Happy Two Month Birthday, Joshua!

Our beautiful son is two months old today. Happy birthday to our not-so-little Terp!

Climb Every (Plastic) Mountain

We joined my friend Betsy and her three kids at a local playground today. Katie wasted no time in tackling whatever activities the three older kids were doing. She really is fearless! Mommy tried to take photos while still keeping a steady hand behind Katie as she climbed up equipment made for grade-schoolers.

Katie Meets the Muppet of Her Dreams

Joshua, Katie and I stopped by a local "Mommy and Me" event today to grab a bite to eat with friends. We were surprised to find Katie's favorite furry friend there -- Elmo!! If Katie looks less than thrilled in this photo, yes, it's true -- she was pretty nervous around Elmo. She would only go near him if I was holding her hand, and she only touched him when he wasn't looking (see below photo -- it reminded me of the woman touching Jesus to be healed when his back was turned).

The videos below show Katie's interactions with her fuzzy red monster.

If you ask Katie about meeting Elmo, all she'll say is "five". I had no idea what she meant for awhile, but then I realized it's because Elmo gave her five (see 2nd video). :-)

Katie Adjusts to Sisterhood

As I mentioned in a previous post, Katie has been a wonderful big sister to Joshua from the beginning. At first she had a few jealous episodes when she wanted Mommy's attention, but she's only taken it out on me, not on Joshua. In fact, she ADORES her baby brother:

When Joshua was a few hours old

When Joshua was 6 days old

When Joshua was 2 1/2 weeks old


Easter Sunday, when Joshua was almost 3 weeks old

Of course, Katie is still less than 2 years old, so as much as she loves Joshua, she doesn't quite understand why Joshua's toys and gear aren't appropriate for her anymore. And I've found that although Katie is very eager to love on her brother, I have to keep a very close eye on her.

For instance, Katie always wants to talk and play with her brother, even when he's sleeping. It is extremely irritating to finally have Joshua asleep, only to have Katie run up to his face and scream, "HI JOSH!!!!" She will also try to push a pacifier into his sleeping mouth or throw a "bankie" (blanket) or my Boppy ("pillow") on his sleeping head.

A few other adventures, as caught on film:


Katie has tried on numerous occasions to "help" Joshua drink out of her sippy cup. One time I simply found it with him in his carseat.


Or what about the time he was sleeping in the bassinet of the Pack 'N' Play, only to have her climb up and try to pull him out?

It took her no time at all to figure out how to push items up to the Pack 'N' Play so she could climb in herself. And with this achievement, I had to find another place for Baby Joshua to sleep.

Here's a video of her climbing up to give him some Katie Love:

Katie hasn't used a pacifier since she was a few months old. But now there's a sudden resurgence in interest.

One time when I was at the doctor's office alone with both kids (Note to self: NEVER AGAIN!!), I had both kids screaming at once. The solution that got everyone calm till we got out the door? I picked Joshua up out of his carseat/stroller and put Katie in. Joshua was happy to be held and Katie was happy to be someplace she wasn't typically allowed.

Another note to self: Never put Joshua's bouncy seat on the toybox when vacuuming. Because the higher up the bouncy seat, the more enticing it is for Katie. This is how I found her earlier this week:

Yes, being a mother of two has its challenges and adventures. But boy do I love both of my little ones!

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!