One Week!

Okay, so we actually reached the one week mark on Tuesday, but I'm running a little behind with the blog updates. Malcom is doing great! He has had his first doctor's visit, and our pediatrician declared him as "perfect." We think so, of course. He is such a good baby--very easy-going. He doesn't cry much unless he is hungry or needs a diaper change, he is eating well (2 ounces at a sitting right now, but often wants more before 3 hours are up), and since we got his formula figured out at the hospital, he really doesn't spit up much at all. He is also sleeping well at night, up only once or twice in most cases, although when he wakes up, he is usually up for awhile. The girls are still fascinated with their baby brother, too.

We have even been out a few times. On Monday while Chet's mom was still here, we went to eat lunch and went to the park, and Malcom made his first appearance at church last night. I will post pictures from the park as soon as I can get them online. And, hopefully soon, I'll have time to update the look of the blog to show our newest family member.

For now, enjoy the pictures...

Malcom is Here!

Our baby boy, Howard Malcom, made his grand entrance into the world at 3:21 p.m. on Tuesday, April 21. He weighed in at 6 pounds, 10 ounces and 19 inches long. So far, he is a very easygoing baby, just as sweet as can be.

We came home on Thursday afternoon and seem to be settling in pretty well. The first night was exhausting, as Malcom decided that dark must mean daytime instead of night time. Last night was better, and things do seem to be leveling out in that area. He has spent a good deal more time awake today. Our biggest challenge right now is finding a nipple that he likes because the only ones he really goes for are the ones from the little sample formula bottles they give you at the hospital.

The girls are adjusting to having a baby in the house. They are both absolutely fascinated by and somewhat jealous of their little brother. Things really are going well in that area, though.

My parents were in town until yesterday, and Chet's mom is still here with us, and the extra help has been a God send.

I'm going to post a photo slideshow in the next post so you can all see our little cutie.

We are so in love with this little boy--God has blessed us with 3 precious children, and all our thanks goes to Him!

Malcom's Coming!

This is just a quick post to update everyone. I had an appointment with my doctor this afternoon, and things were much more "favorable" today for induction, meaning I was dilated a centimeter. In addition, my BP was slightly up, which made my doctor go on and suggest that we do this tomorrow! So, we will be checking into the hospital at 4:30 tomorrow morning. Notice I didn't say "bright and early" because I am most certainly not "bright" at that hour. When Katherine was born, we did have wireless internet access at the hospital, and I would assume that is still the case, so we should be able to update here and on Facebook when Malcom has made his appearance. And, yes, we have lots of spare camera batteries. Prayers are appreciated, of course!

Ice Cream...Good to the Last Drop!

We had ice cream after lunch the other day, and Katherine wanted to make sure she got every last bit of hers out of the bowl. (In case you are wondering, we also had nacho cheese doritos with our lunch that day, so that is what the orange is on her face in the second picture.)

This Week at the Doctor's Visit...

No change at all, even though I've been feeling rotten for a few days now. (I'm actually feeling better today.) Since nothing has changed, nothing has been scheduled except my next office visit, which we are going to do on Monday. If things are "favorable" then, then we will schedule the induction. If there is still no change, we'll have another appointment toward the end of the week. That's about it for now.

On a humorous note, Mary Joyce just told me that when Baby Malcom gets here, he'll just knock on the door. If only it were that simple...

37 Weeks!

Today I'm at 37 weeks and had my doctor's appointment late this morning. Everything is still looking good. No big, significant updates to report. :-)

Making Way for Malcom

We are still waiting for work to begin on the addition to the parsonage, but it looks like the official church vote to do the work will take place next week, and after that, the work should begin fairly quickly. For the time being, we are having to improvise. Malcom would be sleeping in our room in the bassinet early-on anyway, but we have also had to make room for his dresser and the glider rocker in our master bedroom, which called for a major rearranging project. Of course, most of that fell to Chet, as I am in no shape to be moving furniture around. I also cleared out the coat closet in the family room--we are a bit past winter coat season in Florida--so that we would have a place for Malcom's hanging clothes. So, here is some of our prep work...





For the sake of comparison, here are a couple of "before" shots of our master bedroom...

Update on the Thumb

Mary Joyce had her follow-up doctor's visit today, and her thumb is looking better, but there is still some swelling. This leads the doctor to believe there is probably a hairline fracture there that just didn't show on the x-ray. We could have had it x-rayed again, but it wouldn't have changed the treatment at the moment. For now, she is still to wear the bandage and splint for part of the day and have it off for part of the day, just like we've been doing. After about 2 weeks, if there is still swelling, we will need to follow up again and possibly do another x-ray at that point if the swelling is still there. Since baby is due around the same time (and the doctor we saw today has a newborn at home and knows exactly what we are looking at in the next couple of weeks), he suggested that we not schedule a follow-up appointment, but call them if things aren't back to normal by then.

On another note, the office guy handed me paperwork to fill out for Malcom so we don't have to sit in the waiting room and do it on the day of his first visit. We are really getting close...

Little Girls in Orange

Awhile back, my mom sent a package of baby clothes for Malcom, and it included some cute summer outfits for the girls. I finally remembered to make pictures of them in their outfits, so here are our little sweeties in their orange and khaki.




For those who have asked, Mary Joyce is actually doing well with her bandage. She wears it from after bath time at night until lunch time. Her follow-up doctor's appointment is on Monday, and her thumb is looking MUCH better already.

Shower of Blessings!

Our church family blessed us with a wonderful baby shower last Sunday for baby Malcom. Thanks to them, we are much more prepared for our little boy's arrival. It was a joint shower with another expectant mom from the church. Baby Micah is due within a week of Malcom, and we have a running joke that we'll be neighbors at the hospital. :-)

Last Week's Tummy Picture and Baby Update

I'm a little behind with the blog. This tummy picture was actually made last Friday, when I was at 35 weeks. (I'm now at 36 weeks, but haven't made a new picture this week.)

At my last doctor's appointment on Wednesday, everything was still looking good. It looks like there is a very strong likelihood that my doctor will go on and induce during the 39th week. We are all for that for many reasons, not the least of which is it will give our out of town family a little more advance notice for travel. Also, we live 40 minutes' drive from the hospital. Thankfully, he is not going to let me go past my due date this time around. (Katherine was 9 days late.) So, that's where we are for now.