December Seventeenth

Micah had his six month well check today. He was a little trooper through his shots. He only cried for a couple of minutes. Katrina was with me on this trip, maybe that helped. She is so sweet. She likes to stand next to him and say, "It's ok baby Micah, don't cry, I'm here with you." If Emily comes she has to stand out in the hall during shot time. =)

I fully planned to take the camera with me to snap a shot of the two of them together at the Pediatrician's office. After running around getting Emily ready for school, the other two ready to go with me, breakfast for everyone, myself ready, it wasn't until I was checking in at the office that I realized I had forgotten the camera. On a side note-we've been having lots of snow here. I had explained to Katrina when leaving the house that morning that I needed to concentrate on driving and couldn't be handing her things. When we pulled into a parking space at the doctor's office she suddenly pipes, "Yay Mommy! You didn't slip on the ice and we got here safe!" It was pretty funny.
Micah's stats are:
17lbs, 1oz
26 1/2 in

December Eleventh

I've tried giving Micah solids a few times before. He hasn't been very interested up until now, mostly refusing to open his mouth and pushing it away with his tongue.

I've been feeling a little guilty that I haven't given him very many opportunities to try. When things are hectic a bottle is so much easier and faster. Anyway, last night I decided to give it another try. He LOVED it. Wide open mouth and eyes tracking the spoon anticipating the next bite. Guess this will have to squeeze itself into our routine!

**Sorry it's late, it's bound to happen. I'm sure there will be days where I do two or even three posts at a time. As long as I take the picture the day of, right?!

December Eighth

I set Micah down in front of the tree this morning and couldn't resist snapping a picture of his amazed face. He'd glance at me and grin and then look back up at the tree and get this look on his face. Just wait until it's finished little guy!

December Fourth

Micah, you're six months old today. Halfway to a year already. It's hard for me to believe. It's also hard for me to believe how incredibly sweet you are. Your gentle grin can brighten up the grayest day. You have the most patience of any baby I've ever seen, which is good because your sisters can be very demanding. You've mastered the skill of rolling over from your back to your tummy, but haven't yet connected that with the fact that your tummy is a place you hate to be. For some reason you've decided that sucking on the back of your hand, only your right hand mind you, is the most comforting thing you can do for yourself. You've given yourself a little hickey that never quite heals. You're following in the tradition of your sisters and are quite the little growler, although I'd say you've kicked it up a notch. Their growls were never quite as nuanced as yours are. You carry on entire conversations just in growls. I love the little sense of humor that you're developing and the gleam of delight that appears in your eyes when your sisters move into your line of sight. You enrich our lives everyday and I love you!

Milky Smiles

There's a little phenomena that happens between a mother and her baby that I will call a milky smile. I've seen it with all three of my kids, but managed to forget about it until recently reminded by Micah. For me at least, it doesn't seem to be a long phase, it mostly happens when a baby first starts to smile and is exercising their new skill as much as they can. And of course, you have to still be breastfeeding. I want to remember it this time. The unabashed delight at seeing me in the morning, contrasted so sharply against my five year old's crankiness as I pry her out of bed to get ready for school.
Have you ever noticed that babies are almost always morning people? At least at the beginning. They may outgrow it later, but early on everyone is a morning person. Maybe it has something to do with all the naps during the day. So, here's the set-up. Take a snuggly, warm, just woken up baby. His diaper is changed and he is just soo hungry since it's been four hours since his last dark, nighttime feeding. As soon as you sit down, he almost lunges for your breast, sucking greedily. Then he glances sideways up at you, and he's just so happy to see Mommy, he can't help but get a huge grin, but he can't stop eating to socialize, he's much too hungry for that! So, it turns into this hilarious lopsided smile wrapped around a breast with milk dribbling out everywhere. You just can't help but smile back. It's so funny and cute looking at the same time. Then back to eating, but wait there's Mom-Milky smile-back to eating, and repeat.

Why do I think this is so special? Only a Mother will ever see that face, that angle, that expression. A baby can smile around a bottle no matter who's feeding him, but there just isn't that same intimacy, that same angle with the sideways glance. It's something unique between a breastfeeding Mother and her baby. A little slice of pure joy to soothe your sleep deprived consciousness and get you started on another day.

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Congratulations to Kristen and Rebecca. I wish you many moments of joy, and here's hoping I win something for once! =)
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Virtual Baby Shower

Mellow Yellow

Three months old today! Where has the time gone? I knew it would fly by and yet I'm still surprised. Everyday you get a little bigger and a little more fun. You are such a contented baby. You are just happy to sit and take in the world. If you start to fuss, it's usually because you're tired and you want to be put in your bed.

You are so social now. You frequently reward us all with your big sunny smiles. Your sisters love to come over and talk to you, just to see your little face light up. In the last week you have started to get ticklish and also started laughing. It is so fun to run my finger across your tummy or blow raspberries in your neck and be rewarded by your funny baby chuckle. Every morning after you have your breakfast you look up at me and coo and gurgle and smile. You are so happy to great the day, and it makes my day better too.

You really like your bouncy chair now. It's so funny to watch your brow furrow in concentration and then your legs go kick, kick, kick. The music plays and you sit back and smile. You are also convinced that the ceiling fan is your best friend.

I sit in your room at night putting you to bed and just soak in the peacefulness. It's dark with just the light from the night light and your moblie which is playing it's quiet song. You snuggle up against me occasionally giving a little kick and making your baby sounds of contentment. In the other room I hear your sisters being put to bed and I know all too soon you will be part of the melee; yelling, laughing, begging for another song or drink of water. Protesting that you have to go potty one more time. Crying because you can't find your bear or blanket. So I snuggle you a little closer, breath in deep your sweet baby smell and just be.

Six Weeks

Micah, I can't believe how big you are already. I was expecting the time to fly by, but it is still catching me by surprise. Last night for the first time you gave me a genuine smile. You've be practicing for a few weeks now, especially those sweet little smiles in your sleep. Lots of those getting ready smiles, when you're staring into space and they seem to be elicited by some mysterious force. Then last night the smiles were the full-fledged, absolute, real thing. I took you out of the bath tub and wrapped you in your towel and I was snuggling you a little bit and staring into your eyes and you cooed and I smiled at you and you gave me a huge grin. You were trying so hard to talk, your mouth would work and work and then a little coo would come out. I'd talk back and you just kept smiling and smiling. Of course I called Daddy over to see, and you looked into his face and rewarded him with a big smile too! It's one of the most beautiful things a parent can see. It wasn't a fluke either, because you did it a few times today too.

You are growing like a little weed. We went to the MD for your check up and you weigh 11lbs, 5oz now! You still have deep blue eyes and your funny little cowlick that looks like a silver streak across your head when the sun hits it. You still get the hiccups several times a day, but it never fazes you. Your little arms and legs are filling out and getting those Michelin Man creases I just love to squeeze. You lare landing somewhere in between you sister on the pacifier/thumb issue. Emily was a hard core thumb sucker. Katrina didn't want to have anything to do with either. You will sometimes take the pacifier and like to suck on your fist, but haven't fully committed to either. We'll see where that goes. I've been taking hundreds of pictures of your perfect little toes which Daddy teases me about unmercifully. I can't help it, I just love you and you are so beautifully and wonderfully made.

You are making your place in our little family. Your sisters love to talk to you and have been great little helpers. It's a challenge sometimes keeping them from smushing you in their excitement. You are getting more fun everyday and soon you'll be in the mix, keeping up with the best of them. Love you sweetie!

One Week

We've survived the first week. It hasn't been too bad. Of course, Christoph had three days off work and my mom is here, so the hardest part is just the lack of sleep. Micah has his days and nights mixed up. During the day he sleeps like the dead, barely waking up to eat. Then at about 11:00pm he wakes up. He is happy awake, but wants to be held and nurse non-stop. When he does fall asleep he wants to be held, if you lay him in his bed he wakes up right away and fusses. I try not to do the whole co-sleeping thing because we have a waterbed and it's not considered safe, but if he's asleep on my chest and I don't roll over, I figure it's ok, just not very restful. Last night he actually slept in his bassinet for part of the night, so we're making progress. He's a sweet little guy. He only cries when he's hungry and getting his diaper changed. He manages his big sisters' lop-sided strangle holds pretty well. He gets the hiccups all the time. Without fail, if he falls asleep and I lay him down, he'll start hiccuping about two minutes later. We haven't had much success in getting pictures with his eyes open, they haven't been open very often. When he does have his eyes open he always gets this worried little old man look. I think it's because he sees these loud yelling blurs flashing by and he's afraid he might get sat on. Diaper changing a boy has come with a bit of a leaning curve. This kid has gone through more clothes in the first week then either of his sisters. He keeps catching me off guard and suddenly everything's wet! I just have to throw in here, that Christoph has only changed two diapers so far, scaredy cat.

I have been spending a lot of my day sitting on the sofa holding him. I can't get enough of all his little parts, fingers, toes, ears, skinny little legs, rosebud lips. Part of me feels like I need to be doing something more productive, then Katrina runs by and I know if I blink it will be him. These sweet halcyon days of cuddling are so short and I can't make myself put him down. I stare into his face and he is so innocent and undemanding. I'm not saying infants aren't work, it's hard not to sleep, but the work is so elementary. You feed them and change them and love them and that's all. There are no power struggles, no figuring out how to train without breaking their spirit, no back talking, no emotional drama, no making messes, no tantrums. I'm not saying there aren't many wonderful things about older kids, but for me the parenting they need is so much more involved and so much more exhausting then just losing sleep. So, I'm sitting, soaking in this baby and cherishing every second the best that I can, in-between giving the older ones the attention they need. Thank you again to Grandma for facilitating many more moments of Micah gazing and cuddling then I would have on my own.

The ring is from Christoph. He's given me one for each baby. :)


Some pictures of Emily at the hospital just before we went home. we just have video of her meeting him the first time.

He's Here!

Well, our little guy has made his appearance. Micah Daniel was born yesterday, June 4th at 5:59pm. He weighed in at 8lbs, 10oz. It was a slow, long, labor, but we both made it through and he has been a little angel since. He is a snuggler and very sleepy right now. We'll see what the next few weeks bring. His big sisters were excited to meet him. Katrina couldn't get enough of cuddling her "baby brudder." I have a feeling she is going to keep me busy trying to prevent any unintentional maiming. I don't have much to say right now, but I wanted to post a couple of pictures. More will come!