Sunday, January 18, 2009
New Family Blog
I will not be updating Lucas Baby Watch after today.
See you at the new blog!!!
-Pam, Jeff, Jack, Michael and Nathan
Thursday, January 15, 2009
All three together
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Just a few quick pics...
Thursday, January 8, 2009
WHAT were we thinking....
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Lost a good friend this weekend...
What can I say about Donald...
He could be a big goof, funny and sweet, but he could also be infuriating. We didn't always get along, but we were always friends. Donald was the kind of person that would always be there when you wanted or needed him to be. He'd be the first in line to help and the last to leave. When he loved, he loved BIG and you knew it. You knew he loved his wife, step daughter and family.
He was around through a lot of my infertility struggles and was so happy for us when we adopted Jack and Michael. He came to see me at the hospital the day Nathan was born. I hate he didn't get to see him, they had already taken him to the NICU at Memorial in Gulfport by the time Donald got off work. I don't think there was anyone any happier for us and our boys than Donald.
Requiescat in pace Donald
Monday, January 5, 2009
Nathan's 1mo checkup
Nathan is doing well and packing on the pounds. YES, I said pounds.
At his last checkup on 12/17 he was 7lbs 1oz, today he was 9lbs 30z. Yes, he has gained over 2lbs in less than 3weeks. The Dr says he looks perfect and we go back in 4 weeks for his 2mo appt and another round of Synagis shots. Fun times for all!
Friday, January 2, 2009
We finally bit the bullet...
We took all three boys out shopping this afternoon. We had to make our monthly Sam's run and this morning we decided that today was the day. I think the hardest part we getting everyone ready to go. Nathan slept 95% of the time. Michael is such an easy going baby, he's happy no matter what. Jack was a little squirrely, but you can't expect much else from a 3yo.
So now we've got that out of the way and the fear is now gone...LOL
Now I have to work to taking all three of them out ALONE... DOH!
Changing the blog
I'm going to be changing the blog over to a more "family news" blog now that Nathan is home and healthy. The name and link will be changing to reflect this new status. Once I get the change over complete, I'll be posting the new link here and there will be no more updates to this blog.
The Baby Watch is over and the crazy Family life begins. WOOHOO!!!!!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Looking back...
In January 2008, we were given the chance to adopt another child. Our son Michael Ian Lucas was born on June 5, 2008. He is such a wonderful, sweet, easy going and happy baby. He has a beautiful smile and a wonderful gleam in his eye that holds such promise and joy. People notice him wherever we go and he smiles at everyone.
In April of 2008, after over 9 years of fertility treaments, I finally received a positive pregnancy test. It was a rocky road. But after being hospitalized at 26w3d pregnant and spending 8 weeks at USA Children's and Women's hospital in Mobile, AL, Nathaniel Blake Lucas was born via C-section at 37w1d on December 1, 2008. After having some issues with fluid on his lungs, he was transferred to the NICU at Memorial Hospital in Gulfport. He was released on December 10th and has been going strong every since. Thankfully, he is also a very easy going baby. The one benefit to spending 10 days in the NICU is the boy can sleep through anything. He's so used to the NICU being active 24/7, a little noise doesn't phase him at all. He eats, he sleeps and he rarely cries. He is a true joy in our lives.
Jack is becoming such a little man these days. It's amazing how tender he can be with his little brothers. He loves to come up and stroke their heads and give them sweet kisses. He loves to play with Michael and make him laugh. He tries to make Nathan laugh. He doesn't quite understand that Nathan doesn't laugh yet...LOL Like any 3yo boy, he has his moments. But for the most part, he is a sweet, loving, sensitive boy and a complete blessing in our lives.
Have a wonderful 2009 everyone!
Pam, Jeff, Jack, Michael and Nathan
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Christmas 2008
This wasn't Christmas Day, but we have a gentleman in the neighborhood who sits in his front yard as Santa for two hours a night starting the week after Thanksgiving. It's great to not have to go to THE MALL for Santa pics.
Jack got a Kid Tough Digital Camera for Christmas. He loved it!
Michael is not real sure about the camera...
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Oh My HE**!!!!
Growing growing growing
Tomorrow is Nathan's actual due date. It's seems a little strange. With everything that has been happening with this pregnacy and subsequent delivery. It doesn't even feel like I was pregnant. If I didn't have the scar to prove it, I wouldn't seem like he got here any differently than my other two beautiful boys.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Just a quick update...
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
We are home!
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
It's official...
Monday, December 8, 2008
Another day, another trip to Gulfport...
We had a good visit today. He is really starting to get strong and you are starting to see some personality come out. Our little guy seems to be very laid back and he actually seems to smile a lot for such a little guy. Michael was smiley like this as a newborn and he is such a happy baby. I'm hoping this an indicator of the happy baby that Nathan will be also. This boy also seems to really like his sleep. The nurses in the NICU really like to feed him, because afterwards he is a social little bug and will sit with them while they do their charts.
We were not as successful breastfeeding today as we were last night. He would latch on ok, but did not want to stay at the breast. I guess it's too much work for him compared to the ease of drinking out of a bottle. We'll just keep trying and hopefully we'll eventually get the hang of it. I'm going to see if the lactation consultant is available to help us out some tomorrow. There are a couple of things I need to get from her also. They have quite the breastfeeding center at Memorial. OS Hospital needs to take a few pointers from them. :-)
We'll go back again tomorrow and then hopefully we'll make our last trip to Gulfport on Wednesday.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Not coming home until Wednesday...
On an up note, we were able to attempt breastfeeding tonight and he latched on like a champ. I was really concerned since he had been either tube fed or bottle fed for the last week. He didn't nurse long, too much work for him I guess...LOL But we'll try again tomorrow. Nathan is proof that I don't give up easily. ;)
We are on room air!!!
For those of you itching for some more pictures... here are a few to sure to satisfy. :)
Mommy's first chance to hold him.
He's such a content baby... let's hope this continues!!!
BIG YAWN!!!!
My!!! What big EYES YOU HAVE!!!!
Friday, December 5, 2008
Even more improvement...
WOOHOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just a pic or two... or SIX
One of Nathan's caregivers... Nurse Ashleigh
Mommy's first diaper change
For the first couple of days, this was all the touching we could do.
One MAD BABY!
1st night in the NICU... gotta love the space helmet oxygen bubble.
Such tiny little fingers...
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Nathan is improving every day
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Just got home a little while ago...
Pam, Jeff, Jack, Michael and Nathan
A quickie pic from last night
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Just got home from the hospital...
Just a quick update...
Pam, Jeff, Jack, Michael and Nathan
Monday, December 1, 2008
Nathan is here!
WE'RE HAVING A BABY
Will up date when we can!!!!!!
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Thursday, November 27, 2008
What are you Thankful For???
1. I am so thankful this baby is stil where he is supposed to be and that he is healthy and active.
2. I am thankful that God has blessed me with a wonderful husband and two other beautiful boys that have been such a blessing in my life.
3. I am thankful for an OB that is understands my need to be home and as recovered as possible for Xmas and that we have a baby no later than date of Dec 12.
4. I'm thankful that I have a mother and sister that were willing to give up their daily lives to come help with my boys while I was in the hospital. Many women had to leave AMA because there was no one at home to care for their children.
The sick house...
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
The Plague has hit my house...
Monday, November 24, 2008
The Belly Explosion
Friday, November 21, 2008
Today's OB Appt
I am Group B Strep positive, which is no real big deal. They'll just have to give me IV antibiotics when I go into labor so I don't pass it on to Nathan. Evidently about 20% of women test positive for GBS and never know they have it until they get pregnant.
We talked about how if this boy doesn't show any signs of turning soon, we'll schedule a C-Section, especially since he has his feet up over his head also. I don't want to ever try a Version to turn him. It's only about 30% successful and PAINFUL to do. After all we've been through, I'd rather go the path of least resistance. ;) I go back on Monday Dec 1st and we'll do another US.
I was joking around with my Dr about how, after all we did to keep him in, we'll have to evict him to get him out. My Dr laughed and said it was a real possibility. He promised me that I would not be in the hospital over Christmas, so if I am still showing no signs of labor, they'll induce me around Dec 11 or 12. If he is still breech, we'll schedule a C-Section for one of those dates. So I guess we have a "baby no later than" date of Dec 12.
It's getting so close!!!!! WOOHOO!!!!!! Now that I know he's safe, I'm getting so excited.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Finally! US Pics...
Friday, November 14, 2008
Thursday's OB appt @ 34w4d
Monday, November 10, 2008
What’s in a Name?
Whether you’re adopting or pregnant, what is one of most the pressing issues at hand? Some might say getting the nursery ready. Others would say baby-proofing the house. For every person insisting on giving you their two cents, you’ll find a different and higher priority. In our experience, what most people want to know after the due date and sex is what we are going to name the baby. From the day we announced to the World that we had finally succeeded in conceiving a child, the pressure was on. Ten long years of assisted reproductive technology (ART) procedures pale in comparison to the perils that await the parents who don’t have a name chosen for the child at least four months before the due date. After all, no one wants a child to go into the World without a name. With this horrible thought in mind, we are happy to announce that we have chosen a name for our third son.
I have come to the realization that naming a child becomes more difficult with each successive birth. Once we decided to start a family, we began the search for a name for our future boy or girl. We threw a few random names in the hat, but it quickly became apparent that neither of us wanted to pick some random moniker out of thin air, or some other place. We were not going to choose a name that would condemn our little charmer to the spinning barf-fest that is the inside of a garbage can for most of his high school years. We weren’t going to fall into the temptation of making up some unique name; as is the fad these days. The thought of our child going through life with a name that sounds like the latest female oriented pharmaceutical sends shivers up our spines. We wanted our child to have a strong name; one from which he could be proud and draw character. Giving a child a name of substance definitely ups the level of difficulty.
By the time our first son was given to us, we had already chosen a girl’s and a boy’s name. We had a lot of time in between rounds of clomid, IUI, IVF, EIEIO and all the rest to think about such things. We had chosen the girl’s name with our grandmothers in mind. We chose to name our son after my father. On that wonderful day in Mobile when we were handed our most wonderful gift, we declared our first son to be named William John Lucas, II. Being as I go by my middle name, we thought we would do the same with our boy. John is a popular name on both sides of our family, but the name Jack (a nickname for John) seemed to be inspired.
Naming our second son proved to a bit more difficult. With the aforementioned strategy firmly in place, we forged on to search for a noble name. Our biggest hurdle was the many names we couldn’t use. The names that came to mind were either too popular, too recurrent in our families or were those belonging to an unsavory character one of us knew personally. With the delivery date of our second son looming just seven days in front of us, we were finally struck with an epiphany. On June 5th at 2:47 pm, Michael Ian Lucas was brought into the World and placed in our arms. The name Michael is that of the patron saint of warriors, law enforcement officers and fire fighters. Ian is a name that Pam had always liked.
For a third time, we are facing the paralyzing fear of a nameless child. With our next son possibly arriving at any moment, we scrambled to find a name. And like his older brothers, we wanted his name to mean something; not just some name pulled out of a book. This time we went through all the names we couldn’t use in hopes of narrowing down the possibilities. We started running names together to see which combination struck our fancy. We even held a blog poll. Thanks for all your input folks! In an act of desperation I sent out a plea for suggestions from just about everyone in my email address book. I received many replies all with various suggestions; some good, some bad. One suggestion struck a chord with me on a very deep level. A friend of mine, whose son had served in Iraq and lost three dear friends, suggested that we use the name of one of the three young Marines who had died in the line of duty. After careful consideration, we have chosen two of those three names to memorialize the sacrifices that the defenders of our nation offer every day, all over the World.
L/Cpl Nathan Windsor
(http://www.iraqwarheroes.com/windsor.htm) was shot during combat operations while acting as a sniper in Al Anbar province, Iraq on March, 10, 2007. He was stabilized in Iraq and transported to a hospital in Germany where he later died.
L/Cpl Blake H. Howey
(http://www.iraqwarheroes.org/howey.htm) was killed during combat operations while driving his HMMWV, in convoy, across an explosive laden bridge in Fallujah, Al Anbar, Iraq.
Both of these men are described as intelligent, loving and dedicated friends, sons and Marines. They made the ultimate sacrifice to help a nation, and her people, change from one of oppression to one where each person has the freedom to choose his or her own destiny.
We know that our baby will have a character and personality that is all his own. We hope that his name will memorialize two men who honorably represent all who serve, have served or will serve or died in defense of freedom all over the World. It is our humble pleasure and reverent privilege to name our third son Nathaniel Blake Lucas.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
WE ARE HOME!!!!
I'll post more later!