The Hooded Pan Man

Gabriel busy at work in the kitchen.

Yesterday, Gabriel walked up to Tim and said "Choc'late? Mo' choc'late? (Pause) Ok. I go get some." And turned around and walked off busily. :) He didn't get any, then, because Tim said no, but it was pretty funny, nonetheless. He did the same thing with me later. "CD? Doggy CD? 'Kay. I go get." :)

I took Israel to the doctor this morning for his 2 week checkup. He weighed 9 lbs 13 oz, at 15 days old. He is in the 50th percentile for weight. They didn't measure him, but even at his birth length, 21 1/2 inches, he would be 75th percentile for length at this point. He definitely has grown.

Gabriel continues to be very affectionate with Israel. Life sure does feel busy with the two of them. Israel will be wailing while Gabe needs to be fed, changed, etc. Israel certainly does have that wailing part down. My goodness. He seems to "need" me more specifically than Gabe did. Probably because he eats more than Gabe did. He also has his fussy times in the evening, like Gabe did. And he needs to be held during them, basically from 8 PM until he goes to sleep, around 10:30 or 11:30 or so. Makes one a mite weary. But he sure is a sweetie, I tell you what!!! :) Well worth the extra work, both babies are.

Vital Statistics

Things I want to note for the record:

1. Israel was 8 lbs 1 oz when he was born on 10/15. He was 7 lbs 11 oz (I think) when we left the hospital on Tuesday, 10/17. He was 8 lbs 4 oz when we went to the doctor on Thursday 10/19, and 8 lbs 4 on Friday 10/20, and 8 lbs .07 oz on Sunday 10/22.

2. Israel was jaundiced - breastfeeding jaundice. His bilirubin was 11 when we left the hospital on 10/17, 14.0 on 10/19, 15.9 on 10/20, and 14.0 on 10/22.

3. Israel lost his umbilical cord last night, 10/27, when he was 13 days old. He got his first water immersion bath today. He did that startle reflex thing when I put him in the water, with his arms going out, and started to fuss a little, but calmed down right away, and didn't seem to mind it at all. Here is a picture to document the proceedings. :) His mommy does lots of "documentation".














A before bath yaaaaaawwwwwwnnnnnnn!!!
















Life in the water was just not so bad!! (Isn't he a sweetheart?!!)

Mom left today to go home. :( We will miss her very very much. Gabe has talked about "Gamma" several times today...Thanks for everything you did, Mom!!!

Baths and Dawdy Houses and Such

Grandma Edith giving Israel his bath by the kitchen sink. Israel always gets all wide awake and fluffy-headed with his bath, and smells so kissable!!!

























Tim and I have decided to build a Dawdy House in our backyard, so mom and dad can just move on in and help out. We think this is a great idea, and hope to see it implemented soon...if Dad can just move down here and start building it....

Mommy's Bed

In the morning, Gabriel often asks to go to "Mommy's. Bed?" Now I have two little boys to cuddle in the morning. Groggily.

This is the silly kid. He eyed Israel's hat yesterday, and had to grab one of his own to wear to eat, along with his "cool" glasses. What a poser. He gets this "secretly pleased with myself" look on his face, and can't quite hide his grin.














Gives new meaning to "snug as a bug in a rug". This is Israel at 7 days old.














Israel in his cradle.

In other trivial news, this is Israel's due date today! Instead, we've enjoyed the pleasure of his company for a whole week now. Also, the nice thing is that my maternity leave does still not officially start for another week. Heh heh heh. I am workin' the system, folks, workin' the system... :)

Israel Caleb Miller

Israel Caleb Miller was born on October 15, 2006 at 9:34 PM. He weighed 8 pounds, 1 ounce, and was 21 1/2 inches long.

He is now 4 days old, and is doing wonderfully. He has been a great eater - we went to the doctor today and he was 8 lbs 4 oz. She gave him a seal of approval - except for his bilirubin - he is somewhat jaundiced, and we get to go back in tomorrow morning to recheck his levels.

Gabe is doing great with him. He seems to like him, and wants to hold him sometimes, and often wants to give him "hugs and kisses". He also likes to rub his hair. Life is adjusting pretty well for him, despite a few bumps here and there. It's been sort of a wild ride of people for Gabe, when Grandma and Granddaddy Beery and Grandpa and Grandma Miller and Uncle Rusty and Aunt Lynette came to visit last weekend, and then Mommy and Daddy sort of disappeared for a few days, and then everybody went home, but Grandma was here, and then "the new new baby" was here, and Mommy and Daddy were back home.... Phew. But he loves having Grandma here, and the new baby is pretty good too. :)

I am feeling pretty good...and usually pretty tired. Israel wakes up about every 2-3 hours to eat at night, but THANKFULLY goes back to sleep afterwards. The worst part is the wrenching myself out of my nice warm bed to change his diaper. It's very nice to be able to lay flat again in bed, and to only look 4 months pregnant instead of 14 months pregnant. :) (The abs need some work, lets say...) I am SO INCREDIBLY GLAD that Mom is here to help - it is so wonderful to have somebody else feed me great food and help out everywhere - I am not sure what in the world we would do without her.

So that's the latest...I'll try to keep updating pictures!

Carrie

"The Latest"

So here's "the latest" in baby news. Dilated 3 cm, 75% effaced (!!), baby is at station -2 (which means he is low). So folks, anytime, that's all I'm saying. I actually thought he was coming today, but apparently he is not, as I am still at home and it is 11:30 at night. :) Lots of irregular contractions today, though. And not the most comfy of ones, either. Will keep you posted....

Preggo

One

Sometimes, One despairs a bit, because One doesn't seem to fit into any of One's clothes any longer. ("Buy the size you were before you were pregnant", the sage little labels advise. Hah. I'm not sure how that works out in the favor of anyone but the marketer.) So, sometimes, One wears rather odd conglomerations of clothes...say, for example, to go to Kroger's at 10:30 at night to buy some cider and grapefruit...and One simply just doesn't care how One looks. She just waddles happily away, filling her cravings, oblivious and unconcerned.

WAAHHHOOOOOO!!!!!!

Praise the Lord, Hallelujah!!!!!! My 4 month work marathon is OVER!!!! Today was the last day I had to work to get all of my holidays off, and now I don't have to go back until the third or fourth week in January. Seriously, it is a HUGE feeling of relief!!! I am taking, like, four days in a row off now, to get all my OTHER stuff done that I have been itching to do and just whittling away on. And to spend time with my precious little son!!!!

No baby yet...just getting bigger and bigGER and BIGGER....

My Shorn Son

SOMEBODY'S Daddy is just a little clipper-happy. That's all I'm saying. So AFTER the haircut he tells me "Well, I was missing the #2 guard." So he uses the very shortest one. I have a hard time keeping my son in hair.

So I went to the doctor again on Wednesday. Everything still looks good. She could tell by just feeling my stomach that he has a lot of amniotic fluid. She estimated him to be about 6 1/2 lbs when he is born, also, which is just what the other doctor said last week. Three more days to go, baby, and then you can come. I'm already past working Christmas. Now I'm just aiming at not working New Years. So far, so good. I think he has dropped some, though. And Mom said there is a full moon on Saturday, and that does have some effect on causing labor.... I am working Sunday, though, so labor won't suit me that day. :)

Now. To brag on my husband. My husband is such a good daddy. He does such a good job at taking care of Gabriel while I am working, and lately, when I've been absolutely exhausted when I get home, he uncomplainingly keeps going, and gives him a bath if I don't have energy, and does all the "getting" it takes to get Gabe to bed. (I'm serious. These days I feel like a huge ponderous dinosaur swinging his neck futiley, watching the zippy little rapscallions buzz around him...way too burdensome to give chase. Gabe is the zippiest little rapscallion ever after his bath. You have to chase him to get diapers on him, lotion on him, clothes on him, toothbrushed...) The other day, after Tim had been totally immersed in school stuff all day - schoolwork all morning, class all afternoon, we went out to Cici's Pizza for supper just for a fun family thing, and then stopped at the church to pick up Tim's car. Gabe thought we were there to let him play drums and he cried and cried as we drove home. Tim hunted down the church key, and drove him back, just so he could play a little while - just because he loves him. Now that is a loving daddy. He is very patient and lets Gabe play with his guitars, and takes him outside to play, even when he doesn't really want to...I married such a great guy.

In other news, my son is BIG into chocolate. BIG. Silence in the kitchen = Gabe in the candy drawer. He has this particular affinity for these dark Dove chocolates that Norm bought the other weekend when they were here, and comes out of the kitchen with chocolate dripping down his chin, and another chocolate clutched tightly in his sweaty palm. What a goof. He must be related to his mother.