It's a boy!

I had a mental list of things I wanted to get done on Saturday, May 26...things I wanted done before baby #2 arrived. I woke up around 5:15 am and thought that maybe my water broke but wasn't sure because it wasn't as significant as it had been with Stephen. I went back to bed. Steve left for work around 6:30. I got up shortly after that and had some bleeding. I then called Dr. L. She said it would be best to come into the hospital to check things out. I started trying to contact Steve. I also called my parents and told them they might be coming to Colorado that day. Then the contractions started. I finished packing, put some laundry in, emptied the dishwasher, washed some dishes, and got Stephen up and gave him breakfast. Around 8:00 I called Grandma Rose and asked if she could come watch Stephen. I finally got a hold of Steve and he headed home. We set out for the hospital around 9:00. As I timed my contractions on the way, they were about 4 minutes apart. As we drove we discussed a boy's name since we hadn't decided on that yet.

When we got to the hospital, I was put in a triage room, so they could check things out. They discovered that my water had broken, so there would be a baby that day. They did all the prep work and got me ready to go to the operating room. I walked on my own to the operating room at 10:50 am. As soon as they gave me the spinal anesthesia, I could feel my legs and feet going numb. It was the weirdest feeling to know my legs were there but to not be able to move them. They finished prepping me for surgery and then Steve came in. I could feel them pulling and tugging on my stomach which was kind of odd as well. At 11:31, they pulled out a baby. They had Steve stand up to make the announcement that we had another boy. Daddy got to watch him being cleaned up and then baby got to lay on my chest for a little bit before heading to the nursery for further cleaning. I got transferred to the recovery room, and then we finally got to our postpartum room. There we decided that our newest bundle of joy would be named Paul James. Paul is Steve's middle name and the first name of my maternal grear-grandfather. James was Steve's dad's middle name and is my maternal grandfather's middle name.

My parents and sister Amy made it in that evening. Grandma Rose and Aunt Kathy brought Stephen to the hospital as well. He wasn't sure what to think of Mommy being in a bed and this little baby. Stephen has been such a good boy considering his little world has been rocked. He loves having Grandma and Grandpa G. and Aunt Amy to play with. He has definitely become Grandpa's little boy. Hopefully, he will be a cooperative and obedient little toddler when we're on our own. :)

We are so excited to welcome Paul to our family!

Paul James - minutes old

the happy parents and baby Paul

"I'm not too sure about this big brother thing."

Stephen decided baby Paul is pretty cute.

Grandma and Grandpa G and their boys

Paul with Grandma Rose and Aunt Kathy

Paul and Aunt Amy

About Stephen

There are some things that Stephen does that I want to remember, and I wanted to get them down before I have "newborn brain."

*Stephen is very good about saying "thank you." He will usually say it five or six times when you give something to him.

*Sometimes while he is carrying a basket, bag, box, etc., he will come over to me, give me a kiss, wave good-bye, say something, and head to the door. I think he's imitating Daddy going to work because he sees Daddy carrying a lunch bag.

*He loves corners. Sometimes he hides because he has something he shouldn't. Other times, he just likes to sit in a corner.

*Stephen has just recently started sleeping with his little dog. I've had it in his crib for about 6 months, but he decided wanted it about a month ago. He usually holds it while we read a story and then pushes it down underneath him when I lay him down (he sleeps on his stomach).

*We say a decade of the rosary together before he goes to bed. The past couple nights he has taken the rosary, climbed off the couch, went over to where we hang it and waited for Daddy to put it away. Then he has walked right into his bedroom to the rocking chair and waited for me to come in to finish our bedtime routine. Hopefully, he always goes to bed this well!

*I can't wait to see how Stephen reacts to being a big brother. He is a big fan of any babies we see, but it will be interesting to see how he likes having one around all the time.

37 weeks

37 weeks and 2 days...this is when Stephen was born. Luckily, baby #2 is deciding to stay put for now. I've definitely been having more Braxton-Hicks contractions lately but not consistent enough for me to get too worried. Our bags are packed; we're ready to go. I've been crossing things off my to-do list, but there's still several items I would like to get done. At my appointment yesterday, baby's heart rate was in the 130s. Baby moved and the heart rate accelerated which Dr. L said is a sign of a healthy nervous system. So, hopefully, baby will be happy hanging out in the warmth and darkness for 13 more days. Although I'm ready to be done being pregnant and meet our new little one, I will also be less stressed if things go according to plan. Keep praying!

37 weeks

A new fashion trend?

Stephen is trying to start a new fashion trend. Soon you'll see all the hippest toddlers sporting a diaper and only wearing one shoe. :)

18 months old

When Stephen gets something he knows he shouldn't have (i.e. my iPod), he usually runs to a corner to hide. :)

Wow! 18 months old! Stephen is no longer my baby boy but my big toddler boy. That fact will hit home even more once we bring baby #2 home. He is quite a talker and carries on conversations with us all the time. Unfortunately, we usually have no idea what he is saying. :) Here's some new words he's added:
       *Alleluia - will repeat it if we say it
       *Grandpa - says this for both Grandma and Grandpa
       *cup and up - He "rolls" the "p" at the end of both words which is really cute.
       *thank you - says "kee koo" and signs
       *cookie - sounds a lot like "thank you"
       *diaper
       *knows the sounds a snake and owl make

I love how he calls us "mom" and "dad." Sometimes he'll look back and forth between us and say, "mom," "dad," "mom," "dad." He's also started saying "mo-om" in the morning when he's ready to get up. This is after he says "all done." :) His favorite books right now are "Is Your Mama a Llama?" and the Bright Baby series - First 100 Animals, First 100 Machines, First 100 Words.

Stephen had his 18-month appointment today. He did a great job, except when it was time to look in his mouth. He was very insistent on keeping his mouth closed. He only had to get 2 shots and recovered fairly quickly from them. He is now 22 lbs which puts him in the 7% and 33" tall which is the 72%. So I think I'll start calling him my "string bean" instead of my "sweet pea." :)

Mother's Day 2012

Fun with bears

Stephen enjoys playing with some teddy bear counters I have. This is usually a pre-dinner activity. It will keep him busy for at least 5-10 minutes, sometimes longer, which helps me get dinner on the table. Here are pictures and a video of him pouring the bears back and forth between the two containers.