First Bottle...

It's not really fun getting no sleep. It's okay- I know it's just a short period of time, and i'm not really wishing it away because I know he's going to grow up way too fast. But a 4 hour stretch of sleep wouldn't hurt! So, since he's nursing SO well, we decided to try out a bottle on Friday so that I can nurse him in the evening and then head straight to bed, and Matt can take care of the next feeding with the bottle while I sleep. Of course, little food-monster, he took all 3 ounces from Daddy without batting an eyelash. (I, on the other hand, (after taking photos) went into the bedroom very sad! Thinking ridiculous thoughts like "he doesn't need me!" and then "of course he does, that stuff does NOT come from the store!") hahaha
It's Tuesday now and we still haven't tried this trick again because my little angel has been feeding 3-4 hours at night instead of 2 for the past couple days. So I've been heading to bed early with the expressed milk ready to go for Matt, and Rowen sleeps the night away so Matt never gets a chance to feed him before heading to bed himself! Oh well :o) At least we know we can! It's amazing how much better I feel sleeping two hours at a time instead of one hour at a time. I guess our bodies just get used to what they can get! I guess God knew what He was doing when He made us "mommies."

p.s. if you were wondering, we're using the Adiri Nurser. It's way cool.

Little Monster

Nanna bought Rowen his first halloween costume. He was a little monster- though he's the sweetest, calmest little monster there ever was!

31 days to pray for my children

This has been a blessing to me the past few weeks of sleepless nights- I got it from a wonderful Mom (of young adults) at my church, and wanted to pass it on to you parents or future parents out there. I taped it up next to the rocker so while I'm up at all hours of the night nursing, I can be praying for my sweet little boy in a specific way instead of thinking "ooh, if I could just be back in bed... grumble grumble..." I like to put his name in there instead of "my children," and continue praying for him for the whole nursing session for whichever day's specific virtue- it's also a nice way to think of songs to sing to him for the day that go along with the verses. The idea of course is that you pray for each virtue on the date that matches the number, then you have one specific thing to be praying for each day of the month. I thought it was really cool.
Hope you enjoy :o)

1 - salvation
"Lord, let salvation spring up within my children, that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory" (Isaiah 45:8, 2 Timothy 2:10)

2 - growth in grace
"I pray that they may 'grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18)

3 - love
"Grant, Lord, that my children may learn to 'live a life of love,' through the Spirit who dwells in them" (Ephesians 5:2, Galatians 5:22)

4 - honesty and integrity
"May integrity and honesty be their virtue and their protection" (Psalm 25:21)

5 - self control
"Father, help my children not to be like many others around them, but let them be 'alert and self-controlled' in all they do" (1 Thessalonians 5:6)

6 - a love for God's Word
"May my children grow to find your Word 'more precious than gold, than much pure gold; [and] sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb'" (Psalm 19:10)

7 - justice
"God, help my children to love justice as you do and to 'act justly' in all they do" (Psalm 11:7, Micah 6:8)

8 - mercy
"May my children always 'be merciful, as [their] Father is merciful'" (Luke 6:36)

9 - respect (for self, others, authority)
"Father, grant that my children may 'show proper respect to everyone,' as your Word commands" (1 Peter 2:17a)

10 - strong, Biblical self-esteem
"Help my children develop a strong self-esteem that is rooted in the realization that they are 'God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus'" (Ephesians 2:10)

11 - faithfulness
"Let love and faithfulness never leave [my children],' but bind these twin virtues around their necks and write them on the tablet of their hearts" (Proverbs 3:3)

12 - courage
"May my children always 'Be strong and courageous' i their character and in their actions" (Deuteronomy 31:6)

13 - purity
"Create in [them] a pure heart, O God,' and let their purity of heart be shown in their actions" (Psalm 51:10)

14 - kindness
"Lord, may my children 'always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else'" (1 Thessalonians 5:15)

15 - generosity
"Grant that my children may 'be generous and willing to share [and so] lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age'" (1 Timothy 6:18-19)

16 - peace, peaceability
"Father, let my children 'make every effort to do what leads to peace'" (Romans 14:19)

17 - joy
"May my children be filled 'with the joy given by the Holy Spirit'" (1 Thessalonians 1:6)

18 - perseverance
"Lord, teach my children perseverance in all they do, and help them especially to 'run with perseverance the race marked out for [them]'" (Hebrews 12:1)

19 - humility
"God, please cultivate in my children the ability to 'show true humility toward all'" (Titus 3:2)

20 - compassion
"Lord, please clothe my children with the virtue of compassion" (Colossians 3:12)

21 - responsibility
"Grant that my children may learn responsibility, 'for each one should carry his own load'" (Galatians 6:5)

22 - contentment
"Father, teach my children 'the secret of being content in any and every situation... through him who gives [them] strength'" (Philippians 4:12-13)

23 - faith
"I pray that faith will find root and grow in my children's hearts, that by faith they may gain what has been promised to them" (Luke 17:5-6, Hebrews 11:1-40)

24 - a servant heart
"God, please help my children develop servant hearts, that they may serve wholeheartedly, 'as to the Lord, and not to men'" (Ephesians 6:7)

25 - hope
"May the God of hope grant that my children may overflow with hope and hopefulness by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13)

26 - the willingness and ability to work hard
"Teach my children, Lord, to value work and to work hard at everything they do, 'as working for the Lord, not for men'" (Colossians 3:23)

27 - a passion for God
"Lord, please instill in my children a soul that "followeth hard after thee," a heart that clings passionately to you (Psalm 63:8)

28 - self-discipline
"Father, I pray that my children may develop self-discipline, that they may acquire 'a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair'" (Proverbs 1:3)

29 - prayerfulness
"Grant, Lord, that my children's lives may be marked by prayerfulness, that they may learn to 'pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests" (Ephesians 6:18)

30 - gratitude
"Help my children to live lives that are always 'overflowing with thankfulness,' 'always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Colossians 2:7, Ephesians 5:20)

31 - a heart for missions
"Lord, please help my children to develop a heart for missions, a desire to see your glory declared among the nations, your marvelous deeds among all peoples" (Psalm 96:3)

Rowen's photo shoot: part 2

Well after much anticipation, Rowen's photo shoot pictures are all edited. Thank you Kristy for sharing your talent, all the pictures a beautiful.

Check them out!

Three weeks have whizzed by...

Well hello there, long lost blog readers :o) Not much time for posting these days... But here's a few shots from yesterday and a little about what's going on in our lives the past week as we get to know baby Ro!


Good morning! I think this is how he says "I love you" -such a sweet angel baby :o) Makes the long nights worth it! We've been nursing about every two hours- which means about an hour or so of sleep at a time for me. Wee-ha! But he's so darling I just can't complain- (too much.)

We try to get a little exercise every day - hooray tummy time! He can lift his head up off the floor for a second at a time, and his legs are kicking machines. Little stud muffin... I, on the other hand, desperately miss my work outs. Three weeks of no exercise makes me feel like a slug- and I have three more weeks of recovery to go. *sigh*


Cloth diapering is going great. We are going through nearly 20 diapers a day (man- what a pooper!) so it's fun to think of all the money we're saving! The laundry's not so bad- I do a load every day but it's not like you have to match socks or fold the shirts just right or anything- it's just wash, dry, and dump into the right basket when they're done. We're using a little TP to scrape the poo into the toilet and then rinse the rest out - it's amazing that they aren't staining with his mustard-yellow poo. Three cheers for Charley's Soap. And his huge diapered booty is so darn cute! One downfall to said booty- onsies don't quite fit right. But there's this super nifty little gadget I have to share with you:the Onsie Extender! I picked up a pack of them at Mother Nature's for 5 bucks- they make his cute little halloween outfit (and all other onsies) fit just right. (Thanks for the cool duds, Nanna!)


Rowen is quite the "suck"er. He tries to latch on to just about anything near his lips. When he's hungry he goes at it in full force, ramming his little head into things. We call it "bobbing for nipples." hahaha. I can't wait until he figures out where his hand and mouth are- then he'll be able to suck his fingers to his little heart's content! Last night he repeatedly got his fist in there for a moment at a time- I had to catch it on camera of course. He was trying so hard!

We like to wrap up the evening with a nice bath about every three days. He's liking it much more than he did the first couple times! Water in the face is no big deal, and he seems to like a good little scrub. However, he does hang on to his seat for dear life!
He's napping and sleeping pretty well- we're doing our best to put him down awake (albeit groggy, barely awake) so that he can learn self-soothing skills. He's doing a great job :o) (Proud Momma!) there's one exception, of course: the 7:00ish hour. For whatever reason that is fussy time. So he's happy falling asleep on Daddy's chest, and that's all right with us for now. He's still so small and snuggly and cute any way- resistance is futile.
Night night!

Our First Day Without Daddy!

Boy, the walls sure are quiet! Matt had his first day back at work today- which means Rowen and I are on our own. I was a little nervous about it last night- but now that it's 4:30 and daddy's on his way home- I think it went quite well! We sure missed our favorite man, though. That's for sure. For the past two weeks, he's done 95% of the housework, 90% of the diapers, 100% of breakfasts & lunches (thanks to many lovely ladies from church, mops, and other friends and family, neither of us have had to do any dinners!), 50% of the night time duties (nearly everything but feeding- he can't help there quite yet!), 100% of walking the dog, and so much more... he's just been an amazing dad and husband.
So in ode to my hero, my husband- here's a few pictures that I love :o)


Trying to help Rusty feel included...

wearing Rowen- too cute. love it.

daddy's in charge of bath time until I can lean over the tub again...

The diaper master!

This new parent thing is pretty exhausting...

I call this one "sideburns" ;o) Rowen's are hard to see in the picture, but they are there (seriously, down to his ear lobes just like daddy's) and they are adorable!
I actually had to make my own breakfast this morning. :o( Matt's been cookin' up scrambled eggs, egg "mc"muffins, strawberry crepes with whipped cream, hash browns, whatever I requested! This morning (of the picture) I just wanted cereal- so it came on a tray with a little flower. He's so darn sweet.

sneaking in a nap together

the cord "stump" finally fell off! Diapers are easier without this obstacle. :o)

love love love

Rowen's photo shoot

Can you believe it, Rowen is 10 days old and he has already had his first photo shoot. Our friend Kristy blessed us with a photo shoot last Sunday to capture Rowen's newborn state and all his cuteness. She has posted some sneek peeks on her blog so check them out.

http://lifecandids.blogspot.com/

We are so blessed

Well this week has been awesome. We not only were blessed with the birth of Rowen and have been enjoying every minute with him, but we have been blessed by so many friends and family stopping by for visit and bringing us food. For all those parents out there, you know how nice it is not to have to cook when you have a newborn.

Last night Sarah stopped by and hung out all afternoon and treated us to some Thai food for dinner.

Rowen picture update.

Here is another picture update. This one contains his first bath.

One Week Old!!

Can't believe it's already been a week- Hasn't Matt been GREAT about updating the blog? I, on the other hand, am either nursing or sleeping or nursing or eating or nursing or.... you get the idea: no time for blogging :) But our little champ has been napping for an hour and a half and I'm finally caught up on email and facebook- so I thought I might be able to sneak in a few details about MY whole experience! (a few details- haha- this is going to be LONG- but I've been storing up for a week!)

Last Tuesday we went in for our 41 week check up, and little Rowen was still floating way above my pelvis and my cervix was still completely long and closed- no signs of my body preparing to go into labor. Being a week over due already didn't help- and after two weeks the placenta can start breaking down so the uterus is possibly a dangerous place to be for a baby after that point. My doctor said we could continue to wait it out that week if we needed to, but again- no signs of "hope" for a natural start. She also could not recomend induction as the chances of it working were slim to none, and that could make it dangerous. At this point in my perfect pregnancy, it the odds for a safe delivery and healthy mom and baby were shifting over to the surgical birth side. My doctor also made it very clear that she would be more than happy to get me in to some of her collegues for a second opinion if we felt we needed one. But we trust her and the way she's worked with us this far so there was no need- what she was telling us was just the facts. So, after discussing all the options and spending some time in prayer, Matt and I decided that the safest and best delivery at this point for this baby would be cesarean. My doctor happened to be on call Wednesday so we scheduled the surgery for 5pm so that she could be the one to do it. As most of you know, I had really wanted a natural vaginal birth so it was a hard decision to come to and I was nervous about the surgery and the epidural and the recovery etc- but God was SO faithful to my nerves and my heart! There was concern about the epidural being difficult, but it went without a hitch. The anesthetist did a great job and after a little trial and error with the dosages everything was perfect. The surgery then went perfectly as well, no complications whatsoever, and I was thrilled to discover I could "feel" the entire birth, minus pain. That was wonderfully unexpected. When the doctor pulled him out and he made his first cry it was the most beautiful thing I'd ever heard and I've been in love ever since!
They showed him to me and then cleaned him up a bit and did their thing, and then placed him by my head and Matt and I got a few moments with him- I was in awe. I couldn't really see him since he was right next to my head and I was strapped down, but ooooh I could feel him and smell him and it was all so delicious! Matt went with him to do the baby thing as they finished sewing me back up. I couldn't wait to see him- but I don't remember it taking long. The "clean up" was suposed to take 30-45 mintues, and I'm sure it did, but I wasn't watching the clock. The next thing I remember is being wheeled into the post-op room and seeing him in his little bassinette so perfect all bundled up- they let me nurse him right away and it was just beautiful. I dont' have words to describe all of the emotions - it was so euphoric and unbelievable - (I know, gush gush gush!)
We had to be in post-op for a little over 2 hours before being taken to the recovery room. Meanwhile all our family was in the waiting room since about 7:00- so it was a Happel/Hosford/Leahy/Carroll/Rekate/Christiansen party for about two hours before they finally let them in to see us! We were surrounded in the love of 13 visitors at 9:00. Everyone got a chance to hold Rowen and he was alert the whole time- quietly observing everyone with a little peep here and there, always settling down so easily. It was quite a night!
We were in the hospital until Saturday noon and had lots of great care and visitors- I'll recomend St. V's to anyone- they were awesome. But I was so happy to be headed home!

Recovery has been slow and a wee bit tender- but going VERY well. My dear hubby keeps reminding me to take it easy and I'm doing my best to obey! ;) Nursing is going so smoothly I can't believe it- from the very first try he's been 10-15 minutes each side and every 1-3 hours. Which is helping him sleep about 3 hours at a time at night- and boy do I know that we're blessed by that! Everything he does is amazing and we are so thankful and filled with joy- I just can't describe it. Aahh, love.

Everything has truly been beyond comprehension. I know that being so completely covered in prayer has made such a huge difference on our whole birth experience and everything concerning his first week of life. God has chosen- for whatever reason- to bless us with this amazing tiny being and we just can't get over it!

So thanks for your prayers, thanks for reading this incredibly long blog, thanks for your well-wishes and visits, thanks for the meals if you've been one of the providers :) thank you for being our friends and loving little Rowen into his new life! It's amazing!