Now There's A Smile!

At six weeks, Oliver is starting to smile a lot! Somehow, a little smile makes us forget about the sleep deprivation and his "witching hour" screaming...

And speaking of sleeping, this little dude is now sleeping up to 5 1/2 hours straight at night, and falling right back asleep after eating. This is a big change from waking every 1-3 hours to eat. It's amazing how good that uninterrupted sleep feels...

Dad

There's something very sweet about a Dad with his son....

One Month Old

Oliver is one month old!

He is:

• Making new (non crying) sounds ("ahhhh" "oooh")
• Looking around a lot more and tracking with his eyes
• Starting to smile (probably just gas... but it melts my heart every time)
• Crying a lot during his evening "witching hour" and on car rides. He really doesn't like the car...
• Sleeping a lot during the day, but starting to get more consistent with sleep patterns (he's still waking up every 2-3 hours at night to nurse but usually feeds quickly and goes right back to sleep)
• Very happy in the Moby wrap (the red baby carrier in all the photos below), on walks, and in a nice warm bath
• Lifting his head during tummy time and getting stronger every day
• Eating great and has the chubby cheeks to prove it. According to our scale he now weighs over 12lb and measures over 22"

This last month I've learned:

• What Oliver's different sounds and cries mean 
• How to type one-handed
• How to juggle and balance two children (ex: grocery shopping with both boys is manageable!)
• How to breastfeed anywhere, because with two kids you can't always pony up at the couch or bed...
• The dog's barking doesn't wake Oliver up; however, me yelling at the dog for barking does...
• Eric is an awesome dad (well, I already knew that), and Isaac is a great big brother who already loves Oliver a lot
• We'll never be perfect parents. But we're doing our best and that makes us great parents. 
• We have an amazing support system of friends, family, and co-workers 

Lastly, here are a few photos from the past couple of weeks:

Watching the Sounders at The Yard pub while Isaac was at a playdate

Speaking of playdates, here's Ollie with Emery (my friend Heather's 5 month old son)

Isaac loves to take pictures with Oliver

The Moby wrap is so helpful to manage both boys -- especially when Dad is away for the weekend!

Yup, he cries too :)

Ahh... "milk drunk"

Mr. funny face man....

Oliver is Two Weeks Old

Look who is two weeks old!

At his two week appointment, Oliver weighed 9lb 12oz and was 21.5" long (up from 8lb 4oz at birth, and up from 7lb 15oz at his 3-day check up). We hope the nickname chunky monkey doesn't stick.

The past two weeks have been going well. However, as to be expected, we are in a bit of a newborn daze.

Oliver is starting to sleep better at night, waking up every two to three hours to nurse and then go right back to sleep. So far he is pretty easy to soothe, and Dad is the official baby whisperer during the evening when Ollie tends to be more fussy. Seriously though... Eric has a special touch.

We are also establishing a good routine juggling two kids, which is something I was worried about at first. For example, Oliver and I take Isaac to preschool in the morning. Oliver regularly sleeps in until 8 which gives Isaac and I an hour to get in a morning snuggle, eat breakfast together, and talk about the day. The one-on-one time is a nice start to the day, and we've set up a rewards chart for Isaac to encourage a cooperative morning. When screen time is on the line, it's amazing how well (and quickly) he gets dressed, brushes his teeth, and speaks politely!

I've been getting out for walks with Lodi again, and the Moby wrap is awesome for walks and soothing a tired baby. Here we are, all snuggled up.

And lastly, Ollie says "Go Seahawks!"

And, he's looking an awful lot like his brother in this picture.

Hello Oliver

We welcomed Oliver William to the world on Monday, September 15 at 4:30 AM. He was 8lb 4oz, 21 inches long, and he was born with a full head of hair.

Mom and Oliver saying their first hellos

Checking out the world

Oliver's Birth Story

Oliver was due September 10th, and we were starting to wonder how and when he would make his appearance. Would this baby ever come? Would he come fast like his brother, or would I have a more "normal" labor (if there is such a thing)? Here's how it all went down...

I went to bed on Sunday evening and woke up at 1 AM to a small amount of my water breaking. At 1:15 AM some light contractions started, and I started timing them to see if this was the real deal. Around 2:30 I called my midwife and was cleared to come into the childbirth center. Eric's Dad was visiting for the weekend, so he was able to stay with Isaac as we shuffled off to the hospital.

We arrived at the hospital around 3 AM and contractions were picking up. I settled into the room and was checked -- 5 cm and fully effaced. We called parents to let them know this was indeed the "real deal." Not wanting to miss my pain management "window," I asked for an epidural right away. However, nature once again had other plans for this delivery. As I was completing the administrative check-in process, contractions were intensifying fast. At 4:20 AM and out of now where (it seemed), I felt the need to push. I was surprised when the nurse said - "baby is coming now!" As with Isaac, there was no time for an epidural...

After 10 minutes of pushing a la natural, Oliver was born at 4:30 AM... just over three hours from the first contraction.

Labor was intense but positive, and we were so happy to welcome a healthy, baby boy. Eric and the clinical staff were excellent support, as my body was moving a lot faster through labor than my mind. A few hours after he was born I was still in shock about how fast he came. As the nurse accurately said, "he blasted out!"

Oliver's First Few Days

We arrived home on Tuesday and have spent the past few days getting to know Ollie, introducing him to family and friends, sleeping when we can, supporting Isaac in this transition, and settling in to a new normal.

Isaac has been a fantastic big brother and seems very excited to have a baby brother.

Here's a few more photos of Ollie from the past few days.

Brotherly Love

Meeting Isaac & Grandma Jabbusch (I imagine I was retelling the birth story here...)

Merhar Guys

Big Boy

Meeting Grandpa Jabbusch

Meeting Grandma Merhar

Coming home from the hospital

Meeting Aunt Lisa 

Spending a little more time awake...

But sleeping an awful lot....

38 Weeks - The Final Stretch

Two more weeks! (Plus or minus two weeks...)

We are all very excited to meet this little guy. We are also enjoying our time together as a family of three.

38 Weeks - It's getting a little crowded....

Isaac has been accepting his soon-to-be big brother role very well. He likes to help re-arrange the house to make room for his brother, talk about what he will teach him, and practice diapering Buzz Lightyear.

As for me? It's true what they say that each pregnancy is different. This one has been a little harder physically (I am moving a lot slower and have more fatigue now than I remember at the end with Isaac). On the flip side, it has gone by a lot faster. With a busy job and a busy family it makes it easy to forget I'm pregnant. The preparations this time around are more about getting Isaac ready for a brother. And, it feels more personal. It's less about the public celebrations, and more about our family.

Isaac is also growing up quickly before our eyes. The last couple of mornings he has proudly woken up before me to get dressed, see Dad before he heads off to work, and make me breakfast in bed. He makes a killer yogurt and honey parfait. He started "pink reading" at preschool this week; an introduction to reading and writing. He loves it and we've started doing it at home, too.

So, in case you've been wondering, here are some questions we get asked regularly...

"When are you due?" September 10th.

"Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?" Yes, a boy.

"How are you feeling?" Pregnant...

"Do you have a name picked out?" Yes, but we'll announce it when he's born.

"Can we have a hint about his name?" No. Unless you take Eric out to a bar. Then he'll probably slip it to you.

"Are you having another natural/non-medicated birth?" Oh hells no. Been there. Done that. I am (pretty) sure I will elect for the epidural. Then again, we'll see how things go...

"Is Isaac ready to be a big brother?" We think so. He has done a great job so far, but we all won't know what's really hit us until he is here! As always, it will be a wild ride and we're up for the adventure...

32 Weeks

Fourth of July in Tricities 2014

This year, we were back in the Tri-Cities for the Fourth of July. The long weekend was made up of the usual festivities -- hours upon hours of swimming in the pool, visiting Grandma's quilt store, lighting fireworks, helping Grandpa build stuff in the shop, visiting with family, watching a lot of soccer, and eating lots of great meals.

Happy Birthday, 'Merica!

29 Weeks

Hello, third trimester.

Me at 29 weeks (Just about 2.5 months to go!)

Montana Trip

We recently traveled to the Northwest Montana for Eric's cousin's wedding. I had never been to Montana before, and it is gorgeous! Here are a few highlights of our trip to Bigfork / Whitefish / Kalispell / Flathead Lake.

Great times with the Grandma M and the Merhar Clan

Fun with Uncle Jeff!

A beautiful outdoor wedding

Dinner and s'mores with Eric's aunts and uncles

Dancing!

Family time

And of course... hours spent in the hotel pool!