first two months

i had intentions of being more on the ball and doing a post each month with noah's stats, what he's doing, etc., but he's just over eight months old, and i haven't done any posts since his birth post (which i just did a month ago :)).  so, here's a rundown of each month so far...

week 1:
enjoyed having my mom in town the first week noah was here.  she made me rest whenever noah did, helped out around the house, picked up meals for us, and we just had a nice time together, spending time with the new little addition.  i was sad for her to leave, but we've been fortunate to see my family pretty regularly.  this week, noah was very sleepy, as we expected, which was a nice way to ease into parenthood.  it was a beautiful week, and we were able to take lots of walks in the neighborhood.

jefferson looks huge compared to little noah

sponge bath

last day with my mom

buddies

he spent a lot of time in the bouncy seat!

week 2:

we were blessed to have laura come visit us when noah was two weeks old!  there aren't many people who i would've felt good about having here and not being able to be a great hostess, but laura and i have been friends for so long that she's comfortable making herself at home here, so it was a very welcome and fun visit! she was so sweet to fly up to meet baby noah and spend the weekend with us!  we had a lowkey weekend, laura got lots of quality time holding noah (she LOVES babies), and we laughed nonstop about his nasty smelling belly button (i'm thinking he might always been affectionately known to her as "smelly belly").  kendall also came up during the week, so it was great to introduce noah to one of his wonderful aunts!  noah was still pretty sleepy this week but starting to wake up a little more.  he was a happy baby most of the time, just getting fussy in the evenings some.  when he was two weeks, he was actually able to roll from his stomach to his back. during our regular tummy time, he did it once, and i thought it was just a fluke, but he kept doing it.  we're going to have an active little buddy!

 love this little outfit

 they make the sweetest little faces at this age

sweet picture of laura and noah

friends since we were two!

week 3:

this week was rough! it seems like by the third week, babies really wake up and realize they're not in this safe, warm, secure place anymore and aren't happy about it.  noah was much fussier (mainly in the evenings still, but some more during the day too).  i watched the "happiest baby on the block" dvd - thanks jen botzler!! - and quickly became a pro at swaddling noah and moving him so his head would kind of bobble.  seemed like that would make him soothed when nothing else would.  my siblings came up to visit over the weekend, so we had a great time introducing them to noah for the first time.  we had some nice walks, did a few things around the house, celebrated cinco de mayo, took lots of pictures, and had a great time all being together.  i felt bad that noah was fussier when they were here, but they were all ok with it and enjoyed holding and hanging out with their new little nephew.

1 month:
weight -10 lbs 12 oz
length - 22.8 in
noah turned one month on my first monther's day! he has been a very good baby so far, and while we're tired from the interrupted sleep and being "on" basically 24-7, it's been a wonderful transition, and we're enjoying life with our expanded family.  noah is really active and engages with people.  he loves other kids, the dogs, walks in the neighborhood, and being on the go.  not too much of a cuddler except when i feed him :)

bathtime

tummy time

sleeping sweetly

mother's day at smithfield station

month 2:

weight - 12 lbs 8 oz

length - 23.9 in

noah is continuing to grow like a weed and be super active for a little baby.  he loves watching the dogs play, walking in the neighborhood, being in the ergo carrier (that thing is a lifesaver some days!), and wants to be close to us.  he is rarely inconsolable and pretty much just cries when he's hungry or tired.  we're blessed to have a happy, healthy baby!  after 8 weeks off, i started working some, so it was nice to get back into somewhat of a routine and also have some income that we hadn't had the first couple of months.  on the day he got his two-month shots, we got on a plane to atlanta for a little visit.  we surprised my siblings, who had no idea we were coming to town.  it was a nice, relaxing visit - did a little bit of work but mainly just hung out, laid out by the pool, got to see people special to us, etc.  i love how when we go to atlanta, i rarely hold noah because everyone else wants to hold him and be with him - very sweet!! (not that i don't want to hold him, but they love him and miss seeing him, so they want to hold him as much as possible) we celebrated billy's first father's day, and it was special because i was able to spend the morning with my family (hadn't been with my dad on father's day in years) and then come home to billy for his first father's day.  noah had several visits to the beach and seems to enjoy it - likes the sand, not sure about the water in the ocean/bay.  he also got to go in the pool a few times and doesn't seem to mind it.  near the end of his 2nd month, we went to atlanta for the 4th of july weekend, so that was fun.  billy, my mom, and kel ran the peachtree, and then we went to the lake for the weekend.  one big milestone for this month is that noah started to smile!

memorial day - ready for the beach

nice to come home to my little buddy after work!

first plane flight - not noah's best picture - haha!

wearing his wings

surprise visit!

smiley baby

visit from joann and luke

precious baby

pool time with aunt kel

father's day at the aac

precious

first boat ride

billy and the terriers canoeing

they love the lake!

pool time in suffolk

Noah's Arrival

by the time we got to week 40, i was more than ready to meet our little guy, but it was also a little bittersweet thinking that our life would be changed forever, since we had really enjoyed the last six+ years of marriage leading up to the arrival of our baby.  i was definitely at the point of discomfort where i was ready not to be pregnant anymore - i felt like i got a lot bigger in the last couple of weeks of my pregnancy, so whereas i hadn't been uncomfortable much before, i was definitely having a harder time sleeping and getting around with the extra weight (i now understand why overweight people get tired easily!).  

last weekly picture

jefferson's still the baby :)

the weekend before the baby's due date, my mom and grandparents drove up to virginia on sunday.  we had a nice dinner with the in-laws, got everyone settled in at billy's grandmother's house, and headed to bed.  by the morning, my grandpa (who was very excited to come and LOVES his great-grandson) was ready to go home.  about par for the course, as he's notorious for going home early from vacations (even europe), but i felt bad for the extra stress that caused my mom.  she told him that wasn't an option unless he wanted to take the greyhound bus - haha!  

monday morning started out with breakfast in bed courtesy of my sweet husband, as a special treat for my potential last day of getting to sleep in for quite awhile (and my first day of maternity leave).  we went walking, got things set up more around the house, and did some last minute errands.  i had a doctor's appointment, which revealed no more real progress, but my midwife did do the membrane stripping thing again, so i was hopeful that that might get things going.  that day was my grandma's birthday, so we were all hoping for a second birthday that day!  no such luck, but we did have a fun birthday dinner for her at cazadores, complete with magic dave the magician and the staff singing to my sombrero-wearing grandma!  at this point, my mom was strongly encouraging me to consume as many jalepenos as i could :)  i think she was more ready for our little guy to come than anyone!!

yum!

grandma's birthday dinner at cazadores

 tuesday - my actual due date.  we had another good day of hanging out, walking, and spending some quality time together with our families.  that night after everyone had left, billy and i were hanging out and i started to have some contractions.  i called the midwife, thinking that i would probably need to go to the hospital later on.  she said to wait and see if they persisted, and they ended up stopping around half an hour or so later.  maybe it was just wishful thinking, as it turns out those weren't even bad contractions - i would learn that well later :)  so, due date came and went with no baby.  i was starting to get a little anxious, but at this point we knew that we'd go into the hospital thursday night for an induction if i didn't go into labor naturally by then.  

wednesday we had another relaxing day, with more walking (did lots of that the last week in the hopes that it would move things along, plus it was a gorgeous spring week!) and getting things ready for the baby's arrival.  billy and i had our last pre-baby date that night.  we went to captain chuck-a-mucks where they were having a pet-friendly night, so the terriers joined us.  i haven't been able to live this down, but the waitress asked if the dogs were twins (which they are not) and then if i was having twins (which i was not).  ha!  i guess i was really showing a lot at that point :)  we had a great time hanging out on the deck at the restaurant and enjoying our last evening out without needing a babysitter!  

dining with the terriers

thursday - induction day.  my mom, grandparents, and i hung out in the morning some, went on yet another walk, and then my mom headed to the airport to pick up my dad who came into town around lunchtime.  even though i was more than ready for the baby's arrival, it couldn't have been more perfect with everyone being in town, which might not have happened if he came early!  my family spent some time together at our house before billy and i headed to the hospital around 5 for the induction.  we got checked into the hospital around 5:30 or so, and my midwife came by to check on my progress (still not much) and to let us know the general procedures for the induction.  i got dressed in a gown, they put some kind of balloon in me to hopefully move things along, and then they hooked me up to a bunch of different machines to get ready for the induction.  billy brought subway for dinner (didn't realize i could eat after i had checked in, so that was a nice surprise), and we relaxed for a little while.  our families came by to visit briefly, we watched some tv on the computer, and then later that evening, they started the pitocin drip.  that stuff is evil, but it does get things moving!  they gave me a couple of sleeping pills, and i was able to get a decent amount of sleep before the contractions picked up.

heading to the hospital - last picture as a family of two (or four with the terriers :))

friday very early in the morning, around 4-4:30 am, i started having horrible contractions.  i had been having some that were bearable, but this got absolutely awful.  they were lasting around 2 minutes and were 30 seconds to a minute apart.  at one point, i was in tears, and i have a very high pain tolerance, but later on, i found out that typical contractions are 60-90 seconds 2-5 minutes apart, so i wasn't being a wimp :)  apparently when your induced, the contractions tend to be worse than when you go into labor naturally, thanks to the pitocin.  i made it through several hours of these horrible contractions, and around 8 or 8:30, my midwife came into check on me.  at that point, i was about 4-5 cm, and they thought i'd be able to get the epidural around noon and would have the baby that evening some time (they said i probably wouldn't be eating lunch, but i'd be eating dinner).  so, while we had a little break between activities, billy headed to the cafeteria for some breakfast and my midwife had me sit on the exercise ball to rock back and forth, easing the pain somewhat.  definitely felt better on that, even though there was still a good amount of pain and still frequent contractions.  about 2 minutes after my midwife and nurse left, my water broke.  while i was on the ball.  it was an odd feeling but definitely relieved some of the pressure in my mid-section.  i paged the nurse, they confirmed that i was progressing, and by around 9:30, i was able to get my epidural.  glad i didn't have to wait until noon!  getting the epidural wasn't too fun, but after it hit me, it was AWESOME.  i would definitely recommend getting one (don't think it's optional if you're induced :)), as it really helped me be able to enjoy the experience rather than to be in pain throughout it.  at that point, it was just a waiting game until it was time to push.  so, billy and i just hung out in the room, and i was able to relax some, which was nice (couldn't feel my legs, but that was ok).  around noon, our families came by just to check in, and we said it would probably be awhile before anything happened, so they should go to lunch and we'd call them later on.  around 12:15 or so, my midwife came back to check on my progress, and at this point, i was already 10 cm!  definitely had a fast progression, as i was only 1 cm when i checked in the night before.  she said it was about time to push, so everything happened in kind of an unexpected (but welcome) whirlwind.  we called our families to let them know that the baby would probably be born pretty soon.  my midwife was still in her work clothes until the very last minute, so i was very impressed by her being so low-key and comfortable - definitely loved working with her!!  there was a great team of nurses alongside her, and we were really pleased with the whole experience at our hospital.  billy was very encouraging, and i was surprised that he didn't pass out or anything (he can't stand the sight of blood, vomit, etc - gags when trying to clean up the dogs' throw-up or poop :)).  i ended up pushing basically four times over 20-30 minutes, and our sweet baby was born at 1:06 pm.  as he was coming out, one of the nurses said that he was a big baby and had really big shoulders - not the most opportune timing!  the midwife wrapped him up in a little blanket, and i was able to hold him for the first time, which was so special.  billy cut the cord too - another surprise for me - and i was so grateful for how supportive and involved he was.  then, they took the baby to clean him up weigh him, etc.  he was 8 lbs 14 oz and was 21.25 in long.  big baby, especially since i'm pretty petite.  definitely made holding him in the early stages less intimidating, since he didn't even seem like a newborn.  i remember when i held him for the first time, thinking about how big his hands were - not like tiny baby hands.  and about an hour later when we were doing the kangaroo care (where they lay on your chest), he actually held his head up to look around.  about half an hour after our baby was born, our families came in to see him for the first time, and we announced his name to them - noah mitchell chorey.  everyone loved it, and my grandparents (the last living grandparents on either side) were especially touched since we used their last name for noah's middle name.  later on, billy's dad said it had been raining all morning and about the time he was born (when they were finishing lunch), the sun came out, just like in the bible after the flood.  i was pretty tired from the whole experience but also filled with great joy and love for our new son.  it was an incredible blessing after all we went through leading up to noah's arrival, and we are so fortunate that God placed this sweet baby in our life!  now the real fun begins :)

minutes after noah's arrival

four generations

chorey picture

tired from all the hard work

kangaroo care (he could already lift his head! i think we're going to have an active little guy!)

our sweet midwife pat

noah and his great grandmother

beautiful flowers from billy

going home from the hospital

terrier introduction :)

noah's room

jefferson's checking out the changing table (he jumped up there on his own!)

with grandma and grandpa

my parents with noah

first walk

precious and tiny!