boot camp almost over!!

It's so close I can taste it. 3 nights ago I decided to do cold turkey with the 4am feeding. He woke up, as usual, and I just put his pacifier back in..and he slept until 7! What a champ! He's been doing fine (although ravenous when he wakes up) without that feeding, although the past 2 nights he has woken up twice each night. I've put his paci back in both nights, but I think tonight I'll let him cry.

It's kind of weird to think this Christmas could be our last with family for....a while. Boo! Maybe someone will come visit us for the holidays. :) But, I don't blame them if they don't because it'll probably be frigid with bad heating!

So excited for Josh & Erin and baby Renae!!! Can't wait to meet the little chica!!

Must go Christmas shopping now...

boot camp: week 2

Week 2 has been pretty much the same as week one, but with little to no crying. He still takes 4 naps and is still nursing once at night. I didn't try to wean of the night feeding because I felt sorry for him most of the week. We had to drag him around 3 different nights and he didn't get good rest those evenings. So he was hysterical a few times, but I knew it was directly related to being out of routine. He likes his routine so much that when I tried to put him down just 15 minutes early, he slept 15-30 minutes less! Hmm. Babies are curious.

Week 1 of cereal: not so good. The first day I made it REALLY runny and he ate a few bites--with the sour face, of course. The following few days he spit every bite out. Yesterday he actually swallowed a few. Today, he's back to spitting. I'm determined not to mix anything with it just yet. I want him to get used to plain cereal first! We'll keep trying... I think I might need a full-body bib to catch all of his cereal spit. :)

We had a very busy week, getting back into the swing of things with small group and marriage group as well as 3 support appointments. They all went fabulous! We're actually having fun raising support. :) Who knew that was possible?! I also told my friend I couldn't watch Ben anymore. It was hard, but necessary. I feel better knowing it's almost over.

My parents come in today. My mom missed Josiah and couldn't wait 3 more weeks to see him. Fine with us! They'll make great babysitters as we make more appointments!

Happy Friday!

boot camp: week 1

This week went surprisingly well! He slept so well I wonder if he just wasn't getting enough sleep before which then lead to cranky, bad naps. He currently takes 4, 1.5 hours naps a day and sleeps 10-11 hours a night. I definitely want to drop a nap soon, but that will be in a week or two--after he has this schedule down pat. He still eats once during the night and I will work hard on dropping that feeding as soon as he begins solids, which will happen in 2 days. When he wakes early from a nap or during the night, I let him cry. He hasn't cried more than 15 mins! Which is utterly amazing if you ask me. I was totally expecting 45 or more.

Onto week 2!!

I will consider boot camp complete once he sleeps through the night without eating. Then I will have to give him a graduation present or something. :)

OH YES...he's 6 months old today! WOW! Seriously, time is a flyin'.

one thing down...

wean of swaddle: check. although now he turns over with ease and isn't sure if he likes sleeping on his tummy, so he gets mad. that is slowly getting better.

he had a few days of severe fussiness. i'm assuming it was due to a tooth. the fussiness seems to be over, but no tooth! i'm ok with that since i'm still nursing, but i also know we'll have to go through that all again soon. bummer.

2 days til boot camp! i think it might be a little easier than we think. he's taking decent naps and doing better at night. maybe he knows what's coming his way! :)

shout out to baby girl thomas. come on down, girl!!

boot camp

Time for an update!

Time is FLYING! Josiah is nearly 6 months old. What?! Yes, it's true. And his little life is about to do a 180 in many ways. A list is in store:

1. babywise boot camp, starting next Friday. this means CIO (cry it out). he's still waking up several times a night and not taking great naps. this must stop before my sanity is hindered.

2. food! I'll start him on some cereal after he's done with boot camp. hopefully camp will only last a week or two. I'm sure I'm going to need some encouragement during that time...and probably some caffeine. unfortunately I can't have caffeine without getting a migraine, so I'll be suffering a lot.

3. no more swaddle! this will only hinder us and him during camp.

4. no more pacifier to sleep with! again...if he needs it to sleep, we'll be running in to replace it every 5 mins. this is against boot camp rules.

5. potty training! sure, call me crazy. but I just ordered a book that will explain how to do this. I'm excited! I think the US has it all wrong to wait until 2, 3, 4, 5 yrs. old. the rest of the world trains their kids no later than 1, for the most part. the diaper companies have a strong hold on us and our wallets. too bad they won't have mine! (yes, I'm very optimistic at this point..we'll see if I can hang in there. :) )

So, it'll be a very busy and I'm sure stressful next few months. But the pain now will be worth it in the end, right? HOPE SO!

In other news..Michael and I are crazy busy getting stuff ready for China. Our first newsletter has been a lot of work, but we're almost ready to send it out! We've also been taking a support raising class 4 nights a week for 3 weeks. We're halfway done! It's GREAT! Seriously--learning so much, and from a biblical perspective. That's always refreshing. :)

I'm also taking care of another little babe. My friend's baby, Ben. He's now 10 weeks old. Quite crazy have 2 LITTLE ones around. Shout out to all those with multiples. I couldn't do it. But I'm glad I can help her out so she doesn't have to pay $1,000 a month for daycare.

Alright, the little ones need attention. Here's a fun pic of Josiah at Halloween..he was a turtle. :)

B-I-G changes

We've been accepted to go to China to teach English! It's been a looong application process...and now the looong process of preparation begins. But we're excited. And a little scared at the same time. Well, I am. Maybe not Michael.

Projected leave date: July 2010. whoa. That's kinda soon.

Get your skype accounts ready. We'll need to put those babies to use! And get a video cam while you're at it. We'll want to see your pretty faces.

vaca for everyone

Maybe someday I'll get better at updates.

I stopped counting weeks for Josiah's age. Too hard to keep up with; he's 3 months old...trying to act like a 13 month old. Fun things he does now:

* blows bubbles (I should give him bubble gum and see how he does)

* grabs toys and immediately puts them in mouth

* puts finger(s)/hands in mouth. no favorites yet--he just likes to chew on them.

* giggles...makes me melt

* can sometimes turn over from belly to back

* when lying on the floor, turned away from the tv, he turns his head completely around to see the flashing lights...no matter how many times I tell him not to.

* when given the choice between sitting and standing, he'll stand until his legs collapse from exhaustion

I'm currently trying to ween him from his last night feeding (4am). I think he can make it through the night; he's just used to waking up to eat. Last night was night #1 and he woke up about every 15 mins after 4.30. Not crying, but just didn't sleep well. At 6.30 we both had enough and I gave in. (I was hoping he'd make it to his normal wake-up time, 7.) We'll see if he does better tonight.

Michael and I just got back from a vacation to Rhode Island/Massachusetts. It was fun and relaxing! A great combo of both. We didn't do anything terribly exciting except eat delicious food every meal. I think I gained 10 pounds. Josiah had a blast with g'ma and papa Mueller. If you didn't see on facebook, you missed out; they made us a picture book of all the adventures they took Josiah on. I'm not sure the kid slept at all. Those will be great memories to look back on.

Here are a few pics...(although I'm almost 100% sure all of you who read this have seen these on fb)

at McDonald's with papa...with matching vests. wow.

a-dorable

scared to death.

big smile!

that sunflower is bigger than his body.

michael & i in boston with our yummy food.

12 weeks.sheesh

He's getting old, and big! And more active. And more fun. These days he enjoys laying on the floor so he can kick his legs while he runs his fingers through his hair..and occasionally pulls some out. I'm not sure if he's losing so much hair naturally or if he's pulling it all out! And, of course, he loves laughing, smiling, and cooing at mommy and daddy. (sometimes other people...if they're lucky.)

We've had lots of fun lately with visitors from all over. First it was the ahem reunion...amazing, but short. Then this past weekend Ashley came and we had a mini high school reunion. Crazy to see where we all are after 6 years...so different.

Next week, we're going on vacation...WITHOUT Josiah. Call us crazy. I'm beginning to think we are. Not so much the leaving him part (we'll see how I deal with that one..but I think it'll be ok!) but rather the still having to pretend I'm feeding him every 3 hours. That's a lot of effort and milk down the drain. We'll see if I get totally annoyed with that or not. My pump will be my bff for a few days. Anyway..we're going to the northeast! We're staying in a cute bed and breakfast in Rhode Island. We're renting a car and will drive around to surrounding states/cities...hopefully Boston, Hartford, and we'll see where else. Suggestions are welcome if you've been up there and have somewhere cool to go. It will be nice to get away and relax a bit. My parents are taking care of Josiah..they are beside themselves--too excited. I believe my mom is going to buy a mattress for the crib Eric and I slept in as babies so Josiah will be comfy. Wow. Go, Grandma!

Also..we're deep into the application process of moving overseas. EXCITING! and scary.

I must go. Have to eat lunch before the babe wakes up....

Oh how time flies. Josiah is nearly 8 weeks old. He is getting more and more of a personality--I love it!

We took our first road trip--to Branson--and he was a champ! He slept the entire 3.25 hours! Maybe because I didn't stop at all..despite my needing to urinate while also dying of thirst. But, I knew if I stopped, he'd wake up and realize he's hungry.

When we came back, I called it 'detox' because he was held SO much..which is ok when people don't see him often, but he needed to be reminded that he didn't need to be held allll the time. We put him to sleep in his crib for the first time. He has adjusted fairly well over the week. He can finally go to sleep by himself without much crying--most of the time. And he's even given me a few night's of sleep lasting 6 hours! I can just taste a whole night's sleep coming soon....

Our family is going through lots of potential transition. We're looking intensely at a few organizations to guide us in moving overseas. It's exciting to think about, but also very scary. I've become quite comfortable here and it will be hard to give up all of this comfort. Not to mention learning a new language, a new environment, etc. But, God is in control; I'm trying to cling to that.

Here are a few cute pics of my big boy...

love the wrinkly forehead

please don't be jealous of how cute my baby is

i really like this one

and this one

finally captured a smile!

everything is a race

The little man is 3.5 weeks old. A month on Monday--WHOA. Where did that month go? I really didn't understand moms who said their days were so busy with ONE child. I thought--seriously? It's just one little person..how much work could it be? Ha, oh how naive I was. He's pretty much on a 3ish hour schedule...eating, wake time, and sleeping ever 3 hours. It's nice, but it seems like it's a race to get things done after he falls asleep. Especially since at least half the time he wakes up during his nap, screaming bloody murder. Usually because he needs to burp..or puke. (which has led to many outfit changes for the both of us lately)

Nonetheless, he's a complete joy. I love him. I love his many expressive faces. I love when he smiles at me (just started this the other day!) I love his fake wimpers. I love his high-pitched, tired yelp when he just can't get out a full-on cry. I love his beautiful, curly hair. I love to eat his toes. I love to give him kisses. Josiah, my little pumpkin. Love him.

And I love Michael too. I'm trying not to be too obsessed with Josiah and forget about the hubs. It's hard, though! Little man takes LOTS of our attention. But we try to have some of our own time when he falls asleep...again, if he stays asleep. Soon we will start date nights. Hopefully we can find someone to watch the dude...

No new pics as of late. Well, I have a few, but am too pressed for time to put them up. I need a shower...and this is a race. Maybe next time.

Josiah Michael Felder is here!!

Yes, most of you know this already, but he has arrived. 5 days ago, actually. The details:

Born: Monday, May 25 at 3.53am

Weight: 8 lb 12 oz

Length: 20 3/4 in

Duration of labor: 3.5 hours...yesssssss.

Labor was pretty sweet. I was blessed with sweet genes of a fast labor. (thanks, mom!) I believe it actually started a few days before; I'd been having some serious lower back pain. Later I found out this was because he was posterior (sunny side up; backwards; the back of his bony head against my spine) Bu starting Sunday night/Monday morning, I had 2 contractions 10 mins. apart, starting at midnight. Then they went straight to 3 and 4 mins apart. For those of you unfamiliar with labor, it doesn't usually happen like that...it's usually a little more of a slow progression!

So we starting packing our bags between contractions (ha..I bet that was comical) and labored for about 1.5 hours at home..just to make sure it was the real deal. Although, I had no doubt it was for how badly it hurt! But, we didn't want to wake our doula unless it was real. So we went to the hospital at abou 2am; the drive there was rough with about 5 contractions in the car. No fun when I couldn't lean over!

Got to the hospital--SO glad we pre-registered and filled out paperwork early! I wouldn't have wanted to sign all those papers at that time! Anyway, the nurse checked me and I was dilated to a 9..out of 10. Yep, I was almost done! The nurse felt that the baby was posterior at this point, so I got on my hands and knees (on the bed..) to help him turn around. (Again, for those without kids..posterior = back labor, which I've heard is the worst.) He was a good little guy and turned around for me..thank heavens! I pushed for about 30-45 mins, and he was here! Pretty amazing experience. One that can't be explained.

It's been a busy first week with lots of visitors, lots of food, lots of poopy diapers, lots of blown-out outfits, but tons of fun. I've been severely sleep deprived, but don't even know it because I just look at the little dude and know it's all worth it. Plus, I know sleep will never be the same!

Here are some pics to enjoy! He changes every day...I personally think he gets cuter by the minute, but that's just the mommy thing to say, huh?

Josiah's first day home. This is his slicked-down hair. Not a fan....definitely a fan of his natural curls...

Way cuter hair, don't ya think!?
so peaceful

He's a chunky one. And he has hairy arms. That was one of the first questions I asked when he was born...does this go away? They assured me it does--haha. Kinda gross, yet cute since he's my kid.

I often call him Mr. Lips for this reason...as well as his other mouth tricks.

the BIG day..not so big

Today is my due date. I have to keep telling myself it's just a guess-of-a-date. Trying not to get discouraged. Especially since my HS friend who was also due today had her boy 2 days ago. My little guy just likes the warmness inside too much, I gess.

Also a little disheartening was the doc visit today. She was palpating (feeling around on my belly) for his head to make sure he was head down..he was, but his head was still high..not down in the pelvis...and she said, "Hm...most first time moms are thinning out by now." Ok, thanks for the encouragement, doc. SO, I made another appointment for next week..but really hoping I don't make it! If so, then I'll have to have a sonogram to make sure everything is ok..then keep waiting. Sheesh. I guess I shouldn't be that surprised. I tortured my mom an extra 8 days; I had it coming....

I'm just ready to meet the little guy...is that asking too much?!?

dear baby

ok, baby. i'm ready now. i know you're not supposed to come for another two weeks--according to those crazy docs. don't listen to them. come NOW. for real. we're ready to meet you. and i'm ready to see the lower half of my body again. so, listen to your momma and get on outta there!

gettin' ready!

The baby showers have come to an end. I had some great ones! Starting with one in Branson with lots of older ladies, then one here with lots of great friends and fam, and finally one at school with all the teachers. We got some great stuff....now to the stores to buy the rest! I'm very excited. I'm getting a little anxious to set up the 'room'. Poor little guy has to stay in the downstairs living room until he gets his own room when we move in August. He'll be fine. But I'm just ready to be organized finally!

Here are a few fun pics mi mama took...

2 years and counting!

Happy 2nd anniversary to us! Yes, we were married on St. Patty's Day. Please don't remind me. We had a great time, though. Mike took off 1/2 a day, we took my car to the shop, saw Mall Cop (not bad...but totally not PG ...too bad for all the kids in the theater with us), splurged and got some snacks at the theater (thanks to the gift card! since nachos + large drink (must've been at least 80 oz.) + small bag of sour patch kids = $15.25. WHOA. that's why we don't buy snacks at the theater), then went to Chaz restaurant on the Plaza. Not bad..but it's hard to top where we went last year. (A mansion in Dallas. fantastic atmosphere) I ate duck. Delish. Then we walked around the plaza and got some cheesecake. It was a blast!

Sort of hard to believe that will be the last 'easy' anniversary for the next 20+ years...meaning we didn't have to find a sitter to escape. But, I'm getting more and more ready for that reality. :)

who do we believe??

Well, I'm getting bigger by the minute..or so it feels. This is 28 weeks and the countdown has definitely begun. I love feeling the little guy roll around in there, but I'm more ready to meet him! I'll probably want to stick him back inside when I endure the first few weeks of sleepless nights....

We're learning more and more at our Bradley classes. During last week's class, Mike leaned over and said, "we should have a home birth." Ok, so that probably won't happen...but we're just learning a LOT about the medical system that is really messed up. Let me know if you want more details...I could go on for a while. We're not turning completely granola--we realize God can and does use medicine for a lot of good things. Unfortunately, the system in the US has been corrupted and doesn't know how to turn back; they're way too obsessed with earning the extra dollar. Sad. I'll give you a stat to think about...

The US has all of these 'great' interventions for lowering the infant mortality rate (drugs, c-sections, running lots of tests, etc.)........but...we're still one of the HIGHEST amongst all industrialized countries. Just makes ya think...

On the Last Leg...

We started our Bradley classes! (natural-birthing classes) The first was mainly an introduction, but full of great information. However, when I REALLY think about being in labor..it's a little scary. I really don't know how I'm going to handle the pain. Hopefully I can find my zone and stay there so I don't feel much--we'll see.

We also met our (3rd) new doc! She's alright--nothing impressive from the first visit, but she'll do. I don't think I could stand searching for another doc. She 'said' she's on board for a natural birth, but I have a feeling she's trained to say that--"whatever you want; you're th patient." Right, until we get in there, it's taking a long time--past your shift--and you want to go home, so you order a c-section. I know how they work. (And yes, they really do that. Crazy stat: highest peak of c-sections are at 4pm and 10pm....when the docs want to go home. Um hm. Scandal.) Anyway, we got a great gift bag from them...lots of interesting books, magazines, a travel bag, a can of formula! Pretty sweet.

We got a surprise baby shower the other night at small group. So great..those girls rock. They made a great dinner, made a huge diaper cake, and lots of great presents--what to expect the first year book, great family frame, clothes, and a shopping cart cover. Love it all! Our downstairs living room is slowly being taken over by baby Felder stuff...and we're just beginning.

Onto non-baby news..at school we have our culture day extravaganza quickly approaching. 10 days. It's been a TON of work--since last summer--but it's finally all coming together. It will be a school-wide event (that's 600+ students and 80+ staff) with 20 countries represented. The students will be in small groups and will rotate through 6 different stations....including such things as Egyptian belly dancers, Indian henna, Japanese tea ceremony, authentic Italian food, etc. I just hope these mostly uncultured students will be respectful....but they are high school students, so there's no telling what will happen. Perhaps I'll threaten to belly bump them if the act up. :)

Update

Well, since the last post--we went to our new doc. She was alright. Nothing special. She's a family doc, which means she's always super busy and it's hard to find an appt. that's convenient for us. I'm still open to finding someone else--although I better hurry! I guess if nothing else works out, Mike can always deliver at home. :) HA!

My belly is getting heavier--and YES, I know I have such a long way to go. But I'm ready for a personal carrier now. But, I'm thankful to be healthy thus far and still moving. I still seem to amaze my students when I jog down the hallway or squat-sit in class. Mostly, they think I'm crazy..but that's been their opinion since day 1. I just remind them that I could be boring like some of their other teachers--then they have some appreciation for my crazy antics.

I found a sweet store last night thanks to my sis in law--Children's Orchard. Check to see if there's one near you--it's nationwide. They buy and sell kids clothes. But they're very particular about the condition of the clothes--no stains, tears, parts missing, excessive fading, etc. Anyway, last night they had a special to stuff as many clothes as possible into a small gift bag, and you get it for $5. We arrived an hour and a half early and were first in line. (These moms are serious!!) But it was worth it. I got 25 items for $10. Not bad. Can't wait to find more deals there!

Today is supposed to be spring-like. Can't wait. I'm going to find lots of things to do outdoors.

Hodge Podge

It's a new year! Yeah, I'm a little late--but it's my first post this year. Lots of things happening....

After our fun ultrasound, we went to our last appointment with our doc. Yep, she moved. Awesome. So we were on the 'hunt' (which includes looking at a list, determining which are females, and choosing at random) for a new doc. We found one. We have an appt. with her this Friday. The #1 question was if she was ok with natural birthing. (aka she won't push me and push me and push me to get an epidural as I'm pushing and pushing and pushing) I hope we mesh! I really don't want to keep 'hunting'...

We registered for lots of fun things. That was overwhelming. Babies R Us and Target in one shabang. Babies R Us was far more flabbergasting (could've just made that up). An entire store dedicated to babies? Please. I think I was most shocked at the amount of OPTIONS within each category. Really, people? Let's narrow this down. But, lots of moms helped me out by letting me know the must-haves and the have-nots. Definitely helpful.

I've been feeling lots of things going on inside my body. From random pains to the moving and shifting of muscles and organs to random puke episodes, it's been a wild 2 weeks. But I just attribute everything to the little guy. I'll keep assuming it's all normal until I'm told otherwise...I guess. And, I can feel him kicking and punching, too! Pretty fun. Mike tries to feel as well...he says he can't tell the difference between the pulse in his hand and the kick. Ha. It feels WAY bigger to me...I guess that's a good thing.

Well, off to grade some papers before hitting the grind of school tomorrow. Gotta love being a teacher...love the breaks, hate all the extra work involved.