My newborn baby

Merry Christmas!

Joseph wishes your family a healthy and happy holiday!

9 weeks old and meeting Aunt Becca

Blue eyes, blond lashes, big ole cheeks, chubby legs, chubby everything... that's our baby Joseph! He is beginning to come alive! He will watch a hanging toy for a good 15 minutes. He loves the green giraffe and also the red strawberry that hangs from his changing place. He will follow a toy with his eyes and move his head towards it. He recognizes our voices. Just this week he started getting startled with noises. He will sleep a 5 hour stretch at night! yay! He usually wakes me up in the mornings with grunting of him trying to use the bathroom. His grunts are so cute : ) He is trying to make more sounds and smiles but he still sleeps a lot during the day. I haven't been able to catch a smile on camera.

Aunt Becca came over today for a visit. Joseph was so excited to meet her! He was so excited that he pooped in her lap and it went up his back and onto her shirt! He must have been saving that poop for his special Aunt : ) We will celebrate Christmas with Aunt Becca, Uncle Jordan, and Max and Evan. Joseph will get to meet his boy cousins and Uncle Jordan for the first time this week! We are excited!

911

My baby has been under the weather this past week. Sunday night he sounded congested and so I took him to the doctor on Monday. He was diagnosed with Bronchiolitis and sent home with breathing treatments to do 3 times a day. We did those and he was getting worse and worse. After being up at night with him worried about his breathing, I decided to take him back to the doctor on Thursday at 1:40. We never made it to the doctor, I ended up calling 911 at 1pm. Joseph's chest started retracting when he was breathing, he was struggling to get air and his chest was completely "caving in" when he was breathing. Words cannot express how terrified I was. The ambulance arrived very quickly. We went to Memorial hermann in the Woodlands and from there we were ambulaced to Children's Memorial Hermann in the med center. He got his IV, was stabilized and his breathing under control here in the Woodlands. Downtown he received meds and more breathing treatments. They decided to release us after one night, I was scared and wanted him to stay one more night in the hospital. We got home Friday around 8pm, 2 hours later we were back at the ER because he started struggling again to breathe. Back at Memorial Hermann in the Woodlands he was given more meds and a breathing treatment. Thank goodness, no IV, and we were not admitted. We got home Saturday morning around 4am. The ER doc prescribed him meds for home and so far he is improving each day. I think all the prayers has helped my little boy recover and I am so thankful for all the family and friends who said a prayer for Joseph. He is still congested and not completely healed, but he is well on the road to recovery. I'm not posting a picture, it is just too sad to see my 8 week old with an IV in a hospital bed : ( Just glad we are home now!

Mr Green Giraffe and sick baby

The pack and play in our room has a little hanging giraffe, monkey, and elephant. I noticed one morning when I was changing Joseph, he was staring at the green giraffe. He really enjoys looking at the giraffe and I think he has smiled just a tiny biny bit at it. Any day now I am waiting for that real smile.

He was scheduled for his 8 week check up and shots this week, but Sunday night he became really congested and was having trouble clearing his throat. We (me and baby:)Daddy was sleeping) were up most of the night. I sat with him in the steamy bathroom and he slept on my chest most of the night. I took him to the doctor on Monday. The visit started out fine, but the nurse scared him when she took his temp and from then on my baby screamed the whole time. I couldn't even hear what the doctor was telling me. Also, I forgot his bag at home, so no diapers, no paci, no nothing. I wonder what the doctor thinks of me.. After I nursed him he was fine, until the nurse did some nose swabs..screamed again... We finally made it back home with a breathing machine. He is getting 3 breathing treatments a day. Last night we slept better, we put him in a more upright position. The doctor said he had bronchitis. I don't see how my 8 week old is sick, I haven't taken him anywhere and he's a breast baby so I thought he shouldn't get sick!! Oh well, just hope he fights it off fast, this is no fun.

xmas party

Saturday night Joey and I headed out to the Memorial Hermann xmas party at the Marriott in The Woodlands. Ghee and Poppy had some quality time with baby that night : ) We had a nice night out, good food, fun friends, and I don't think I worried too much. Here is a picture from the party!

Paci

Today Joseph sucked on the paci for a little while. It was so cute I had to snap a picture. And yes he is sitting in a pink bouncer seat, it was Lucy and Lily's...
I will officially be a stay at home mom starting on December 15th. So any donations will be appreciated : ) I am so excited to stay at home with my baby, I can't imagine anyone else taking care of him! He is beginning to "talk" a little more, and he is staying awake longer periods. I'm not sure about his eating schedule, he goes from every 2 hours to sometimes 4 hours at night. I had to move up his 2 month appointment to the 14th, so I'm hoping he is still gaining weight. It feels like he is gaining, my back in killing me. I've about decided he has my eyes and Joey's nose and both of our lips! So to me, he looks like a good mix of both of us!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Baby Joseph sporting his Thanksgiving bib (thanks Becca!)

TeeToe and Joseph in camo

Cousins Lillian and Lucille

Great Memaw

Baby Joey took his first long car trip to Corsicana to visit TeeToe and Gigi. He did real good, slept most of the way. We had a nice Thanksgiving at my mom's house. On Friday we went and Baby Joseph met his Great Grampy and Joyce and we visited Memaw. My mom and I even squeezed in a little shopping in Corsicana on Saturday. It was a nice visit and it felt good to get out of the house for a few days.

He is sleeping better these days, waking up about 2 or 3 times a night. He is getting heavier and heavier! My baby has a double chin and chipmunk cheeks! I think he is the cutest thing in the world! He can now focus and follow a toy with his eyes. He is also a spitter upper... I never could stand baby puke so I guess that is why I got a puker! He is growing so fast and being a little more vocal. He still sleeps most of the time and he loves to be held.

Doctor check up

Today he went for his month check up with the doc. Everything was great! He now weighs 9lbs 12 oz, has a 14 inch head, and is 21 inches tall! He won't get his shots until he is 6 weeks old. He will go back for his 2 month on Dec 17th. He is waking up about 3 or 4 times a night to eat, and I feel like I pretty much feed him all day long. He cries...I feed...that's just how it goes around here. He really is a good baby. Only fussy when he wants to be held and moving around, or tired, or hungry. Other than that he still sleeps ALOT! Pretty much Joey is on daddy duty once he gets home from work, so I can do some things for myself (like shower or nap). Baby also is starting to follow things with his eyes. I noticed this when he was staring at the little green giraffe hanging above his changing area in our room. I can't wait until we can make him smile, the doctor said one more month until he starts smiling at us!

4 weeks old!

My baby boy is growing oh so big! He can sit up in the bumbo seat! He doesn't like staying in it for very long, but he looks so cute sitting up! After I took this picture he spit up all over the place..that is what he seems to do these days, spit up on everything...I feel like our whole house has baby spit up, poop, or pee on it. I guess that's what happens...

Going Hiking

So really we just went walking in our backyard, no major hiking. I wanted to try out this baby pouch. It is a hand-me-down from Lucille. It has a ton of snaps and Joey had to help us get situated, I don't think I could ever put the baby in it myself. I don't think it is very user friendly.
I have a major cold/allergies. I am waiting on Joey to get home so I can go get some meds. Baby Joseph has slept just about all day, I hope he sleeps tonight...yeah right.

Pictures of Baby!

Our good friend took pictures of Joseph this past week. At first he wouldn't cooperate, but finally he fell asleep. I'm posting a few of them. They turned out great!

Joseph is doing good, he is 22 days old now! He is growing and wants to eat all the time! I am so glad when Joey gets home each day so he can hold and tend to him while I get to take a shower, get online, and do whatever I need to without worrying about Baby. I really, really miss sleeping... I am ready for him to sleep through the night already! This weekend I might have Joey give him a bottle at night so I can sleep a consecutive 4 or 5 hours..that will be nice. Joey asked if I was loosing it today because of lack of sleep..ha!

All pictures taken by : http://dleiphoto.smugmug.com/

Wrinkled forehead

I just love his wrinkled forehead. He does it when he stretches or when he is in deep thought : ) It is so cute! Baby Joey is waking up about 4 or 5 times a night, it's killing mama but I think I'm getting used to the waking at all hours. I have gotten one nap in a day this week. He is also starting to cry a little more, I think when he gets tired. I put him in the vibrating seat yesterday and turned on the lights. I swear he was watching those lights.
He had his 2 week check up on Monday. Everything was good. We did get some eye drops for a messy eye, but I think it is already getting better. On Saturday Joey and I will take him for more lab work. It is routine for newborns, the PKU screening. I didn't want to take him myself so Joey agreed we would both go on Saturday morning. I can't stay in the room while they prick his little heel : ( I make Joey hold him.
His next appointment will be his 6 week check up and he will get shots then.

Baby

Meeting Baby Joseph for the 1st time

It all started with some little cramps on Saturday evening, October 16th. We went out to eat with some friends at Rudy's BBQ, then went to Joey's soccer game at 9:30pm. We got home from the game and I was cleaning up the gameroom a bit and doing some housework. I got in bed at midnight, only to wake up about 1am and my water had broke! I told Joey it's time to go to the hospital! He loaded my 4 bags of stuff, plus his one bag. I grabbed a towel and off we went!
At the hospital they made sure it was really my water that broke (it was) and I got in a room a bit after 2am. At that time I was dilated to a 1. My doctor wasn't on call, so the doctor on call ordered me to start pitocin. I wanted the epidural before the pitocin, so I got the epidural around 4:45am, and the pitocin started about 5am. At about 8:30am I was already dilated to a 9 !
My parents and Joey's parents made it to the hospital around 9am, they got to come in and say hi before I started pushing. It was exciting and nice to see them before baby came.
The birth itself was rough and I had a pretty hard time. Baby was face up and had the cord wrapped all around him. I pushed for two and a half hours and the baby was just not wanting to come out. The doctor gave me the choice of using the suction to help or go for a C-section. After trying so hard for so long, I didn't want to give up and go for a C-section, so I told her to use the suction. After pushing about 5 or 6 more times and the doctor using the suction about 4 times...Baby Boy Joseph was born!! It was amazing having him in my arms for the first time. Truly God's miracle. I have a long road to recovery, but I am doing fine and slowly healing. Baby has already been to the doctor 3 times for jaundice and had his little heel stuck twice. But he is over the jaundice and will be seen for his 2 week check up on Monday.
My mom and Joey had been taking great care of both of us these past 2 weeks. I think I would have just died without their help and support. I am so thankful for the friends who have brought us dinner and for all the prayers from everyone.
We are so excited to begin our life with our sweet little boy.

Joseph Louis Boeller Jr

Born 10-17-10
11:09 am
6 lbs 5 oz
20 1/4 long

Due Date

Well, tomorrow is my official due date 10/15/10 !
Here are the questions I get several times a day...I am asked if I've had the baby, or if I feel any different, or if I'm going to be induced... Well, I haven't had the baby, I do not feel any different, and I'm not planning on being induced, no pains, no nothing! I am still working and plan to until the baby decides to arrive. My next doctor's appt is on Tuesday. As of this past Tuesday I still wasn't dilated any. They did an ultrasound and it showed the baby has enough fluid in there, and it is about 6 pounds. Also, the baby's legs are apart and in a "frog like" position. So unlike the picture up there of the 39 week fetus, my baby is frog legged : ) The baby will come when it's ready. God knows just when the perfect time is and that is when it will happen!

Date Night

Since I really do think this weekend is our last weekend baby-free, we went on a date Friday! Joey took me to a Japanese Steak House, the same one he took me to on my birthday back in Feb when I found out I was pregnant. It is Habachi style where they cook in front of you on a grill. We ended up sitting beside a sweet couple with a 4 month old. So of course the whole dinner we talked about babies and birthing! After dinner we went and had ice cream then rented a movie. It was a nice evening out on the town! Last night Joey grilled and we played checkers and drank milkshakes. It has been "our" weekend together! Today we went to mass and now are cleaning the house. I swept and mopped, Joey is cleaning baseboards and all the black marks off the walls.

Off to the doc on Tuesday, hopefully will have a baby by the end of the week!!

And one more little shower : )

Across the hall from were I work in the breast center is Outpatient Imaging. I used to register patients for them before I transferred across the hall to mammo. My sweet co workers over there threw me a nice little luncheon today. Yummy food, cute cupcakes, baby gifts, and even a few babies were there! It was a nice time and now I really am all set for baby! In the morning at 9am is my appt! Let's see what Dr. Reed has to say!

Brasil and new countertops!

Poppy just got back from Brasil and brought back Baby an outfit! Of course it had to be soccer style : ) We love it, thank you Poppy!

Also, we got new granite countertops and a new sink this weekend. My kitchen is beautiful! I love it!

a few maternity pics

Doctor Visit

Today I had my weekly check up. Dr. Reed was delivering a baby so I saw Dr. Johnson. Everything checked out good! I was told that I need to have my baby by Thursday! Dr. Johnson said if I don't have my baby by Oct 7th then at that time they would schedule an induction. So I really hope Baby decides to come on out so I don't have to be induced.

I wonder what my baby is doing in there..well I read that Baby is gaining about 1/2 ounce a day and getting his first sticky poop (meconium) ready. He's also brushing up on skills for the outside world: blinking, sucking, inhaling, exhaling, and gripping. With all the moving and kicking and squirming I sometimes have to just wrap my hands around my belly to settle down that Baby! I think he/she wants out of there!

Here is a wonderful picture taken by a good friend. She did our maternity pics and did a great job! If anyone needs pics done, I would recommend her and I can send you her web site!

Work Baby Shower

Today my co-workers gave me a baby shower. It was decorated so cute and everything was so nice. The food was fantastic and the cake was to die for :) I wanted a diaper and wipes shower so I got a lot of diapers and wipes, plus a few other baby items! I got a blanket that was cross stitched by one of my co workers grandmothers, some cute onsies, a BLUE blanket, some teethers, a teddy bear, the book "Tootle" and some other things! I also got some wonderful gift cards to wal mart and Babies R us. It was so fun and I work with such nice ladies! Here are a few pics from the shower.