2 Week Stats

We went to the doctor for Noah today. He weighs 9 pounds, 6 ounces and is in the 75th percentile for weight. The nurse measured him at 21.75 inches, but they said when he was born he was 22 inches long. Regardless, that's the 95th percentile for height. His head circumference was 16 and some, which was the 60th percentile. According to my mom, that means that he's not a Bogart because Bogarts have large heads. For those of you who don't know, Noah and I both required forceps at delivery because Bogarts, my mom's maiden name, traditionally have large heads. I think that he is a Bogart, but he's only one fourth of a Bogart so he's just not AS big of a Bogart as I was. :)
At the doctor today they also took of what was left of Noah's umbilical cord, so he's officially an infant rather than a newborn. It's a very good thing, but a sad little milestone for his emotional Mom! They also poked his heel so they could do the newborn screening for the state of Texas, which was very hard on Mom and Noah, who skipped a meal so he could sleep because he was so upset from getting his heel pricked.
I'll take some official two week pictures tomorrow, as that's his official two week birthday and post them next week.
Otherwise, things are still going very well. Noah is eating like a champ and fights sleep already (much like his mom), he smiles all the time but not in response to anything specific (that's not until 2 months) and I still love being a Mom. I can't even think about leaving him with someone else so if I get a job in Abilene, you're going to have to pray a lot for me!

Pictures!

It's time for pictures. I promise I really do hold my son...all the time. But, I think that the pictures here show a lot of other people holding him for the sheer reason that it's rare that someone else gets to hold him! :) Enjoy, and browse at your leisure. You don't have to see them all, but I hope you enjoy them!

Also, for those of you who didn't know, Justin's turned his blog over to Noah. If you want to see what Noah's been up to, check out that blog!

I love it!

Noah is here and I'm still exhausted, but wanted to thank all of you who have called, sent text messages or voicemails or stopped by the hospital. We're truly blessed to get to know you all and, for those of you who have come to see us, we loved introducing you to our son. Thanks, too, for telling me how cute I look; I'm sure it's all lies but it's nice to hear when you're in a drab gown and still look about 4-6 months pregnant!

Anyway, you can still go to Justin's old blog, now Noah's blog, to see some pictures. Here's two I stole off of Noah's blog, and I'll update more tomorrow. Today, picture taking was the last thing on my mind.

So, about being a mom...I love it. I didn't think that I'd like it this much or be this attached this soon. I've always heard about those moments when you first look in your baby's eyes and feel this strong love and devotion. It wasn't exactly like that, but more an amazement that this baby is ours and that you can look at something and see so much of yourself. He's a great baby who is chill most of the the time and who is really peaceful when he's awake. He's feeding well and in general is just a great baby. In short, we're VERY lucky and I really love being a mom.

Justin has taken to the dad role very well, too. He's a doting father and husband. I haven't had to change a diaper yet and Justin has been very comforting to me as a paranoid new mom. He's answered every request I've had as a new mom willingly and lovingly (and with a smile on his face and a gentle touch to my face or hand) no matter how silly the request or how paranoid I sound. And believe me, I've asked, "Is that normal?" more times in the last two days than I ever have before in my entire life combined! Justin's so patient to explain causes and things as a husband and a dad, not just a pediatrician.

So, in short, I love this life. I know it's all about to change and we're still in the babymoon period, but I do love being a mom. For those of you close, stop by and see us; I'll be home quite a bit in the next six to eight weeks, and I'd love for you to see him up close.

Rach

He's here!

...and I'm exhausted!!! So, if you'd like to go see pictures of Noah, go see Noah's blog! I'll blog more tomorrow about being a mom! We love you all!!!
Rachel

P. S. Stats: Born at 4:18 pm and weighed 8 pounds 9.5 ounces. We don't know his official length yet, but when we find out we'll let you know!

Noah's STILL Content

I went to the doctor AGAIN today and found out AGAIN that Noah is no closer to making his big debut. However, Noah's head is in the right place and is low, so hopefully he'll come soon! I went ahead and scheduled my appointment for next week and she said that, at that point, if Noah isn't here, she'll put me on the induction list for the week after that (which would be sometime the week of the 20th). My sincere hope is that we don't have to go that route! Apparently, there's a full moon tomorrow evening andthat's been shown to be some help in the delivery department, so we'll just pray that gravity is a little stronger (for you science buffs, please don't burst my bubble)!
Also, tomorrow is my last day to teach at Dulles High School. Since Noah's due date was the following Monday and I thought he'd be early, I set up my leave to start on Monday. It didn't really hit me until yesterday, and now I'm very sad. It's going to be so hard to leave my Dulles family and shift my day to day focus from 100 kids in Algebra and counseling to one kid with feeding and diapering! But, I really feel like I'm ready for Noah to be here and ready to change that focus, or that I'm as ready as I'll be. So, now if you guys could add that to your prayer list along with the delivery, I'd appreciate it. I know having Noah will change my life, and I want to be ready for the unexpected and I'd REALLY like to be flexible!
Anyway, we'll let you know if there's any more action! Thanks for your prayers and posts and please keep them coming!

Belly Pic

Here you go! For all of you who wanted to see my belly, this is me at 39 weeks! It's a lot different than the week 21 picture that I put up a while ago! What a difference 18 weeks makes.

Noah's still content; no action to speak of, but we do have the laptop and the camera ready to take to the hospital so that all of you who are far away can still be a part. For those of you who are having a pool, anything past my due date is CRUEL!!! :)

I do have to say that this pregnancy has been one of the best experiences of my life. My family in Kansas is so excited that it's just been a blessing and everyone's gifts and calls and cards remind us of the great friends and family that we have. Thanks to Grannie and Kris for the CDs to labor by (I'll let you know how that goes) and for the lullaby CD. It's been such a blessing to have those CDs with Grandpa's favorites; it's like he's still here to welcome Noah. Hey, maybe that's one of the reasons Noah's not here yet! Maybe Grandpa's not ready to let go of him in heaven yet, or Grandma or Grandpa Bogart?!?! Or, maybe Uncle Jim and Uncle Dick are still giving him instructions on how to tease everyone just right, or survive all the teasing to come. I can hope and dream, anyway. There's one thing that's clear, though, and that's the fact that there's been no baby who's been loved so much, this side of his grand entrance, or so anticipated by two parents!

Please keep up the prayers for delivery and us as we welcome Noah in to the real world. We'll keep you guys updated with any news. Who knows, maybe he'll be Mommy's birthday boy (my birthday is tomorrow)! No matter when he comes, we're ready and we'll welcome him with open arms!

Noah's Still Content

I went to the doctor again today and it was so good to see my "real" doctor. She looks great and I can't believe she had a baby four weeks ago! I really liked my "temporary" doctor, but there's just something comforting about knowing for sure who will deliver your baby.
Anyway, I'm not dilated at all yet, though she said that it's not uncommon for first time moms to barely dilate, if at all, and then have their babies the next day. I'm just hoping that he'll come on or before his due date at this point, but while I'm waiting, I'm trying to enjoy these last days (ten of them, to be exact) until his due date, cherishing every hiccup and movement.
His heartbeat was in the 130s which is normal for this time in a pregnancy, especially as he prepares for his debut and there's less wiggle room in his current niche.
I would still really love for you all to pray for me, that I'll be ready and at peace when Noah's ready for his big debut and that Justin and I would be the parents that we both had: ones who will raise this precious baby in a manner that reflects the love of God clearly. Thanks so much for all your encouragement. Keep it coming, and we'll keep you guys updated! I'll post a big belly picture in the next couple of days, too, so you guys can see just how ready I am!
Oh, and if you're not following Justin's blog, you should and be on the lookout for a change in the next couple of weeks! Also, if we don't have your address and you'd like a birth announcement, just let us know and we'll add you to our list. We'll never be shy about showing him off!