Since we're crazy, we planned a family vacation for the first week of March with Nana, Grandad, Uncle Jon, Aunt Jen, Jack, and Seth in Colorado... which took some serious hours of packing, organizing, and planning to actually make it out there with Micah and Ezra. So I spent the days leading up to the trip trying to make it all happen while Matt worked. Fortunately, the boys were on their best behavior and were able to entertain themselves a bit while I worked. However, I did have to monitor Ezra if he was playing on the floor, as Micah loves him so much he likes to hug him all the time... and he forgets how big he is. So Ezra is in constant danger of being smothered in love when in arms reach. It's adorable, though slightly exhausting!
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After the surge of company, we had a few days as a family of four which were spent resting and trying to establish a new routine with our two boys. Then Nana and Grandad came back to keep me company as Matt returned to work. With extra hands, I was able to have a few adventures with the boys that I would not have had to energy to do alone. We took the boys to the Discovery Museum on Thursday (Ezra was just 9 days old!), but Micah needed to get out, having been stuck mostly in and around the house since Ezra's birth. I got out to the mall to run a few errands with Nana and Ezra while Grandad took Micah hiking. Then Ezra got his first lunch out at Chick-fil-a (this was Micah's first lunch out too!). Then when Matt had an evening off we took both boys hiking at Charleston Falls with Nana and Grandad. We all had a blast enjoying the 60 degree weather in February!
Nana and Grandad went back home on Sunday, and we returned to being a family of four. Ezra settled into a pretty good night routine of going to bed around 10 PM and sleeping until 6 AM with 2 wake-ups to eat. His only downfall is his loud grunting at night... not the best roommate quality... In all seriousness though, Ezra has proven to be just as laid back as Micah was as a baby. So other than sleep deprivation from just a lack of getting long chunks of sleep and missing sleep at night for feedings, I have it easy with these two boys. And Micah loves his little brother and is always very concerned for his welfare. He is having to adjust to getting less one-on-one attention, which has lead to a little acting out towards Mama, usually in the form of defiance. Hopefully that will soon pass (or not, since Micah is approaching 2 after all...). After a day at home, I braved my first adventure with both boys by myself on Tuesday: a trip to the Pediatrician for Ezra's 2 week check-up and a quick run into Target to pick up a few items. We have been fortunate thus far to have had meals made for us by friends and family, so I have not braved a full grocery store run yet... But all went well and both boys were on their best behavior. Ezra is proving to be quite the contender. Despite being born 11 oz less than Micah, he has now evened the score by weighing in at 8 lb, 4 oz at two weeks old (Micah was 8 lb, 3 oz) and being 21.5 in tall (the same height as Micah). Everyone is quite impressed with his weight gain, and he got a clean bill of health. We have since ventured out a few more times, the boys and I, and though it takes FOREVER to actually get out the door (it seriously is like an hour long process to get diapers changed, appropriate clothes and shoes on, packed into the car...) all our ventures have gone well! So far, being a mom of two boys is going great, even if it is a bit exhausting ;) We got to come home late on Wednesday night and had a couple of days to settle in with help from Nana and Grandad. Then on Saturday and Sunday we had LOTS of visitors to meet Ezra. We got to take some great family photos and catch up with family and friends. And of course Ezra got to be held all the time, which I'm sure he enjoyed (he slept the whole time, haha). Of course, being somewhat sleep deprived, it was all a bit of a blur for me, so I'll let the pictures speak for themselves!
We are pleased to announce the birth of our healthy baby boy, Ezra Jacob Rodgers! Here's his birth story:
On Tuesday, February 7th, I started having some contractions around 4:30 AM, about 30 minutes apart. They continued like this all morning. I already had my 40 week OB appointment scheduled for this morning, so I went and got checked out... still 1.5 cm dilated. Baby was healthy and doing well, but contractions were too far apart to mean anything yet. But I had a feeling today was going to be the day. I went home and put Micah down for his nap and then let Matt know that contractions were getting closer together: 10 minutes apart or so. He let work know that he was not going to be able to come in for his afternoon shift and helped me labor at home for a bit. You always hear that the second one comes faster... apparently that's not always true. By this time I had already been in labor for longer than I had been with Micah, and contractions were still fluctuating between 5 and 7 minutes apart. We decided to head to the hospital around 3 PM. After getting checked in, I was told that they needed to monitor baby the whole time, so I could get into the shower for a short time, but then I was done and would need to labor hooked up to the monitor. I was not pleased, and quite frankly was tired of having contractions all day. I was still only 5 cm dilated, and decided I was taking the epidural. I was tired, frustrated, and just wanted a break from the painful contractions that were now coming closer and closer together. So I got to experience another type of birth with the slow-to-come Ezra. I had an amazing anesthesiologist and literally experienced no contractions once the epidural started. You also hear that epidurals slow down labor... but apparently this birth defied odds there too, because I quickly progressed to 7 com dilated, then 8, and then it was time to push in less than 2 hours. Pushing is definitely my least favorite part of an epidural, as it was hard to push using numb muscles. But we slowly got there, with a little help from a vaccum because Mr. Ezra was also sunny side up, making it hard for him to slide out as easily. And then there he was at 8:26 PM, a full head of hair, crying at the top of his lungs. Matt once again got to announce, "It's a boy!" and cut the umbilical cord. This time, I got to hold Ezra for much longer, as they didn't take him to so much as weigh him for over an hour. When he did finally get his weigh-in, he came in at a surprising 6 lb, 15 oz! He was 20 inches long, and healthy as could be, just tiny! I think his length fooled us, because Micah was also 20 inches long. Just as with Micah, we only stayed in the hospital for 24 hours, as Ezra passed the health inspection to go home. While we were there, we did get some photos taken of both Ezra and Micah and Ezra together. Micah seemed to really take to Ezra, giving him lots of hugs and inspecting his fingers, toes, eyes, ears, and nose to make sure all were in good health. We also had visits from Grandma, Grandad, and Nana! We're so excited for these brothers to grow up together! Well, no baby yet. On Tuesday we had a changing of the guard; Grandma came to stay and Nana and Grandad went home for a week. Micah has been having a blast playing with Grandma while I take it easy (lower back pain is so much fun....). Grandma brought Micah a drum set to play, which he thinks is pretty awesome. He especially loves the symbol. We have gotten out to have a little fun though! Grandma wanted to check out the Wright Brother's Bike Shop (one of their original shops) downtown, so we ventured out for a visit. We got to see the shop and learn some of the history behind how their bike shop tied into their flying work. There was also had a parachute museum in the building as well, so we learned a little parachute history while we were at it!
To pass the time during naptime and after Micah goes to bed, Matt, Grandma, and I have been tackling 1,000 piece puzzles. We've completed two so far.... it's time to come Baby! Unfortunately, Baby doesn't seem all that interested. I've had a few contractions here and there, but nothing lasting. The best is when your doctor tells you that Baby is so low that he doesn't know how you're still walking around.... thanks, thanks a lot. The answer: uncomfortably. I was convinced this Baby would come early, but now I'm becoming convinced this Baby will be just like his or her brother and wait until late again. Ah well, at least "late" is quickly approaching! |
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