Photos from Joshua's Birth Day

First photo of Joshua Roger, weighing 8 lbs. 4 1/2 oz. 21 inches long.


A happy papa holds his son for the first time.

My mom holds Joshua for the first time. I'm so glad she was in the labor room with me.

Joshua and I with Nurse Barb and Dr. Apgar, who brought Joshua into the world.

Katie meets Joshua for the first time. She immediately seemed to fall in love with "baby" and has been such a gentle, loving helper ever since.

John's brother Jamie and his wife Amanda meet Joshua.

My brother Jason meets Joshua.

John's parents "Oma" and "JPa" meet Joshua (note Katie in the background).

Jason with Joshua and my other brother Stephen's then-fiancee (now wife!) Lindsey. Stephen was at Army boot camp during the birth, and I think this photo was intended by Jason to drive Stephen crazy, since Jason - and not Stephen - was cuddling Stephen's bride and newborn nephew.


Joshua with his Grandma and Grandpa (my parents).


Back in my recovery room, a tired baby sleeps after a very exciting day.

Joshua's Birth Day: March 24, 2009

Joshua Roger was born around 3:30 on March 24.


Here's the short birth story appropriate for all audiences:

Since I had had a C-section with Katie, my doctor was nervous about performing a VBAC on me and was putting pressure on me all day to just have a C-section. After I got an epidural midday, the baby's heart rate started to drop, and it looked like I was going to have to have a C-section after all. At around 3:15, the nurses paged my doctor because the baby's heart rate was way too slow, and he literally came running from his office next door.

However, the epidural had also helped me get from 4 cm to 10 cm in just two hours. So by the time the doctor arrived, I was at 10 cm already! The doctor was still super-nervous, now even more so because of the low heart rate, and told me I had three contractions to push the baby out, or he was going to do a C-section immediately. The suspense was so palpable I felt like I was in the final minutes of an action movie. There was time for 3 pushes per contraction, and I pushed Joshua out on the 2nd push of the 3rd contraction!

I give credit both to the Lord and to Barb, the wonderful labor and delivery nurse who was encouraging me all day long to keep trying for that VBAC. I'm so glad I did. It was such an incredible experience to see the baby arrive into the world. I just sobbed with joy. So did my mom and John, who were both in there with me.

Next up: Photos from Joshua's Birth Day!

Welcome to our new blog!

Welcome to readers of Katie Lu and the Other Two! As much as I loved that blog name, it just doesn't fit our growing family anymore.

Speaking of which, our family is happy to belatedly announce the birth of Joshua Roger! Here's the birth announcement.

Thank you for continuing to keep up with our family!

Catching Up on Cuteness

Hi folks! Here are my favorite photos of Katie and Friends that haven't already been posted here in 2009.

January 2009

Note Katie eating a whole burrito for the first time (and actually doing a decent job finishing it), enjoying a pile of stuffed animals on the couch (when my parents are babysitting, she even reads to the animals), and modeling the poodle dress that I just couldn't resist buying for her.

January - February 2009: Cindy's Baby
Our close friends Cindy and Mike had daughter Adah on Feb. 13, 2009. Here Cindy is at her shower in January; on a walk with me on Feb. 11 (they moved into our neighborhood a few months ago -- perfect timing for future walks with our newborns!); and with us, Mike and Adah on Feb. 23 when we brought over a meal.

February 2009
Katie models her winter wear (including a coat she obviously put on herself), "reads" the church bulletin, and tunnels through a big box.

February - March 2009: Playgroup

We are in a weekly playgroup with several of my best friends and their children. The children now obviously love each other as much as the mommies do!

March 13, 2009
My friend Sherry and her son Isaac came to visit from California. Even though she'd never met Isaac before, Katie loved playing with the "baby". Let's hope it's a trend that sticks!

March 2009

Sorry, Katie -- there's no room on Mommy's lap anymore. Hopefully there will be very soon!

Katie's 2009 Snow Adventures

My apologies that I've been busy resting (if that's possible) and getting ready for the birth of our son, and thus have been neglecting Katie's blog. Now that our due date is here and we're just playing the waiting game, I'll try to catch up a little!

We had two big snows this year, which were so much fun. John didn't get a snow day either time, but thankfully the second time around, he already had taken a day off and could play with us in the snow.

Big Snow #1, Day 1

We spent the morning cruising and stumbling across our front yard and the yards of other neighbors. It wasn't until that afternoon's eye doctor appointment that I realized that somewhere along the way, Katie had lost one of the brand-new lenses out of her glasses. Whoops! Don't think we're going to find that one.




Big Snow #1, Day 2

The next day the yard was pretty icy, so we stayed in the flat backyard and ran around with Bella. You'll notice Katie's not wearing glasses -- they were off being repaired.

Big Snow #2

This time Daddy got to play with us! It's much more fun when Daddy's here -- he had much more energy and strength than Preggie Mommy to bounce Katie around, pick her up when she fell (she learned quickly how to say "help!"), and lift up to the top of the slide.

Here are a few short video clips. Think Katie's "happy?"

Change of "plans"

Many of you know that I was scheduled for a C-section on my due date this coming Friday. I've decided to cancel the C-section and instead see if this baby will come on its own sometime in the next week. It was a tough decision, esp. since a scheduled C-section would mean (1) I had a definite end date in sight, (2) I could schedule childcare for Katie ahead of time, and (3) the baby would come out "the easy way" (meaning I could wimp out and not have to go through labor and pushing).

However, I've decided that I need to trust the Lord to take care of the logistics and the timing and the pain, and choose what I deem to be the healthier option for me and for our son, even if I feel like I'm less "in control" this way. (Not that I really was ever in control, but the illusion was still there.) So I'm praying that I'll go into labor on my own over the next few days (and I'm definitely interested if any of you have advice on home remedies to induce labor). If our son is still not here by next Thursday, 3/26, they'll admit me to the hospital, break my water and see if I go into labor that way. A C-section would then be a last resort rather than a first one.

I'm standing on this verse: "'Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails." -- Proverbs 19:21

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers! I'll keep you posted.

Katie Put Her Pee-Pee in the Potty!!

Big milestone today: Katie put her pee-pee in the potty for the first time!

I'm not really sure it was on purpose (I was making her sit on the potty for awhile with a book since she'd been carrying the potty around the first floor), but she did it nonetheless.

Interestingly, she didn't seem particularly impressed by her accomplishment, even with John and I cheering for her afterwards and even though Mommy called both grandmas on speakerphone to brag.

We have 5 days till my due date, so with the impending upheaval, I expect this will be our last potty accomplishment for several months. :-)