Mr. Handsome

I know I'm biased, but isn't he adorable?!

Jonah at Home

When Hayden first visited us at the hospital after Jonah was born, it felt like our family was finally complete. It was great to have us all together. However, the hospital room is a bit too much fun for a 2 year old to explore, so Hayden's visits were short and sweet. The time in the hospital was great, though I was anxious for us all to get home. Here are some pictures from Jonah's first week of life:

Here is a family shot at the hospital. It was harder than I thought to get two kids to cooperate for a picture.

Jonah with Dad:

Jonah with Mom:

Ready to go home! Jonah hanging out with his favorite guys. Jay has been so wonderful and helpful, and he's been very busy making sure Hayden, Jonah and I are happy. Hayden loves his new baby brother and always has to know where the baby is ("Where'd baby go?"), though he is a very busy guy and doesn't pay his brother too much attention.

My mom is in town for two weeks, and she has been a huge help. I don't know what I'll do when she leaves!

Being cute and cuddly:
First sponge bath at home:
All clean!
Jonah this afternoon: Look at that sweet, peaceful face. Sometimes he makes faces in his sleep like this:

8 Hours of Fun

It turns out our little Jonah is a very thoughtful baby. I kept telling Jay that Thursday, June 25 would be a very good day for the baby to be born, since 1) we had tickets for the circus the day before and I didn't want to miss it, and 2) I would be done with almost everything I needed to get done by then. So, sure enough, at 5:00 pm on Thursday, June 25, my water broke while I was home with Hayden. We finished the last-minute packing and Jay dropped Hayden off to spend the night at the home of some very kind friends (thank you Carly!) It was hard for me to say goodbye to Hayden, knowing that it was the last time he'd be my youngest baby.

We got to the hospital and all checked in by 6:30 pm, and by then, my contractions had kicked in. The doctor and I decided we'd wait and see how my labor progressed on its own before giving me the labor-inducing drug Pitocin, and it turns out, I never needed to take it. I was dilated to a 5 by 10 pm. By that point, the contractions were not fun and (since my pain threshhold is pretty low) I got an epidural. The epidural fully took effect around 11 pm, and Jonah Miller was born just a short time later, at 12:46 am on Friday, June 26. He weighed 7 lbs 14 oz, was 19 3/4 inches tall, and was perfectly healthy and already adorable!

Labor was a little less than 8 hours start to finish, and I couldn't have asked for a better, more special experience. Birth is such a miracle, and I feel so lucky to have been a part of Jonah's birth. We're so happy to have him here!

26 Hours of Fun

With some help from Jay, I've completed most of my list of things to do before the baby comes. My favorite thing on the list has been having a "Hayden Day," which turned into 26 hours--an evening and the next day. I feel bad that this new little person is going to come in and take some of the attention away from Hayden, so this was a great chance for us to have some fun with our big guy before the baby comes.

Diamondbacks game: I was able to get a few of my firm's tickets to the Diamondbacks game on Tuesday night, and Hayden couldn't have been more excited about the baseball game. We had great seats behind home plate, so we were right where the action is. Hayden would pretend to throw a pitch whenever the pitcher did, and he loved taking in all the sights and the crowd.
The only part he didn't like was meeting Baxter, the team mascot. He wasn't too sure about an adult-sized cat.

Park with friends: On Wednesday morning, we met all our friends from our old babysitters group at the park. With so many of us moving and having babies, we haven't all been together for a long time. The kids loved playing together, and they were actually very good about sitting still for a picture.

Swimming: After the park and running a few errands, we met my cousin-in-law Heidi and her two adorable children at their swimming pool. (Thanks, Heidi!) It was a great way to beat the 108 degree weather! Hayden is a little fish--he loves being in the water, and he loved splashing and jumping in the pool. He also loved playing with Alex, who is just a few months older than he is. Here are the boys being cute and silly:

Circus: Hayden was worn out with all his playing, so he came home and took a 3 hour nap. He woke up just in time to pick up Daddy from work and head to the circus. I don't know who enjoyed the circus more: me, Jay or Hayden. There were some amazing acrobatic acts and the animals were all very cool. Hayden especially loved the elephants, tigers, and horses.

With so much fun packed into 26 hours, Hayden was pretty tired by the end of the day. He fell asleep on the way home from the circus, and slept in an hour later than usual. I was hoping the baby would wait to come until after the circus, since we bought the tickets a few months ago. So baby: you can come now!!

18 Days Left!

Here's a belly shot taken with 4 weeks left. I don't think my tummy can get any bigger! Since Hayden was over 8 lbs. and he was 9 days early, and since this baby is measuring on the big side, I'm fully expecting a 9 lb. baby.

I made a list today of all the things I should get done before the baby comes, but mostly I just want to lounge on my bed. So, we'll see what actually gets done in the next 18 or so days. Maybe if I post my list on here, I'll be more motivated to get things done. Or maybe not.

1. Wash baby's clothes

2. Organize baby's closet and dresser

3. Have a fun "Hayden day" with Hayden and Jay

4. Sweep and mop tile

5. Clean the bathrooms

6. Pack for hospital

7. Make labor ipod playlist (maybe I'll put Jay in charge of this one)

8. Put up frosted glass window film on remaining windows

I should try to do one thing per day, then it doesn't seem so overwhelming.

On a completely different note, Hayden loves a pair of Lightning McQueen socks he got in the $1 bin at Target. The other night, he found a new way to wear them: