Handprints....oops and a Footprint Too

Micaiah One Month

One month check-up was December 28th.
Weight: 8 lbs 12 oz (25-50th%)
Length: 22 1/4 in (75th%)
Diaper size: newborn
Clothing size: newborn

Fun Facts:
~He's doing great nursing & gets 3 bottles (at night) but is having congestion after feedings, along with reflux, & some choking during feedings (worse with bottles). He will have a swallow study done soon to make sure he's not having milk go into his lungs, etc because that would be bad!
~He rolled from his back to belly on 12/23.
~He eats every 3 hours during the day & around every 4 at night.

Things Micaiah Loves:
~snuggling with Mommy & Daddy
~hugs & kisses from Hannah Kate
~eating
~sleeping

Things Micaiah Does Not Love:
~being hungry
~having his diaper changed
~being laid down right after eating
~hiccups
~being awakened by Hannah Kate

We are so blessed with this little guy!

Polar express & hot chocolate

Merry & Bright 2012

Micaiah's first trip to Johnson City

12.12.12
For our picture session with Rebecca Marr

Hannah Kate-22 Months Old

This is probably the latest I have done Hannah Kate's monthly update, but at this point, I'm just glad I am doing it! My OCD self is trying to only list the things that were current for around the 2nd.....but things were slightly crazy then so we will see how I do!

Diaper Size: 4

Clothing Size: 12-18 months & 18-24 months....about 1/2 & 1/2

Food Fun: If Hannah Kate had her way, she would eat cookies, french fries, chips, cake, & donuts all day.......good thing we run the show.  Other favorites: green beans, spaghetti, roast, carrots.


Newest Tricks:
~She's started saying "home!" when we turn onto our road or pull in the driveway.
~Anytime we go to Nana & Papa's, she starts saying "Yay! Nana Papa Maggie Mollie!" when we pull in their driveway.
~I started saying "crash" when she falls & "conk" when she hits her head. Now she says that & laughs. She only cries if it's a big spill.
~If you get her started, she can pretty much say her memory verse alone if she wants to:
2 Corinthians 5:7 For we walk by faith not by sight

Things Hannah Kate LOVES:
~The song "This is the way we pat the bible" from bible class. Her favorite part is where they put their hands in the air...."hands!!"
~Mindy & Gracie....they stayed with her while we were still in the hospital. One night when they came to visit she had a huge meltdown because they had walked out of the room while she was telling me bye & she thought they were leaving her!
~Digger Doug & "Baby" (Signing Time DVDs)
~Elmo or Bert & Ernie "a-yos" (videos)
~The kids' table & chairs in the hospital waiting room....as soon as we would get there, she would say "chicken" & run to sit in the chicken chair.
~Keeping a regular routine
~The Gingerbread Man book....it is so long, but since the first time I got it out, she has sat quietly & paid attention the whole time. She calls it "a man" (like the /a/ sound).
~Mrs. Diana--what are we going to do when she stops coming? :( she loves, loves, loves playing with her.
~Playing with our phones. She holds them up & can see her reflection, so then she mashes it up to her face & says "ha tate!!"
~coloring, reading books

Things Hannah Kate Does Not Love:
~Mindy & Gracie leaving....ha!
~Stopping doing something she likes without warning
~Not having Mommy & Daddy at home & in a regular routine....she started waking up an hour or more early when we were in the hospital. Once we got home, she was back to normal in about a week. I said she was getting up early so she could play with Gracie!

Words:
~Most frequently used: Obey.....spankin's, to her babies: key you (carry you), rock you, go seep......cwose eyes.....way down......wap (lap); stinker, a-yos,
meeeeesssssssss, rock you, Indy (Mindy), Gacie (Gracie), Pa, Granna, Unc Mawk, love dou (love you)

Signs: everything

The Birth of Micaiah Blake

I was scheduled to have Micaiah on Wednesday, November 28th, at 37 weeks.  Of course, we know how things always go according to plan, right?! Ha ha.  I started having serious contractions on Friday night and almost had to go to the hospital (because I had a classical c-section last time, my doctor did not want me contracting at all).  Thankfully, they stopped and we didn't have to go.  Unfortunately, they returned Saturday night and Sunday night.  I was really nervous when I went to the doctor on Monday morning.  My contractions never showed up on the monitor when I was at the doctor's office (of course), but she suggested planning the c-section for the following Wednesday (the 21st).  Our main concern was that Micaiah would have to go to the NICU.  Dr. Collins said that if I could be on complete bed rest until the 28th, we could leave it as scheduled.  Wesley and I didn't see any way that we could make that work, so we rescheduled for Wednesday.  From the time I walked out of the doctor's office door until Tuesday night, I felt sick and nervous.  I was feeling really guilty for not trying to do bed rest, but we just didn't see any way to do it (and even then, we didn't know that it would help). 
Mindy and Gracie arrived Tuesday night to help with Hannah Kate.  We are so thankful that they were able to come and stay with her so she could be at home, in her own bed, and stay in a fairly normal routine.  Tuesday night, I was still having contractions.  Wednesday morning, around three o'clock, I woke up with sharp pains in my stomach.  I remember thinking that if they weren't better by the time we got up, I'd probably have to call Dr. Collins or go in early.  When I woke up again at six, it was worse.  I woke Wesley up and we called the answering service.  The midwife on call said to go ahead and go to the hospital.  I was really upset and disappointed because I had been looking forward to playing with Hannah Kate before we left for the hospital and I hadn't had a shower yet!  Wesley picked Hannah Kate up out of bed so I could give her a kiss before we left for the hospital.  I was still sad!
Of course, the pain stopped by the time we got ready to go, but we went on anyway.  I was glad we did because it started and stopped a few times on the way to the hospital.  When we arrived in labor and delivery, we happened to see Dr. Collins coming in.  She told the nurses to keep me there and put me on a monitor and if the schedules worked, we could do the c-section early.  After about 30 minutes on the monitor, they decided that Micaiah was doing okay and I was having contractions.  Then, the nurse was sweet enough to let me go take a shower!
Wesley sent a text message to a friend of his from school (Kenny) who works at Parkridge and he came by to visit with us for awhile.  Mindy and Gracie brought Hannah Kate to the hospital around lunch time.  When Mindy brought Hannah Kate in the room, Hannah Kate got very upset.  I think she was scared because she was in a new place and I was in weird clothes and had an IV.  It took several minutes to get her calmed down and where she would even sit with me (and I had to hold my IV hand behind my back).  We watched some Elmo and Bert and Ernie videos on my phone, then Mindy was going to take her back out to the waiting room to get Wesley (he was eating his lunch and sitting with Gracie).  Hannah Kate flipped out again crying and saying, "Mommy," and not wanting to leave.  So, she sat with me while Mindy went to get Wesley.  We tried several times to get a picture of the three of us, but she was not liking that!!  We kept her in the room with us for awhile longer.  She was excited to run back and forth across the room.  Then, Brittany and my parents arrived and Mindy, Gracie, and Hannah Kate went home.

My parents both came back to see me and before I knew it, Dr. Collins was in the room saying it was time to go.  I got REALLY nervous then!

Thankfully, I had an awesome nurse anesthetist who joked around and acted quickly anytime I said something was starting to feel weird or I was feeling sick.  Dr. Collins and everyone else was nice enough to talk quietly too and I told Wesley to keep talking to me so I couldn't hear what was going on!  

Before we knew it, Micaiah was here.........actually, it felt like forever, but I was glad to see him!  He did cry some at first.  His Apgar scores were 8 & 9.  When I heard this, I literally shook my head and laughed because Hannah Kate's were 9 & 9.  It's amazing how much better she did in that respect-and at 3 months early!

They worked on Micaiah for quite awhile.  He had fluid in his lungs and his lungs weren't very strong.  Someone came and asked Wesley if he wanted to cut the umbilical cord.  That was the only time he left me.  I felt bad later that he didn't get to watch anything, but I was a mess and I needed him with me.  He can watch someone else's on YouTube!  Wesley said the cord was tougher than he thought it would be.  He also said someone mentioned it was a 3 vessel cord.  Dr. Collins' nurse called me the next week and said the pathology report stated it was a 2 vessel cord after all.  When Wesley came back to me, he said Micaiah looked like Hannah Kate did when she was a baby.

Someone from the NICU team came to tell us he would have to go to the NICU because he was having trouble breathing.  They stopped on the way out so that I could see him.  He was making a grunting/singing sound because he was having so much trouble breathing.  They even had to "bag him" (again) to get some air into his lungs before they took him out the door.

When they were finishing up with me, they sent Wesley and Brittany on to the recovery room where I would go.  I wasn't feeling great when I was in recovery, but I was thankful that I was at least knowledgeable about what was going on and I didn't feel horribly sick.  I even regained feeling in my feet during that hour and was able to move them just a little bit.  That really surprised me!  When the NICU team told us they were taking Micaiah to the NICU, they said we would be able to come see him when they got him settled in an hour.  I remember thinking they were crazy if they thought I'd be able to go in there that quickly.  To my great surprise, they actually rolled my bed into the NICU on the way from the recovery room to the regular room.  I was amazed.  The NICU visitation rules are parents and grandparents only, but Brittany was able to go in with us since she was with us already. 
Micaiah was on the C-PAP machine to help force air in so he could breathe easier.  The nurses talked to us and we had even spoken with the neonatologist on our way in the NICU door.

Once I got in my room, my parents came to see me as well as Kristy.  We had a lot less people at the hospital this time, but that really helped us to not be so overwhelmed. Everyone commented on how much better I did compared to last time.  I'm thankful God blessed us with a less traumatic delivery!

Micaiah's birth story is much shorter than Rachel, Leah, & Hannah Kate's, but that's okay because that just means less crazy things happened!  We were very appreciative to God for blessing us with great medical personnel to take care of Micaiah and myself.