vacation is on the horizon!

We are taking a last minute vacation later this week! yahoo!! Some of my mom's side of the family left for the beach yesterday and will be down there until this next Sunday.  We go every year, but John and I decided we weren't going to plan on going having a newborn.  When we made this decision, we had no idea that Noah was going to be this good of a baby.  So, we have decided to head down there when John gets home from work Wednesday. (it's really the 100 in. projection screen tv that made us want to go :)  kidding, of course. sort of. hehe)  This is the house we are staying in.  Soooo excited! We will have 4 nights and 3 full days of beach fun and movie watching.  I am so looking forward to it.  Joe is going to have an absolute blast this year!  What a difference this year will be from last.  He will be able to play at the pool and the beach much more than he did last year, and he has been enjoying his cousins much more now that he can sort of play with them :) I will leave you with a couple of pictures from our beach trip last summer.  He was only 7 months old.  

Joe and Daddy in the ocean.  Joe was a little scared at first.

Joe and my dad (Pops) in the pool.

Stink Be Gone!

Drum roll please....Noah's umbilical chord finally fell off!!! No more stinky rotting umbilical chord and no more stinky neck rolls from formula collecting in them because....little man will get his first good soaking soapy bath tonight!! (had to wait for the umbilical chord to fall off of course) Wow did that take a long time!   

P.S. sorry if that grossed you out :)

time flies

Wow... I can't believe it's been a week since i posted last.  Time flies with 2 babies. I can't believe that Noah will be 4 weeks old in two days.  I feel like he was just born.  I have a feeling the next couple of  years are going to be gone before I know it, and i won't have babies anymore.  My boys will be well on their way to childhood...adolescence...adulthood.  Yikes!  (Note to self: cherish each and every day with the little ones...they certainly aren't going to be little for long) Speaking of not being little, Noah is growing like a weed.  He is filling out his 0-3 month clothes and won't be in them for much longer.  Man, oh man I love his chubbiness.  

Anyways, both boys are doing great!  Joe is taking more notice of his baby brother.  If he hears him fussing (which, what a blessing, is very rare) he goes over and rubs his head.  He also likes to help me burp Noah...he is a great back patter, although he occasionally misses and gives Noah a nice little whack on the back of the head.  Oops.  

I think Noah likes to listen to Joe.  When Joe starts rambling Noah seems to get really quiet and still like he is listening intently.  My boys are beginning to love each other.  My prayer is that they be best of friends...hopefully they are on their way!  

Well, it is almost time for Noah to eat so I better get going. (He is still eating and sleeping great...still waking only once at night and we may be cutting out his 10:30 p.m. feeding soon!) 

I am going to work on a picture post soon...as soon as i remember to load the pics from the camera onto the computer.  Although, anytime i try to upload pictures onto blogger it takes forever or it doesnt work at all.  Anyone have any tips?? That is why when I do post pictures I don't post many...because it takes so darn long!  

Here is a funny picture to tide you over...

Noah had an explosive spit up on Daddy. Surprisingly this doesn't gross John out and he let me take my time to find the camera and snap a shot.  Thank goodness this doesn't happen often!

To the doctor we go!

Well, this morning was my first time to get myself and both boys ready and out the door by myself. Noah had a doctor's appointment at 9:30, so we left the house at 8:30 so that I could drop Joe off at my mom's.  It went very well.  I am proud of myself!  Noah started waking up at 7, so when he started stirring I got up and got myself ready really fast.  By the time I was done getting myself ready and getting the boys' bags packed, it was 7:35ish and Joe was waking up and Noah was ready to eat.  So, I got Joe out of his crib and had his sipee cup waiting on him.  I fed, burped, and changed Noah while Joe played.  Then I got Joe changed and ready and out the door we went.  We were actually ahead of schedule!...(i'ts all because I showered last night..that's the key)  

Noah's appointment went really well.  He weighed 10.5 pounds (90th percentile) and was about 22 in long (70th percentile).  He's our itty bitty big boy :)  He is doing so well. He is still only waking up once at night to eat, so John and I get a full nights rest every other night.  I know I say this all the time, but I really do have the best husband...sharing the responsibility of raising and caring for our children with me.  That is so special for Joe and Noah.  They are blessed little boys to have a daddy that loves them so much, serves them unselfishly, and plays with them alll the time (when he's not working of course).  I'm so glad that they have a solid example of what it looks like to be a man after God's heart.  Anyways, back on track.  Noah is doing great.  He is so sweet, laid back, and cuddly.  He hardly ever cries, he eats and sleeps well, and he is having a lot more alert and awake periods.  He is beautiful.  

Joe likes to rub his head and show him toys.  He doesn't seem to be very jealous.  Occasionally he doesnt like it when I am feeding Noah a bottle, but after an episode we had last week, he doesn't act out about it anymore.  

Story:   One day last week I was feeding Noah and Joe wanted my undivided attention.  He kept trying to swat the bottle out of my hand and out of Noah's mouth.  I told him no a couple of times and then, instead of swatting at the bottle, he began pinching my leg.  I had shorts on, so it HURT! I don't know where he learned to pinch.  Anyways, I told him NO and he didnt stop.  So, i thought for a second, and maybe this decision was bad...but it worked.  I pinched him back.  He has yet to pinch me again or act out when I am feeding Noah.  I'm not proud of the fact that I pinched my son, and I hate that i caused him any pain, but in that moment, it was the only thing that worked.  And this is coming from a mom who is still uncertain of the whole spanking issue.  In college we read studies on spanking and the effects it has on children, and I didnt like some of the results.  Anyways, I am uncertain and unsettled about it.  

Anyways, we picked Joe up after the doc appointment and he was outside with mom when we pulled in.  I love it when he is sweaty with rosey cheeks from playing hard outside.  Mom bought him a wagon and the Handy Manny tool set the other day and he was going to town outside playing with his toys.  From there we stopped by John's work so that he could show off Noah to some of his co-workers.  It was good to be home after that!  

Well, it is almost Joe's nap time and Noah is fed and sleeping peacefully, so Joe and I are going to cuddle and watch a Handy Manny episode before I put him down.  Hope you all are having a great week!  

we got poop

it's 10:30 a.m. and we're making it 5 out of 5.  (see post below) The champion pooper exploded on me.  

I did it!!!

I made it through my first day with John at work.  Of course, my mom was here for a few hours and My Aunt Donna and cousins Mandy and Maggie were here for a while too.  So, I had plenty of help.  Today will be a different story.  John left early this morning, and so far, I've been flying solo.  Everything is going well so far!  My mom is going to come by for a couple of hours this afternoon so I can have time to shower and work out.  Since the birth went so well, my doc told me i could begin exercising as soon as I feel up to it.  Yesterday was my first time on the eliptical machine.  I did a mile and a half and that was all I could handle.  Our bedroom serves many purposes right now.  It's mine and John's sleeping quarters/relaxing ground, my gym, and Noah's room for another month or so.  

Speaking of Noah, he is doing grrreeeaaat!  He eats like a champ, sleeps like a champ, and poops like the champ of all champs.  Last night he only woke up once to eat and went right back to sleep.  If he sticks to this, it means every other night John and I will have a normal full nights rest. (we will alternate feeding nights.)  I have the best husband who is also the best daddy.  He is such great help.  I am so thankful that the Lord blessed me and our family with him.  We love him so much.  Since Noah has been born, my heart has been so full of gratefulness to God for my sweet boys and wonderful husband.  So much so that it brings me to tears....good ones!  Life is good and full of blessings.  Being a mom to two is hard and trying, but I am loving every minute of it so far.  My fears and anxieties from two weeks ago, before Noah was here, are gone.  I can do it.  Even when its hard, I can do it, because I love my children that much.  Even when I've been pooped on, vomited on, peed on, hair pulled, ignored when I say no, etc.  (4 of those 5 have happened today all ready :)  )  Its kind of crazy to say, but I think I'm a better mom to 2 than I was to 1.  I have no choice but to do my best as a mommy when there is more to do, take care of, etc.  No time to waste.  Noah has made me better already.  Thank you, Jesus, for him.  

Noah Russell Schluchter

Noah is here!!!  

Our precious, adorable, sweet little baby boy was born last Thursday, May 28 @ 2:33 p.m.  He was a whopping 9 lbs. 5 oz and 21 1/4 in. long.  He is exactly 18.5 months and 4 minutes younger than his big brother.  (  interesting fact :)  )  

I must say that this birthing experience was much easier this time around.  Thank goodness.  And thank the good Lord that my epidural didn't wear off this time!  We went in to the hospital Wednesday evening to have a cervical ripening procedure done.  This may be too much information for you, but in case you are wondering/interested, the procedure consists of inserting a catheter like thing with a balloon like thing on the end up into the cervix.  The balloon compresses the cervix to help it thin and dilate.  My doctor with tiny hands was not on call that evening, so another doctor ( a man, meaning bigger hands) did the procedure.  It was veeeerrrrry painful but only lasted a few minutes.  After the balloon was inserted my contractions (i was already having them at this point..around 7-10 minutes apart...but not in labor) got to be pretty darn painful.  Lots of cramping.  So, they administered pain medication in to my i.v. which made me feel pretty good :).  Around 6 Thursday morning my nurse pulled on the balloon and it came right out.  (it will not come out unless you have dilated a certain amount).  My doctor came in around 7:30 and I was 4 cm dilated.  So, they started me on pitocin soon after to get my contractions more regular and more frequent.  They were paaaaainful.  I got my epidural around 10 I think.  It was smooth sailing from there!  I labored pain free until time to push.  Once I felt pressure i told my nurse and she checked me to find that i was 10 cm.  We did a "practice push" before getting the bed ready and after the practice push she told me not to push until she had everything ready because she could tell i was going to move him out fast.  John and I prayed together before the real pushing started.  Once the bed was ready, i pushed 2 or 3 times more and she told me i had to breathe through my contractions without pushing until the doctor got there.  That was the worst part- trying to not push when all my body wanted to do was get that baby out of there!  I felt like screaming hallelujah when i saw my doctor enter the room.  Once she was suited up and ready I pushed one more time and out came baby Noah.  I was quite proud of myself for being such a champion pusher :)  The Lord answered our prayers. Noah's delivery went smoothly and quickly and Noah was healthy and so was I.  There were no stitches or hemorrhoids or any complications (yay! most people's mouths drop when I tell them that after hearing that he was over 9 lbs.) My doctor once again said that i was born to birth babies...but i don't know if i will be doing that again.  It's kind of bittersweet to think that that may be the last experience I have birthing a baby.  

This time around it was much more emotional.  With Joe, I think John and I were more in shock than anything.  Like, wow, what in the world just happened?!?  This time I wanted to boo hoo.  Noah was so beautiful and calm when he was born.  What an awesome way to enter this world.  John went out to tell my family that Noah was here and how much he weighed, etc.  We could hear them scream in the waiting room when he told them how much he weighed.  Ha   we were all laughing in my delivery room.  Our hospital stay was great.  The next morning I was up and showering and I really didnt even feel that I had given birth the afternoon before.  I have felt great.  Coming home was exciting.  Joe still doesnt know what to think of his little brother.  He really doesn't pay much attention to him, but I can tell he is a little jealous when we are paying attention to Noah and not him.  We are trying our best to give Joe extra love and attention.  I am nervous about how he will be when John is back and work and all the extra help is gone.  I will be spread thin in the attention giving department.  

The first couple nights at home were tiring.  Noah is a great baby, he just has his nights and days confused.  BUT! Last night, he slept great and woke only twice to eat and fell back asleep after each feeding.  He slept until about 8 this morning when he was ready for another bottle.  What a champ!!  And, thank you miracle blanket! I really think it helps.  I highly recommend them.  

Right now Joe is with John's parents.  They took him to the park and now taking him to my mom's salon and spa (N Vogue) to get his hair cut.  Mom has a sucker waiting for him to eat while he gets his hair cut. :)  Then they are taking him to lunch and bringing him home for nap time.  John is running a couple errands as I type this, and Noah is waking up so I should run.  (I am watching his precious self as he swings....so sweet)  Anyways, I am sure I left out lots of details, so if you have any questions or want to know something that i didn't post about, leave a comment and I will make sure to fill ya in!