1 Month Old!

It's hard to believe that Micah is already one month old! Our lives have completely changed as Micah is now in charge of this household!  But, we are enjoying every minute of it! And, although it's only been one month, we can't imagine our lives without Micah. 

 

These days, Micah is much more active and alert, and he is sleeping for sometimes four and five hours during the night! Yay! Micah likes to stare at people's faces now and he has the cutest facial expressions---if you watch him for a while, he'll smile every now and then.  He is constantly stretching out his fingers, arms, and legs as well as trying to use his neck muscles on a regular basis.  

On a typical day, Micah goes through several diaper changes, which, in turn, require wardrobe changes and sometimes even a bath.  Which brings me to yesterday...somehow, it went ALL UP his back, leaving the diaper virtually clean and dry! How is that even possible? It was soooo messy that I had to call in Dewayne for backup.  I did take a picture of the diaper catastrophe, but don't worry, I won't share that picture with you.  Somehow, I don't think that little outfit will ever be the same...

Speaking of diapers, Dewayne loves the Huggies newborn diapers that have the wetness indicator on the front of the diaper.  Needless-to-say, when he couldn't find them at our local Wal-Mart, he began a massive hunt around town to Babies R Us, several other Wal-Marts and even Walgreens stores.  To his dismay, it appears that every store has sold out of these particular diapers.  So, Dewayne's search for the wetness indicator diapers continues... Personally, I am searching for any books that are geared towards new parents.  If you have any suggestions, please let me know!

To get a change of scenery, we've ventured out on a few driving excursions around the city. Micah usually sleeps throughout the drive---except when he's hungry.  By then, no amount of driving will calm him down!

Although we haven't had an official weigh in recently, Micah should weigh at least eight pounds by now (if not more because this boy can eat!)  And, I have no clue how long he is, other than the fact that he is longer than most newborn outfits, which only go to 21.5 inches---Micah entered the world at 21.5 inches! Wow!

I must make mention of Buffy and that she tries to lend a helping "paw" whenever Micah is crying.  In the middle of the night during diaper changes (which is not one of Micah's favorite activities,) you can hear Buffy meowing outside of the bedroom door as if to say, "Can I help?" And whenever Micah is in his swing, Buffy will sit beside the swing as if she is his bodyguard.  I think Buffy's maternal instinct (which we thought was non-existent) has finally kicked in!  

Lastly, I am so excited because Dewayne and I finally purchased a new camera! So, on the next blog, the pictures should have much better quality than the pictures below that were taken with the camera on my cell phone!

Micah's BIG little feet!

Doing what he does best--SLEEP!

How cute is this picture? (Note, this is BEFORE the diaper change began...)

...And, this is AFTER the diaper change...

Awww, Micah smiling!

Shortly after a bath...(again, not one of his favorite activities...)

Pictures of Micah

Somehow, I managed to delete my entire blog while trying to adjust the settings on my gmail account...don't ask...

Therefore, I had to create a new web address and start completely over!  (I could kick myself!)  Thankfully, however, I was able to retrieve the content of my two blogs which made the process much easier.

I've posted some pictures below that were on the previous blogs...Enjoy!

2 Weeks Old!

Micah is officially 2 weeks old!  For some reason, it seems like he's been around so much longer than that!  (Perhaps it's because all of our days are running together, not to mention that we are quite sleep deprived.)

My mom returned home on Saturday morning, thus leaving us with the huge responsibility of taking care of Micah ALL ALONE!  I mean, sure, I've taken care of my cat, Buffy, for nine years, but taking care of a human being is on a whole new level!  I'm happy to say that Micah is in good health, so I guess we're doing something right!

Speaking of Buffy, we wondered throughout the pregnancy how she would react to a baby in the house.  We expected a bit of jealousy, however, she has proven herself to just be very curious. Normally, if there is another child in the house, she tends to hide behind the couch, but Micah doesn't seem to bother her.  In fact, she rarely flinches when Micah cries these days.

Micah had his two week doctor's appointment yesterday.  He received another healthy report!  He is now 7lb 3oz!  We love our new pediatrician who came highly recommended by two of our close friends.  Micah managed to make Dewayne have to change two dirty diapers in less than ten minutes during our appointment.  And, we had to clean the table on this visit...again.  (We're beginning to think that this may be a tradition at the doctor's office.)

Dewayne and I are still adjusting to our new life with Micah.  He sleeps a lot during the day and wakes up to eat about every 2.5 to 3 hours, but at night he turns into a feeding machine, thus sometimes waking up every hour to hour and a half!  The hours between midnight and 5am are a blur every night.  I try to take a nap at least once during the day when Micah sleeps so that I can have some energy during his late night cravings!

Micah is, however, beginning to stay awake for an hour or so a few times during the day.  He just quietly looks around and takes in his surroundings.  During these moments, I've been singing nursery rhymes to try to keep him entertained and awake in hopes that it will translate into a few more hours of sleep at night.  

Lastly, my sister and her fiance will be visiting from Houston this weekend.  They have seen Micah via webcam since his birth, but are so thrilled that they will be able to meet him in person for the first time!

Micah Caden Hamilton

Please help us welcome Micah Caden Hamilton to the world!

Micah was born on Wednesday, December 31, 2008 at 2:26pm! 

He weighed 6lb 12oz, and was 21.5 inches long! (Apparently, he's going to be a big boy!)

Micah actually arrived 3 weeks early.  I was advised to go the hospital on Dec. 30th just to check my blood pressure.  My blood pressure was slightly elevated as well as my LDH levels, so the on-call physician made us stay overnight for more testing.  The next morning at 5:30am, we were awakened by the on-call physician who decided to skip the morning tests and induce labor immediately.  Within 15 minutes, I was receiving the pitocin and calling my family to tell them that Micah was on the way!  I progressed rather quickly after the epidural, and before we knew it, Micah was here!

I welcomed the New Year in my hospital bed holding Micah as we watched the ball drop in New York on television.  The next couple of days was a blur, but I do remember having several visitors to come meet Micah!  I think I slept a total of maybe 8 hours during our stay at the hospital from Tuesday though Friday, so we were already sleep-deprived before we even made it home from the hospital!

Between feedings, diaper changes, and washing several loads of clothes, life right now is all about Micah!  We've also had several sleepless nights (which I assume is to be expected) so we've been trying to keep him awake for an hour or so during the day hoping that it will mean an extra hour of sleep for us during the night...(yeah, right!)

The happy parents are both doing well.  I am recovering from the delivery...granted, not as fast as I would like to recover!  Dewayne has done a great job to help keep things in order around the house--ie. diaper changes, laundry, dishes, cooking and helping tend to me.  My mom is visiting from Mobile to help out during the first week home which has been a blessing!  And, Dewayne's mom (who lives in Birmingham) visits often to help out, as well.

Micah had his first pediatrician's appointment on Sunday morning, and the doctor gave him a clean bill of health!  He had already gained all but 2oz of his original birth weight, and he had a low bilirubin level.  Meanwhile, Micah kept Dewayne busy with a couple of diaper changes during the appointment...

I'm new to the blogging world, so it is yet to be seen how often I'll update the site, but I'll try my best to let the world know how our new family is doing.

Thanks for all of your prayers and warm wishes!