Meet Guy Smiley

Not because he resembles the Sesame Street character; Noah has been non-stop smiles since he came home.  I know some people claim that smiles at this young age is just gas, but if you've ever seen a baby with gas than you know they do not smile!  I think newborn smiles are just one of the ways they show they are content.  Either way, it's adorable.

It's hard to catch pics with their eyes open when the camera flashes, and sometimes you end up with a crazy shot like this:

Jeremy thinks he looks like a rabid vampire bat in this one, I think it's just funny!

Is it kos.... huh?

Tonight I told Bella to wash her face, and before dipping her wash rag into the hot water she flipped around, held out the cloth and asked, "is this Kosher?"  Where does she get this stuff???

Noah: the arrival

Do you know just how big of a difference there is between 20 minutes and 18 hours?  When it comes to having a baby, it's a BIG difference!  Micaiah's arrival into this world was dramatic, hectic, painful and fast; 20 minutes fast.  Noah's arrival was pretty much the complete opposite.  It was very slow, pain free, easy, and long; 18 hours long.  True to form though, Noah arrived on a nice rainy day.  In fact, labor didn't really pick up until the rain did.  (For those that didn't already know this, it rained EVERY SINGLE TIME I had an appointment of some type for this pregnancy.  The night we found out it was a boy and decided his name would be Noah, was the night we had the first good rainfall of the winter- it dumped buckets that night!)

Labor started around 4am.  Nothing big, just a few contractions, but the doctor was very insistent to come in any time I thought it could be labor.  We called my mom over around 5am and headed to the hospital.  To make a very long story short, labor started and stalled. All. Day. Long.  At one point they put me on pitocin to get a regular pattern going, and just as I was drifting off into a nap, a team of nurses and doctors ran into the room because Noah had a heart rate drop.  They stopped the pitocin and instead gave me a shot of terbutaline to stop labor.  After they determined the drop was nothing more than his head moving down, they started up the pitocin again.  The contractions never got regular, and by the time I started feeling a little twinge of pain, it was time to push.  Three quick and easy pushes, and he was out!
Even though it was a long, long day, I was so thankful to have a calm and controlled delivery experience this time.  Aside from being tired, this has been the easiest recovery I've ever had by far.  Noah has been a wonderful little baby so far.  Rarely does he fuss, and smiles constantly.
What a blessing it is to have him in our family now.

Jeremy, just being Jeremy, tried to convince the nurses that we were going with a more creative way of spelling Noah. Oh, and that's a picture of an ark with a rainbow in the background that Jeremy drew.

Little bug just minutes old

all wrapped up

such a sweet little face

look at that hair!

already a cuddle boy

so peaceful

healthy and perfect

Gone Fishin'

Isaac has been talking for a while about going fishing at grandma's pond, so for his birthday my parents gave him a fishing pole.  They recently stocked their pond with fish, but since those fish aren't ready for catching yet, they took Isaac up to a fishing pond where everyone is guaranteed to catch a fish.  He had a great time, and ended up catching an 18in. trout on his 2 1/2 ft. fishing pole!!!  I think it's pretty safe to say he had a fantastic time.

heart don't fail me now

I came to the realization that when Noah is Genna's age, Genna will be 18!  Oh how it hurts to think about that.

Well, I never!

*this picture does not go with this story, but I didn't want to post something about Noah without at least adding a new picture too*

Each baby is different, this I know well.  Having taken care of six babies already though, I have seen a lot.  Tonight however, Noah did something I have never, ever seen a baby do at such a young age.  He laughed.  It was a true, all out, undeniable giggle.  I could hardly believe what I was seeing.

Tonight I went to take a shower after all the other kids had gone to bed, and decided to bring Noah in his moses basket into the bathroom.  As I was getting dressed I noticed he was smiling in his sleep and I stopped to admire him and his beautiful face.  All of a sudden his ear to ear grin erupted into laughter.  I've heard his squawks and squeaks, and I know that this was not that.  I was so stunned I called the girls in from their room to see if he would do it again.  Of course he didn't, but I'm so glad I was the one to witness that awesome moment.  It's so neat that even at baby #7 I can still be amazed by these wonderful gifts from God. 

Abundantly Blessed

Noah Johnson

August 7, 2010

10:14 pm

7lbs, 4oz

18 inches long

brown hair, standard baby blue eyes

sweet as can be and already loved by everyone

I'll post more pictures and his birth story soon

Way to be awesome Elijah!

Elijah was in need of a flashlight, but couldn't find one anywhere in the house.  Frustrated, he came up with a fantastic alternative: make one!  He used his Snap Circuits set and instantly built a flashlight.  Sometimes he just blows me away with his resourcefulness and creativity. Way to go kiddo!