Brotherly Love

On Sunday, Momma got a deeply needed nap and Daddy Monkey flew solo with both boys for a few hours. I think it went better than if it were Momma flying solo. LOL!


So the only way we can get Monkey to smile is say, "Show us your teeth." Yeah. LOL!




There we go. Much better!




You want me to hold him? Isn't sitting next to him enough?




I guess this isn't too bad.




This baby brother doesn't do much. Guess I'll watch some Wonder Pets instead.




Commercials are boring. Hey wanna play with my monkey?




Hey...not so friendly...




...that's MY monkey!

M2 Has Arrived!

Evan Kamuela
7lb 11oz
20in
Born 7/13/09, 12:34 pm


A beautiful, beautiful boy...










Our immediate reaction was that he looked like JK at birth and in comparing pictures he really does. (So again, another boy that looks like his Daddy!)


JK a few hours old...




EK a few hours old...




But as the days pass, we see that he has his own unique little look and his own personality. Which we look forward to seeing more and more of his personality come out as time goes on. The big similarity to big brother is that he is VERY alert and loves listening and looking around at everyone. The big main differences is that as of right now, we don't seem to have any feeding (allergy-related) issues and EK is a fabulous sleeper. Both of which were a challenge with JK. So we're feeling very blessed in that aspect!

The birth experience was exactly as I wanted it to be. After 9 hours of labor and a sedated C-section, I don't remember much about JK's birth or the several days after that. So this time with a planned C-section, I requested no sedation after the epidural so I could be aware during the surgery. I was a little sleepy, like I'd had one too many margaritas, but I was awake and aware during the entire surgery and remember all the details, which was really wonderful!


In the recovery room I felt great in my Bear Hugger. A special hospital gown they pump with hot air to keep you warm. That was WONDERFUL! Wanted to take it home...




On the second day in the hospital, we had a birthday party for the family. JK LOVES the birthday song and of course, loves presents too, so we decided to make their introductions to each other a fun and special event.

Gluten-free cupcakes, that were very well received...




...as long as he didn't have to share with the new little brother...




...and presents for the new big brother.




After a 4-day hospital stay, they finally let us go home...




...and this is how we celebrated once we got there. Chillin' in the swing...




Right now, our lives consist of diapers, nursing, eating, occasionally showering and sleeping. And...


...baby socks that never stay on...




...precious little newborn stretches (Mandi, this one's for you!)...




...this angelic face that I never tire of just staring at. Even when he's got adorable little baby snores...




It is not lost on us how many others are still waiting and working hard to start or expand their families. There is nothing in our lives that has tested our faith quite like waiting for our family come together over the years. This outcome is nothing like we planned. Nothing. But this difficult journey, through the disappointments and losses, our hearts have softened towards His will, whatever that might be, even in other areas of our lives.

All in all, we are overwhelmed with thankfulness to be this sleep deprived and worn out. EK has finally arrived and while the journey here was a challenge for him and Momma, we know that the journey from here on out is really the hard part. Raising two children as God would have us do, is the ultimate challenge in life. It is easily failed, but with a lot of support from family and our church, we believe we are on the right track.

As we move through raising these boys, we ask that you please pray for us to make good decisions, to have a God-given patience, and maintain a wonderful marriage in the midst of it. And we thank you for all the hundreds of prayers that have already been lifted on our behalf and on behalf of our children. We know you have sacrificed much of yourselves for us and for that we are very, very grateful!

Exhiliration

I remember when I was a little girl, that if I had just the right type of dress or skirt, it was always fun to twirl around in it. The bigger the skirt, the more fun to twirl, and the prettier I felt. Like a princess!

The last two weeks or so, I've felt that same exhiliration. I've felt the world spinning around me, the excitement of our coming child, the winds of change blowing my hair into my face and mouth. I've felt very pretty. Silly I know. I was huge, swollen, uncomfortable, hot and sweaty most of the time. But in the midst of that, I've had this sweet sense of my womanliness. My swollen belly, my pink painted toes, my bright skin and strong nails and hair. I had made a choice lately to wear the cutest clothes I could fit and to always have my makeup and hair done. Usually when I do this, it's an attempt to achieve a "fake-it-till-you-make-it" mentality. Look pretty = feeling pretty. But the last several weeks I've actually felt it and decided to just look it. Like a blue moon, this doesn't happen often. Knowing this, I thought I'd just run with it. I'm still in the cloud of that sensation, in spite of all the chaos and hormones. I'm attempting to relish in that feeling, as I know they don't always stay long. So...

Please pardon our blog-land absence this past week. We are working on a detailed post about the latest change in our lives...but we haven't gathered and downloaded all the pictures yet. So thank you for your patience!!!

But right now, we are enjoying Life and will update everyone very soon.

It's Not a Wives' Tale

This past Monday night, I started contracting pretty hard around 9:30 or so. I've had serious Braxton Hicks with both pregnancies, but if you've had BH, you know the difference between that and real labor contractions. These weren't BH! The discomfort was more painful and lower. At first they were around 15 or so minutes apart, but after about an hour, they were closer to 9 minutes apart and pretty intense. We called my OB, who said if they got down to 5 minutes apart for an hour, to give her a call and head into Labor and Delivery. So we stayed at home and continued to monitor. Over the next several hours, the contractions continued to be intense and started getting closer. We got down to 6 minutes apart, but not under 5.

I was so ready to go to the hospital!

Finally around 2 am, they got less intense and finally abated completely. They picked up again with some full intensity around 4 am and continued for another couple hours, but never less than 9 minutes apart. Again, around 6 am, they abated completely.

Big fat false alarm. Grrrr!

The next day, a coworker mentioned to me that it was a full moon and that her grandmother said more women go into false labor on full moon nights. I laughed it off, but the thought nagged at me the rest of the day. The moon controls the tides of the oceans. Could it have some kind of effect on the tides within my womb?

So I asked my OB on Tuesday about it. She laughed with me over it, but nodded the whole time.

"There are many crazy wives' tales and myths about women and labor, but the full moon is not one of them. Hospitals are known to staff up higher on full moon nights because there is something to them that we can't explain. There are more women that go into false labor and even labor on full moon nights. It's the real thing."

So there you have it. If I'd known it was a full moon that night, I might have been able to contain some of my excitement about M2's possible early arrival. As it stands, unless he really decides to make an earlier appearance, this coming Monday at high noon, M2 will be introduced to the world via C-section.

We're excited.

We're nervous.

We're overwhelmed.

We're ready.

And we're not.

But more than anything we praise our amazing Heavenly Father for the miracle He has created within me. This child is not of our doing, but His. Even though we find it crazy that we have yet another unexpected biological child on the way, it's not a surprise to Him. And somehow in that craziness, we find comfort in the fact that this huge change in our lives has already been sifted through His fingers.

13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

Psalm 139:13-16

This not only means the days ordained outside of the womb, but within. Monday night might have been a disappointment or surprise to us, but it wasn't to God. He knows the exact moment and time that little M2 will join this world.

So with that thought, we are enjoying our last weekend as a family of three. The nursery is not finished, nor do we know how things will go with Monkey and M2. But we have the essentials that will fulfill our son's needs once he's arrived. We don't plan on doing much other than enjoying each other and our only child Monkey for the next few days. In the meantime, we covet your prayers for a smooth delivery, the health of our child, and a smooth transition for our firstborn.

Our next post will most likely reflect details of the newest person in the W clan.

Blessings!
A & N