Homeowners

I've been quiet on the blogging sphere for a while. I have been sooooooo busy.

Paul and I are now homeowners! I don't have my camera right now so I don't have a picture to post now, but I will soon. It is a farmhouse style house built in 1893 in Elgin. We will be the second family to own the house as we understand it! We have been busy fixing it up - tearing the wall paper off, painting, taking out the carpets and refinishing the original wood floors. So far we have taken off the paper and have painted most of the bedrooms (4). It's amazing how much prep work it takes before the actual painting can be done. It's probably been around 20 years since some of the rooms have been painted so the plaster walls have needed quite a few coats in several of the rooms (we a beginnig to love primer). Hopfully we can get the floors upstairs done sometime next week. I'll be glad when it is all done!

James is getting so big! He was six months on the 12th of June. I took him in for a well visit the other day and he weighs 18.4 pounds! Big Boy! He is such a good natured happy little boy. On Sundays I have to work hard to know where he is - somtimes I just find him when I need him; all of his16 uncles and aunties (14 still around) just love him to pieces. He's been learing to content himself while I've been busy working on the house unless of course there is an aunt or uncle there to watch him. We are very blessed to have such a wonderful family and thank God every day for each parent and sibling (and Great-grandparents:).

Aren't I cute?

My little guy posing for mommy's camera.

Feet

I Love my little guy's feet. They're soft and chubby and fun to
squeeze:)

James is growing up so fast. Today I put him in one of those
saucers where he sits in it and can turn around in it while he
plays with the toys on it. He loved it! James decided recently that
he should observe other people in mommy's arms. Sorry buddy,
but mom can't hold you all the time:)

Paul Harold

James Harold

Dennis Harold (Paul's Dad)

These pictures were taken at my parents house after James' dedication on March 15th.

Busy Days

About time for an update:)

Life has been full of busy days. There are so many new things I'm learning to do as a mommy. James has been busy growing - it seems like he's learning to do something new every time I turn around! Paul is in his busiest week of tax season - he only has five more Saturdays left. Yeah! 

Tuesday morning we aquired a two year old for the week:) He was placed through Safe Families with a family I know and they had to go out-of-town for the week so he is with us through Saturday night. I am getting a little glimpse of what James will be like soon and what mommyhood with a couple little ones will hold! Daniel is a very good little boy - I hope James will be as well behaved as he is. 

Here are some pictures of our little guy:

Dreaming about something wonderful - maybe eating?

Still smiling:)

Whoa - body building already! Close up camera angles are fun!

"Look Mommy, I'm learning to hold up my head!" (Six weeks in this picture)

Daddy and James doing taxes.

Is that a stinker look?

Daddy's little boy. 

Mommy and James smiling for the camera.

Couldn't resist another tax picture - 'tis the season you know!

A FEW DETAILS

For those of you that have been wondering...

LABOR and DELIVERY
My labor and delivery went very smoothly (although I was in hard labor almost the whole time). The total time was: 6 hours and 18 minutes! I had warned my midwife that there was a possibility that I'd go fast based on my mom's history, but this being my first baby, we figured labor would be a bit longer. James came the absolute earliest hour (two really) he could (I think the full moon's gravitational pull had something to do with it - closest to the earth in 15 years I've heard). Paul had been out of town in Michigan Sunday night through late Tuesday, we got the birthing pool Thursday night, and my mom flew back from Florida (she almost missed her plane) and arrived at our house two hours before he was born! As you can probably guess, we were not expecting him to come so soon!

Coming a bit early (at 37 weeks) James was considered a late preterm baby. I've learned that some preterm babies don't have their sucking reflex fully developed which is the problem James has. Night three, he was screaming with hunger but couldn't nurse. We ended up getting a lactation consultant to help out. For the first week and a half, I had to pump and then feed James with a bottle 1 1/2 ounces every 2-3 hours as James lost a pound those first few days. The Lord really had his hand in the timing of everything as we ended up going in to the ER to get James' bilirubin level checked on day 7. He ended up needing to be under lights for jaundice for just over a full day (2 nights in the hospital). Because he was by then drinking so much milk (an ounce an hour when he was under the lights) and he was regaining his weight, we were able to pass on an IV of fluids. The most likely cause for James' severe jaundice was what is called ABO incompatibility. I am an O+ blood type and James is an A- (Paul's an A+ so we both carry a recessive negative gene).


Our little guy in the incubator under bilirubin lights.


James with his goggles on - Paul called him our little space man. James really did not like them and was glad when I would take him out for a few minutes and take them off while feeding him (although I pumped and mostly fed him through a bottle while he was in the incubator).
The blue tube is connected to another light he is laying on and the thing on his foot is an electrode that the CNA's would plug into their machines to measure his oxygen level, and heart rate. With all the nurses and CNA's coming in to check on him every few hours, I didn't get much sleep, but Paul and James could sleep through anything:)


I love this picture - daddy and his little man:)

Life is not anywhere near back to normal yet, but I'm slowly adding things back in to my day and leaning to adjust to the many new things motherhood brings.

MORE PICTURES OF JAMES

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