midnight feedings

Three reasons why I really don't mind waking up in the middle of the night to feed Caleb:

1. He's such a great kid, and he's always been a really good sleeper. We can put him down at 8pm and I won't have to wake up until 2am, when the monitor picks up a few grunts and whines from him. He's still asleep when I go into his room, just stirring. So I unwrap him from his swaddle, he wiggles out any gas or stiff muscles, and then he's awake and ready to eat. It sure beats that first week or two when we were both getting used to each other and trying to figure out the feeding process, before I realized that when he's hungry but won't eat, it means he's gassy, or if he starts to doze off I should change his diaper to wake him up enough to stay interested... and so on. I used to wait for him, then I'd fight with him, and after all that, I'd make sure he was asleep before I went back to bed. This usually meant walking the livingroom and humming in his ear, or laying on the couch with him on my chest until I thought it was safe to move him to his crib. So it was a two hour ordeal just to get him fed and changed, but luckily for me it's dropped down to 45 minutes to an hour. I'll just leave him in his room with the soother on and after a bit of whining, he falls right back into dream world, and I'm off the hook for another 3-4 hours.

2. This is what I find under his quilt when I come into his room: a little baby borrito.



3. Then, he squirms, and no matter how tired I am, I can't help but smile. He's usually more active than this, and a lot noisier.

naked baby!

I don't have much to say about these pictures really, I just put them up for your viewing pleasure. He's such a handsome naked baby.

Also, there's nothing special about the following video. I just thought some movement on the screen might be more interesting than a picture, show a little more personality, and give you some fun noises to listen to.

cousin Kayleigh

Michael's younger sister Jessica and her husband Ryan, after only three days of waiting, had their baby girl this afternoon - Kayleigh Rae Hutchison. We went in to see them a few hours after she was born, and the little cousins were able to meet for the first time. Seriously, how cute is this picture?


That'll be a fun one to keep for when they're a little older. They're only thirteen days apart in age, but Caleb looks huge compared to Kaleigh. It's so great to have them in the same room together. I just love these babies!

A lot of people ask if we planned for their names to be so similar, and the answer is definitely not. Jess actually had her girl name decided on before either of us even knew what we were having, then once we got the ultrasound results, Michael and I collaborated to pick out a boy name. It wasn't until a week or two later when we revealed our choice that anyone made the connection, and by then we were already set on our respective names. They'll probably hate us for it when they grow up, or maybe it won't be a big deal, but for now it's just an amusing coincedence.

I really hope these two get to see a lot of each other.

Ladies and gentlemen...

We have a belly button!

a day at the beach

We were tired of being cooped up in the house, and my mom needed to experience a Carolina beach while she was on the East Coast. We'd been planning the trip (of about 15 miles) for a few days, but by the time we got a cheance to leave, we were almost out of daylight. It's a good thing we waited until today to go though. It hasn't been this nice all week. What a gorgeous day to be outside, enjoy the sunshine, and get a little fresh air in the form of a sea breeze.

Just another perk of my mom being here is that we have a third (or fourth, in this case) party to take pictures of our little family. That way we don't have to resort to shots like this one:

"Okay, now one of just Caleb."

I believe a good time was had by all. I got to stretch my legs and hold hands with my hubby while we pushed the little one in his stroller for the first time. Gran was practically glowing she was enjoying the scene so much. And what would a day at the beach be without collecting a few worthless rocks and shells? I found it amusing to watch my mom gush over all the agates that were strewn over the sand, because we used to make trips down to the Oregon coast specifically to "hunt" and collect these very same rocks, during a certain time of the year when they were known to be most abundant... and there they were.

one week old

Our little man is growing up so fast...

Now, I know I'm not going to remember to take a picture of him every week, but at least I got us off to a good start by getting him on the first week with his prop of choice. This way, even if you can't feel how heavy he's getting like we can, you can at least watch him grow.

I'm really loving this stage. He's just so very precious.

home from the hospital

Well, we finally got to take our little guy back to the house. It was pretty chilly outside, so we wrapped him up in this little snuggly suit for his first car ride.

Once we got to the house, he had to try out his swing, and break in his crib.

Then his daddy changed his diaper, and made him mad...

Then they made up.

It was a rather eventful day, especially for a little boy who's only been alive for 48 hours. It's so good to finally have him home.

the birth of Caleb Preston Stover

Oh that was so worth it!


After years of dreaming about this day, months of actually preparing for it, and days of waiting and anticipating... it finally came! I'll make a long story as short as I can, even if that means condensing a few details, and sparing you from intimate descriptions.

Things really started Tuesday around noon, in between visits to my midwife for a little membrane sweeping. Sounds like fun, huh? Well it definitely got my contractions going, and for the next 24 hours or so, they were regularly 5-10 minutes apart (closer towards the end, of course), and extremely uncomfortable. I didn't sleep at all that night, and around 5am Wednesday morning, my water broke - or so I thought. Instead of leaving right away, I let Michael get a little extra sleep while I tidied up the house, got everything together for our stay at the hospital including snacks and sandwhiches, and ate what would be my last meal until later that night. Though we had the opportunity to park in the Expectant Mothers Only section, we didn't feel the need, and since I'd already had two unneccessary trips to the hospital, we decided to leave all our overnight stuff in the car until we were sure we'd be staying. Tired, excited, and determined, with my darling husband right beside me for support, I strolled into Camp Lejeune Naval Hospital, slowing down or stopping every few minutes for a contraction, and finally made it to the Labor and Delivery unit on the second floor.

We waited in the lobby for a half hour or so to be admitted, and finally got in a room sometime between 7 and 8 (forgive me, but the timing for all these events is a little fuzzy). My nurse Jen hooked me up to the monitor and did a thurough enough exam to inform me that my "bag of waters" was still in tact, so what I felt earlier must've just been a fore-membrane rupturing... So we sat through a few movies - Mr. and Mrs. Smith, August Rush, and the beginning of Stardust - and I breathed and hummed through a couple more hours of contractions. It took a while to even become 4cm dilated, then a while later when my water actually broke, I jumped up to 6cm, and they assured me that things would progress very quickly from then on. After a full day of contractions I was glad to hear that I was nearing the home stretch.

It was pretty neat that Michael's parents Chris and Cindy and his 38-weeks-pregnant sister Jessica came to see the action. There were times when I was so distracted with the pain or completely oblivious to what was going on in the room that I didn't really care who was hovering around me or what they were doing. Overall though, they were really great to have around, getting ice and taking a lot of pictures (thank you Chris!), but more importantly, helping to lighten the mood and take my mind off of things. Plus I know it meant a lot to Michael that they could be there. I decided right away that I wanted them to stay and watch the whole thing, so they could fully experience the birth of their grandson/nephew, especially since Jess will be delivering her own daughter pretty soon. I think they really enjoyed it.

Once I hit 8cm, I was told to just sit tight during transition and not push until the urge was unbearable and I was at 10cm, then they would call everyone in to help with the delivery. Since I already felt like I was at that point, I asked my nurse to be more specific. How do I know I'm ready if no one's going to check me until I get there? She said "Well, when you say 'Screw you Jen, I'm pushing' - that's when you know." Then my midwife explained how the delivery process was going to work, and what position I should be in to push. He had said earlier that he liked to keep the first stages relaxed and light-hearted, but now it was time to get serious. I was to push as hard as I could for ten seconds, 3-4 times during each contraction, until the baby came out. They said the physical demand was equivilant to running a marathon. I didn't believe them til about four contractions in, when I felt completely exhausted, not to mention grateful for the oxygen mask they'd put on me. I was aware of only two things: the pressure of a baby's head on a place I won't specify, and the comfort of the man that was holding my hand and wiping my face with a cold wet cloth, telling me I was doing so well, and probably overwhelmed with the anxieties of being so close to having a son, to becoming a father.

They told me six more contractions and he'd be out; I told myself three. I got to reach down and feel his head when he was crowning, which probably should've been a magical moment for me, but it was just kind of weird. They started worrying that his heart rate was too low because they were having trouble picking it up on the monitor, so in rushed about five more nurses, and out came the scissors. That was the only time I screamed. One more contraction and he was out. I don't think the midwife was expecting that final push - he turned back around just in time to catch the baby. They rushed him to the corner of the room to clean him up and get him warm, and I delivered the placenta and got stitched up while Michael cut the umbilical cord. I was a little irritated that I had to shout over everyone to ask "Will someone please tell me if it's a boy or not?" I thought that announcement was routine. Sheesh.

It was such a great feeling to have it be over and done with, and to hear his little grunts and cries, to finally have this baby in our lives. The funny thing was, it still didn't seem like it had really happened, not until I got to hold him and say "Hey Caleb, I'm your momma."

I fell in love with him the minute I layed eyes on him, and started crying just as quickly. I noted right away the features he inherited from each of us, my lips and hairline for sure, and the bridge of his nose is all Michael. He also has a pretty good head of hair, which he can thank us both for. I had been preparing myself for a wrinkley, pug-faced newborn, so I was in awe to see this gorgeous wide-eyed little man in my arms, and even more surprised to feel like I already knew him so well.

Caleb Preston Stover, born Wednesday February 4th, 2009 at 1:26pm, 9 pounds 5 ounces, 20 inches long, brown hair... not quite sure about the eye color. Now that he's here, I can't wait to get to know him. I love you little guy.