He's Back

My Baby Comes Home Today!!!!!

I am so excited I can hardly contain myself!!! I was expecting him to be here the day before, so the anticipation has been mounting like crazy and in a few short hours, I get to hold, kiss, and love on my darling again!!!
We're so thankful that his grandparents watched him while we adjusted to Noah. It's nice to have family so involved. But I'm honestly not sure I can do this again! It wasn't so bad at first, but this last half of the leg has been so hard not seeing my little baby everyday. We might institute a no-being-away-from-mommy-and-daddy longer than 2 (maybe three if I'm in the mood!) nights! Yes this could cause a problem for camps, church trips, and college - but sorry honey - you're just too precious to miss out on your little antics (which I'm sure will only get more hilarious the older you get!).

All Systems Working

Lincoln had some firsts today...his first outing with mama as the sole driver (I think he would give me an A+), his first real cry (he's graduated from tarradactyl status - as Jason had labeled his cry), his first trip to Walmart (though he won't remember this one because he slept through the whole adventure), his first basketball game (yet to be experienced - 1 more hour!), and his first appointment with the pediatrician. What a day...yeah, who am I kidding - it really wasn't that exciting.
But nonetheless, when we met with the pediatrician, she used the word perfect three times. Warmed my heart. :) He has only lost an ounce of weight from his birth weight (due to him feeding every two hours probably!) which she was impressed with, given most infants lose more weight in the first few weeks, and he was measured at one inch taller than the hospital had him - 20 inches long! His head (which is what I was most curious about given his melon-head brother was always off the charts!) measured at 14 in. which is in the 50% - no melon here! Which also probably explains why I pushed for over 3 hours with Lincoln and only 18 minutes with Noah. Thank you Noah for this gift - and thank you Lincoln for paving the way!

When the nurse took Noah to weigh him, he (of course) had poop in his diaper. Darn. Is that a strike? So I took him back to the room getting prepared to change him (I was prepared, at least...extra points??), and while I was in the process, he decided to display a nice fountain of flowing urine that swayed from side to side creating an abundant little pool of pee for him to wade in. Perfect. And I was not prepared for this given Lincoln has never sprayed me (yes, I understand I am in the minority on this one). Is that another strike? Oh dear...
So the nurse changed and sanitized the table so I could lay him back down and change him again. We got all cleaned up and the doctor was in within minutes to start the exam. First stop? Check the circumcision. What do we find? In that 5-6 minute time frame, the little darling had FILLED his clean white diaper with the smelly stuff - again. So I laughed when she got to the question of if he has at least 6 wet diapers and a handful of poopy ones...do I even have to answer that one? Yes, doctor - all systems working. :)

By the way, LINCOLN COMES HOME TOMORROW!!!!!!!!! This should add to some interesting blog posts...if there's time to actually write them, that is.

Week One Adjustment

We're on Day #6 with precious Noah. Before we had him, I spent countless hours trying to imagine what it would be like once he was here. I couldn't picture what he would look like because at every attempt, the only picture that would come to mind was Lincoln (certainly never pictured a full head of black, spiky hair!). And then I already had the Mylecon bought and ready for the loads of fussiness and stomach clenching in those first few months, because, well, that's what we experienced with baby Lincoln! Now I promise I will stop comparing him to his big brother and this was just because of the "unknown" (though I have already called him "Lincoln" a total of 12 times - Jason's keeping count).
Well, wouldn't you know it - he's nothing like Lincoln. He has his own sweet little personality, patterns and habits, and of course, did I mention jet black hair???
So here's a glimpse into Mr. Noah's little days:
He sleeps.
And sleeps.
And when you think he can't possible sleep anymore...he sleeps.
This was problematic for the first couple of days because he slept so much that he wouldn't wake up to eat. We tried every trick in the book to wake him up to eat, and eventually, he would, but it was an hour and a half ordeal (only to have a 30 minute break before having to do it all over again!). I was certain we were in for a long haul of breastfeeding (again) but was determined to make it work! I kept taking my herbs and prodded the little guy until he would eat so he never skipped a meal...and the work paid off, because now for the past 24 hours, he has been a little more alert (though he still loves his sleep!) and is eating perfectly now. Praise the Lord!
And by the way - the herbs are WORKING. :) I think I'm producing enough for twins...maybe triplets currently.
Noah's personality is precious thus far. HE loves to cuddle - all the time, in any position, as long as he's curled up close to you. He only cries when he gets his diaper changed. Other times, he is usually sleeping, but today he was awake for the whole two hours between feedings on two occasions! And he just lays in his swing or in my arms with his huge eyes wide open, observing everything with the most content look on his face!
I captured this one this afternoon...
So because of his calm, restful, content personality, Jason and I have been able to enjoy the little guy and have a very restful week of recovery, adjustment, and enjoyment. Lincoln comes back this weekend which will spice things up a bit - okay, a ton! But we are so excited and have been anticipating all of our family adjusting together! It's been hard not having him here, but we are 100% certain we made the right decision in letting him go for a week!
Establishing nursing and getting to know Noah's routine before he comes back has been vital, as well as catching up on rest and recovering physically.

And I know I screamed praises of our hospital experience with Lincoln, but it was completely reaffirmed with Noah - Siloam Springs OB is AMAZING. If we have another baby and live in Bentonville, I think we still might use this hospital here. I've talked with some friends who have had kids recently at other hospitals, and none have had an experience like we have had both times. I don't know if it's because the hospital is so small or what factors go into it, but we have been so blessed to have such wonderful experiences!

Welcome Noah!

Noah Jackson McMahan has officially made us a family of four!! We went into to SSMH to be induced Saturday morning, got the epi and petosin started by 11:00am, waited around patiently for it to all work its magic, then pushed for about 18 minutes before he entered the world at 3:50pm! It was an amazing experience with great doctors, nurses, family, and friends that was evidently bathed in prayer. Thanks to all of you who thought about us and prayed for us through this experience (that I realize has only just begun!).
We came home yesterday and I am anxious to start writing about how this new addition to our life and all the transitions that follow have been going, but for now, I want to rest and enjoy our latest little bug.
And he is LITTLE! He weighed 6lbs. 11oz. and measured 19in. He has LONG, skinny fingers and toes that don't look proportioned to his tiny body, a head of jet-black hair, very dark, big blue eyes (that I bet turn dark brown in no time), and a tiny, soft-spoken little cry that even the best of hearing will have a hard time picking up at times (this is kind of a blessing folks!). He LOVES to sleep and so far has had to be poked and prodded to wake up for every single nursing session (seriously - ever single one).
Soon enough, I will start documenting how things are going here at home...but now I'll leave some pictures of the handsome fella :)

Dear Noah

Dear Noah,
It is the night before your birthday...a day I have been anticipating and dreaming about for ten months now that has at times seemed like an eternity of trying to wait patiently, yet suddenly, I feel like it was just yesterday I learned of your existence inside of me.

That was a special day...I woke up in the morning, feeling different than normal and thought I would take a left-over test I had from the previous year. Your dad was up early getting ready to take his basketball team to a camp and was running late, rummaging through the house gathering his clothes and trying to make up for lost time (he likes to press the alarm button several times!). Through his bustle, I waited in the bathroom to see what the test would say...and that's when I found out YOU were alive and well, growing minute by minute inside of my belly. My heart raced; tears filled my eyes; a twinge of doubt set over me "What if the test is wrong?" I didn't tell your dad just yet; I wanted to be sure. So in those early morning hours, I made an excuse to run to the store and pick up the real test: not the Equate brand, and not one with faint lines - the one that says PREGNANT.
But in my angst, nervousness, and excitement, I came home and could not pee (seems unreal that I had this problem after carrying you for the past 10 months!). And when I finally could, you're dad had already gone...me still not letting him in on our little secret. So when the test came back positive, it was just you and me, buddy that knew. I could hardly stand it, waiting till late that night when your dad got home!

All day I was in awe of you, prayed for you, and imagined what you would be like. I was currently working but one of our prayers recently had been that when we had another child, God would provide a way for me to stay at home. I'll be honest, I got out the calculator and our budget and started crunching numbers only to realize that at that moment, we were not going to be able to afford for me to stay at home still. I cried over this, but then realized God is bigger and prayed for his will.

When your dad got home that night, I wondered how I would tell him...be creative? I'm not the most creative person unfortunately...or just tell him. I then thought that I would be beaming too much and give it away without saying a word!
But that night, your father walked in the door, with a beam across his face and an expression that said he had news for me...he had news for me?
I told him I had news for him, too, but that he should go first...

Sweet baby, the Lord answered our prayers in so many ways on that day. Your daddy's news was that he had found out earlier that morning that he was wanted to be the new head basketball coach at Bentonville High School and that this job opportunity would come with a significant increase in pay - one we would later find out, would supplement my current salary to the dollar.

Tears filled my eyes because his news was more overwhelming than he yet knew...so when he asked me what my news was, I got to tell him about you; about God's miracles; the way He answers prayers. And your father cried. I hope someday you have your father's sensitive spirit and compassion...it is one of the most attractive endearing things about him.

And tomorrow is your day. You're daddy is coaching a game right now and I decided to stay back and concentrate on getting things ready for you. I have had to stop writing this letter because he keeps texting me things about you and how much he loves us...

We can't wait for you to meet your big brother! He is only 15 months old and does not understand he is about to be a big brother, but he will soon. And what a wonderful brother he'll be to you. He's full of energy and loves to laugh and play. I pray for you and his relationship on a regular basis - that God will create a strong, unique bond between the both of you...not only has God created another son for us, but he has created a brotherly bond that will forever be. I think that's pretty special.

We specifically hand-picked your name Noah Jackson. Noah means "peace", "comforter", and "rest" in some translations. Sometimes it's kind of funny to think about your name because your doctor thinks you're one of the most active babies in the womb he has seen! But your daddy and I have prayed over you and your name on several occasions. We pray that you will have a peaceful confidence about your identity in Christ; that you will find rest in the arms of your Savior, going against the grain when he calls you to and not worrying about outside influences apart from His voice. Noah was a great leader in the Bible. Great leaders must be compassionate comforters because they lead through both the good and bad times. Your name is strong; it carries a sense of boldness, yet humility. Your middle name stems from one of the most stubborn presidents our country has seen! We pray you're stubborn for the Lord; that men don't waver your following of Him.

We understand sweet Noah that you're a gift. You're not ours and you are nothing we created. You are a unique design by our Savior Himself...knit together by Him in my womb. What an overwhelming responsibility God has granted us. We promise to pray for you, encourage you, and lead you toward Christ to the best of our ability. We can't wait to meet you tomorrow and start this journey with you! We love you...

Love,
Mommy, Daddy, & Big Brother

Only THREE Days Left!

Today I am 39 weeks pregnant with Noah. And here I pose the question as to WHY...seriously, why do women spend their whole lives thinking pregnancy is 9 months? It's not a truthful statement. In fact it feels quite cruel at the very end when you're SO ready to see your little person outside of your belly and have all the aches and pains disappear - and then you skate by month nine, headed into the 10th...full term is considered 10 months. We must change the 9-month dub pregnancy has retained because it's unnecessarily misleading!

Nonetheless, I'm ecstatic to meet this little guy and I'm pretty sure he's ready to meet me, because his movements are so sharp, forceful, and abundant, that sometimes i feel like a little foot might actually just break skin. Lincoln was active, but NOTHING like this guy has been. At my appointments, my doctor has recently just started shaking his head with a smile on his face telling me I'm gonna have my hands full.

One of the things Jason and I have decided to do when Noah is born is send Lincoln back with Jason's parents for a week while we adjust to baby Noah. We've had this planned for some time, but it has recently hit me how hard it is going to be to be away from Lincoln for that long! It will by far be the longest time we've been away from him. But I think it's a good thing since it's still in the middle of basketball season, to give me some extra time to recover and help little Noah get into some sort of a routine (and me try and re-attach my head). I'm curious to see how we hold up without the little rockstar here.