Week 2

I'm Baby

It is fun to watch Micah right now as he tries out all of the baby stuff. He has gotten in all of the baby's furniture from the carseat to baby bed and tried out his pacifier and bottle. His favorite thing to say for attention is, "I'm baby."

Brotherly Love

Micah loves little Noah. He calls him "No No." But, I have noticed a bit of jealousy surfacing this week. The answer to everything is "no" right now and I am having to discipline Micah more than normal. But that is to be expected with all the changes that have just recently taken place in his young life. It is hard for him to understand that the baby needs "mama's" attention too. I am trying to be understanding and patient with him and spend as much time as possible with him. I know that this stage will pass. Overall, he has been good with Noah.

Little Sugar Mama and Sons!!!!

Well, some of you may have noticed that I changed the name of my blog. Sons is now plural. I am the mom of two sweet boys. As a girl, I always dreamed of having the perfect family...A husband, two kids and a dog. Now I am truly blessed. Sleep deprived...but blessed. Sure, I wanted a girl when I found out that I was pregnant again, but now that doesn't really seem to matter anymore. I also wondered how I would love another one as much as I do my sweet toddler. I just could not fathom sharing that love, but some how you do. It is amazing! The minute I held him in my arms, there was no question about it. There was just as much love for him as for my first born.

After I found out I was having a boy, my prayer was that he be healthy. So far the Lord has answered that prayer. We bypassed the Jaundice and Noah is gaining weight everyday. He seems to be happy and colic free. Now, if he will just sleep through the night we'll be sitting pretty.

One Week Old

Today was my planned pre-op day for my Monday C-section. I am glad that it is behind me and not facing me at this point. Just a quick one-week update. Things are going pretty good. My biggest complaint right now is being tired. That is partially due to low blood count and then to getting up two times each night. That is only temporarily though and that is what I have to keep reminding myself.

As far as Noah goes, he is doing great! We took him back to the doctor yesterday to get tested for Jaundice. His level has dropped now and he is not at risk for Jaundice at this point. That means that he is getting enough to eat. He also weighed in at 6lbs 11oz. That makes me feel good. Micah had trouble gaining weight while being breastfeed, but so far Noah is doing well. That is very encouraging for me. That is all that I can write for now. Noah is waking up and is ready to eat.

Enjoy the pictures!

Welcome Home Noah

We got home from the hospital Monday afternoon. We are all doing well. I developed an infection, so I am on an antibiotic for that. I also have to take iron, due to a low blood count after surgery. Each day is getting a little better with the pain. Noah is doing great. He has been a little jaundice. I took him to the doctor yesterday and his levels were okay, but we are getting them checked again tomorrow.

Micah was so excited to see that we brought the baby home with us. It has surprised me at how well he has done with the baby. He has his moments (especially when I am feeding Noah), but overall has done great. He wants to hold him all the time. If he sees something lying on the couch that belongs to the baby, then the baby must have it. He feels so big being the big brother. I hope he continues to do as well as he is.

Love at First Site!!!

I am sitting in the hospital bed as I write this. Technology is great! We have Charlie's laptop up here and the hospital has wireless. This will be a short post...more will come later. I just wanted to do the first introduction of my sweet little bundle of joy.

Noah Samuel Kelly was born at 6:52 on Good Friday. He weighed 6lbs 7oz and was 19inches long. He looks a lot like his big brother. The minute they showed him to me over the drape, I looked at him through teary eyes and said, "He looks like my Micah."

Here are some first pictures...more to follow!

Easter Spirit

After we all got through with doctor visits today, I decided to get into the Easter spirit and color eggs with Micah. We may be in the hospital on Easter and not get to hide them, but at least I will feel better knowing that we did something.

Sick Babies

I go to the doctor tomorrow for a final check-up before my C-Section. If I have made any changes, then they are going to go ahead and send me to the hospital. I think I am ready, but Micah and Snickers are not. As you know, Micah has been sick. We finished off his steroid yesterday and he is still sick. This is the worst he has had it in a while. Go figure....just before the baby comes. I took him back to the doctor today and pleaded for a fast cure, since I will worry about him while I am in the hospital if he is sick. The doctor said that he believed it was a bacterial infection and gave him a 5 day antibiotic. This antibiotic should knock it out quick, but it is tearing up his stomach.

Saga # 2: Snickers has had something going on with her ear for a week now. I have been treating it as best I know how here. I have not been getting much sleep, because she scratches it all night. It looked really bad and I had to make the call to take her to the vet today. I knew that if I did not get her in today, it might not happen before the baby comes. Well, she has a bacterial infection and yeast infection in her ear. The vet said that it is the worst that their test can pick-up and that she is really suffering. POOR DOG! I feel so bad for her. I thought that I could treat it at home, but ended up making it worse. The worse part about it is what it has done to the pocket book. They have her on three different medicines for the next two weeks, all totaling $131....OUCH!!!! I have to take her back in 2 weeks for more treatment.

So, now I am torn as to how I feel about delivery. I am so anxious to see Noah and would love to welcome his arrival over the Easter weekend, but my babies here at home need me to doctor them for a little while longer.

What A DEAL!!!

Charlie has wanted a leather sectional for some time now. On several occasions, we have researched them on the internet and looked at them in various stores. To our dismay, we only found them way above our price range. Well, good things come to those that wait. Monday, I was checking Charlie's school mail. They have an entire section where hundreds of people all over the county list items for sale. I saw this nice leather sectional and called Charlie in the room to look at it. He said we need to call quick, because it will be gone fast. She had someone coming to look at it the next day, but we asked if we could come then. We went over there about 8:00pm, fell in love with it and left a check. She said that three other people had called that day and she had just listed it just a few hours before we called. This type of sectional cost close to $2,000. We have been pricing them. She had it for 2 years and we paid $500. It was quite the deal!!! Things like this have fell into our lap before when we have waited for something and I do have to give credit to the Lord. Not that this was a need, but the Lord knew our desires and decided to bless abundantly. This was a "Charlie want." I have a want as well. Charlie and I have never had a bedroom suit and I would love to have a sleigh bed. He does not care about it as much as I do, but it means a lot to me. I have been trying to save up for one, but many times have had to put the money towards other things. I will just keep saving and hope to come across a deal/blessing like this one.

2 Weeks to Go!

Today marks the two week point to my C-Section (that is if I make it that far). Today is also the start of Charlie's Spring Break. We are going to be here all week getting things ready for Noah's arrival and spending some quality time with Micah. Today Micah painted a "big brother" shirt to wear to the hospital. He loved doing that and wanted to paint some more. We met Charlie's parents in Clayton for lunch at Chick-fil-A. Micah had a blast playing on the indoor playground. After dinner tonight, we took Micah and Snickers to the airport to walk around and enjoy the beautiful evening. Micah was running around there so fast that he fell several times and did a number on his knees. This is the first time that he has actually had a real "boo-boo" on his knees. It did not phase him until he got back in his carseat and the whole way home we heard "uh-oh, uh-oh." We stayed busy today, but it was stress-free and fun. If only everyday could be that way.

If this gives you any idea what my night has been like, I am posting at 1:00am in the morning. I can't sleep, so I figured I would write about my crazy evening.

Well, it starts off like this. I should actually be with the ladies in our Sunday School Class right now enjoying a long awaited and planned "Ladies Night Out." It was my last chance to get away before Noah's arrival. Well, those plans were shot when we realized that he might be coming early. The ladies are in a cabin in the mountains without cell phone service, so we all thought it best that I probably not go. So, with that Charlie planned on getting together with some of the guys from the class and having an "XBox Tournament."

Well, as my previous post mentioned today, the OB believes that I will make it another week, so Charlie and I both figured that I could go ahead and go with the ladies. I was excited about going, but those plans were shot in the head again, when I discovered that my toddler was suffering greatly from either allergies or the worst cold of his life. He has been trying to come down with it over the last 24 hours, but this afternoon it hit him hard. He was only able to sleep for 30 minutes, because his horrible coughing was waking him up. Not getting a nap, made him feel even worse for the rest of the evening. When Charlie got home, we did everything we could to try and make Micah's night easier. We did a breathing treatment, hooked up a humidifier and gave two different medicines. At 7:00 we put him down and he went right to sleep. Charlie left shortly after that to meet the guys for his date with the XBox. Well, Micah coughed from about 7:15-10:15 nonstop. He woke up about 6 times. One time he fell off the bed, he was coughing so bad. Poor little guy. After 3 straight hours of coughing, I decided to try a different medicine. It took about 20 minutes to take affect, but he is finally resting.

So at that point, I decided to go to sleep myself and get some rest before his medicine wore off. Well, I fall asleep and all of about 10 minutes later, the dog wakes me up with nonstop scratching. She did this last night as well, so this is going on night #2 without much rest. This went on for over an hour in the bed. I was going crazy!!! She finally made me get up and put her outside to use the restroom. When I did, I noticed that her ear looked funny. I put her up on the counter to take a peek. It was awful! She has a horrible infection in her left ear. I held her down as best I could by myself and poured hydrogen peroxide in the ear. She did not like that one bit, and shook it all over me. The little bit that stayed in her ear seems to be helping, because she is now on our bed sleeping, instead of scratching. I best go to bed as well, while I have the chance.

I guess it is a good thing that I did not go tonight. My babies needed me here at the house and they are going to need me tomorrow morning as well. It looks like I will be taking Snickers to the vet and then taking Micah to the doctor down in Gainesville. The many joys of motherhood!

Not Yet...

I went for my weekly OB check-up today. Everything is about the same as it was last week. Noah is still growing at the same rate and is in the 20 percentile, which is great for my size. I have also not changed any as far as dilation. The OB said that she thinks I will go another week and believes that I might go into labor the week before my C-section is scheduled. My next appointment is next Friday. She said if I am dilated then, then they will just send me on to the hospital for the section. It is just a matter of time now, but at least I have one more week to get ready. This week coming up happens to be Charlie's Spring Break, so we will be doing lots of spring cleaning to get ready for our new little one.

Gotta Get Ready!

Ready or not, Noah is coming!!! I went to the doctor today for a regular check-up. I have been having some weird things going on, so the doctor checked to see if I was dialated. Upon examining me, she discovered that the Noah is very far into my pelvis. She said that I am 50% effaced, but not yet dialated. She could not believe that I was not dialated. She said that she has never seen a woman come in with a baby that low and not be dialated. She strongly believes that I will have the baby within the next week or so. She does not see me making it to my C-section date. I was afraid this was going to happen. We are not ready, but I guess we better get ready! I have bags to pack, a bassinet to get up, carseat to get down from the attic, etc. etc. etc. If I make it that far, I have another ultrasound scheduled for next week. I lost weight again this time, but she just seems to thing that the baby is taking my maternal stores now. Well, that is all for now. I will keep you posted on the progress. I've got lots to do!!!!

A friend of mine gave Micah this wonderful playset! It belonged to her twin boys (now 8) when they were two. Micah loves it and I am sure it will be a hit with Noah as well. We will have to have playgroup at my house soon, so that all the toddlers can enjoy it.

Paw Paw's Big Red Car

My dad has been working on restoring a 68 Firebird for a couple of years. Well, it is finally done and this weekend was ready for the road. "Paw Paw" had been talking to Micah about riding in his "big red car" for quite some time and this weekend he finally got to go for a spin. He loved the car! He got to ride in the front seat. They took him for several spins around the block. He looked so cute sitting in the front seat of the car. Charlie also had a blast, because he got his chance to drive. I am sure that Micah will talk about that for a while.

They are not the only ones that had fun this weekend. I got my chance to get away for a little while and go shopping with my mom. Our idea of shopping is catching all the early morning bargains at yard sales and that is just what we did. One of the best bargains of the year was a Little Tikes work bench...tools and all for only $5! I am a sucker for good deals!!!

Gotta Get Away!

Well, not too much to blog about. This week has been pretty uneventful for the most part, which is good. We will be going to the big W.R. this weekend to see my parents. We have not been out of town for quite some time and I am needing some fresh scenery at the moment. This will be our last chance to get away from the house, since I am just four weeks from delivery. And then after that, I am sure we will not be doing any traveling for a while, so here is our chance. Our bags are packed and we are ready to go. I'm sure we will have to make a couple of stops along the way for the pregnant women, but we will manage. Micah is very excited about seeing his "mimi" and "paw paw!" I told him that we would get to see them after he woke up from his nap, so needless to say, he went down a little early and had no trouble going to sleep. I think I will go take a quick snooze myself now and get rested for the trip.

5 Weeks to Go

Notice Micah trying to show off his belly too.
Brotherly Love!

Update on Noah

I went to the OB today for a ultrasound. The ultrasound was scheduled due to not gaining weight properly. They wanted to make sure that Noah was still growing like he should. He is doing great, just a little small. We had an ultrasound around 26 weeks and he was above the 50th percentile, which was really good for me, so I figured this little guy would be a big baby. Well, today he was at the 20th percentile. Now, that's more like it. Little mom....little babies. The doctor was not concerned and said that the numbers were good for my size and that she would not expect him to be much bigger. They just want him to stay above the 10th percentile. They are going to do another ultrasound in a couple of weeks to make sure his numbers are staying consistent. She said that the big thing would be not getting sick and losing any weight. The cold and flu season seems to be on the way out, so we should be okay with that one.

Speaking of little Noah, I have to share a sweet moment between my two boys today. Micah was sitting on the couch beside me reading a book. I lifted my shirt to scratch my belly. It seems to itch all the time. Micah looked down at it, patted my belly and then gave it a kiss. He knows that the baby is in there. We are trying to get him to say Noah's name. That was a moment too sweet for words. Later on this evening, we were reading books before bed. We were reading about baby Moses and he pointed to the baby, said baby and patted his belly. Bless his heart, he has the idea, but all of this is just too much for his sweet mind to comprehend.

AWESOME!!!

Look at this picture. What do you see? Don't look too hard, just take in the whole picture. Do you see the baby? Once you see it, you won't see anything else. This photograph is called Baby in a Tree. It was too awesome not to share!

Noah Samuel Kelly

After much debate and thought, the name has been decided....Noah Samuel Kelly. Micah and Noah were our two favorite boy names from the start. We had debated about naming him that when we met a family at our resent church that have two sons and their names are Micah and Noah. We felt a little weird doing so, but realized that we could not base the name of our child on that.

We both like Noah and its meaning. It comes from the Hebrew and means, peaceful and comforter. Lets just hope that he has a peaceful personality. :) What I think is most outstanding about the name is that all the world's nations are descendants of Noah's three sons.

His middle name is Samuel, after my father. A great husband, father and "paw paw" he is indeed and one's footsteps that we would be proud if Noah followed. Just to slip in a little praise report about him. Both of his kidneys went out on him back in 1990. He received a kidney transplant that year, which they said would probably last 10 years. Well, he has had it 17 and the record is 19! We are praying that he meet and surpass that record.

And then Kelly....like Micah, he will carry on the Kelly name. One that he can carry with honor. He has a wonderful grandfather and father to model after.

We are very blessed. Our sons have great men in their life that they can model after. Both Charlie and I have great Christian parents that have never been divorced and it is evident that they genuinely love each other. I hope that our boys can see that same love in our marriage and personal walk with Christ as well.

What a awesome responsibility the Lord has placed in our hand with these two boys. I do not feel worthy of such a blessing and privilege. Lord, help and guide us as we raise them to be men that will follow your steps all the days of their lives.

33 Weeks and Counting!

Well, we have now passed the most vital week for development of the unborn fetus. With each pregnancy Charlie and I have prayed that I make it past 32 weeks. That is a big week in development. We are still praying that I make it 6 more weeks to my C-section. Charlie bets that we will go earlier. I am hoping that we hold on. There are still things that I need to do before the baby comes. We have big plans between now and then, including a marriage conference.

This is the time in pregnancy when most women begin to feel very uncomfortable, but I am actually probably feeling better then I have the entire pregnancy. Most of the pregnancy was rough, so the few adverse effects that it is having on my body now do not seem like much in comparison to the first 25 weeks. I am having the occasional headache with nausea, probably due to blood pressure. I can't stay out of the bathroom and my legs have been cramping. But with a little extra TLC from Charlie, I am able to overcome these symptoms and feel pretty much normal.

I go to the doctor on Friday for another ultrasound. I always love having ultrasounds, because that is one more time that I get to see my baby before he is born. They are doing this one, because at my last appointment I had lost and not gained weight. They want to make sure that the baby is still growing, which I know that he is. He is taking up every part of me! They wondered the same thing with Micah and he was just fine. I just don't get very big with pregnancy and I don't have big babies. It will be fun to have another ultrasound though. I will post the update on that next week.