3 Weeks

We're still doing good, although Tate has developed a fussy/colicky period each day. Some evenings are worse than others, but he has a 1-3 hour period each nigth where he just needs to be constantly held, walked around, etc. We've tried just about every trick in the book, but I think it's just going to be part of life for a few weeks. On the positive side, he continues to be a great sleeper at night.

First couple weeks

It's been a good couple of weeks home with Tate. So far he is a very good baby, we've only had two nights where he's kept us up for a couple hours, otherwise he tends to wake up to eat and then goes right back to sleep. Don and I are much more relaxed this time around and it's made for a much better experience. We had a great Christmas with my parents (it snowed!) and my mom stayed for a total of 3 weeks and did a ton of cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, etc. She also watched Declan while we were in the hospital which was a big comfort. So nice to have help and an extra pair of hands!

Declan has been adjusting okay - he's had good days and bad days. He seems neutral towards the baby but has been acting out in other ways, getting into power struggles with us (i.e. wanting to wear his pajamas all day, then wanting to get dressed in regular clothes at night). I'm anxious for my friendly and happy little guy to return back to normal and realize it will probably take some time, but it's tough to be patient on limited sleep! But other than that, it feels so great to have two little boys and my favorite times are snuggling with both of them on my lap.





Coming home from the hospital on Christmas Eve

Introducing Tate Donald Johnson

Our newest addition arrived on 12/22/10 at 11:33am, weighing in at 9 lbs, 5 oz and 21 inches long. I went in on the morning of 12/21 to be induced and after about 8 hours on Pitocin at full blast I was still only 1 cm. The nurse turned off the Pitocin around 5pm. I was feeling very frustrated and was extremely anxious that this would be an even tougher delivery than I had with Declan. The doctor said to get some dinner and we'd start again in the morning. Funny thing was, I started having regular contractions that were stronger after they stopped the Pitocin. When the doctor stopped by to check me around 8pm, I was 3 cm! We went to sleep feeling much better.

We started Pitocin again at 6am the next morning and things moved very quickly with a fairly small dose. I got my epidural around 8ish, the doctor came and broke my water and a couple hours later we had Tate after about 15 minutes of pushing. It was an awesome experience. Tate was a big boy, and because things went quickly he had some bruising on his face but he was very healthy. We had a great hospital stay - Declan and my parents came to visit and although Piedmont is a bit more dated than Northside we had a fabulous experience with all the staff and the food!

After the delivery with Dr Roberts and Nurse Kate

Getting cleaned up

Pushing the music button for our new arrival

39 Weeks

Still waiting...time has flown this entire pregnancy until Mon when time suddenly seemed to come to a standstill. I go to the doctor today so we'll see if there are any updates. The baby definitely feels and looks lower to me, but that may just be in my head.

Watching the Green Grinch...this is the only time I've ever seen a picture where I think Declan and I look a bit alike.

Santa and Cookies with Friends

Declan was invited over to his friend Will's house to make cookies on Sunday. The boys had a blast, although they only spent about 10 minutes total on the cookies. Declan insisted on bringing some Santa hats and they ran around the house yelling "ho, ho, ho" at the top of their lungs. Quite entertaining.

We also had the neighbor girls over a couple weeks ago to make gingerbread. They were much more focused on decorating the cookies. :)

Our santa visit this year.

37 Weeks

Well, the end is near. I've actually been feeling pretty good lately and have a decent amount of energy. I've been throwing myself into Christmas shopping, baking cookies and washing baby clothes. Work has been really busy the last couple months which has made the time fly as well. Don finishes his last two MBA classes this week so I'm actually hoping for a week or so to relax as a family, then will feel ready for baby.

Holidays