39 weeks and Happy Birthday to Noah Levi!

On the evening of October 8 around 7:30 pm I began to have my first "painful/non-Braxton Hicks" contractions. Half an hour later at 8 pm my contractions became consistent every 5 minutes. In the past I haven't had false labor, so I knew this could be it. Though the contractions weren't super painful, they were consistent so we had a couple of Steve's fellow grad students come over to "watch" the boys (thankfully the boys were already sound asleep.) At 10 pm we leisurely went to hospital. My mom drove up from Denver at this time to relieve the girls that were watching Christian and Lucas. Checking in I was 5 cm dilated. By 11 pm I was 6 cm and they admitted me. Somewhere in there (I lost track of time at this point) my contractions became intense and I was already 9 cm. I ordered a spinal block to get some temporary relief which was thankfully granted. By now we were just waiting for my water to break. After waiting for about an hour my spinal was beginning to wear off and my OB broke my water. Things progressed quickly after that and after 3 or 4 pushes (and I could feel A LOT by now) little Noah eagerly made his way out like a pro. Noah Levi was born at 1:28 am October 9th (39 weeks) weighing in at exactly 7 lbs and was 20.5 inches long. He was warmly greeted by big brothers Christian and Lucas and we have had lots of family visiting and helping (yay for being home in Colorado!) Noah immediately took to breast feeding and has been pretty alert at times. As expected, differentiating between night and day has been a bit of a struggle. We are so thankful for another beautiful, healthy baby boy! God is so good!

 Christian's first reaction, "Ohh, he's cute!"

 The 6 grandchildren on my side of the family. (5 boys and 6 kids in 5 years!)

Getting ready to head home!

Compare: Christian's Birthday 2009
Lucas' Birthday 2011

Little Athlete

Christian is ALL about throwing and kicking these days...soccer balls, footballs, baseballs, frisbees, airplanes. The sad part is, he has a much better throw than mommy and can put a spiral on the football which I usually fail to do. We are looking forward to seeing what Christian shows most interest in, as there may be some t-ball and pee wee soccer in our near future.

Daddy's Helper #2

Christian has always been a good little helper. Now Lucas is wanting to help "mow" the yard too. With soon-to-be THREE boys in this household, I don't think there will be a shortage of help around here (until of course, they are teenagers.)

38 Weeks

At this past Wednesday's weekly doctor appointment baby's heartbeat was a steady 125 beats per minute. I was 50% effaced and 3 cm dilated, but no predictions on when the baby will arrive. This has officially become my longest pregnancy of the three, so I keep thinking that baby will be ready ANY day now. In the meantime, he is active and stretching as much as he can in the little tummy space that is left.

 Feeling like a pumpkin these days....

Compare: 38 Weeks with Lucas

Wordless Wednesday *Buds and Suds*

37 Weeks

Hooray! We have another full-term baby! Last Thursday's doctor appointment was uneventful (in a good way) and baby's heartbeat was 125 beats per minute. I am feeling lots of pelvic pressure, stretching ligaments, and general shortness of breath, but am hanging in there otherwise. In a couple days I will be 38 weeks (Lucas was born at nearly exactly 38 weeks,) it will be interesting if baby boy #3 makes it the longest. Time will tell!

Compare: 37 weeks with Christian (Just for fun!)
37 weeks with Lucas

Lucas is 21 Months

Big Bro is usually always good about sharing. Here C is sharing fruit snacks with Lu Bug.

Lucas loves his little husky pup souvenir from Nana and Papa's Alaskan cruise. He is always giving him kisses on his black nose.

Always the good eater.

Lucas is such a fun little guy. Nearly always smiling and good-natured. He has really grown and changed in these past few summer months. Walking and now so chatty! He is learning words everyday, just some of his recent vocabulary includes: ON and OFF (he is into fans and lights,) up, outside, snack, "guck" (truck), doggie, cheese, book, all done, teeth, baby, nana, "baba" (papa,) mommy, and daddy. He is also doing well at mimicking words and sounds and attempts to repeat almost everything we say. He is looking and acting more like a big boy instead of a baby these days, which is crazy to think because it won't be long until he is a big brother, and then he will certainly be a big boy! Lucas is a little adventurer. He is always brave on the slides at the park, and has no fear of wandering off or being independent. He loves Sunday school at church and is always good about entering the classroom and is ready to play! Lucas also loves to dance! As soon as he hears music he will begin spinning around in circles or will shake his head back and forth. One of my favorite things as of late is watching Steve and the boys interact together. If Christian receives some sort of treatment, Lucas is sure to want it too. It is especially fun watching Christian and Lucas "wrestle" together (of course, it is all innocent and fun for now.) We are looking forward to whatever these next three months have in store before we have officially have a 2 year old in the house again!