The Children's Museum

My parents treated us to a trip to the Children's Museum and lunch at the food court this morning and afternoon. It was fun to do something for Rebekah in the midst of all this Luke stuff. Rebekah had a blast in the motion room again- maybe even almost as much fun as Grandi! :) Then, she, Dad, and Josh played with all the mechanical cars...we paid for one, then Josh and Dad rocked the helicopter to make it feel like it was moving- she obviously loved it all! Luke was a trooper and slept thru it all. However, he has had some really sweet awake time today- I don't know who said babies don't socially smile yet, b/c Josh and I got some precious gummy grins today- he really seemed to respond to my face and sounds I was making at him. He really is quite adorable.







Sweet pic- too bad it's not Josh and me!

Family Pics

Here are some various pics of my sweet family! As you can see, they don't both smile at the same time! ;)

Random and disjointed updates:

Rebekah LOVES to kiss on her baby brother...and run up to him and yell in his ear, and sit on him, and play with his toys, and fuss about him being held, and then kiss him some more.

My sweet dad got up at 3 this morning and drove up, so Rebekah got some quality time with Grandi before she went to bed- now Grandi is holding my little snuggle bug, who hasn't moved in 2 hours! ;)

Last night Luke slept swaddled in his crib! I was so excited to not use the carseat! He was fussing in his carseat and I thought to myself, "Self, if he's not happy in carseat, then he can be not happy in his actual bed..." So, I swaddled him as tight as I could, and he just dropped off! Granted it was his worst night in that he was up every 3 hours, which was a first for him, but I still felt accomplished! He also took his long nap swaddled...we seem to have a basic routine- he does whatever he does at night, goes back to sleep in the early morning for 1-3 hours, is up for a longer while, then takes a longer nap over lunch and R's nap (while I sleep :)), then either goes back to sleep or is up again...may not seem like a pattern, but kinda predictable...I'm trying to encourage more awake time during the day so as to encourage more asleep time after 10pm. We'll see. As exciting as it is to see him bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, 11pm is not when I want it :)

Oh- Luke had his "2-week" appt today- he's really 1 1/2 weeks old- he was 9lb 2oz (75th %), 22 in (95%), and his head was 50%. It was strange having a baby over 50% in weight (RG was 9 lb 1oz at a month)...he is still a little jaundiced and is breaking out- not his best look, but still super-cute, of course! He got a prescription for his goopy eyes and some vitamins for his color. He'll get an ultrasound in June to check out his kidneys to make sure they aren't dilated as they were in-utero.

(You can even see our genius boy suck his thumb!)

Luke Duke

My brother has officially nicknamed our sweet baby "Luke Duke"- I am delighted because I was deathly afraid of him being dubbed "L.T." since Billy calls Josh "J.D." (apparently his East Texas name). Anyway, those of you who know me know that I am not the hugest fan of initial names, so Luke Duke was a big upgrade. Evidently, Billy didn't know Luke's middle name, so L.T. wasn't even in the running. Go figure.

So, Luke Duke is doing great! A visiting nurse came by yesterday and Luke was 8 lbs 15 oz, so a mere 2 ounces away from his original weight! He is a little bit jaundiced, but not too bad. The nurse thought he was super-cute and such a big boy- still makes my heart swell that we produced such a big one... :) Luke is sleeping well, especially in his carseat- we put him in it in his crib for night- he slept from 10:30-5 last night! I didn't, of course- kept waking up, checking on him, and waiting...he has slept most of today, but I guess that 's what 8-day-olds do. :)

Rebekah is doing well, too. Fortunately, she is well-taken care of with grandmothers. Nana had to leave today and there were some tears sadly. Poor thing- she's going to fall apart when it's just me. Rebe is so precious- we are still marveling over her mastery of the English language and her memory. She is still a little song bird and repeats almost anything, including endearments for herself, such as "sweetie" and "sugar bear." She loves to kiss Baby Luke, but we are trying to train her not to be too rough with the baby or mess with him too much. It's torture trying to teach her not to sit in his seats.

The following are all with Nana (Josh's mom).

The apple may not fall far from the tree...

...but two apples can fall on opposite sides of the tree! In the womb, it seemed as if Rebekah and Luke were similar due to the excessive amount of kicking I received. I have since revised that sentiment...Rebekah and Luke are very different! While she was never still, he is very mellow and chill. The doctor said he was the only kid who preferred to sleep thru his circumcision rather than take the sugar pacifier! Anyway, as long as he's being held, Luke will sleep all day and night- did I mention he has to be held? Also, very different from his big sister- once she was sleep, you could lay her on a sidewalk and she'd have been fine...not this little guy! Much like his sweet cousin, Riley Jane, he seems to have a radar for when he's away from human contact! This has proven especially challenging at night since we don't share a bed with him. The first night home, Mom and I split the night holding him and last night Mom held him all night! I fed him at 11 and we had to wake him at 5! That would be great if he had been in bed! ;) We did discover today that he seems to crash pretty hard in his car seat, so that's the plan for tonight...baby steps, right? Sleep aside, Luke is so precious!!!!! We are smitten for sure. He has sweet little dimples and such a sweet face!

As for Rebekah, she is doing really well. She was not so into me nursing Luke- but once she got to see how it all worked (and asked " Bekah eat it?" twice- no!!), she did substantially better. She loves to kiss Luke, particularly if he is crying. Very sweet. She even remarks when "Luke eyes open!" Very observant. Mamama has been reading "Madeline" to her- a fave of mine when I was little- after a few days, she has already memorized various parts of the book- she seems to recognize pictures, as well as hear the rhyme and therefore knows what's coming.

We are doing well- it was high 70's today, so half the town was out and about, including us! We went to the mall and took 2 walks- wonderful!! Samson was delighted to get to go out with us, too!

Okay- check out our precious children!!!!







Look at that dimple!

First bath- hated it!

Rebes & Baby Luke

Here's a cute video of Rebekah with her new little brother!

He's here!!!!!

Luke Timothy Malone came somewhere around 10pm- we got here at 4:30, broke my water shortly thereafter, and got contractions before the pitocin even started! Then, I was reminded what real contractions really felt like- oh my gosh- I don't remember crying with Rebekah's contractions...anyway, it was short-lived- can I just say once again that next to Jesus, the person who invented the epidural has my worship? So, after just a few hours, at 6:45, I got my blessed epidural and life was much better! Somewhere around 9:30, I started to feel some serious pressure in the pelvic region and was confident it was the baby...it was! They didn't come in til 10, but then after 3 pushes, he was out!!!! And what a whopper for us-

9 lbs 1 oz and 22 inches long (they said biggest out of 17 babies currently in the nursery)!!!! He has precious cheeks and a sweet full body, complete with some arm rolls- which is good, he needs to keep up with his cousin, Riley Jane! He looks like a boy version of Rebekah at birth, so we are confident of his future cuteness! ;) I mean, of course, he's precious now, but we have an idea of his future looks! He has a full head of light brown hair, too! We couldn't be prouder and I am doing great- very minimal discomfort for me- the doctor said i would heal quickly- so once again, praise!

Luke nursed well and right away- again just like his sweet sister! Enjoy these pictures!

Going in!

Got the call that we're going in at 4:30pm today- who knows how long it will all take, but we will post as soon as possible!

We appreciate your previous and coming prayers...

and there was more waiting...

So, the long and short of it is that we are still home, waiting to get the go-ahead to come in for induction...I guess they had a busy night with real labor ;), but my Dr. assures me it will happen/at least start today! We'll see...it has been a weird day, just wasting time, wondering if this boy will ever come! Doesn't he realize it's time?! I think Rebekah thin ks we have made him up- we've been talking and talking about him, but no baby!

Induction tomorrow!! (Thurs 4/17)

Well, unless little man comes tonight, we will go in tomorrow to be induced! I am supposed to call at 6 am to see when to come in since they can't predict what tonight will look like. We're obviously hoping for early in the am....feels a little surreal. I still have tightening contractions, but haven't had the painful kind since last weekend. Maybe this little guy is really loving me and will be a snuggler?

Mom has noticed that Rebekah won't answer any questions about the baby- interesting. I told her again tonight that we would be going to the hospital tomorrow to have Baby ____ and that Mamama would take care of her...her response was- Mommy and Dada go date!! Um...sort of! She knows when we pass the hospital that we will get Baby _____ there, but that's the extent of it. She won't answer if she's excited or not...well, that's not true- she's excited about getting ice at the hospital...she was stonily silent on the issue of her baby brother, but when asked if she was excited about ice in a cup, she yelled out "Ooooh! Excited!!!"....go figure.

We'll keep ya updated!

Rebekah and her sidewalk chalk

Mamama gave Rebekah her very own sidewalk chalk today- it was finally warm enough to go outside- ignore my mom's wool coat- it was in the 60's, albeit windy....R's favorite part was carrying the chalk around in the bucket...not so much sharing with her neighbors....

So, yes, by posting about sidewalk chalk, I am ignoring that we are still overdue...




Aren't these amazing?! Auntie Rachel made both of these for our kiddos- the bunny was for R's first birthday and the dinosaur is for little buddy when he comes...we LOVE them!!!!!

No baby, but a plan...

Well, not sure we're really having a baby...I keep dreaming that he just magically leaves my tummy and isn't there...so sad!!! On the bright side, Josh and I have gotten a lot of good meals out and at home and have enjoyed 4 dates!!! We have seen 2 movies and gone for dessert/coffee twice- thanks, Mom!

Anyway, worst case scenario is that I will be induced on Thursday. I really don't want to induce, but at the same time, I don't want to be pregnant anymore and I don't want to end up in a C-section b/c he gets too big. So, lesser of the 2 evils is to induce. We are still praying for sooner than Thursday, but at least we know it won't be longer.

I feel like it's somehow my fault for not having has this kiddo, yet I'm doing my part- I laboriously jogged 2 miles this am and have taken 2 walks today. I cleaned the house, I chased my daughter around a restaurant today, and we have given little man many a pep talk to get him to listen to us!- to no avail, of course- hopefully not a sign of things to come!

Anyway, I was kind of kidding about not calling- you can call or email, just know that the answer will be "no" to if we've had the baby...otherwise you would know! I love you all and we promise to be good communicators when he does come!

Nope

No baby boy yet...I don't want to talk about it.

Seriously, tho, thought I'd pass along a fun Rebekah development...she can pray! Those of you who know her know that she loves the whole process of praying...I think she enjoys bossing us around- she knows not to eat her food because we "pray first!" Then, she makes us sit down and hold her hands, while she grins at us and we pray for our meals. Actually, we pray before her nap and bedtime, too- always at least twice. Every time she has fallen out of her bed at 2am (sadly, more than once), I have to sing "Mary" (Mary had a little lamb), then she tells me to "pray" and then she tells herself to "go to sleep!"

Anyway, we finally asked her to pray the other day and modeled it for her. Yesterday, she prayed on her own!

"Dear Ward...thank you for Mommy....thank you for Dada, thank you for Mamama....(long pause)....amen!"

Precious!!!!!!

Good grief!

NO BABY YET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After 8 hours of moderate contractions last night, they just....stopped! What in the world? I woke up Josh and my mom, we got our bags, and we waited...and waited...and waited...The contractions came and went at random intervals and varied in pain level....they were so reminiscent of my beginning labor with Rebekah that I was so sure we were having this sweet baby today! Needless to say, I was wrong and very disappointed. I am finally able to smile and not scowl at my family, so I guess that's good. Rebekah also awoke grumpy, so we were 2 peas in a pod, altho I think others were more patient with me than I was with her!

Speaking of patience, Rebekah is learning to sing the Have Patience song...now it's
Have patience, have patience, don't be in such hurry, remember God patient too!

OR

Have patience, have patience, don't be....nice...have patience!

Not sure where version number 2 originated....?

She also is into counting- 1,2,3,4,6,3...good up to 4! It's very consistent...sometimes I think certain items are assigned a number, such as this animal is always #2...it's funny!

Hopefully more news later....please don't call me and ask if I've had this baby- I may cry or yell at you!

Still preggers

No baby yet! Just to clarify, I am due Sunday...Rebekah was 3 days early, so that would be tomorrow. I have had some tightening feelings and some crampiness, but nothing major and nothing now...I am all about delivering a healthy, fully mature baby, so I'm not complaining yet! Plus, I am well-aware that babies are much easier on the inside than the outside! My friends due around the same time both delivered last week! Crazy! I think my babies like having all their needs met with none of the coldness of life outside the womb!

The picture above is copying 2 pics...the one that inspired it all is my mom, outside my grandparents' house, pregnant with me, holding my brother's hand (he of course is focused on his Slurpee!)...then, because we had moved to IA and my mom wanted to see me 9 months pregnant, Josh took a pic of me outside our house....this is the 3rd- much more like the original!

We're having a great time with Mom- got her situated with Rebekah's routine here- Rebekah is definitely attached to Mamama!! She is disappointed when it's just Mama to get her up, so I am officially chopped liver. :) Doesn't bother me at all...I love seeing her get loved on! Mom also got a lot of things in the freezer and helped me get some last-minute errands run. She treated me to some new post-pregnancy pj's, which look so small in comparison to what I currently am wearing!

Rebekah is pretty much in hog heaven! She is speaking in phrases and sentences and cracking us up! Her new game is pretending to go on a little trip and bye-bye/see you later/have fun over her shoulder. The point of the game is that you are really excited when she returns unexpectedly! She loves to play this game when I am semi-nude in the dr's office, waiting for my check-up...she even got stuck, much to her dismay, behind the exam table, and I had to get on my hands and knees and pry her loose in my sheet, hoping the dr wouldn't walk in on me in that position! She didn't, praise the Lord!

Will let you know when we know something....I know my vast blogging community is holding its collective breath!

No baby yet!

I will answer the question on your mind- no, I have not delivered yet!! Maybe a few contractions here and there, but nothing to send me to the hospital...we are ready and waiting! At least I think we're ready!!

This was Saturday at Carrie's house...we once again invited ourselves over for some much- needed fun!! LOVE these pics- they were taken with Carrie's new awesome camera- I think we need one!! By the way, that is static in her hair- not wind!

How cute is she????

Still examining her toes and feet...this happens a lot...

Bed Head

Who would have imagined that this sweet face would be accompanied by this hair?!



(Josh thinks the above pic looks like his sister, Sarah...I have to agree!)