November

^^ Lazy morning on November 2nd waiting around for the phone call to tell us we could go into labor and delivery. Eventually, with little hope of an opening, we made it out of the house for a walk to the mall for lunch. Shortly after we got home they said "come on in!" and then I freaked out ;) ^^

^^ All hooked up and ready to go! I loved that day but man do I not miss that belly! ^^

^^ Uriah arrived to the hospital to meet Judah with this in hand (cue the heart eyes!) It has been hanging by his crib ever since ^^

^^ Lots and lots of Judah pictures from our first few days at home. We were lucky enough to have Stephen on an outpatient rotation before and after Judah's arrival (meaning home for dinner and weekends off) but I was still left to defend for myself in the mornings before my parents came over starting two days after coming home. I don't want to be dramatic or anything, but I was terrified. Annnd there was absolutely nothing terrible about it. Uriah and Ezra have been so great with Judah from the beginning, loving on him and helping me. And, maybe even better than their seamless adjustment to having Judah around, their friendship seemed to grow overnight and they were able to keep each other happy and entertained while I did the adjusting. ^^

^^ Girl time! Ezra took the hit of Judah being born more so than Uriah - he's older and understands more and while Ezra didn't react in much of a noticeable way, she started grouping the two of us together a lot more, saying often things like, "just us girls" or "mommy and Ezra are girls and daddy, Riah and Judah are boys!" She wanted to be "on my team" a lot and I seemed to be getting extra hugs and kisses so we stole away for a Starbucks date and Safeway run and it was just what we both needed ^^

^^ School took a major hit the last few (painful) weeks of pregnancy and for several more once Judah was born. Uriah took the initiative one morning to work through his alphabet flash cards by sight and sound and then proceeded to sound out these words. Definitely made me feel like less of a failure, slacker mom so thanks for that one, Uriah ;) ^^

^^ More pictures of Judah, park and zoo dates with Nana and Papa, church with friends sans mom... life moved pretty slow those first two weeks and no one was complaining about it! ^^

^^ Before my parents took off they took the kids to Santa Cruz - picnic lunch with the butterflies, aquarium to touch a shark, the boardwalk for fun and games, chocolate chip pancakes for dinner and a sleepover in the airstream. We were all so blessed by my parents extended stay in the Bay. I don't know how we would have made this adjustment without them here! We would have...it just would have been significantly harder! And less fun! ^^

^^ My parents left and Stephen started working in the ICU - terrible timing! But I survived my first solo Sunday at church! We were only 30 minutes late ;) ^^

^^ Tank tops in November because, CALIFORNIA! Judah's first trip to the beach! ^^

^^ Sweet, sleepy, snuggly babies and playdates with friends - a lot of what our November consisted of! ^^

^^ These kids are the best! We spent our Thanksgiving sans Stephen, soaking in warm baths, reading lots of books, playing lots of Legos and going on an evening walk to check on the fort. It wasn't ideal, but I felt like I got good time with each of my babies, with nothing but loving on my to-do list that day and it felt pretty dang good. We have a lot to be thankful for! ^^

^^ Legos (there are always Legos), hiking, a morning at Chuck E Cheese and more of those sweet baby snuggles to round out the month. It was an extra good one :) ^^

month two

Size: Judah is wearing size 1 diapers and 0-3 month clothes. Even before finding out his height and weight I would say he is longer than either of his siblings were, therefore though, less chubby. His 2 month appointment is coming up so we'll find out soon! UPDATE: Judah weighs 13 pounds (55%ile for weight) and is 24.5 inches tall (93%tile for height) 

Eat: Exclusively breastfed and nursing like a champ. My supply took a dive the first time Judah slept 8 hours at night (I woke up completely dry when I should have been bursting at the seams...!) I panicked and cried and worried but was able to get it back up and we seem to be doing ok now. He nurses every 1-3 hours depending on the time of day - 1 hour apart in the morning and evening, before and after bed, 3 hours apart during his two long naps and 2 hours apart during the rest of the day. For the most part, I just nurse him when he seems hungry - we have a goal of 18 pounds at 4 months ;) - but he seems to have worked himself into a pretty consistent schedule on his own.

Sleep: JUDAH SLEEPS THROUGH THE NIGHT! He goes down between 8-10 and wakes up between 5:30-7. All the praise for the world's easiest baby! His loud grunting days are over too, so we're all getting good quiet sleep. I should note that he's still sleeping in the rock 'n play and I'd really love to get him in the crib, but why ruin a good thing...?! He stays awake in the morning for an hour or so until dad's gone for work and Uriah and Ezra are up, then goes down for a 2-3 hour nap. He's usually then in and out of sleep as we run errands, play with friends and try to get out of the house before lunch and naps. He takes another long nap, about 2 hours, when the kids do, sometime between 1-4. He's awake for a good chunk of the evening after that, stealing little cat naps in dad's arms or on his playmat, but then it's bedtime and he's out like a light! 

Milestones: JUDAH SMILES! And it's the absolute BEST! He's been intentionally smiling for weeks now and I was surprised it came so early. He's honestly just the happiest baby! He is so close to laughing too - sometimes when he smiles his whole body shakes and his noises increase in amount and volume ;) He is getting a lot better about his arm control and trying to grab things, and slowly but surely he's working on that neck control! Kid's got a big head to hold up ;)

Likes: Judah loves attention! He is such a happy baby - he is always smiling and "cooing" at whoever takes the time to get in his field of vision and smile and talk to him. He likes his playmat and will contently lay there hitting the toys back and forth. He likes being outside - always lights up and looks around when he can feel the cool air on his face. Loves being worn, held upright, patted on his bum and back, the bath, his changing pad and his siblings :) 

Dislikes: He doesn't like being held horizontal. Unless I'm nursing him, he protests to being cradled in our arms that way. And honestly, that's all I can think of! He no longer minds getting dressed or getting his diaper changed, he now loves all aspects of bath time and his car seat doesn't seem to be an issue (we tested the theory on a drive to and from Sacramento in a day! ;) I am telling you - world's best and happiest baby! 

Things I want to remember: Judah brings so much joy into our home. He is always happy and it quickly spreads to the rest of us with just one big gummy smile. I never want to forget that smile! Or his tiny little mouth all pursed up when he's concentrating or his "turtle face" as he's waking up. I never want to forget the feel of his fuzzy, fuzzy blonde hair on my cheek or the sight of his squished face sleeping on my shoulder. Honestly, he's just so damn cute...! Perfect, if you ask me, maybe the cutest one yet...?! ;) I never want to forget the hours we all spend just staring at him, in complete awe and love. I never want to forget all three of my babies together, either - Uriah always wanting to hold him, rub his fuzzy head, talk to him, make him smile with a smile of his own or a Uriah original song, telling me how cute he is... Ezra's interest is much more short lived, but equally sweet and I can't wait to watch her role as a big sister evolve as Judah gets older. They're the best. 

month one

^^ Some really poorly taken and poorly edited iPhone pictures. Even still, he's pretty dang cute! ^^

Size: Judah is wearing size 1 diapers and some newborn but mostly 0-3 month clothes. Four days after his arrival he was just a couple ounces shy of his birth weight and at one week, he was 8 pounds, 5 ounces. His doctor asked several times at both appointments, "this is all breast milk?!" At almost five weeks he was 10 pounds, 2 ounces and 22.75 inches long - 47%tile for weight and 90%tile for height. 

Eat: Exclusively breastfed and nursing like a champ. It took us awhile to find a good rhythm, especially on my right side, for whatever reason I'm not sure. But I think we've got it figured out now. It's no longer painful and his latch feels really good and relieving. He nurses about every 2 hours during the day, with one longer gap during his long nap in the afternoon, and every 3-5 hours at night, typically with a cluster feed an hour apart before bed. I haven't tried too hard to get him on a set schedule, I tend to just feed him whenever he seems hungry, but I'm pleased that he has regulated himself - makes planning my day and activities (with three kiddos!) a lot easier when I can predict things like that. 

Sleep: Judah's a pretty great sleeper! His bedtime isn't consistent, he'll go down for the night anywhere from 8-11, but he consistently does a five hour stretch and then wakes to eat every three hours after that. So, depending on when he goes down, he wakes just once or twice a night. Uriah and Ezra wake up at 7, and typically, that is Judah's second or third feeding, so we're all up for the day at the same time. He has a good hour or two of awake time in the morning as we're all getting up, fed, playing and getting ready for the day. After that long stint, he tends to sleep for an hour, be awake for less than an hour and so on until his long nap around 1-4. He has another long stint of awake time in the evening around or after dinner time. 
He is, however, a pretty loud sleeper. After that first five hour stretch at night we have to listen to a lot of grunting, moaning and straining. He's not fully awake and he never cries out, he just makes noise! It's not always followed by a bowel movement so I'm not entirely sure what causes it but Ezra was the same way and grew out of it around two months so we're just crossing our fingers he follows in the same footsteps. He can be quieted down with a binki or by rocking his rock and play (that he's currently sleeping in because it seems to lessen the straining compared to sleeping in his crib). So he's getting good sleep, I'm just not ;) 

Milestones: Well, he still mostly just eats, sleeps and poops. But I wouldn't trade this stage for anything! I love the newborn stage! When it was just Uriah and I, I felt like it was so hard but now? It's so easy! ...And wonderful! He has given us a few smiles and I can tell he's on the verge of doing it more often and much more deliberately. As if he wasn't cute enough...! ;) He's also starting to track with his eyes, focusing on items or people's faces and watching as they disappear from view, trying to follow their path. 

Likes: He seems to love being outside and definitely loves being worn in the Solly or ring sling (and I love wearing him!) He quite often quiets down when looking at Uriah and can hear his voice talking sweetly to him - I think Uriah will be the source of his first genuine smiles! He likes laying in the water from the bath and getting it poured on his belly, even his head. He likes his bum being patted while held and will fall asleep in my arms so easy, and he's definitely a binki baby! 

Dislikes: He isn't a huge fan of sleeping on a flat surface and doesn't particularly care one way or the other for his car seat. He likes the warm water of the bath but not the getting washed up part. He'll occasionally protest to getting his diaper changed but only if he's hungry and having to wait. Honestly, he's been super easy going and content and I'm so thankful! 

Things I want to remember: His "turtle face" that reminds me so much of baby Uriah - his puckered lips, stretched out neck and little forehead wrinkles. His blonde, blonde hair...! I can't believe he's my first born blonde baby - I love it! Especially after his bath when he's so fuzzy... I love rubbing my cheek against his soft head. His sweet, sweet profile - watching him nurse is my favorite view.