Oh, so sleepy!

I do not remember any of my other kids being quite as sleepy as little Josiah has been this week.  He does wake for his feedings, but goes right back to sleep.  Maybe I just forget...maybe this is normal.  But I will take it any day over a screaming newborn.
Tonight at supper I was trying very hard to get him to wake up as he had no awake time since 6:30 this morning.  I put his as the centerpiece at the table, but I think the hustle and bustle lull and soothe him more than keep him awake!!  He did finally wake up after a while.

Hospital Pics

The crowd is off to church and I am enjoying some quiet time this morning.  My little guy is almost a week old already.  It's been a good week so far.  Not a ton of sleep, but some.  Enough that I am surviving well during the day.  I am so grateful for the timing of Josiah's birth.  B/c of the holiday, Steve had 3 days off when we got home from the hospital.  He's been a huge help to me in so many ways...doing all the things I normally do and allowing me to rest and take care of the baby.  That will all come crashing down tomorrow when he returns to work.  I'm a little nervous about the transition, but know that as God has given me much grace so far, He will only continue to provide me with what I need.

These are fleeting days and I am trying to soak in every minute of his newborn sweetness as I possibly can.  Before I know it, he will be running around with the rest of the crowd.

These next 2 shots are blurry, but capture the tornado that happened when the kids visited.  The could not get enough of their new brother!!

Looks like I may have a thumb sucker.  I have never had one before.  Don't know if that is a good thing or not!!

Proud daddy

All bundled up and ready to go home.  Josiah was born with a tiny little skin tag on his ear.  You can see it in this pic.  He will have it removed when he get a little bigger.  

5 Days Old

Home

My new little guy and I made it home safe earlier today.  Hard to believe just 4 days ago I was anxious over when this little one was going to make their entrance, and here I am with him in my arms.  It has been a sweet few days, we are both doing very well.  He's a little champ, eating just like he should and though I am still tired and sore, I'm recovering well.

Just a few quick favorite shots from the hospital.  I didn't take too many of just Josiah, hopefully I can capture him some in the next few days.

Josiah Stephen

In case you didn't receive the church e-mail, or see it on Facebook, here's the news: our son, Josiah Stephen Heitland, was born on Nov 21 at 2:44 am. Lori and Josiah are still in the hospital, doing very well, and anticipate coming home tomorrow. He was 21" long and weighed in at 8 lbs even. This was our best delivery yet, and we are very grateful for God's kindness to us.
Here's a shot of our new little buddy with his hovering support team. He's going to have a precarious early existence...

And here's a close-up from this afternoon.

I'm sure Lori will have much better shots in the days ahead.

Out of the Mouths...

Tonight we were following a car that was hauling a small Christmas tree on top.  Greta says, "Daddy, why they have broccoli on top of their car?"

My Contented Girl

One thing I love about being a mom of many is to see the differences in my kids personalities, interests, and giftings.  One thing that I love about my Morgan is how content she is.  I don't think she has ever told me she is bored, she is quite simple in her likes and dislikes, and to be honest, she often will astound me with how peaceful she can be when things don't go her way.

Anyway, today after lunch I found her outside, all by herself on this chilly day, widdling (sp?) some sticks with her swiss army knife (that she bought with her own money).  Oh, I love this kid.

Baseball

My little guy has a growing interest in baseball.  He loves to catch, throw, and hit off his tee.  Morgan is often a willing playmate in this area.  I love to watch them play together, she is so patient with him.

Not the best action shot, but an action shot it is.

Brothers-Minus 1

The past 24 hours have been a bit of a reunion around here.  Steve's brother, Shawn, who lives in CA, stopped in for a quick visit.  His work has brought him to Scranton and he was able to make a quick pit stop here.  There's still a brother in Nebraska who was not with us-missed you, Seth!
I'm not sure which of these men hates getting their picture the taken the most.  I told them in 10 years they will be happy to have this photo.  Thankfully, they all cooperated.

A More Realistic Silhouette

The more I look at this picture, the more it is making me laugh.  The last few days I've been wanting to get a cool and creative silhouette of my belly before it disappears (at least that's the hope after 5 kids!!).  I was out getting groceries and when I was about 2 minutes from home I realized this was the prefect time of day to get it. But by the time I got home and got set up, I had missed the prime time.  So the photo is way too dark.

My husband willingly cooperated with my attempts.  The power lines...oops.  And I was actually standing on a chair to get this b/c without it I was too low on the landscape.  As we were trying to figure this out, Amish kept going by.  I'm sure they were wondering what on earth we were doing.  Me standing on a chair, husband basically laying on the ground taking my picture.

So here is my not very good attempt at a silhouette.

Any day now...

Countdown

I have less than 2 weeks left before this baby is due.  On one hand this pregnancy has flown by, on the other I feel like I have been pregnant forever!  The last part of pregnancy has always been tough for me.  Day after day of wondering if this is going to be the day...or will it be another 2 weeks?  Or 3 weeks?  Each day is a day of wondering, demanding my patience and submission to timing that is not my own.

I had a bit of a rough week.  Last Sat. I had contractions for about 3-4 hours and I thought I was entering into labor.  They stopped...and nothing happened.  I feel like that little incident threw my body over the edge of being big and pregnant, to becoming huge (did baby drop??  think so.), beyond uncomfortable, and feeling like I'm about to blow up.  I feel swollen, often dizzy (doc told me that could be my low blood pressure), nauseous, and so tired.

It's interesting to me how God created this process for our bodies to go through.  It's really a crazy miraculous time.  To think there is a fully formed little someone inside of me always blows my mind.  It's a privilege to be a mom and to carry these babies.  It's also quite humbling.  My body has become someone else's.  It's no longer just me.  I feel overtaken by what is going in inside of me.  Everyone movement is really and truly hindered by the little someone.

Though physically I am more than ready to have this baby, I know that I am jumping from one frying pan into another!  Having a newborn is no cup of tea.  Though I do have some experience here, I am always sobered and nervous about the transition.  Sleepless nights are very tough for me.  In a completely different way than pregnancy, nursing is demanding on the body.  My postpartum emotions are often on full display.

It's funny how this season feels so demanding and intense, but when I think back to my other kids, I can hardly remember these days.  I'm sure they were just as tough, but by the grace of God we got through them and have sweet memories and these wonderful little people to share our days with.  I'm confident that will again be my testimony of this time, even as intense as it all feels right now.

Tomorrow is a new week full of life and kids and work.  Any day now we will meet our new little one that will change our family forever.  I am forced to tackle each day with faith and confidence that God's timing knows best.

I really am looking forward to this new stage, esp. having a little one to smell and squeeze and enjoy.  The kids (esp. the older girls) are beside themselves with anticipation.  They knew that I was having contractions last weekend and I'm pretty certain they already feel like the baby is overdue!!  I look forward to seeing the love that I know they will all have for this new one.  That has been a highlight for me my previous 2 pregnancies.

This is one of my favorite pics of me and Greta.  She was just a couple months old here and now she is a chatty, silly 3 year old!  Can hardly believe it.

Photo credit: Tina Lapp

Homemade Swing

37+ weeks

Sweet Family

This past week I got to take some pics of my cousin (Josh) and his adorable family.  It's so fun to see him as a dad, he's a good one!  These were taken at their house and across the street from them.  Such a beautiful location.  Thankfully the snow was all melted and we had a beautiful afternoon to shoot.