. He's also getting much stronger. He can hold his head up during his whole tummy time and rolls over alot. He loves to talk to everyone too. I find myself doing baby talk alot. :)
Here's a picture of him and Jed sharing the diaper changing table (which they both used alot). We had a very nice visit with Chris and Emily and Jed. I really appreciate all of them, they are very special to Paul and I.
My sister-in-law Roxanna and my niece Autumn are visiting now to help me out and to see Joshua. It has been so great having them here and I am so grateful for the help and company.
I feel like I am still slowly getting better. It sure is a process. I am thankful for all of the people that are praying for me to get better. I am sure ready to be myself again.
Yes, God is good. I can honestly say this has been the most difficult month of my life, but by relying on God and my family I am getting through it. I am starting to feel better. I am not fully back to myself yet and still struggle with the anxiety, but I am improving.
Joshua has proved to be a truly adaptable baby and has done great with trips back and forth to Illinois. He is now sleeping through the night. He is smiling and talking which makes my heart glad. Here is a video of him with Grandma Mary Lee. We're initiating him into the Cubs family early.
I can't wait until I am fully well again and can enjoy him fully. He's such a wonderful little guy.
I also have to say that I have the most wonderful husband an family. Everyone has helped me so much and been so generous with their time and their homes. My sister-in-law even drove out from Colorado to help me for a couple of weeks. I am so looking forward to the time when God will give me the chance to help them they way they've helped me.
So my update isn't quite what I hoped it would be. Paul and I didn't plan too well and tried to start the scheduling and crying it out on a day that we had company coming that night. So we basically tried it for one nap and had to stop so our friends would actually be able to see Joshua when he wasn't screaming. He cried for 45 minutes, stopped for 10 minutes and then cried again for another 5 minutes before I had to feed him so I'd be done by the time our friends got there. And then my friend loaned me another book that I thought said you can't start letting them cry it out until 3 months, but as I kept reading it said you could start at 6-8 weeks. So until I got to that part a day or so later I was really conflicted again.
Since then, I've talked to so many moms (and thanks for all of your comments on my last post) that have said getting them on a schedule and letting them cry is really hard but that it is worth it. I just hope I can get through it. I thought I was a very strong, rational person and now I don't feel like that at all. But I feel like this is the right thing to do. For myself and for Joshua.
He is so good-natured when he is not tired, and I need to give him the gift of sleep too. He's really starting to smile at people, here's a picture I caught of him smiling at Paul.
He now seems to enjoy his baths as well (or at least not cry during them), here's a video of his bath last night.
I have it from the best of sources (all the great moms I know) that nothing will cause you to second-guess your decisions like having a child. Well, I am here to say that it is indeed true! Of course my crazy hormones are playing a role in this now. I can definitely tell I am dealing with some. Sometimes I will feel like myself and feel like I can make a rational decision and other times I will feel completely overwhelmed and anxious. I am not normally like that under almost any circumstances, so I know that there is a little more to it than just being a new mom. I realized that I need to make a decision, I can't waffle back and forth on what I want to do with Joshua and his sleep habits.
So......here's the decision. I can't handle the current situation where I cannot get Joshua to sleep during the day unless holding him or putting him in his stroller. It's getting ridiculous and I am constantly on pins and needles wondering if he will finally sleep or if I will hear him crying 5 minutes after I put him down. Since he is a pretty happy baby when he is well-rested and full, I think part of his problem is that he is relying on me or on some sort of motion to fall asleep. This just can't go on forever, and after talking to two of my very trusted friends, I have decided I have to do something about this. I call my mom almost every day crying about it, and I think about it almost constantly. I don't think he has reflux issues that are anything to worry about because it doesn't bother him at all when he is awake or at night when he is sleeping.
I need to be able to put him down during the day and depend on the fact that he will sleep, at least most of the time. So.....I have decided to start the scheduling. The one book I read that said you can't start scheduling their day until they are two months old is just going to have to be ignored I think. He's close to two months.
I know he's not getting enough sleep during the day, and I can't hold him for 8 hours a day, it's just not working for me. Some moms say that's what they want to do, but I am going crazy.
So Joshua is now up in his crib crying, and I am surprisingly OK with it. I fed him for 40 minutes, changed his diaper, played with him for 20 minutes and laid him down in his crib all swaddled up. I could tell he was tired because he was yawning. Plus he had just had about a 1 1/2 hour nap laying with Paul, so I know he's gotten some sleep this afternoon. Paul was watching him while I got a massage. Which was GREAT!!!!! It was after I got back from that and read two emails from my friends Alison and Callie that both said basically the same thing that I decided I'm going to try this. I will let you know how it goes!! Paul and I are taking turns going in to talk to him and touch him so he knows we didn't abandon him. Paul was so funny because he said, "I told you that you just need to go away for an afternoon and let me take care of this. I can feed him a bottle of formula when he needs to eat." Which is exactly what Callie's husband Jesse did (well, maybe not the formula part, but the taking care of it part). Husbands are so cool!
Here's a couple pictures I haven't posted previously so you have something fun to look at........while I listen to a baby crying. :)
I know blogs with no pictures are no fun, so don't worry, we've got your pictures! Just not on MY blog this time. If you want to see some real photography, not just Paul and I's somewhat poor attempts, please visit my friends Ben and Mindy's website. They are the real professionals. They just finished the proofs for Joshua's photo shoot, and they are so great. The website is www.studio6-23.com and you can click on their blog to view some of the pictures.
I had a couple of small victories today, Joshua has slept for 45 minutes and then for another 20 minutes in his pack-and-play. We've been struggling with naptimes, he was just waking up 5-10 minutes into his nap and crying. I'm trying to figure out at what age it is OK for him to cry it out, and whether that is even the right thing to do. Everyone has different advice, and I'm sure every mother has wished there was just an instruction booklet. I think part of the issue is that all kids are different, and sometimes things work better than others on different children. Also, all moms are different, so what some can do, others have trouble doing. I guess if I was sure crying it out was the right thing to do, I could do it. But there's so much conflicting information out there and most of what I read says that Joshua's age is just too young to cry it out.
He slept for 7 1/2 hours straight last night. So I am still getting sleep. It's just during the day I feel very tied down to the house except for our daily walks, which he LOVES. He really doesn't like his car seat and pretty much can't make it more than 15 minutes without getting pretty mad. I'm learning just to drive while a child is screaming in the back seat. You get used to it after awhile, even though it's not that fun. I really hope he grows out of this because our car trip to Illinois is going to be REALLY long if he doesn't. Most people I know could put their kids in the car seat and they'd conk out as soon as they started driving. Yeah, that's not our kid. He does that in the stroller when he's tired, but I can't exactly walk to Illinois pushing a stroller. :)
I can't believe six weeks have gone by already! My sister Caroline was here this weekend, and she helped me to realize how much Joshua has changed. I think it's harder to see when I am with him every day. He is holding his head up pretty good, he likes to stand up while you hold him, he has started to make cooing noises, he is following objects and people with his eyes, and he smiled for the first time! Of course the smile was at Caroline and Naomi, but I got to see it. He's been doing half-smiles at me, so I know I'll get a big grin soon.
It was really fun having Naomi and Caroline here. Joshua was pretty fussy at first, he'd been that way for a couple of days. Thank goodness Caroline was here, she happened to ask me if I was nursing on both sides when I fed him. Well, no, since he came home I had been doing one side at each feeding. I immediately tried both sides at his next feeding and his fussiness almost disappeared. My poor baby! He was hungry and I didn't guess it. I'm sure other first-time moms can relate to feeling guilty for missing something which should have been obvious.
Naomi is so much fun, it was a real treat having her here. She still calls Joshua "My baby, Joshua James Nelson." She was very good with him, and he seemed to really enjoy being around her. Enjoy some of the pictures from this weekend.
I took Joshua out this morning for our daily walk. He always seems to enjoy these so much, and eventually falls asleep most of the time. It was the same way this morning, and a GORGEOUS day, so I thought "Hey, I should walk around Reeds Lake!" For those of you who have never been to Grand Rapids, it's over 4 miles. What was I thinking????? Halfway through the walk, Joshua woke up and decided he was hungry and had a wet diaper. An hour and a half after we left the house (I honestly thought it would take an hour), and 45 minutes of crying later, we finally made it home. I was going to try running back home, but was not wearing a sports bra. For those of you that have nursed your kids, you probably know that wouldn't have been very comfortable.
He's now asleep in my arms, after eating and being awake for awhile. Since I don't have a picture of him crying in his stroller, here's a video of him sleeping.
I'm supposed to go visit everyone at work this afternoon, hopefully we can get through that without too much trouble!
It's going to be nice to see everyone. Sometimes I miss work, and sometimes I really enjoy being here at home. It's our annual EMS week festivities, and they usually do fun games or contests. The business office ladies are doing a different hair contest each day. Today they judge the Big Hair Day winner. Welcome back to the 80's! Bring on the Aquanet!
I'm starting to feel less frustrated about scheduling. Joshua usually eats on the same schedule, and sleeps at night on the same schedule, so I'm trying not to worry too much about the daytime awake/asleep timing. And if he needs me to hold him while he sleeps during the day until he gets a little bigger and doesn't wake up from discomfort of some sort, then I'm OK with that. He's very good about letting me lay him down for longer periods of time while he's awake, so I am able to have two hands free and get a few things done.
Apparently my sister's son Jed is very laid-back and calm. Sometimes I think that would be so nice, but I know Joshua is his own person and I'm excited to see what his little personality will be like. Who knows, he might be more laid-back as well if he didn't get uncomfortable.
We will find out soon enough!
I am still really struggling with the whole scheduling thing. I want to let Joshua have some stability to his day, but we are dealing with reflux (I think) and gas issues. He will start to fall asleep, and I'll lay him down and he will wake up 10 minutes later because he's trying to keep something down or trying to get something out. There is no way I could lay him down awake and just have him fall asleep at this point. I talked to the pediatrician's office and they said they could prescribe him some Zantac, but they weren't sure how effective it would be. So I will just continue to fight through this for now. They said it should get better as he gets older, but being the person that I am, I want to know "How old does he have to be for this to improve? I need a timeline, people!" Of course babies don't work this way, which I think is part of my frustration. I'm a planner by nature, and with Joshua's struggles, it's not really possible to plan a whole lot.
Paul is much more realistic than me, he keeps telling me that Joshua is happy most of the time, and is it so bad for him to sleep in our arms right now if he's having issues? I can lay him down while he is awake and he's perfectly happy for awhile to look around, so it's not like I am holding him 24/7. And he seems to still be sleeping pretty good through the night. I will keep trying to get him to nap in his crib, it can just be hard to lay him down and start doing something and then hear him crying 15 minutes later and have to start the process over again.
And I just don't know how much to let him cry at this age. And my issue is that he's not just crying, he's usually crying because of some sort of pain. Wow, it would be so nice to just know exactly what to do. I'm sure every mother has thought that, so I know I'm not alone. That's a very comforting feeling.
We had a visit from my dad, Martice, Emmely, Azeem and my grandparents this weekend. Of course Joshua was great the whole weekend. Why are the hardest days always when I am by myself????? I've found that I love having other people around, motherhood can be a lonely job. Having my family here has been really great. Here are some pictures.
And here is a cute picture of him while we were bathing him. He is holding on to my hand for dear life and sucking on that pacifier like crazy. He's not very fond of baths yet, hopefully that will get better when he can actually be in the water and is a little bit older.
I am now the proud aunt of two beautiful children. My sister Emily and husband Chris had their baby this morning, a little boy named Jedidiah Carl. Well, maybe not so little, he was 8 lbs, 12 oz and 21 inches long. She did it without pain meds, which was pretty impressive. I can't wait to meet him. I wish they lived closer, it will be so fun for the boys to have a cousin so close in age. Now all of us sisters are moms, it's going to be great going through this motherhood experience with them.
God answered prayers for this delivery as well. Emily was scheduled for an induction on Friday morning, which she really didn't want to have to do. We were all praying that she could go into labor naturally, and God answered those prayers and more as Jed is here two days before the induction and healthy.
I wish I had a picture to post, but we'll have to wait for that until the new parents settle in a little.
Joshua has a new trick, he actually rolled over onto his back from his tummy. Of course, I was not recording it. I put him back on his tummy, thinking he'd never do it again, but sure enough........I managed to catch the end of it, here it is. Of course, by the second time he was not so happy about the whole thing. "Mom, I already did this once, and I'm going to make you pay for having me do it again!" I did have to bounce him to sleep after this because he was frustrated. :)
Wow, my first Mother's Day has come and gone. It turned out to be a really great day. Paul got me some really nice gifts and flowers and he wrote a card from Joshua as well. It was really cute. Joshua was a good boy most of the day and I even got a little nap. I still am trying to get it through my head that I am really a mother. To all you moms out there, when does it sink in? I don't feel prepared for this journey that is ahead of us as parents. I pray every day that Paul and I will be good parents and that God will give us the wisdom and strength we need to raise Joshua well.
Now two days later I've had a pretty rough day. My big list of things I got done today is 1) putting away a load of laundry and 2) making dinner because Paul's been holding Joshua as he sleeps. Joshua has been pretty fussy and I'm not always sure what the problem is. I keep reminding myself not to wish away the newborn days, there are plenty of good times, too. But it will be nice when there can be real communication instead of me guessing what is going on! Here's a picture of him when we finally got him to sleep.
There's really no topic for this post, just some miscellaneous thoughts and photos/videos.
Here's a video of Joshua's tummy time. As usual, he's not doing anything too exciting yet, but I think it seems more like you are there watching him than a picture.And here's a picture for his Aunt Caroline in the t-shirt she bought him. It says "The world is a better place with me here." I happen to agree. Of course it only lasted a few hours before he peed on it and Paul had to change him, but....
We completed Joshua's photo shoot yesterday. He was such a good boy, Mindy got some great shots. In fact, he was a good boy all day. It was one of those days that make having a newborn really fun.
There are some new things that Joshua has been doing in the past couple of days. He loves to have you hold him upright facing you so he can stand, and he actually looks at and follows his toy with his eyes when you shake it for him, and he's gotten quite a grip with those little hands! I can tell his eyes are focusing a little bit better as well. He's already changing and it hasn't been 4 weeks yet. I'm not sure I'm ready for it to be going this fast.
I've been reading BabyWise, trying to figure out how to get Joshua onto a schedule. The book makes it sound so easy, all you have to do is feed the baby, have an awake time and then put them down for a nap and then repeat the cycle. However, Joshua doesn't seem to think this is a good way to schedule his day. If I lay him down awake, he either lays there awake and looking around or he cries nonstop. Also, it's kind of fun to have him sleeping in my arms, is that never supposed to happen?
To make matters more confusing, we received another baby book that says BabyWise is not really a good way to go, and that you shouldn't even attempt to schedule an infant's day until they are 2 months old because they are incapable of controlling their cries or calming themselves down enough to sleep on their own if they are crying.
Ugh, why can't everyone agree on a good way to do this baby thing so we new parents don't feel so confused. However, he sleeps good at night, except to eat, and he's usually pretty happy most of the day and takes a long nap in the early afternoon. So should I even bother? Maybe I should just go with the flow and try to enjoy the days with him.
Here's a picture of him sleeping in my arms, it's just so precious, so I don't think I could give that up.
We had a photo shoot yesterday with my friends Mindy and Ben. They are awesome photographers, and I can't wait to get the pictures back. Of course, it threw Joshua off his schedule and we had quite a time getting him to stop crying. But I finally did get him to sleep and actually into a basket for some pictures outside. I honestly didn't think that was going to happen, but Ben and Mindy were wonderfully patient. I suppose having three kids of their own helps. Mindy's coming back tomorrow to try to get some more pictures of him when he's not crying uncontrollably. Hopefully it goes well! But I guess with a newborn you have to be flexible. :)
I was really looking forward to my time off from work with Joshua to be able to initiate him into the crazy group known as Cubs fans. I figured that I could listen to all the games along with Joshua and he would grow up knowing Pat Hughes and Ron Santo, the way that I remember Harry Carey. Granted, I actually like Pat Hughes as an announcer alot better than Harry (gasp! how dare I even say that?), but I still like thinking about my mom listening to Cubs games as I was growing up.
However, the Cubs are "the biggest disappointment of the spring" according to ESPN. They've lost 7 of their last 9 games, and there's something not quite as fun about listening to them when they keep getting blown out. Stupid Cubs.
Good thing we have had the Bulls to cheer for. Nothing like a series with something ridiculous like 9 total overtimes with the Celtics to bring a little excitement to Chicago sports. I still miss Jordan, but this has been fun to watch so far.
While I've been trying to turn Joshua into a Cubs fan, Paul has been initiating him into the world of working out. I think Paul is a little disappointed that the only "working out" Joshua can do right now is tummy time, but he's making the most of it. His favorite is to having Joshua do his tummy time while lying on his chest. It's pretty cute.
I really thought that we had a cute baby, but I heard Paul laughing hysterically yesterday and wondered what was happening. He was putting the camera to good use, and this is what he captured. Babies seriously make the funniest faces ever, and can contort even a cute face into something that makes us laugh until we cry. Maybe we should use this for baby announcements or something.
I also took my first video of Joshua. Don't get too excited, he doesn't do very much yet. But I think it's fun to watch, hopefully you will too.
He had his first doctor's appointment today and he is now 7 lbs 9 oz. It's funny how a little 9 oz can make you feel very good as a mom. That means that nursing is working and he is getting bigger! He's also much easier to calm down when he does get fussy and his fussy times are getting shorter and less frequent. I'm starting to feel like this mom thing can be fun, which is very exciting.
We had another visitor during Joshua's second week of life. My sister Caroline came to help me learn this whole motherhood thing and also to see her new nephew, of course! She was a huge help to me and was able to figure out a few more tricks for us to use when Joshua is fussy.
It was comforting to have someone who has had newborn in the last couple of years here in the house to reassure me. "Oh, Naomi had a fussy time, too, but she grew out of it." And it was while Caroline was here that I was able to laugh at the situation as 3 adults tried to calm down a crying baby. (We did calm him down, and he slept great at night again.) She also figured out that if you sit on my exercise ball and just bounce, it almost always soothes him. And it's alot easier that walking around bouncing him!
Caroline basically helped me learn something my friend Callie said "You'll learn that Joshua is a strong little baby." And it's true. He cries, but it's not the end of the world. And he has alot of great times and sleeps good at night, so the times when he is crying seem less and less scary.
Here's a funny picture of him in his car seat. He looks so worried, I'm not sure about what. Or that could be his "I have to poop" face. It's amazing the force with which he fills his diaper. It always shocks him into stunned silence for a few seconds.
I'm now on my own for the next four days as Paul is back to work and Caroline is back home with her own daughter. I feel more confident than I did for my last couple of days home alone after my mom left. It's amazing the diference in my outlook after only one more week. I think my hormones are calming down too, so that helps!
I wanted to throw in this picture of Caroline's daughter. She is such a delightful little girl and I'm looking forward to seeing her when she and Caroline come to visit again over Memorial Day weekend. I can't believe 
how fast she's grown. It reminds me that a few months from now Joshua will look completely different, and a couple years from now he'll be running around talking. Wow, this motherhood thing will never cease to amaze me.
Wow, what a week. So many things have changed in just this short amount of time, and I'm still trying to process and adjust to everything. If these stupid hormones would calm down it would make the whole process alot easier! I suppose a little more sleep might not hurt either.
We've found out that Joshua is a great baby as long as his tummy doesn't hurt. Apparently dairy, almonds and corn are going to be forbidden for me until I stop breast-feeding or until his little digestive system gets a little stronger. I'm sure there are a few more things that will set off the gas, and I'll have to add them to the list. It caused some tears (on my part) and sleepless times (for all of us) as we bounced him until our back and arms felt like they would fall off. Thanks goodness for moms who know some tricks for calming down babies in pain.
We are now on our third night of him sleeping great in his crib. He pretty much wakes up to eat and/or have his diaper changed and then goes back to sleep. He also is doing great during the day as long as he's not in pain. He stays awake quite a bit and it's fun watching him look around and try to figure out his new world. The best is when he's looking me right in the eye and I wonder how much of my face he can see right now. I also love watching Paul hold him and talk to him, and it usually brings tears to my eyes. Although, what doesn't bring tears to my eyes these days. :)
We went for our first walk this week. I felt so relieved to have his stroller to hang onto as we walked. I wonder how long it will be before I don't feel like a weakling when going for a walk. I know, I know, I just had a baby and I need to give myself a break! It's just that you want to feel somewhat like your normal self as soon as possible. It makes it easier to deal with all of the changes going on in your life.
Now on to Joshua's second week of life!
Who needs a baby monitor when you have Mama Junuh? At the slightest peep (or louder cry for that matter), Junuh is racing to be beside Joshua and sniffing away to make sure he is OK. He can hear him from anywhere in the house.
I was a little bit worried about how the dogs might deal with our new addition, but I didn't have to worry. Junuh is a bit enthusiastic and has to be shooed away sometimes, but both Casey and Junuh are dealing quite well with the tiny human that is now part of their household. Casey is a bit more indifferent, and he definitely still wants his cuddle time with me, but he's doing great for the first week. Junuh surprised me a bit because I've actually had to stand over him telling him to eat his food a few times. That NEVER, NEVER happens. Junuh has an unusual love for his food. He never ceases to remind me about an hour before feeding time that he's hungry. So I can tell he's a bit off his norm for the moment, but as we get into a routine I have no doubt that they will both be great with him. What a relief!! I have heard of some people having to give up their dogs when they have kids and that would have really torn me up.
I think they are really going to enjoy Joshua as he grows up and can interact with them. Just another of the many things I have to look forward to!
I thought this was an appropriate title for this post, it's also the song that Paul and I danced to at our wedding. The reason I picked it was for the line "You smiled, and the spell was cast." The first thing I noticed about Paul was his beautiful smile. I'm looking forward to seeing my little boy's first smile so much!
Joshua James Nelson made his appearance into the world at 6:03 on Monday, April 13th. He weighed 7 lbs and was 20 inches long. It's an experience that is impossible to describe, but I will try. I had such an easy pregnancy, it was too much to ask that the delivery would be the same. Although I would not describe it as easy by any means, it was exactly how I would have planned it if I would have had that luxury.
By the time I made it back to the hospital for the second time I was dilated to 4. I almost cried when the nurse said that we were headed upstairs because we were going to have a baby that day. If they would have sent me home again I'm afraid I would have lost it. My goal all along was to try to deliver without drugs and I managed to do it! Actually it would be more accurate to say that Paul and I did it because I couldn't have done it without him. It's impossible to imagine what labor might be like, and I know that almost every woman you talk to says it is the hardest thing they've ever done. I guess I always wondered if that was true, not that I didn't believe people, but I guess you always need to go through it yourself to be convinced. So........everyone was right, it was the hardest thing I've ever done.
But, I was only in the hospital for 6 1/2 hours before he was born and I only had to push for 18 minutes. There were no complications and everything went exactly how it was supposed to go. God answered all the prayers that I had regarding pregnancy and delivery. I had some awesome cheerleaders in my husband, my nurse and my OB, who is also a good friend of mine from pre-pregnancy days. They all kept telling me what an amazing job I was doing and that everything was going perfectly. It kept me going when I didn't think I would be able to.It is very true that once the baby is born and they put him on your chest, all the pain is magically gone. I was so beyond tired at that point because of not having any sleep for about 54 hours, but the adrenaline kicked in immediately and all I felt was peace and happiness. I didn't sleep that night very much either because I just couldn't stop thinking about the whole experience and thanking God. Joshua is beautiful, healthy and looks just like his daddy. I was so hoping for a little boy that looked like Paul and it was just another blessing that God gave me.
I was so excited while I was pushing because Anita said that he had hair. My sister and I were going to be the test of the old wives tale that says if the baby has hair you have alot of heartburn during pregnancy. Emily has had alot of heartburn and she was able to have an ultrasound later in the pregnancy that confirmed her baby has alot of hair. I had no heartburn during pregnancy and was wondering if we had a baldy. As you can see from the pictures, the old wives tale is not necessarily true. Joshua has a headful of dark brown hair, which according to my mom looks just like my hair when I was born. So I was able to pass on at least one feature to him!
My prayer now is that Paul and I can raise him to love Jesus. We'd appreciate your prayers for that as well!
It can be somewhat confusing as a soon-to-be mom for the first time. There are quite a few guidelines about when to go into the hospital when you think you are in labor. But how are you supposed to know if the contractions are strong enough when you've never felt them before? Yep, I went into the hospital too early. However, it was actually on his due date, so I guess I wasn't jumping the gun too much.
They ended up sending me home because I hadn't dilated at all. That's a very discouraging feeling, especially when you didn't sleep the night before! And I knew there was probably another sleepless night ahead of me. I was right.
Here is picture of me right before we left for the hospital on
Sunday morning. 40 weeks exactly!
Well, here it is, all ready for baby! Paul's been painting for the past couple of months now, on and off. I decided I wanted to have some stripes on the top to liven it up, and then we tried to hang some curtain hardware and he ended up needing to patch up the wall and repaint a couple spots. I feel bad that it took him alot longer than he originally anticipated, but he did a great job. I think it looks really nice. In fact, much nicer than our bedroom. I guess that's the way it will be from now on. :) Here's a couple pictures to give you an idea.
Now all we can do is wait for him to make his grand entrance! I can't believe he'll be sleeping in that crib in a few weeks. I'm even more excited for him to start sleeping through the night in that crib! That only takes, what, a couple weeks, right?
Here's a picture of me at 36 weeks. You'll have to excuse the half-closed eyes. I suppose we could have taken another picture, but I don't like to be in front of a camera as much these days. It's a bit harder to tie my tennis shoes and I have to side roll out of bed, but I've been very blessed with an easy pregnancy so far. I'm not sure if that means something for the labor and delivery, but it would be nice to have more of the same! I was just telling Paul yesterday that the baby has even been very sweet and let me sleep, no late-night kicking or rolling. Of course, that night he was nonstop moving for 3 hours and I didn't get to sleep until 1:30. That makes it very hard to get up for work on a Monday morning!
