One Year Later

How can it possibly be that I haven't sat down with this screen, with my words, my thoughts and experiences for more than one year?

Grassy Feet

The desert in the spring is absolutely beautiful :) We took Noah and Lou to the park Sunday afternoon to experience the texture of the winter grass. We shared sandwiches, a long walk around the lake and then spent the afternoon lounging in the grass - ahhh.....

Dragon Feet

It seems we can't get enough love taking pictures
of our handsome little guy. The morning is the best when he
first wakes up, we snuggle with the Boppy and talk and read books
...the joys of staying home with our baby boy..:) I only wish time
would stop so I could stay home every day.

SMILES

I'm pretty sure my heart melted the first time we saw a smile on our baby's face :) This was the beginning (week 8) of Noah's gummy smiles and showing us his satisfaction.

Up All Night

So no matter how many hand washings, body scrubbings, clothing changes, hand sanitizers we do, our baby still caught a nasty virus. We took Noah to the doctor at the first sign of a cough, that was on a Tuesday and the doc said he was fine, lungs clear, no problems.
By Friday, we have a barking baby who sounds like he's going to cough up a toenail...Back to the doctor we go and the diagnosis is bronchiolitis. The doc gave us a breathing machine, a prescription for albuterol and sent us on our way. Ten breathing treatments, suctioned noses and many steamy bathrooms later, our baby was not improving.
It's Saturday night and we debated what to do. Our little guy was miserable and doing everything he could in his tiny body to supress the cough. We finally called the pediatrician's office again and got on the line with the on-call nurse who told us to go to Phoenix Children's Hospital. We debated some more, monitored the cough and finally gave in and went to the ER around 11pm.
I wanted to turn around as soon as we walked into the room of whimpering children and exhausted moms and dads. Luckily we had the youngest patient so they put us in a private room where we were able to stay the whole time. They monitored his breathing for several hours and he was checked out by a physician and a respiratory specialist. The specialist took a very tiny tube and put it in Noah's nose, it seemed she was feeding it in there forever. Then the horror started. She suctioned his whole sinus area until he could breathe again. We were nervous moms holding onto him, I am certain I cried harder than he did - What relief when it was done. Noah felt so much better, you could see it on his face. They did the suctioning three times while we were there before we could bring him home. We were told again that he had a virus and it could last several weeks.
We finally arrived back home around 3am and all of us slept soundly until noon the next day. Noah is doing much better now and we are glad to be over this first baby milestone.

Suns Fan

Just a little cheering action for the home team!

One Month of Motherhood

This week we celebrated one month of motherhood, what have we learned so far?

• the sweet, warm cozy comfort of a sleeping baby on our bellies
• the delight of a hot shower after a long day
• what used to take me 30 minutes, now takes 5 days!
• time is irrelevant when there's an infant around
• I've officially become a milking machine
• our goals for the day include smiling, laughing, playing, feeding and napping
• we can't predict anything
• panic at the doctor's office
• enjoy every moment
• the human body is an incredible machine
• the biggest love we have ever felt

Grandparents

Babies bring out the best in all of us, most definitely they allow us to see our parents in a completely new way. In fourteen short days, mom and dad crossed miles of barriers to be 'in the moment' when Noah was born. We received thank you notes from them after they returned home to Virginia and their words are absolutely priceless to both of us.

Dad: "What a wonderful time we had visiting you in Arizona and welcoming baby Noah into our family. It was like Christmas all over again only better! Take care of each other and give Noah a hug and a kiss from each of us."

Mom: "But the best and most special treat was being there to share Noah's birth. I know I was a reluctant participant, but I am so glad I was there. It was such a special time of love, family and togetherness which I will always treasure. Noah is indeed fortunate to have such loving and caring parents. I know you will do whatever it takes to raise him to be an outstanding young man. Your dad and I look foward to helping you do that. Thanks again for all you do for us."

wow....

The Question

Our first outing to the Farm at South Mountain and we are confronted with a question that we have been preparing ourselves to answer for months. We were sitting with Amy and Lou, having a picnic lunch, when two women, clearly friends, approached us. They asked us the standard questions, how old is your baby, what's his name, etc. etc. Lex was holding him and Amy and I were sitting on the other side of the picnic table. Then one of the ladies asked, "Who is the mother?"
Lex looked at me and I firmly replied, "We BOTH are."

YUMMY

Every moment we have with our little boy is nothing short of delicious and I want to savor each one...just a few ways our little Noah is YUMMY..

• his skin is so satiny soft, you can hardly feel it on your fingers


• he has big feet that he flexes when he's hungry


• his head is covered with blonde, brown and red fuzz


• his big blue eyes, the way they are beginning to explore the world


• his little round mouth, how he puckers to eat


• he yawns with his entire body


• his gastroc muscles are forming in his legs


• he calms himself when we give him a bath


• the strength of his head as he learns to hold himself up


• the way he sneezes, four in a row


• his perfectly shaped ears


• how he raises his brows at each new experience


• the sweet sounds he makes when his tummy is full


• how he stretches his feet when he rests on our bellies


• the soft rise and fall of his chest when he peacefully sleeps...

Our hearts and minds are full of yummy moments ~ I don't think we have ever smiled so big or so often in our lives...

A Loss for Words

In my mind, I've started the story of your birthday a thousand times. Somehow there are few words to describe the most transcendent day of my life, the day you were born, Noah Alexander.

The feelings began early on New Year's Day, before I even got out of bed. I could tell my body was doing something new, but I was not ready to talk about it, name it or describe it out loud, for fear it was just me, wishing you to join us on the outside. The feeling was low in my belly and seemed to be happening in some kind of pattern. I told your mom about the feelings around ten in the morning and began to write and record each time the muscles would move. I noticed that the surges were happening about every ten to fifteen minutes..Malaka texted sometime in the morning for an update and I questioned the significance of what I was feeling - she abruptly replied, "YES! YES! OMG! I'M SO FRICKEN EXCITED!" Anyone who has birthed three babies knows the early signs of labor, so I knew at this moment ~ you would be with us soon.

Your mom, Granny and Grampa hung out the rest of the day, watching football and your Granny and I made a big batch of chocolate chip cookies to celebrate your arrival. Your mom made a delicious dinner of chicken alfredo and salad that we all enjoyed together. As the evening progressed, the surges got closer together and we started to prepare to go to the hospital. I took a shower and fixed my hair so that I would be pretty for your birth. We finished packing two bags with goodies for us and two outfits for you to choose to come home in.

Your mom and I arrived at the hospital around 11:30pm on New Year's Day. At this time, the nurses evaluated me and said that I was only 4cm dialated and that the doctor on call would allow us to return home for the night if we wanted. We decided to stay at the hospital because they had a HUGE tub for us to labor in. You and I spent so much time over the last nine months in the tub, I thought it was the way to spend our last moments together as one. Your mom stayed by my side every second and coached me through each muscle surge for over 24 hours. We listened to Native American flutes and relaxed with the Rainbow Relaxation CD. With each surge, I focused more deeply on bringing you into this world.

Granny and Grampa arrived around 6:30am the next morning, Friday, January 2, along with Nana and Papa a few hours later and then Johanna and Tim came to see you into this world. I was working hard to keep a clear mind and listen to what you were telling me through the surges, as the pressure mounted and the frequency and duration increased. Somehow, I bet your mom counted to 20 over a million times for me during your birth, just to help me through each surge. She's super strong, your mom. I was anxious and ready to meet you, hoping you would be here by lunch time on Friday ~ the doctor said you weren't ready yet so we helped you get here a little bit sooner. Once I started to bear down and position myself, within three big surges, I felt your entire body slide through me and move into the outside world. The next moment, there you were, on my bare chest, shouting your arrival to the world. I looked at you, I looked at your mom and an overwhelming rush of love overcame all of us. We love you with every part of our souls, Noah Alexander.