My DIY Photoshoot

My baby is two weeks old today!

We had his newborn photos taken Sunday of last week, when he was six days old. I think that they will turn out really well, but I was a little disappointed that the little hat and diaper cover I had found on clearance on Etsy had not arrived yet.

Necessity being the mother of all invention, I decided to do my own photoshoot with my point-and-shoot.

After looking at a couple of other bloggers' approaches (I really didn't search too much--I didn't want to be overwhelmed by all the things I couldn't do), I decided to do mine in the afternoon. After feeding and changing Elias, I set up my couch as our "studio". Keeping it simple, I placed a boppy in the middle and covered the entire couch with a queen-sized white woven blanket I have. The boppy worked really nicely for keeping him in place, and I think the white blanket was a good choice, since it didn't distract from the cute crocheted-ness. :)

An hour or two before we took these, I cranked the thermostat up. So, even though he was mostly naked, he was a pretty happy fellow almost the whole time. I was really gentle and moved slowly when I repositioned him, and it was so fun to get a few shots where he actually looked at the camera after I talked to him.

I understand all of the obstacles there are when photographing a newborn, but I would never be able to get this many photos of my toddler--they would all be blurry, since he is always on the move!

I am seriously in love with this sweet face!

One Week

Yesterday, my baby was one week old already!

I got to capture a lot of cuteness during one of his awake times, and I just loved all of the faces he made at me! We took Elias to the doctor's office in the morning for his hospital follow-up.

Although he was born at 8 pounds, 7 ounces, like all babies do, he lost some weight while in the hospital. I believe that Kieran lost a whole pound since he did not eat the first day. Elias lost 10 ounces, but gained one back before we left. So, one week later, he was already back up to 8 pounds 2 ounces. Why? Because this baby can eat! That means that he has been gaining about an ounce a day; by the end of the week, he just might be back up to his birth weight. :)

They also measured him at 20 1/4 inches, which I find hard to believe. That would mean that Elias grew 3/4 inch in one week...so, I'm guessing either his initial or his check-up measurements were off. But I could be wrong!

Our little boy is bringing us so much joy! My favorite time of day is after big brother goes to bed and Elias has some alert time. I love sitting next to Daddy while he lets Elias rest on his legs and plays with his hands, and we both watch his expressions. It reminds me so much of our times with Kieran. He is such a sweet little fellow!

Big brother is acclimating to our new home life, but it has had its difficult moments. He has gotten in trouble a little bit more, and I think that it's going to take longer than I expected for him to learn "nice touches". They all start out nice...but they get more "boisterous" rather quickly. There is probably a little bit of jealousy going on, so I am trying to spend a fair amount of one-on-one time with him. It will be interesting to see what our "new normal" looks like once we settle into it.

All in all, I am so thankful for my two little blessings!

And Then There Were Four

He is here!

Elias Finn arrived Monday the 4th at 10:59 in the morning. He was 8 pounds, 6.9 ounces, and 19 1/2 inches long.

It is rather surreal to set your alarm to make sure that you get up in time to have your baby. :P

Monday, I woke up at 6:00 a.m. and started getting ready. I couldn't eat breakfast or even drink water, but I wanted a nice, long luxurious shower before I was confined to a hospital bed. Kieran woke up at 7:00 and was rather clingy when Grandma and Grandpa showed up to take him to McDonald's for breakfast. I think he knew something was up. :)

We were on our way by 7:30, giving us an extra 15 minutes to get there--which we used up in a traffic jam! I asked Jordan what happens when you don't show up to have your baby...but I never remembered to ask at the hospital. Once we arrived, we got all checked in and they slowly began the process of prepping me for the surgery scheduled to begin two hours later. Everything went really smoothly, besides that continual feeling of "is this really about to happen?" When the doctor came in to meet me just before the surgery, I have to admit that I started to get nervous. It's something akin to that feeling you get after waiting in a really long line for a rather intimidating roller coaster, and you have just reached the front of the line.

After we walked down to the operating room, they made Jordan wait outside for about 15 minutes while they prepped me and gave me the anesthesia. Later on, Jordan told me that he was praying for me, and I am so glad that he did. Because, while logically I knew that this was something that I had already experienced and that I was one of several c-sections scheduled for the day, I was scared. It was becoming very real, very fast. And my experience going into the last one was much different, so I was very distracted and hadn't had much time to think on what was going on. This time, I probably had too much time. I did cry a little bit, and a couple of the staff asked me if I was alright. I said I was...but it was a little overwhelming.

However, having said all of that, once I was actually prepped and Jordan was able to join me, I felt very focused. Our anesthesiologist was a real jokester and kept trying to get us to laugh, but I just closed my eyes most of the time and waited for my baby to come. Let me tell you, it is really weird not to know what is going on on the other side of that drape, but I'm sure I wouldn't really want to know. All I could feel was the pressure as they tried to push the baby out by pushing on the top of my womb. They did have to use the vacuum once to help get him out, as apparently he was big and I am small. But 25 minutes or so after they started, he was here!

They had asked Jordan ahead of time if he wanted to peek over the drape and announce the gender. But that is what he had done with Kieran, and this time he wanted us to be able to find out at the same time. So the doctor announced that we had a baby boy, and we were thrilled!

They also asked Jordan if he wanted to cut the cord (which he did not get to do with Kieran), and he agreed to it, although he wasn't very excited about it. The cord had already been cut and then clamped, and they brought him over to a warming tray, so I guess he just got to cut it short, and he said it was a pretty underwhelming experience. :) Either way, it was such a blessing for me to be able to see Elias get wiped down and weighed and measured, since I only got to see Kieran briefly before he was whisked away for his assessment.

This time, he got to go back to the room with us, then Jordan went with him for his assessment, and it was a much shorter time period before I finally got to hold my baby in my arms.

Elias has been the perfect second baby! Our very first nursing session, I did not even have to teach him what to do--he was totally instinctual. He has been a very good feeder; I thought that Kieran was good, but I now realize that I was not the only one who had a learning curve. I also had to teach him how to properly latch. But this one is a natural! 

It was so fun to introduce Kieran to his baby brother. You could tell that he was rather confused when Grandma and Grandpa brought him to the hospital. "What's going on?" "Why are Mommy and Daddy here?" He was interested in Elias and petted his head, but when we tried to get him to let Elias rest in his lap, he said, "Nooo..." and tried to push him away--not before we got this photo, however. :)

I love my boys! They are so adorable, and Kieran is starting to "claim" Elias, as Jordan would put it. We are still trying to teach him gentleness, and he has definitely been more boisterous and clingy, but I believe he is starting to acclimate to the changes at home.

Daddy is proud of his new boy.

And I am proud of all my boys.

It's so crazy seeing Elias dressed in Kieran's clothes that he was wearing only last year.

Kieran on the left, Elias on the right

But I can definitely tell that Elias is his own person, and I am so excited to watch that little personality develop!

To summarize...........God is good. :)

I Get to Be the One

Well, tomorrow is the big day!

It's hard for me to wrap my head around the idea that I will get to hold this little one in my arms before lunch. In case anyone is wondering, yes, I am a little nervous for tomorrow--who wouldn't be? But my excitement and anticipation far outweigh any anxiety. And while I held out hope all week and over the weekend that I would indeed go into labor, that's another anxiety in itself, and now I guess I get to avoid it. ;)

All in all, my heart is filled to the brim with peace and joy, and, Lord willing, it will overflow tomorrow when we meet our sweet baby!

How does someone so small hold my heart so tightly?

I don't even know you; I love you completely.

We're not the best at selfies, but this is us on our last night being just a family of three!

Heading Toward the Finish Line

Monday, November 4th. Mark it on your calendars.

Well, okay, you don't have to. But I sure have!

I went to my doctor's appointment yesterday, and this is what we decided:  if Baby doesn't come before the fourth of November, I will have a c-section, and we will get to meet our precious little one! If I do go into labor before then, then we will head down to the hospital and evaluate how things are looking and where to proceed from there. Since the main problem last time was that Kieran never dropped down into my pelvis, I am praying that if I do go into labor, this one will have very obviously dropped and engaged. 

While I can't speak for Jordan for sure, I feel such peace about this decision. God is bigger than any struggles I might have during labor. But he also has surrounded me with wise counselors that have much experience in what I am about to go through. He knows exactly what He plans to accomplish, and I feel like such a burden has been lifted from my shoulders as I no longer sway back and forth without direction. He can very obviously work toward one end or guide me toward another, but this life is not my own, and it's a relief to let Him control it.

And the best part of it all? We are so close to that finish line--eleven days or less!