Welcome Caleb Jeffrey!

Well as the Lord would have it (and I think Dr. Seward somehow knew!), Caleb Jeffrey Clark was born yesterday, December 8, 2011, at 11:06am. 6 pounds 6 oz, 19 inches long. Here's the details:

I went to the Dr on Wednesday for a regular check up at 36 weeks and 2 days. I was 2 cm dilated and the head was down low. I thought for sure I would have a few more days. Dr. Seward said "probably within a week we might see fireworks". Great! I have a week to prepare. As he was leaving the room, he jokingly said "See you tomorrow." I laughed out loud and basically said I sure hope not.

That night, I went to our small group Christmas party by myself. Jeff was gone to a game and my mother-in-law watched Josh for me. He had thrown up the night before so I figured family was the best bet for watching him in case it happened again. Thankfully it didn't. At the party I was eating tons of food including a spicy artichoke jalapeno garlic dip. I definitely overate and at 11 that night, couldn't sleep well because I thought I was either going to be sick like Josh was or it was indigestion from all the food I ate! Thankfully I made it to 3am without getting sick. At 3, I started having different contractions. I had been having braxton hicks since about week 20 but these were different. These were sharper and lasted longer. I didn't think anything of them because they were irregular and I went right back to sleep after I had one. But starting at 5:30, I continued to get them and now they were every 4 minutes apart. I laid in bed for a half hour debating what to do. Finally I got up and went in the shower. They continued to come every 3 to 4 minutes. I called my dr at 8 and he said he was up at the hospital on call so come on up and get checked out. I got there having 3 contractions on the way...yuck!

Got to the hospital at 9 and was 5cm dilated. I think I would have rather been 8! But at least I was making progress in the last 3.5 hours. I labored on the birthing ball and standing up until 10:20 when I got checked again and was 8cm. Dr Seward broke my water then just hung out with us until about 10:50 when I told him I was feeling pressure. I started pushing at about 10:55. Seriously, the worst pain I can remember. I don't know if I just blocked the pain out with Josh, but I yelled several times "Get this baby out of me!" I truly felt and can still recall the "ring of fire" that felt like it lasted the entire 10 minutes of pushing. At 11:06, Dr Seward told me to reach down and take my baby. At that point, I again yelled, "Get him out!" as I was pulling him out. I don't think I cared at that point who was getting the baby, I just wanted him out. So Caleb came at 36 weeks and 3 days. Totally unexpected for me. Although physically I was prepared (Christmas shopping done and wrapped, house cleaned and clothes washed), mentally I was not! But praise the Lord, he is healthy and doing great! Nursing is going pretty well too!

I will post a picture soon when I get my camera photos uploaded. He is a sweetie :) Josh just basically ignores him. But I think he will get used to him quick. Thanks for everyone's prayers!

Fall Activities

Ughh..this blog thing. I can't seem to update it often. I just don't think about it as much and with another baby coming, I doubt I'll have more time :) But I'll do my best. Here's a quick recap of the last few weeks. We have been to the pumpkin patch to get pumpkins for all 4 of us. We also went trick or treating with the Tonagels. And have been playing outside as much as possible before winter comes. Josh is doing great. He was 35 pounds at the doctor this week. He also loves eating mushrooms right now. Tell me how it's possible he wants mushrooms but refuses to try jelly on his toast?!

Baby boy is doing well also. I was measuring a little small at my appointment last week so we will see how everything looks at my next appointment on Tuesday. The picture below is at 33 weeks. I am feeling pretty good. Just occasionally achy and pretty much always tired :) Josh loves to show baby brother how to do things. He wants to see my bare belly and then play with the screwdriver or take batteries out "to show brother". I think it's awesome and I think he will adjust better than I have been thinking.

Enjoy some pictures

Josh was a dog for Halloween thanks to a friend at work who loaned me a costume.

These two hunters had a lot of fun too!

On the tractor ride at Campbell's Pumpkin Patch.

Love these two!!

Is it bad that I steered Josh away from choosing this green pumpkin??

And Josh loved finding this rock instead of looking at all the pumpkins :)

And flash forward 4 years when Josh is going to school. Love him with a backpack!

Love this big boy!

Have a great week!

I wish mine was as good...

I wish my memory was as good as my son's. He can read a book with me once and memorize phrases for anytime we read it again. Pretty cool. I can't even do that. So here's a couple videos of Josh and us reading some of his favorite books. The books are Llama Llama Red Pajama and Me and My Dad. He loves them both and wants them read to him at night. Right now his favorite is Me and My Dad and he would prefer Jeff put him to bed (Jeff tells more exciting stories than I do!) But he still lets me put him to bed. I am thankful that he is becoming Jeff's little buddy though. I know it will be needed when #2 comes. Sorry for my filming of the first one. I was moving all around trying to get him in the picture. In other baby news, baby boy continues to grow right on track. I went last Wednesday for an appointment and everything is looking good. I'm still having Braxton Hicks contractions on a daily basis and other than being super tired all the time, it's great! I am waking up a lot at night to go to the bathroom or switch sides. Trying to mentally prepare myself for the frequent nighttime awakenings that are coming. Can't believe it's November and most likely I'll have the baby next month! Unless I go the full 40 weeks. Who knows :)

Some new pictures

Here is what happens after 9pm...I go crazy tired and do silly things like this picture. (I am 28 weeks and 3 days).

This is what happened to Josh on Wednesday. He fell off of a chair face first outside. :( Poor baby. But he's a trooper. He didn't let us put ice on it or anything.

Last week, my grandparents came to visit. Josh still talks about Grandpa Jerry and Grandma Peggy. He loves them!

This is how I found Josh after I got out of the shower one morning. He must have been super tired. He slept like this for 2 hours!

He loves to put momma's jacket on and run around the house.

He discovered how to get in and out of the laundry basket. He is probably pointing to some veggie tales character in this picture.

And he did this all on his own. I was so proud.

18 Month Check Up (at ~ 20 months)

I switched pediatricians to a doctor in Muncie and LOVE him. The office staff was super friendly and I really enjoyed the doctor. He was very thorough and took his time with us (talked to us for about 1/2 an hour while I drilled him with questions I had brought with me :) but it was very worth it. He answered them all and never made me feel rushed. Josh checked out great. His height (35.5 inches) and weight (32 1/2 pounds) were above 95%. And his head (?? I think 20.5 inches) was in the 98%...large noggin! I can't buy 2T/3T hats because they are too small. He loved the doctors reflex tool (can't remember the medical term) and wanted to play with it the whole time we were there. The doctor was really nice and let him play with it while he checked the rest of him out. His tubes are still in (praise the Lord!). He got 2 shots and they put Spiderman band-aids on him and he immediately wanted them off. He hated the band-aids. Kind of funny.

The only thing Josh does now that is slightly frustrating is that he wakes up early every morning (6:30 or before) and comes in our room and just stands there looking at us until we realize he's there. haha The only way we know he's out of his room is that his door makes a loud noise when it opens so we know he has "escaped". It doesn't shut tight but hopefully that problem will be fixed by next week and then he won't be able to come out until we go get him. I It's not that I have a problem with the early waking (although I would rather him sleep longer). I just don't like the sudden awakening I am having and then instantly he is begging me to "get up" and "go play". It takes me a couple minutes to really wake up so if I can hear him awake in his room, I feel like I'll be able to slowly open my eyes and adjust to the early hour. Not sure how I'll (and Jeff) will handle this early rising when we have a newborn. But he is doing great in his big boy bed and is falling asleep on his own now which is wonderful. So we are on the right track.

I go tomorrow for my glucose test/regular OB appt. I'll be going every 2 weeks from now on. Which is crazy! I have been having a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions. I am hoping that I do not go earlier than I did with Josh. And I'm starting to get a little anxious about labor again. I honestly don't remember how painful it was and that scares me! What if labor is longer and worse?!

Anyways, everything is going well though. Jeff is busy with basketball season. But we are enjoying this wonderful weather! We love playing in the leaves.

I'll post a belly pic soon I hope (at least whenever I take another one :)

Apple Orchard

We went with our good friends, the Tonagels to McClure's Apple Orchard in Peru, IN today to pick our own apples. We had a great time. Josh was a bit tired since he only got a 15 min nap on the way over but eventually perked up and had a lot of fun. We got to see some farm animals, Jace and Will rode a horse, picked our own apples and played outside. It was a beautiful day outside and perfect for apple picking. I will post more pictures soon but here's a couple for right now. And I'm off to bed...

Do we look similar?

Here's a quick post on my belly (that is growing rapidly!)

I am 23 weeks and 5 days today. Here's a picture from my pregnancy with Josh at 23 weeks and 5 days

.

And here is from today. I feel like I look a little rounder than I did the first time. Hard to believe I am over halfway.

My grandma Rachael comes down with my mom occasionally to play with Josh. Josh calls her "gammaw Rachael". So cute.

And we are letting Josh get used to feeding himself. This was what happened when he ate spaghetti. Pretty cute but pretty messy!!

Here are a few things that Josh says and does that are really cute that I don't want to forget:

- "momma push you"= momma push me

- "see you next day" = he says this to anything that goes "bye bye" (cars driving down the street, the water in the bath tub, people that leave, etc)

- "Josh hide" = Josh plays hide and seek but he comes out before you even get close to where he is "hiding" and says "Here he is"

- he repeats anything and everything you say - kind of scary :)

- "momma hold you" - momma hold me

- "happy birthday to Jace"

- "dear Jesus, thank you food, momma, daddy AMEN!"

- "bye bye water"

- "golfish" - goldfish

- he says "casserole" often when he sees our dinner plates even if there is no casserole

- high knees = raises one leg significantly higher as he walks

- weeeeeee - turns in circles

- he walks backwards at random times and on his right tip toe

- he loves his teddy, lambie and pooh bear

- runs down the hall with daddy says "ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"

- looks at a bunch of his books on the bookshelf and says "ummm" before selecting one

- wants to shoot hoops often

- if I ask him who he played with recently, he usually always says "Anna" - our friend's daughter who he loves to play with

- Always wants to go to the "gym" if we go by it

- Loves to look at the guys new "lotter room" aka locker room

- if you ask him which way something is, he will point and say "dat way"

- "Josh do it" or "by self" is a frequent phrase

- likes to say "gentle" while hitting baby brother pretty hard - not sure that he grasps that concept

- told Jeff "love you daddy" a couple weeks ago - so cute

He is developing quite the imagination. Today, he put pooh and teddy in a toy and said"teddy driving" and "poohs in the car seat". I asked him where they were going and he said "Amy's house"

He is sleeping in his big boy bed most of the time. Occasionally he wants his crib but hopefully he is getting used to the big boy bed.

Ok, I think that's it.

Happy birthday to our sweet buddy Jace Tonagel who turned 3 today! We love you!