Today Moses had his 2-week check-up with Dr. Irwin. It turns out he is maintaining his big baby status quite well. He now weighs 11 lbs. 2 oz. and is 23 inches long. That puts him above the 95th percentile for both categories. The doctor predicts that he is on-track to being a pretty big guy! We thank God that he is perfectly healthy in all other respects, too. Afterwards we celebrated the good report with lunch at Wendy's. Moses, of course, slept through the whole meal.
I should note, though, that Moses' nights of 7 hours of continuous sleep seem to have been put on hold for the time being. The past few nights he has only slept 3 or 4 hours straight, but since that's still twice as much as the twins used to sleep when they were his age, and since there's only one of him, I'm not complaining!
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Monday, March 2, 2009
Moses' First Snow (2 Weeks Old)
No, we are not crazy enough to take our newborn out to play in the snow, but I do think it's noteworthy that despite being born in the second half of February, Moses didn't have to wait around another nine months or so before seeing his first snowfall!
It's hard to believe that Moses will be 2 weeks old tomorrow. Joe and I are still in awe that he is such an easy baby. For example, last night he slept 6 hours straight. The night before, he slept 5 hours straight. And for three consecutive nights before that, he slept 7 (yes, count 'em, SEVEN) hours straight! Who knew that a one-week-old was even capable of sleeping 7 hours at a time? Neither of the twins slept 7 consecutive hours until they were at least 2 years old.
God blessed us with a sleepy baby at a perfect time, too. The day before Moses slept his first 7-hour stretch, I had been feeling pretty terrible physically for a couple of days. Concerned that something might be seriously wrong with me, my family was urging me to schedule an appointment with the OB/GYN office. Not thrilled with the prospect of having yet another doctor lecture me about how irresponsible I was to attempt a VBAC homebirth with a post-term baby, I instead decided to go visit my midwife first and get her opinion, which was basically that I should stop taking the iron tablets the surgeon at the hospital had prescribed for me because they were wreaking havoc on my tummy, and most importantly, that I needed to get more rest. After all, it's not easy on one's body to endure 44 hours of sleepless labor, only to immediately follow it with major surgery. And that very night was when Moses slept 7 consecutive hours for the first time. I am so thankful to have a God who is looking out for me.
In fact, God has blessed us with many people who have been looking out for us in the aftermath of Moses' birth. Family, neighbors, church friends, and co-workers have been blessing us with meals, which has helped more than they can imagine. Mimi and Papa have been a huge help, as always, by taking the twins over to their house almost every day for the past 2 weeks so Joe and I can get rest and get things done around the house. There is no way we could be doing as well as we are now without everyone's help.
The twins have been handling the transition pretty well, too. Joshua has definitely shown more interest in his new baby brother than Caleb has. He is constantly rubbing Moses' head (probably why his hair always appears greasy even though I've been shampooing it every few days), giving him kisses, trying to burp him after he eats, and bringing me his burp cloths and blankets, etc. Caleb is much more reserved and will only sometimes timidly ask to touch Moses or give him a kiss.
The twins spent their first night away from Mommy and Daddy exactly two weeks ago during my second night of labor, and since then they've become perfectly well-adjusted to being away from Mommy, something I'd once feared would never be the case. While I was in the hospital I only saw them for a few minutes a day at most (going one whole day without seeing them at all) and even then they spent most of their visiting time playing with the bathroom door. Now when it's time for them to go play at Mimi and Papa's house, they nonchalantly say, "bye, Mommy!" and make a beeline for the car. Sometimes Joshua even says, "Mommy, you stay here" as he's heading out the door.
Also, the boys did not protest when we moved them out of our bedroom on Moses' first night at home. They now sleep in their own room (with Daddy, for the time being) and Caleb has only cried for me a few times in the past week and a half. Joshua hasn't cried for me at all. It's as if the introduction of baby brother Moses to their lives has caused them to grow up overnight (I'm also pretty sure they've also grown a few inches over the past couple weeks, but maybe that's just me)!
It's hard to believe that Moses will be 2 weeks old tomorrow. Joe and I are still in awe that he is such an easy baby. For example, last night he slept 6 hours straight. The night before, he slept 5 hours straight. And for three consecutive nights before that, he slept 7 (yes, count 'em, SEVEN) hours straight! Who knew that a one-week-old was even capable of sleeping 7 hours at a time? Neither of the twins slept 7 consecutive hours until they were at least 2 years old.
God blessed us with a sleepy baby at a perfect time, too. The day before Moses slept his first 7-hour stretch, I had been feeling pretty terrible physically for a couple of days. Concerned that something might be seriously wrong with me, my family was urging me to schedule an appointment with the OB/GYN office. Not thrilled with the prospect of having yet another doctor lecture me about how irresponsible I was to attempt a VBAC homebirth with a post-term baby, I instead decided to go visit my midwife first and get her opinion, which was basically that I should stop taking the iron tablets the surgeon at the hospital had prescribed for me because they were wreaking havoc on my tummy, and most importantly, that I needed to get more rest. After all, it's not easy on one's body to endure 44 hours of sleepless labor, only to immediately follow it with major surgery. And that very night was when Moses slept 7 consecutive hours for the first time. I am so thankful to have a God who is looking out for me.
In fact, God has blessed us with many people who have been looking out for us in the aftermath of Moses' birth. Family, neighbors, church friends, and co-workers have been blessing us with meals, which has helped more than they can imagine. Mimi and Papa have been a huge help, as always, by taking the twins over to their house almost every day for the past 2 weeks so Joe and I can get rest and get things done around the house. There is no way we could be doing as well as we are now without everyone's help.
The twins have been handling the transition pretty well, too. Joshua has definitely shown more interest in his new baby brother than Caleb has. He is constantly rubbing Moses' head (probably why his hair always appears greasy even though I've been shampooing it every few days), giving him kisses, trying to burp him after he eats, and bringing me his burp cloths and blankets, etc. Caleb is much more reserved and will only sometimes timidly ask to touch Moses or give him a kiss.
The twins spent their first night away from Mommy and Daddy exactly two weeks ago during my second night of labor, and since then they've become perfectly well-adjusted to being away from Mommy, something I'd once feared would never be the case. While I was in the hospital I only saw them for a few minutes a day at most (going one whole day without seeing them at all) and even then they spent most of their visiting time playing with the bathroom door. Now when it's time for them to go play at Mimi and Papa's house, they nonchalantly say, "bye, Mommy!" and make a beeline for the car. Sometimes Joshua even says, "Mommy, you stay here" as he's heading out the door.
Also, the boys did not protest when we moved them out of our bedroom on Moses' first night at home. They now sleep in their own room (with Daddy, for the time being) and Caleb has only cried for me a few times in the past week and a half. Joshua hasn't cried for me at all. It's as if the introduction of baby brother Moses to their lives has caused them to grow up overnight (I'm also pretty sure they've also grown a few inches over the past couple weeks, but maybe that's just me)!
Monday, February 23, 2009
Checking up on 6-day-old Moses
Joe did a wonderful job summing up Moses' birth, and I'll probably go back at some point and compose a less pithy version from my point of view. But first, I just wanted to give an update on how Moses is doing now that he is here at home.
Today was Moses' first check-up. Instead of taking Moses to the regular pediatrician, we have decided to seek the care of a natural-minded family doctor... one who doesen't think that prescription drugs are the solution to every ailment and who won't scold us for co-sleeping or breastfeeding our baby for longer than one year (yes, this happened to me at our old pediatrician's office). Dr. Irwin even came to our house for Moses' first check-up. Of course his services are not covered by our health insurance, but since he doesn't work with insurance companies, he is able to keep his rates affordable- about half of what a mainstream doctor would bill an insurance company.
Anyway, Dr. Irwin's assessment was that Moses is doing very well! At 6 days old, Moses is already 10 and a half pounds! The nurses in the NICU had been concerned that Moses wasn't drinking enough breastmilk and tried to convince me to supplement with formula, which I politely refused, and thankfully so since he obviously did not need it.
Moses is such a good baby. He sleeps an astounding amount (3 hours at a time, which was unheard of when the twins were his age) and only cries if I don't feed him quickly enough after he wakes, or if we take too long to wipe his butt after an explosive poo. This morning Dr. Irwin marvelled that he didn't even fuss when we laid him on the scale to weigh him- apparently most babies are not too fond of that treatment. Today I gave him his first sponge bath and he didn't even make a peep while I rinsed his hair in the kitchen sink. When we had to go to the hospital today to have the staples removed from my scar, Moses slept the entire time in the car, during the considerable wait at the hospital, and during the car ride home. Joe and I reflected back on what a similar outing would have been like when the twins were 6 days old. It would be have been utter chaos and we would have been frazzled and exhuasted after a simple 2.5-hour excursion. The difference between newborn Moses and newborn Caleb and Joshua is like night and day. Even if we had two Moseses, it would still only be half the work that Joshua and Caleb were when they were newborns. All I can say is that this must be the benefit of having a nice big full-term baby who made his entrance into the world not according to an OB's schedule, but rather according to God's perfect timing. We are so thankful for baby Moses!
Today was Moses' first check-up. Instead of taking Moses to the regular pediatrician, we have decided to seek the care of a natural-minded family doctor... one who doesen't think that prescription drugs are the solution to every ailment and who won't scold us for co-sleeping or breastfeeding our baby for longer than one year (yes, this happened to me at our old pediatrician's office). Dr. Irwin even came to our house for Moses' first check-up. Of course his services are not covered by our health insurance, but since he doesn't work with insurance companies, he is able to keep his rates affordable- about half of what a mainstream doctor would bill an insurance company.
Anyway, Dr. Irwin's assessment was that Moses is doing very well! At 6 days old, Moses is already 10 and a half pounds! The nurses in the NICU had been concerned that Moses wasn't drinking enough breastmilk and tried to convince me to supplement with formula, which I politely refused, and thankfully so since he obviously did not need it.
Moses is such a good baby. He sleeps an astounding amount (3 hours at a time, which was unheard of when the twins were his age) and only cries if I don't feed him quickly enough after he wakes, or if we take too long to wipe his butt after an explosive poo. This morning Dr. Irwin marvelled that he didn't even fuss when we laid him on the scale to weigh him- apparently most babies are not too fond of that treatment. Today I gave him his first sponge bath and he didn't even make a peep while I rinsed his hair in the kitchen sink. When we had to go to the hospital today to have the staples removed from my scar, Moses slept the entire time in the car, during the considerable wait at the hospital, and during the car ride home. Joe and I reflected back on what a similar outing would have been like when the twins were 6 days old. It would be have been utter chaos and we would have been frazzled and exhuasted after a simple 2.5-hour excursion. The difference between newborn Moses and newborn Caleb and Joshua is like night and day. Even if we had two Moseses, it would still only be half the work that Joshua and Caleb were when they were newborns. All I can say is that this must be the benefit of having a nice big full-term baby who made his entrance into the world not according to an OB's schedule, but rather according to God's perfect timing. We are so thankful for baby Moses!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Take a Look at Moses
Until Katie's got some free time to put up a proper gallery, here's a quick introduction to Baby Moses (sorry the aspect ratio of the pictures is a little off):
I snapped this picture as they were wheeling his incubator out of the operation room.
Moses relaxaing in the NICU after a rough couple of days. Fortunately, he's fine enough to not require being inside an incubator, praise God.
Moses getting in a peaceful nap.
Finally, some quality time with Momma!
I snapped this picture as they were wheeling his incubator out of the operation room.
Moses relaxaing in the NICU after a rough couple of days. Fortunately, he's fine enough to not require being inside an incubator, praise God.
Moses getting in a peaceful nap.
Finally, some quality time with Momma!
Welcome, Baby Moses!
(This is daddy's take on the events of the last two and a half days. I'm sure Mommy will provide her own take once she gets home).
Hey everyone, this is the first I've had the time and alertness to sit down and write out a longer-than-a-Facebook-status update, so thanks for bearing with us.
Katie started getting contractions Sunday night. She couldn't sleep because of her pain, I couldn't sleep because of my nervousness; we called the midwives since we were doing a home birth and didn't want the baby to come before they were here. In retrospect, we should have just headed to the hospital then because Baby was huge and, in the words of the doctor who delivered him, "[Katie] couldn't have pushed that baby out even if she had 20 years." But, without the aid of retrospect, Katie carried on with labor all through Monday and the following morning until she, the midwives, and I collectively came to the doctor's same conclusion around 11:00am on Tuesday. We headed over to Alexandria hospital, Katie received a C-section around noon, and that's when Baby came onto the scene.
They put Baby in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for fear that he ingested some meconium on his first gasp of air and possibly suffered some head trauma from all of the futile pushing. But, thank Jesus, everything looks good for him; he didn't take in much meconium at all and, although he does seem slightly stressed from the ordeal (as he sleeps he'll occasionally crinkle his face and shudder), his major organ systems appear to be functioning properly. All babies must stay in the NICU for a mandatory 24 hour minimum, so hopefully they'll move him out very soon. They were hinting at him staying longer just so they could be doubly sure of his progress--I'm sure their caution is sincere but I wouldn't be surprised if they were also trying to prove a point since the doctors were none too pleased that we had attempted a home birth without the presence of professional OB/GYNs.
I'll just say that I'm truly thankful that we live in a country that gives us the freedom to attempt to have a child the old fashioned way AND has an exceptional medical system available for us when the old fashioned way would have resulted in anything less than Katie and the baby being wholly OK. And I'm truly, deeply thankful that both Katie and the baby are recovering nicely and will both be back home by the weekend. Thank you for all of your prayers and support for I know for certain without God's intervention things would have turned out worse. In fact, as they were wheeling Katie into the operating room, I felt the peace of God and I knew things were going to turn out well.
Here are the stats:
Birth date: 2/17/2009 at 12:17pm
Weight: 9 lbs, 14 oz, Height: 22"" (he looks especially ginormous in comparison to some of the other babies in the NICU)
Name: Moses Franklin Wolf
When Katie was first pregnant, we told the Caleb and Joshua that there was a baby in mommy's tummy. They would sometimes refer to the baby as "Baby Moses" because they were accustomed to that phrase from one of their favorite pop-up books, "The Story of Moses." The name stuck; it also was relevant since Moses, Caleb, and Joshua were contemporaries. To boot, Moses Wolf is a very manly sounding name in my opinion and will sound especially good when prefixed by "Dr.," "Chief Justice," or "President." Franklin is the middle name of two of Moses' great grandfathers, and is incidentally the last name of the head midwife, too.
Thanks, everyone, for your prayers and concerns, we're touched by them and appreciate them greatly.
Hey everyone, this is the first I've had the time and alertness to sit down and write out a longer-than-a-Facebook-status update, so thanks for bearing with us.
Katie started getting contractions Sunday night. She couldn't sleep because of her pain, I couldn't sleep because of my nervousness; we called the midwives since we were doing a home birth and didn't want the baby to come before they were here. In retrospect, we should have just headed to the hospital then because Baby was huge and, in the words of the doctor who delivered him, "[Katie] couldn't have pushed that baby out even if she had 20 years." But, without the aid of retrospect, Katie carried on with labor all through Monday and the following morning until she, the midwives, and I collectively came to the doctor's same conclusion around 11:00am on Tuesday. We headed over to Alexandria hospital, Katie received a C-section around noon, and that's when Baby came onto the scene.
They put Baby in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for fear that he ingested some meconium on his first gasp of air and possibly suffered some head trauma from all of the futile pushing. But, thank Jesus, everything looks good for him; he didn't take in much meconium at all and, although he does seem slightly stressed from the ordeal (as he sleeps he'll occasionally crinkle his face and shudder), his major organ systems appear to be functioning properly. All babies must stay in the NICU for a mandatory 24 hour minimum, so hopefully they'll move him out very soon. They were hinting at him staying longer just so they could be doubly sure of his progress--I'm sure their caution is sincere but I wouldn't be surprised if they were also trying to prove a point since the doctors were none too pleased that we had attempted a home birth without the presence of professional OB/GYNs.
I'll just say that I'm truly thankful that we live in a country that gives us the freedom to attempt to have a child the old fashioned way AND has an exceptional medical system available for us when the old fashioned way would have resulted in anything less than Katie and the baby being wholly OK. And I'm truly, deeply thankful that both Katie and the baby are recovering nicely and will both be back home by the weekend. Thank you for all of your prayers and support for I know for certain without God's intervention things would have turned out worse. In fact, as they were wheeling Katie into the operating room, I felt the peace of God and I knew things were going to turn out well.
Here are the stats:
Birth date: 2/17/2009 at 12:17pm
Weight: 9 lbs, 14 oz, Height: 22"" (he looks especially ginormous in comparison to some of the other babies in the NICU)
Name: Moses Franklin Wolf
When Katie was first pregnant, we told the Caleb and Joshua that there was a baby in mommy's tummy. They would sometimes refer to the baby as "Baby Moses" because they were accustomed to that phrase from one of their favorite pop-up books, "The Story of Moses." The name stuck; it also was relevant since Moses, Caleb, and Joshua were contemporaries. To boot, Moses Wolf is a very manly sounding name in my opinion and will sound especially good when prefixed by "Dr.," "Chief Justice," or "President." Franklin is the middle name of two of Moses' great grandfathers, and is incidentally the last name of the head midwife, too.
Thanks, everyone, for your prayers and concerns, we're touched by them and appreciate them greatly.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Korean Caleb
Even though Joshua has the Korean middle name, and even though his features tend to look slightly more Korean than his brother's, it's becoming increasingly evident that Caleb is the more Korean twin. For example, Caleb now eats kimchi, the quintessential staple of any Korean's diet. Today I made Korean bibimbap for lunch, which the boys both enjoy, since it consists primarily of rice and fried eggs. Caleb, however, kept asking, "more kimchi? more kimchi, Mommy?" He just couldn't get enough of the spicy fermented cabbage, which he ate by itself and washed down with apple cider.
While Caleb's love for kimchi is a more recent development, he has been a huge fan of bulgogi for quite some time now. He often asks if we can "go eat gogi?" and when we do, he really goes to town. He certainly gets his money's worth, especially since the restuarant has yet to charge us for the boys' meals, and we're kind of afraid to ask them when they'll start doing so! By my best estimate, Caleb probably eats just as much if not more bulgogi than Joe and I each do whenever we take them to the Korean buffet. I think the Korean waitresses really get a kick out of seeing this little blue-eyed boy earnestly begging for "more gogi!" Joshua, on the other hand, does not share his brother's passion for gogi and instead opts for shrimp tempura and other deep-fried specialties favorable to the typical American palate.
I'm quite certain that the only thing preventing Joshua from sharing his brother's passion for Korean food is his stubbornness. I hope that someday he'll be able to put it aside and finally acquire an appreciation for what Caleb has been enjoying all along!
While Caleb's love for kimchi is a more recent development, he has been a huge fan of bulgogi for quite some time now. He often asks if we can "go eat gogi?" and when we do, he really goes to town. He certainly gets his money's worth, especially since the restuarant has yet to charge us for the boys' meals, and we're kind of afraid to ask them when they'll start doing so! By my best estimate, Caleb probably eats just as much if not more bulgogi than Joe and I each do whenever we take them to the Korean buffet. I think the Korean waitresses really get a kick out of seeing this little blue-eyed boy earnestly begging for "more gogi!" Joshua, on the other hand, does not share his brother's passion for gogi and instead opts for shrimp tempura and other deep-fried specialties favorable to the typical American palate.
I'm quite certain that the only thing preventing Joshua from sharing his brother's passion for Korean food is his stubbornness. I hope that someday he'll be able to put it aside and finally acquire an appreciation for what Caleb has been enjoying all along!
Friday, February 6, 2009
Playing Midwife
Caleb and Joshua love going to visit "Midwife Peggy". She is probably one of their most frequently-requested people. As usual, at my appointment yesterday, the boys joyfully chirped, "See baby brother!" as soon as I laid down on the bed and uncovered my belly. Their eyes were affixed while the midwives palpated my belly, measured the fundal height, and listened to the baby's heartbeat. Midwife Peggy remarked that Caleb and Joshua definitely display more interest in these proceedings than most other boys who accompany their mothers to prenatal appointments.
At home, Caleb and Joshua will often play their own version of "finding the heartbeat". They will find a small block or similar object and gently rub it against one of their stuffed animals' bellies or against my belly and say, "I'll make it feel better." For some reason--perhaps because they associate the midwife with the doctor--they seem to have assigned healing properties to the midwife and her ultrasound equipment. Yesterday, for example, I observed Joshua take a Gameboy game that our neighbor Lily had left lying out (which is plastic, grey, and actually somewhat resembles a piece of medical equipment) and press it up against one of his stuffed bears, saying "I'll make it feel better, bear, I'll make it feel better". I asked Joshua if he is a doctor, and he replied "Yes, I'm doctor!" I guess Joshua will have to settle for being a doctor since I have never heard of a male midwife :)
By the way, yesterday was my unofficial due date. My official due date used by my midwife is February 9th, but when I first found out I was pregnant, an online due date calculator told me that my due date was the 5th, and at the time I thought the earlier the better! But now that February 5th has come and gone, I'm quite content to let our baby boy stay inside of me a little while longer, although preferably before my own birthday two weeks from now!
At home, Caleb and Joshua will often play their own version of "finding the heartbeat". They will find a small block or similar object and gently rub it against one of their stuffed animals' bellies or against my belly and say, "I'll make it feel better." For some reason--perhaps because they associate the midwife with the doctor--they seem to have assigned healing properties to the midwife and her ultrasound equipment. Yesterday, for example, I observed Joshua take a Gameboy game that our neighbor Lily had left lying out (which is plastic, grey, and actually somewhat resembles a piece of medical equipment) and press it up against one of his stuffed bears, saying "I'll make it feel better, bear, I'll make it feel better". I asked Joshua if he is a doctor, and he replied "Yes, I'm doctor!" I guess Joshua will have to settle for being a doctor since I have never heard of a male midwife :)
By the way, yesterday was my unofficial due date. My official due date used by my midwife is February 9th, but when I first found out I was pregnant, an online due date calculator told me that my due date was the 5th, and at the time I thought the earlier the better! But now that February 5th has come and gone, I'm quite content to let our baby boy stay inside of me a little while longer, although preferably before my own birthday two weeks from now!
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