Couldn't You Just Eat Him Up
Teddy is getting more and more expressive and I love every smile, frown and look of surprise. He has a smile that just takes over his whole face.
Check the Baby
When I had Jack, not only did I get a new baby, I got a new hobby...Check If The Baby Is Breathing. Now that I have Teddy, I have once again picked up my old habit like a pair of comfortable worn knitting needles.
The risk of SIDS is very small. One web site I checked said that less than 1 baby in 1,000 will die of SIDS and that more and more researchers are finding that children who die of SIDS have a pre-existing contributing condition. Still, the knowledge that the risk is small does not even begin to combat the anxiety that is caused by all the warnings that are heaped on new mothers. Babies can only sleep on their backs. Don't put anything at all in the crib. Don't let the baby get too warm. It goes on and on.
Then there is the name: SUDDEN INFANT DEATH. Is there any more terrifying thought than coming to check on your peacefully sleeping child only to discover that your child has without warning died? To add to a new mother's worry, every article written on the subject hits the point that there is no known definitive cause and therefore all we can do is take steps to lower our child's risk, but we can not fully protect our baby. The whole situation reminds me of the Passover story. What are we supposed to mark our nursery door with to keep the angel of death from entering?
So, I, and many other mothers I suspect, check the baby with an almost obsessive compulsion and, if our child appears to be sleeping too deeply, wake the baby up. The risk may be small, but the fear is paralyzing.
How Do You Celebrate A One Month Birthday?
Well, first you bake a cake and let the older kids decorate.
Happy Birthday Teddy!!!
Happy Birthday Teddy Bear! You are one month old today. I can not believe how fast the time has just flown by. It seems like just yesterday, not a whole month ago, that you and I were one and I was on my way to the hospital to meet you face to face for the first time.
You are still such a wonder to me. Already you are your own little person. I keep expecting you to do things like Jack, but no, you are Teddy and you will do it your own way.
You are much more of a mama's boy. I am used to children crying because they need something, something tangible, food, sleep, a band-aid. You cry just because you want to be held. Sometimes all I need to do is pick you up and the tears stop and the cuddling begins. However, much to the chagrin of the rest of the family, like I said before, you are a mama's boy and what you want is Mommy Love and nothing else will do. Your favorite place to nap is on my lap and you get quite upset when we go to bed an I try to put you in the middle of your crib. You know that I am near, but, unless we are touching, we aren't close enough for you. Lucky for you, Mommy loves to wear her babies and you go everywhere in a sling or wrapped up next to Mommy.
You, Teddy my boy, are the apple of your sister and brothers' eye. They love you so much and won't go to bed until they have all covered you in kisses. Nothing makes Nicholas happier than to sit on the couch with you on his lap. Now that Jack is a little more used to you, he thinks you are pretty cool too. He even tries to share his juice cup and toys with you. However, since he doesn't know his own strength or the fact that you aren't ready for a juice cup, we had to put a mesh tent over your play pen to keep your brother's "gifts" out. Rachel now calls all the boys the Three Little Pigs. Teddy, you are the baby pig (because you are a baby), Jack is the Toddler Pig (because he is a very messy eater and is always messing things up) and Nicholas is the Big Pig ("Just because he is.") Your big sister loves you so much and when you cry she sings lullabies to you. She doesn't understand that lullabies are supposed to be soft and lilting, so they do very little to actually sooth you.
Your Daddy just thinks you are the bees knees. He is so happy that Mommy is much possessive of you than I was with your older brother, so you get much more cuddle time with Daddy, which pleases him immensely. Daddy already does Super Baby with you and you and he sometimes spend quiet time on the couch while Mommy tries to sleep.
Sleep. This is a big issue at our house right now. You sleep great during the day...when it is loud. However, as soon as the house quiets down and Mommy and Daddy get ready to catch a few zzzz's, you are all kinds of fussy. You are much more fond of a noisy house than a quiet one. Last night, we even tried to fall asleep with the television on so that you would sleep better. But, the minute we turned it off and the house was silent, you weren't. We are going to try music next.
I love you so much Teddy Bear. I still am surprised when I think that I am the mother to four children, but I wouldn't change it for the world.
Didn't I Just Feed You
I weighted Teddy the other day and the boy is already over 10 and a half pounds. When I informed his father of this fact, Marty replied, "Are you surprised? That kids eats like 7 or 8 hours a day." Truer words were never uttered as evidenced by the fact that when Teddy cried this morning, Rachel's reply to him was, "You just ate!"
Nursing is a rather passive activity, not at all like the pictures of mothers in wrapped gazes with their offspring as they issue forth the elixir of life. For me, it involves a glass of water a covered container of water so that Jack doesn't knock it on the floor, a phone nearby on the off chance that someone calls me and I get to speak to an actual adult, and the remote control to change the channel in case watching one more episode of Zack and Cody run around the Tipton causes me to have a seizure.
Unfortunately, as soon as Jack sees me grab the Boppy, he knows that he is a free little man. Once he see the baby latch on, he has realized that there is very little I can do to stop his wanton destruction. I tell him No. I shout No. I plead with him to stop. But unless, I unhook and chase him down, which leads to the pitiful cries of the starving, Jack just looks at me and laughs. It can be down right infuriating.
Rachel on the other hand is a blessing. She understands that I can't chase Jack or Nicholas for that matter and will stand in as my proxy upon request. This has lead to her being a little too bossy with the boys sometimes, but I am sure that the balance will come.
Well, I must run. I hear my youngest squawking. I mean it has been about 20 minutes since I last fed him.
Our Little Miracle - Two Weeks Old Today
Every time I look at Teddy, it just amazes me that he is here. I mean, we didn't plan for him, ask for him or expect to be adding to our family so soon. And yet, here he is, a whole person who will have an effect on the world just by being in it.
A year ago, when Marty and I were facing a potentially life altering decision, we kept feeling that it wasn't our time, that God had something else planned for us. Being open to God's call worked out on the most wonderful way possible. Our definitive answer as to what He had planned for us next is here now and he came all wrapped in in 8 pounds 9 ounces of pure wonder.
I love you Teddy Bear and I thank God every day that you are here.
Welcome to the World Theodore Robert Nohe
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Another Oversized Melon
Well, today we went for an ultra sound to see if a natural delivery were possible based on the circumference of the baby's head. Jack's head was 14.75 inches around and after 2 and a half hours of pushing, we had a Cesarean. Our new guy has a head circumference of 14.8. Yes, that would be bigger. So I am sure you can all guess how he will be delivered.
After telling us that the machine can be off by 2 pounds, they estimated his birth weight at 9 pounds 9 ounces. At my appointment on Monday, based on the feel of the baby, my OB estimated the weight at 7 pounds. I am going to hold on to what the doctor said. Of course, my mother had to point out that if the ultrasound could be 2 pounds off, the little guy could weigh 11 pounds. Thanks mom!
A False Alarm
Yesterday evening, I was sure that I was in labor. I'd been crampy all day and, by about 3 o'clock, was having contractions about 5 minutes apart. I could talk through them, but they seemed to be getting more intense. I called my doctor and was told to go to Labor and Delivery. Marty came home, an army of family came over to watch the kids and we headed off sure that this was the real thing. Three hours later, we were home eating pizza and I was feeling rather silly.
At the hospital they pumped me full of fluids and the contractions backed off. Even though they all reassured me that I did the right thing, I still felt like a scene from a movie in which the main character would come home, open the door and say, "You'd think I could tell the difference between labor and a chili enchilada." One week from today though, it will be baby time. Of that I am sure.
Things Are Happening
Today at my doctor's appointment, I found out that I was 2cm dilated and 60% effaced with a "very soft cervix." Also, the OB estimated that the baby is at 7 pounds right now and his head is down. He is not sure that I will make it to July 5th. In fact, he said that I could go at any minute and that I "probably" won't make it to July 5th. He even gave me the number for L&D just in case I couldn't get to anyone fast enough on the emergency number. Of course, now that I have written all of this down, I will definitely go to July 5th. But maybe because I said that, I won't. Or will I. OK, I'll stop now.
Well, that ought to light a fire under my butt to get things ready. Actually, I packed my bag last night (I know you thought it would never happen) and am pretty much ready to walk out the door at a moment's notice at this point. However, I keep having this nagging feeling that there is something that I am forgetting. Something big. Maybe I am just ready to have this baby and I am feeling his absence. Now aren't I deep. :)
