First Bath

Matthew had his first bath today!!! Such an exciting event! He peed in the water just like his big brother did during HIS first bath!!! Matthew wasn't exactly fond of the bath, but slept like a baby right after!

Life at home continues to go very well. Matthew went 6 hours between feedings last night.... we are so excited about this!!! He continues to sleep well, at least until 4am or so! We tried the "Julie" method of weighing baby - weigh me, then weigh me holding Matthew. Jason & I both used that method today and calculated that he weighs 8 or 8.2 pounds! He's chunking up!

Nicholas is such a wonderful big brother - he knows where all of Matthews "things" are - his burp cloths, clothes, laundry basket, etc. He is such a big helper and is totally in love with little brother Matthew! Life is great!

So Many Reasons to be Thankful

I suppose it is normal to feel thankful and blessed after the birth of a child, but I feel especially so. Many people who read this already know that I am a worrier. Most probably also know that I worried throughout this entire pregnancy - more than necessary or normal! Having a healthy baby boy, I have so many reasons to be thankful.
I am thankful for...

• bringing my baby home from the hospital WITH ME!!!
• holding him after he was born (I held Nicholas less than a minute when he was born...)
• no tubes, wires, excessive needle pokes, nurses fussing with baby, etc.
• not worrying about "bonding" with my baby
• providing milk - the EASY way!!!
• not having someone (NICU nurse) tell me I am holding my baby "too much" - is that even possible???
• no NICU at all!!!
• no tears but happy ones!
• no machines sounding off all night long (heck, no machines at all!!!)
• not worrying about the lasting effects of having a preemie baby
• pictures right after birth!!! (I may have been slightly excessive, but I think I deserve it!!)
• not spending my newborn's days sitting in a hospital wondering why everything happened the way it did...
• no guilt!!! (granted, it wasn't my fault Nicholas was born early - it was very hard to accept that)
• getting out of the house!!! this is one of the coolest things! Apparently newborns AREN'T normally restricted to their house!!! Nicholas hardly left the house prior to 5 months old - we had this baby at Wal-Mart at 4 days old!!! We've been out to eat, to church, to the park, to the doctor, Kohl's, and CAN'T WAIT for more little trips!
• I feel so much more confident - more in charge of life this time around.
• I'm sure there are more things to list here... words can't possibly describe the feeling of having a healthy child

I am also thankful for Nicholas' health. We were so lucky to have a relatively "healthy" preemie. We were frightened and worried for a long time, but he is a normal, happy, healthy 3 1/2 year old boy. Jason & I are so lucky to have our two boys...

One week...

Life at the Savage household is going very well... Matthew loves to eat & sleep so he fits in well with the Savage boys! At his one week check-up we found out that he has chunked up to an impressive 7 pounds 5.5 ounces! This may seem small, but we are so proud of our little growing boy! Everything looks great... he's starting on mylecon drops to help with his gas/spitting up. Nicholas seems to have made the adjustment quite well... still very possessive about "his baby" but that's incredibly sweet to us! Enjoy the new pics!

Our newest family member

Here he is! Matthew was 7 pounds, 3 ounces and 20 inches long. We absolutely adore him! What a blessing it is to have a healthy, happy boy. We feel like brand-new parents, since we've never had such a new baby in the house!!! First Doctor's appointment is tomorrow and we can't wait to see how big he is now!!!

Officially FOUR!

Matthew Brian Savage was born at 9:20pm on Monday, June 16th. He is a perfect, wonderful little man! Big brother Nicholas loves his baby brother & is very possessive. He demanded many times today to hold his baby and told us how cute baby Matthew is. We agree. Everything is wonderful... we'll post pictures soon!

He's COMING!!!

My water broke around 12:20pm today... headed to the hospital soon!!!!

Nicole's Wedding

waiting for the cake
just the 3 of us... for now!
Jen & Nicole

On Saturday we had the privilege of attending the wedding of my wonderful friend, Nicole. I am so happy for her & new hubby Robert! It was a beautiful day and a beautiful ceremony! There were many doubts that I would make it to the wedding - would baby arrive early? would my Dr. let me travel that far? Fortunately everything worked out and we were able to attend! Nicholas was great - sat fairly quietly through the service, mostly on my lap (or what's left of it). Sometimes you forget how sweet it is to hold your baby boy... but Saturday I held him tight and enjoyed the feeling. He was ready for the cake! That was his favorite part of the wedding! He demolished the cake & lots of mints in record time!

Wonderful Family

I am so blessed! I have the best family. I haven't been sleeping - nothing new, really. Last night I REALLY couldn't sleep. I dragged myself out of bed after 3am so I wouldn't bother Jason & headed downstairs. After hours of reading, watching TV, and just laying around, sleep would not come. Jason, wonderful man he is, came down several times to check on me and brought me apple juice. He took care of Nicholas this morning, feeding him breakfast even though that meant he didn't get to work as early as he intended. When he got to work, he spent quite a bit of time printing off documents I've been sending him. What a guy! Nicholas, wonderful son he is, knew from Daddy that I wasn't feeling well. He played contently on his Leapfrog computer from sometime before 7am until 8:04am, when he came down to "check on me" and give me hugs and kisses! I actually did manage to sleep in that hour, so he did me a HUGE favor. So today, a day that I could have felt absolutely terrible all day, I actually feel okay because my wonderful guys took such good care of me!!! I even managed to work out for 25 minutes today!!! What a great day! Enjoy the pirate Nicholas picture!

A DATE!!!

We officially have a baby date!!!! Our newest baby boy will be here no later than June 23rd!!! That's right, my doctor set up an induction day!!! Today's appointment was crazy - they were super-busy as my doctor has been on vacation for two weeks. It was good to see her and hear about her trip but even better to plan our baby's arrival into the world!!!! I am one centimeter dialated (up from "not even close, honey" last week) and 75% effaced (again up from "someone wrote 50% in your chart but I think you're less than that"). She's actually thinking baby might not make it until June 23!!! Doctor's prediction is that baby will be in the 7 pound range. Now we're just waiting for our healthy, little boy!

Wonderful Weekend

We had such a great, low-key weekend! We took Nicholas to a petting zoo at the library, played in the pool, a trip to his favorite park, & just had a great time! Jason has been wonderful - cooking so many meals to let me take it easy! He made gnocchi (with his very yummy sauce), egg sandwiches, and attempted to make stuffed burgers (not his fault they didn't work!!!). Everything else in our world is fairly uneventful. I have felt quite sick to my stomach since last Wednesday/Thursday. I don't get hungry or want to eat anymore. In fact, the smell of Pizza Hut made me so queasy! Sleeping is a luxury I am no longer allowed! With all the annoying symptoms of late pregnancy, we are so excited to even BE here!!! Tomorrow I will be 37 weeks pregnant! Hard to believe! Saturday was the point of the "pregnancy/birth" when we brought Nicholas home from Children's Mercy - he was more than 3 weeks old!!!! What a difference! Later today I see my doctor - thank GOODNESS she's back from vacation!!! We'll post again if there's anything to report!

Bowling with a 3-year-old??

For anyone who may have a child around the age of 3: bowling may not be right for your kiddo! Whether it was the 6 lb. ball or the awkward roll/throw, Nicholas was minimally successful at bowling. I think he enjoyed himself... Even with the "bumpers" up, he had many a gutter ball! The most painful part was the waiting. It seemed to take FOREVER for the ball to get down the lane! Regardless, he had fun with his friend Ryan & loved eating pizza. Unfortunately, bowling and pregnancy do not agree with each other. I tried to bowl, but stopped after several completely terrible attempts! I blame it on my balance! Jason bowled pretty well - the new bowling alley is great!