Adjusting...

Have you wondered how Elijah is adjusting to sharing his parents with a little brother?

For the most part, his reaction has been to ignore his brother entirely. I mean, what exactly can a baby do for him?

I was so pleased, though, that when we returned from the hospital Elijah immediately acknowledged his brother (shown in these photos). Elijah was in the middle of his snack when I brought Oliver over to see his big brother. Elijah put his forehead on Oliver, which is a sign of affection on Elijah's part.

I can tell Elijah loves his little brother in his own way. And while he hasn't shown much interest in his little brother since that moment, he will sometimes come over to observe his little brother's screaming diaper changes with great interest.

I'm looking forward to watching their relationship evolve in the years to come.

Tweet

The Big 3-0

Happy 30th Birthday to the daddy here in Elijahland.

He got a really awesome gift this year.

He is an amazing dad to our two boys.

We are so blessed.

Tweet

A Family of Four

The night before

Yesterday, May 15th, our family of three became a family of four.

Oliver Luke was born at 7:58 am, weighing in at 9 pounds and 2 ounces. He was 21.5 inches long.

Moments after birth; he's a big guy!

The delivery was beautiful and peaceful.

Meeting our second born

Elijah met his brother yesterday (he's in the capable care of his Uncle Andy and Aunt Karen in our absence). Elijah looked at Oliver a few times, but didn't seem to know what to think about his new brother. I'm interested to see how he'll react in the weeks to come as we all fall into new routines at home.

First family photo

My recovery is coming along great so far and I can say that this birth experience was about a million times better than the last time. I feel so at peace and happy. This is what a birth is supposed to feel like.

Oliver Luke; We're madly in love

Thank you all for your prayers and well-wishes. We're on cloud nine and feel so blessed to be a family of four. We have two incredible little boys that we get to call our own.

Tweet

Yes, I'm Still Pregnant (and Other Updates)

I'm Still Pregnant...for now
This pregnancy has gone by so very fast. I suppose it has something to do with the fact that this time around there is a little man named Elijah to keep me busy. And, I guess it's good news for me that I feel like this pregnancy has just flown by. I haven't had the time to sit around and ponder my state too much, which is a good thing since our last birth was not a pleasant experience (to say the least).

Today, I am 39 weeks pregnant. Tomorrow, on Tuesday, May 15th, I'll be giving birth to our second son via c-section. It's a little strange for me to know the date and time I'll be giving birth; it's so different from last time when we were waiting and wondering and waiting some more.  I'm doing my best to focus on the meeting of our son and not so much on the fact that I'll be having surgery. All that really matters to me is that soon I'll be holding our son in my arms. I'm looking forward to laying my eyes on him and hearing him cry. These are not things I take for granted as I hate to wait for these things last time.

Elijah's Hand
In other news, Elijah's hand seems to be healing well. His middle finger is looking great. It's his ring finger, which had the biggest burn, which is taking longer to heal. He did end up having a 3rd degree burn on part of that finger, so we still need to keep his finger wrapped to avoid an infection. The 3rd degree part of Elijah's burn is in-between his joints which is a good thing in terms of mobility. We'll have to keep on eye on it to make sure it doesn't get too stiff as it heals and we'll have to keep it moist with lotion to try to minimize scarring.

But, despite a third degree burn, his finger seems to be healing really well.

So, that's what's been happening around here. We're waiting...for Elijah's hand to heal and for our next member of our family to join us. The good news is that the wait for both is not long at all.

I would certainly appreciate thoughts and prayers that all will go well tomorrow, that our newest little and I would have protection and that we'll both be super healthy. When you've had a terrible birth experience like we have had, it's hard not to remember the last time. Perhaps you could pray for some peace for me too. I've been having a lot of memories of Elijah's birth lately and that's not an easy thing to remember. Thanks!

Stay tuned for news of sweet baby boy's arrival!

Tweet