Sweetness

This morning the boys randomly walked over to Jacob, who was in his swing napping, and started talking to him. I grabbed my camera because all three were right there and they ended up both giving Jacob an impromptu kiss at the same time! I was so excited to be standing right there watching with camera in hand to capture the moment.

Tyler talking to me about how he is just talking to Jacob and not going to touch the swing and wake him up.


Kevin inspecting the swing with his magic wand.



Both boys went in to give Jacob a kiss. Tyler had announced that he was going to, and Kevin was keeping a close eye on Tyler slowly going in to also kiss Jacob. It was funny watching them both keep an eye on each other and also trying hard not to bump Jacob. So sweet.

Kevin after he sang Snuggle Puppy and the ABC's to Jacob.

Our newest Hawkeye coming home!

Saturday morning we met with Jacob's pediatrician at the hospital and he was quickly deemed to be doing great and got discharged. After having some problems on Friday with pain management, my doctor thought it would be better to delay being discharged. Jacob's csection was more intense than normal as they trouble getting him out, and although the nurses thought some of my pain was the beginning of an infection, the doctor thinks that my pain is just more intense this time from the extra efforts they took during surgery.

So we spent the morning and early afternoon continuing to take it easy, but by the afternoon we both were getting restless. We had the doctor stop back by and he agreed to discharge us and Adam promised me he would take over my pain medication (which he has) and help me stay on top of everything at home. So once I was ready to go home, we worked on getting Jacob dressed up in his Iowa Hawkeye outfit. We have used this same outfit as a coming home outfit for both Kevin and Tyler, so we wanted to use it again for Jacob.

And now that we are home, I will tell you that Adam has held up to his promise and been great at keeping me on schedule with my pain drugs. Jacob has settled in nicely at home and doesn't let the noise from his big brothers or his dogs bug him while he is sleeping. We did have a hard night last night getting to him to sleep, but he was up more today watching everything so we are hopeful for tonight.

The boys were beyond thrilled to see us come home yesterday. I hope I never forget watching the dogs and Kevin standing at the front door and the look on Kevin's face when I got out of the car. He just looked so excited, and the dogs started jumping up and down. I was a little wobbly walking so Adam helped me walk inside while Grandpa came out to get Jacob and help unload. Immediately inside, I got a huge hug from Grandma, a very sweet hug and kiss from Kevin, and once I found Tyler (who was hiding) a big hug from him. It was fun too because all of the Thimmesch guys also had their Iowa Hawkeye gear on in celebration of Jacob's arrival.

Their excitement continued as Jacob was brought into the house. Both boys immediately ran over to his car seat and started talking to their sleeping brother, and asking to kiss him. Grandma got Jacob out of his car seat and both boys were immediately right there checking out their new brother. And since then they have been amazing. Kevin loves to give kisses and hugs. Tyler has been doing the same but also been caught reading a book and talking to Jacob. And Tyler just loves sitting and holding Jacob, and told me after my nap today that he hopes that we can keep Jacob because he likes him so much. :)

So those are the things I hope I remember. These beginning days, although very tough as our sleep is limited and I have been in pain, have been wonderful. And we can't thank all of our family and friends enough. All of the love and support we have received over the last few days has just been awesome, and makes us feel so blessed!

And now, some pictures from Saturday. :)

I am holding on to little Jacob's foot. Amazing how big it would feel inside me, and yet here it is so tiny!!



Just have to laugh at this one! It looks like he is teasing me here! :)



Jacob getting all dressed up to go home!


I forgot how hard it is to dress a newborn!


And although he was fine with pictures while on his back of him in his outfit, he was NOT a fan of being on his tummy.


The whole process of getting dressed was exhausting, so he took a nap in anticipation of his first car ride.

Such a sweetheart!

When we got home there was a fun surprise that had just arrived! It is so yummy too, I just wish my camera wasn't as cold so the picture would have been a little clearer...but everyone was excited to eat some of it (mainly me) so I couldn't wait. :)

And here is Mr. Jacob ready to go home.

He is just so sweet, and looks so LITTLE in his carseat.

And here is big brother Tyler in the same outfit ready to come home.

And here is big brother Kevin also in the same outfit ready to come home.

Saturday

Just a few random pictures....

Jacob is having his first video chat with Grandpa Vaughn Friday night.

Some of Jacob's presents.

A snuggle with Kevin.

The boys with grandma and grandpa. . .note how Kevin is piling up toys on Jacob already. :)

While Jacob snuggles with grandma, Kevin comes over to give his baby brother a kiss.

Jacob.

Jacob video chatting with great-grandma and great-grandpa. He was just mezmorized listening to Grandma talk to him.

Here is Jacob curled up on my chest. It is hard to believe that he fit inside of me just three days ago!

More Jacob

I was in a lot more pain than normal yesterday from the doctor changing around my pain medications (took me off one and added in another, so we had to start over with finding he right dosage and timing) and ended up back in bed rather than walking around (something that greatly speeds up recovery).

Grandma and Grandpa Thimmesch did brighten my day though when they came up to visit and brought the boys with them. I wasn't chatty but it was nice having everyone around. And the boys were super sweet to snuggle with me and watch some cartoons while daddy and Jacob chatted with Grandma and Grandpa. It's amazing how in just a day or two I found myself missing the boys noise level and snuggles!! Although I must admit that I think daddy and I are both enjoying the extra quiet of the hospital as we work on getting rested again.

Jacob is still doing great. He is quite the snuggler, nurses well, and is having more and more awake time each day where he just sits looking around and chatting up a storm! I thought that I would share a few more pictures from Friday.

All dressed and ready to go take his first big test...his hearing test. And we are very proud of him as he did great as he passed with flying colors!







Then a few pictures from the afternoon. :)

Jacob Edward

We welcomed our third baby boy into the world on February 23, 2011 at 8:59 PM. The entire day started bright and early for me as I woke up around 1:30 A.M. with some contractions and feeling nauseated. They lasted for awhile, as they had been the previous few days, and eventually died off and I thought nothing more.

I realized that the boys and I were in desperate need of haircuts, so first thing in the morning we headed out for haircuts, a few quick errands, and then went to a special lunch together. I had taken Tyler out for a special meal shortly before Kevin was born and I wanted to do the same with Kevin and Tyler, and with our c-section scheduled for March 4th I decided that it was close enough.

The boys were excited and such gentlemen. They were excited to get some Mickey Mouse shaped pancakes, as both boys agreed that they wanted breakfast for lunch so we went to Perkins since it was close by. And then they each ordered an apple juice. We had fun just talking and coloring, but by the time the food arrived I started feeling poorly again. The boys had fun eating their lunch though and were so well behaved walking me to the car afterwards to head home for naps and quiet time.

While the boys were resting I just kept feeling bad and decided to call my doctor's office. There were no providers in though, so our nurse said that we should just go to the hospital to get monitored as it was the next closest "clinic" that had a provider in. Adam quickly came home to take me as I didn't want to drive, and we packed a lot of fun toys for the boys to entertain themselves. When we got there I was contracting, but nothing too intense, just regular. They decided to just give me some IV fluid and see if things would calm down as maybe I was just dehydrated.

Well, wouldn't you know it but my contractions picked up in intensity and regularity and once they were five minutes apart for an hour they decided to admit me. Shortly after that decision, my contractions started coming every 1 1/2 minutes, and they told me that we were going to do the csection that night and within the hour. So Adam rushed off to call our friend Matt to come watch the kids as he didn't want to miss the birth. Matt got here just in time and right when Adam got back and dressed, they walked us to the operating room!

The surgery went well and very soon we got to meet our baby! Complete with a full head of black hair, Jacob Edward was born at 8:59. It did take some crazy maneuvers by the doctor to get Jacob out and after trying a few different things, they decided to rotate him and out he came feet first. Otherwise, everything went normally and we are just in awe that our little boy is finally here!


Jacob Edward weighed in at eight pounds, seven ounces and was 20.5 inches long. The pediatric nurse was nice enough to take some pictures for us. So our first picture with our Jacob. They were nice enough too and let him stay longer this time around with me, before having Adam take Jacob to the nursery. And I appreciated every extra minute they gave me as both Kevin and Tyler were rushed away almost immediately.



On the way to the nursery, Adam was able to stop in the waiting room and introduce Jacob to his big brothers, Tyler and Kevin. They were both very interested in Jacob and have just been amazing the last few days...always wanting to check on him, kiss him, or hug him. And any time he whimpers, Tyler is quick to find the pacifier that the nursery gave him last night so I could get a little sleep. And after meeting Jacob, they headed off with Matt to spend the night at their house. Tyler is best friends with Grant, so he was VERY excited for his special sleepover, and Kevin was very brave about it all (his first night away) since Tyler was with him.


Jacob hanging out in the nursery with Adam.


Snuggling with me while I was in the recovery room. He is already a great snuggler!


All bundled up the next morning!


Grandma and Grandpa Thimmesch arrived Wednesday night. They came promptly to the hospital where Adam got to take Jacob to them to introduce him. At this point, I had just gotten into recovery. The finishing up the surgery after the birth took about three times longer than expected (normally about 30 minutes) and then I have to spend an hour in recovery being monitored. So with it being late, Adam ran Jacob out to meet his grandparents, so that they could then get back to our house to sleep.

Wednesday night went well, although neither of us slept. The downside with the longer surgery time was that by the time we got into our regular room we had to be settled in (labwork, meeting nurses, paperwork, etc) and that continued for many hours. Thursday was definitely a blur as we were so tired.

Grandma and Grandpa Thimmesch came by in the morning to visit with Jacob (and us). And then, Thursday afternoon, Angela brought Tyler and Kevin up to the hospital. Kevin was very scared of me in my "big bed" and refused to get near me (thankfully this changed on Friday when he fought with Tyler on who got to snuggle with me...and oh I loved his change of heart!).

The big bed didn't phase Tyler and he was just excited when he saw Grandma Thimmesch holding Jacob. In fact, he walked right up to Jacob and gave him his "first present that he will always remember" (a kiss) and then tried just taking Jacob out of Grandma's arms!! It took us all a moment to realize that he wanted to hold Jacob, and once we did realize it, Adam got him set up on my bed next to me.



Tyler just LOVED snuggling with Jacob, and Jacob quickly snuggled in with him. He was grunting and whimpering the entire time to Tyler while they snuggled. I think that Tyler was content to just sit there and kiss on him, but then we pointed out that Jacob had got them some "big brother" presents. At that point, Tyler just wanted to open them. Both Tyler and Kevin were excited to see that Jacob had gotten them a Toys Story 2 and Toy Story 3 figurine sets to play with (and we liked that idea since it gave the boys something to play with in the room). Tyler got Toy Story 2 because it had a Zurg (Buzz Lightyear's father) and Kevin got Toy Story 3 (because it had big baby and Lotso). Both boys were great though about sharing and gave Jacob a big hug and kiss for their presents.




Grandma and Grandpa took the boys home early Thursday evening to feed them dinner and get them settled in back at home. Adam and I also took that opportunity to go to bed early and try to sleep. We both got more sleep than the previous night, although Jacob was ready to just play and talk all night so I didn't quite get the sleep I was envisioning...but enough to feel much better Friday morning.

Here is a picture of Jacob from Friday. We have taken about 200 pictures already and I am sure that I will go back and post more once we get home (as we are still in the hospital). But for now, here is one from Friday morning that we took. So far he is a VERY laid back guy and we are just so glad that he is finally here to enjoy.

Pictures from sledding in the front yard

Here are some pictures from the boys outside playtime today. It was so snowy and windy that Tyler pulled his hat down and could barely see out. He is playing on a small hill by the garage door. The wind was just crazy today (and I say that as I stood in the garage taking pictures and not actually out in it)!





The boys down by the street getting ready to try out the sledding hill, and Kevin busy with his trike. He LOVED riding his trike outside today.


Coming to say hi to me!


It was VERY snowy.


Tyler getting an "express ride" back up to the top of the sled hill.


And then trying it out on his belly! He loved it!


And even rode down the hill with daddy.


Here is Kevin's first sledding run!


And they are all heading back inside. It was all we could do to bribe the boys to come inside for vanilla wafers and hot chocolate. They were both having so much fun playing in the snow (even though Tyler could barely walk by the time he came in as his legs were so tired) and didn't want to stop.


Eventually, we got them inside. And watching them sit and have their snack, I realized how red their cheeks were and how tired they looked! So I took a few pictures. :)


Such red cheeks! He has come a LONG way this year from being scared of the snow and not wanting to walk in it, to not wanting to leave it.


Kevin drinking some hot chocolate, and Tyler struggling to stay awake. They were out there for so long they just have to be exhausted.