Ta-da!!

Matthew's umbilical cord stump fell off last night - it's an inny! I have had him in a diaper and t-shirt this whole time because that is supposed to help it dry and come off faster. So it took three times longer than Zachary's (18 days vs. 6 days). I noticed it was gone after I had put him on my shoulder to burp him. Lo and behold, there it was stuck to my shirt. Zachary and Daddy were thoroughly grossed out. :)

This first picture is also a good illustration of the newborn reflex known as the tonic neck reflex or "fencing" reflex. "When you lay your baby on his back and his head turns to one side he will extend his arm and leg on that side while the opposite arm and leg bend, assuming a "fencing" position." There are several different reflexes they have when they are born - I think it is so interesting!

Playtime

Quiet Alertness

About Matthew

Matthew is two weeks old today! He is still just a very sweet baby. He is so strong - he was picking up his head and rolling onto his side from his back when he was one day old. He has hard little muscles in his legs - they are like little rocks! I am not surprised considering the amount of kicking he subjected me to while in the womb! We think he also must have sucked on his fingers while in the belly because he has done it since the day he was born. He hates having his arms swaddled so I have to leave them out so he can get to his hands - he likes to sleep with his arms flung over his head. Most mornings I wake up to see his little legs sticking out of the blanket I had him tightly wrapped in when I put him down - he kicks off the covers just like his big brother! He has the softest little blond peach fuzz on his head. It is frequently sticky with popsicle juice or flecked with Cheeto dust from Zachary's constant kisses. He loves to stare at the blinds and sometimes the ceiling fan. He is really easygoing so far - I can put him in his crib and he will lie there happily while I do whatever I need to do with Zachary. He also loves being held, of course, and will let you know when he is ready to be picked up!

First family photo

Thanks Aunt Cynthia!

Coming Home

First doctor visit

This morning we took Matthew to the doctor for his not-quite-two week checkup. He weighed 8 pounds, 11 oz, so he has gained back to his birth weight plus half a pound. She said he looks great - he didn't get any shots but had to get another heel prick for the second part of his newborn screening. He was a trooper and we couldn't be more proud of him!

My boys

9 Days Old - Hanging out with Brother

Look at those long legs! I couldn't get them all in the picture! We woke up early this morning - about 6:30. Zachary couldn't wait to go downstairs and play with Baby Brother. Here they are watching Dora. Well, Zachary is watching Dora, Matthew is watching his big brother!




After Zachary left for school...

Birthday Flowers

Brothers

Zachary loves his baby brother - he is always asking to hold him and is so sweet with him, always giving him kisses and hugs!

Sweet Dreams

Introducing Matthew Terry Kohlmyer!

Born June 1, 2009 at 8:00 am
8 lb 3 oz
20.5 inches long
We are all doing great!

Poker Wives Shower

The girls took me to Chuy's this afternoon for one last hurrah - we had such a nice time! We all met as neighbors on our street but some have moved, so it was nice to get everyone together again. Thank you so much for all the diapers and the great time!

Pregnancy Portraits

Charles took these for me a few weeks ago. This last one is me at 36 weeks with Baby Brother compared with me at 34 weeks with Zachary.

T minus 2!

Well, in less than 48 hours we will have a baby! Just a quick rundown of the last two weeks... I was doing great until Friday, May 15th when I went in for my regular appointment during which I was hoping to get permission to go to Ben & Regan's wedding in Fairfield the next day. They messed up my appointment card and sent me to the wrong location, so after I rushed over to the other office I was in a state, and my blood pressure reading came out a little high. She told me she would prefer me to stay home all weekend and rest, which I did.

So Saturday I monitored the weather online all day - it was a rainy weekend but as the day went on the forecast went from a 50% chance of rain to 10% by 7 pm, the time of the ceremony. There was rain all over Texas except at the farm I think! Everyone said it was a beautiful ceremony and Andrew took lots of pictures for us.

So Monday I went back to the doctor for a blood pressure check and it was high again, so just like with Zachary, she sent me to the hospital for some monitoring and testing. Charles left work to be with me and they put us in the same room where I labored with Zachary. They put me in a gown and hooked me up to the monitors and checked my blood pressure every 20 minutes or so. All my bloodwork came back fine, and my pressure was great the whole time I was there, so after a couple of hours she let me go and told me to come back again on Thursday. At that point she told me I could work from home but no going in to the office anymore. So I was not officially on bedrest, just taking it easy.

On Thursday my BP was back to normal, so she sent me home for Memorial Day weekend with instructions to continue taking it easy and monitoring my BP at home. We just stayed home all weekend and watched a lot of TV - I think we have seen every episode of Dora and Backyardigans now!

Tuesday I went in and my blood pressure was still good, but she said we could move the C-section up to Friday if I wanted. I decided to wait until Monday anyway, that way Zachary can go to school while I am in the hospital. She wanted to see me one more time yesterday and darn it if it hadn't gone up again. It was just barely over the limit so she finally decided to let me slide until Monday. So, Monday at 7:30 am we will be having a baby!

Squirrels run amok!

This was the pre-school graduation program at Zachary's school last night. The 2-year old class are called the squirrels, and they are pretty squirrely! :)

Rainy Saturday