comparison

All members of this little Root family are doing well. Everyone is adjusting well to the new "wee one". While going through the photos of Lucas's birth, I thought it would be fun to do a photo comparison of his birth to Joel's birth. Joel's pictures will be on the LEFT, Lucas's pictures will be on the RIGHT.

Last picture before baby came (I look drugged in the picture on the right...)
Holding baby for the first time (Didn't get to hold Joel until 30-40 min. after birth...)
Daddy holding baby for the first time (My dad held Lucas before Robert!)
My dad holding baby for the first time (My mom was out-of-state for Lucas's birth...)
Baby's first bath (Yeah, Joel looks like a 2 mo. old...)
Mommy holding baby on day 2 (I look 16 yrs. old in the picture on the left...)
Daddy holding baby (One of those "awww" pictures)
My friend, Gina "Banina" holding baby for the first time (Joel doesn't fit in her arms!)
Baby in car seat, heading for home (Okay, this picture makes Joel look GIANT)
Just a day shy of 2 weeks old (They kinda look alike here... Joel was more alert)

It is fun to compare my boys, both through photo AND through observation. So far, they are fairly different. The most obvious difference: weight. Joel was 9lbs 3oz at birth; Lucas was "only" 7lbs 13oz (still considered on the larger size of average). It seems that whatever facial features one boy has, the other boy has the opposite (you can think they look alike all you want, but I am their mother so I think I would know best... just sayin'). Joel was a relatively demanding baby; he had to be held ALL THE TIME. Lucas is a relatively relaxed baby; he will chill in his car seat on our dinig room table for hours at a time (the safest location AWAY from Joel). The one thing they have in common is sleeping through the night. Until Joel was 6 weeks old, he would only wake once during the night (once he hit 6 weeks, he slept through the ENTIRE night). Lucas only wakes once during the night (in fact, we woke him after 6 hours last night). I love my boys (and they are learning to love each other)!

One of Joel's "kisses" (Lucas actually came out pink and wrinkled, like a baby should!)

hi

Hi. My name is Joel. I am a year old. I like getting into EVERYTHING. Remotes. Phones. Cupboards. Drawers. Purses. Glasses (both types). EVERYTHING. I have a few favorite toys: my dinosaurs, dump truck, boom-box truck (Mommy hates this one), and my new helicopter. Wheels also fascinate me. Wheels on toys, wheels on strollers, wheels on wheelchairs... you name it. I am mischievous and like to put everything into my mouth. String. Paper. Bugs (dead or alive). I "talk" a lot, but you can't understand me. I can say "mama", "dada", "uh oh", "no", "wow", and "gi-gi" (I have said some other words, but not consistently). I like to shake my head "no", especially when you ask me a question (such as: "Can you share?") or when you nod your head "yes". I like to walk around; I spend more time walking than playing with toys. I have made up a new move in honor of Michael Jackson: the moon crawl. I am slightly OCD; I HAVE to touch the little "inspector seal" circle on baby food jars (I can get violent when doing this). I give kisses, but only to my dad, mom, and baby brother. My kisses are more like licks. I am BIG (not fat. Mommy hates when people call me fat). I weigh just over 26lbs and am 32in tall. I wear size 4 diapers (and have since I was about 4 months old) and I wear size 2T clothes. I love food. All food. Except for peas. Most people say I look like Mommy, but I have a lot of Dada's features too. I am a happy go lucky guy!

Hi. My name is Lucas. I am a week old. I am pretty laid back and easy going. For the most part, I just sit back and take everything in. I like to sleep. In fact, I have been sleeping well through the night since day one (I only wake my parents up once in the night to be changed and fed). I even smile in my sleep now. I am small (especially when you compare me to my brother). I weigh just under 8lbs and am 20in long. I wear size Newborn diapers (with the tabs as tight as they can go) and I wear size Newborn clothes (though I do fit in some preemie outfits). I love food. I am a pro at nursing (though it helps that my Mommy knows what she is doing). Most people say I look like my big brother, but we'll have to wait and see. I am an easy peasy baby!

birthday boy!

Today is Joel's first birthday! It is crazy to think that he is a year old. Didn't we just bring him home from the hospital a few days ago? Oh wait, that was Lucas... Since we are still recovering from the birth of the new little one, we aren't doing anything big to celebrate Joel's birthday (he doesn't know the difference). He was able to open a gift this morning from "Aunt" Jodi. He loved the helicopter immediately! He is also famous; his picture was shown on Channel 12's Arizona Midday. Speaking of Arizona Midday, we were entered in an On-Air Birthday Celebration for the show and WON! We (Robert, Leigh, & Joel) will be on tv on Friday, Oct. 16th to celebrate Joel's first birthday (with a couple other first-birthday babies). Yay! We are doubling up Lucas's baby blessing and Joel's first birthday in November. He will get a chance to celebrate, but not for a few weeks. Oh, and there WILL be a theme. And it WILL be freakin' cute. Can't wait! Playing with his new toy! Thanks "Aunt" Jodi!My kid is adorable and you know it (thanks for the amazing pic, Emily)!

simple things

These past few days have been filled with simple things... like trying to teach Joel that hitting his baby brother in the face is a BIG "no-no" (not so easy when he still hasn't fully grasped the concept of "no"). Whenever someone is holding Lucas, Joel decides that he must have that person's attention. OR he decides he must have Lucas's binky...

These past few days have also been filled with the simple task of getting to know our new little one. He is precious; so laid back and content.

(Big streeeeeeetch! and such tiny little toes)

um... hello?!

So, I sneezed (if this doesn't make sense, read the end of my previous post). I will keep this nice and short, since that is how it happened:
I had been having cramps on and off throughout the day on Wednesday, Sept. 30th, but wrote it off as intestinal issues. At about 3:30pm, I decided to sit down and take a break from my last-minute projects and tasks. It was then that I realized my cramps had a pattern. Still thinking it was nothing, I began to time how often my cramps occurred. Every 5 minutes. Hmm. I called Robert, but told him it was probably nothing. I then called my grandma (who would be watching Joel while I was in labor), but also told her it was probably nothing. After I talked to my sis-in-law Christina, I knew Robert needed to come home from work - just in case. I called both him and my grandma and told them to head over. Cramps every 4 minutes. HMM. I frantically ran around the house, grabbing last-minute items for the hospital bag... putting on mascara (foolish, yes... but I don't care)... printing Joel's "daily routine". At 4:30pm, my grandma and Robert both arrive at the house. Cramps every 3 to 4 minutes. Wait. Contractions. NOT cramps. It hits me that I am having contractions, though I try to deny it in-between each one. Robert and I take off for the hospital immediately (I figured I would be turned away because I hadn't dilated far enough OR because I wasn't truly in labor). At 5:30pm, I was admitted into Triage where I was checked. I was 6cm dilated. We are admitted into Labor and Delivery right away. Contractions are finally becoming so intense that I can't walk, move, or talk between each on. Hard Labor has started. I got an epidural started just after 6pm, which was followed by my doc breaking my water. No turning back now. At 7pm, I am at 7cm. At 8pm, I am at 8cm, but am told I could have been further (my catheter is blocking the baby from progressing, so it gets readjusted). The doc comes in at 8:10pm to start pitocen (he told us - somewhat jokingly - that he wanted to eat dinner). I am at 9cm. Ten minutes later, at 8:20pm, I am at 10cm and begin pushing. Push through first contraction. Push through second contraction. Push through third contraction. STOP! Head. Shoulder-body-feet-BABY! Six minutes. Done. WHAT?! Yeah, It still shocks me. I went from seriously not knowing I was in labor one minute, to holding a precious baby boy the next. But before you swear that you hate me, reflect on THIS (trust me, 24 hour labor, a vacuum, and a 9+ lb baby are NO PICNIC). I have now experienced one of the worst and one of the best deliveries I've ever heard of.

We introduce

Lucas Taylor Root

Wed, Sept. 30th 2009 @ 8:26 pm

7lbs 13oz, 21in long

brown hair, steel-grey eyes

View the entire photo album HERE

one last hurrah

So, despite my growing lack in motivation, I have been able to accomplish a few last tasks. It seems like EVERYONE has been or will be having babies! I have made so many diaper cakes recently that I DREAM about rolling diapers. Odd. Two of my beauties... (Oh, and they contain MUCH MORE than just diapers)

I was asked to co-conduct a Relief Society activity, "Bows, flowers, and headbands!". Somewhat stressful to prepare for since I wasn't really given any direction to go in (not to mention nearly 9 months preggers). But we pulled it off nicely! The turn-out was great, too.

Lisa Marie, the small maroon flower, small cream flower, and polka dot bow are yours!

Lastly, I have finished everything I wanted to complete in the nursery. Such a GREAT feeling. It started with pillow shams (made from a curtain matching the bedding set). Then the mobile was hung and bins were purchased for diapers (green for Joel, blue for Lucas). It ended with the glider. Robert's brother gave us a glider he didn't use; the cushions of said glider were... well, let's just say they had to go. So I made new cushions from scratch (NOT easy when cushions need to have VERY specific dimensions). There. My last BIG project before pushing out a baby.

The nursery, in all its glory...

Now. Baby (fetus baby) update. I am dilated to basically 4cm and pretty much fully effaced. I feel like if I so much as sneeze, the baby will just fly out. No more doc appointments; the next time I see him I will be giving birth. If I don't go into labor on my own, I will be induced at 5am on October 8th (Joel's first birthday). So... soon (which is NOT a word I would use to describe when we will be thinking about having #3, thank you)...

For your viewing pleasure (Joel enjoys watching it)... :)

looking back

While stalling with, well... everything, I pulled up our family photos from July. I just can't get enough of this man. He is my life.

And I am his; doesn't this last picture just make you think, "Back off, Dad. She's mine". I can't imagine what life will be like with two handsome little men (plus my handsome hubby, of course)... But there will surely be photos quickly after our newest one joins us (be prepared, Emily). Soon...

boo-boo, toddles, baby

Boo-Boo:
Accidents happen, even when you are watching. I was working on my Africa project last week (half way done, Danielle and Nikki), ironing and sewing like a madwoman. Whenever the iron was on, I kept both eyes on Joel to assure his safety. Any time he was within three feet of the ironing board, I watched him like a hawk to make sure he didn't put his hands ON the ironing board (there was no way he could reach the iron itself - it was practically hugging my body). As he was standing next to the ironing board, he began to cry. I figured the sound of the steam freaked him out. After two or three minutes, he was still going at it (and getting louder by the second). I KNEW he did not put his hand on the ironing board, so I couldn't figure out why he was crying so hard. He was thrashing around so much that it took a while for me to find what was causing all the tears; his ring and pinkie fingers of his right hand had been burned. The fingers were red and puffy from knuckle to tip. Joel was inconsolable for the next hour; he only stopped crying when he had passed out from the exhaustion of crying. I was devastated. I had been watching him and had no clue how this could have happened. The next day, while ironing (Joel was upstairs taking a nap), I discovered that he most likely put his hand UNDERNEATH the ironing board. The bottom of the ironing board gets as hot (if not hotter) than the top of the ironing board... The burns looked fine the first two days, but on the third day, it looked as if he would lose all the skin off his ring finger from the joint nearest the knuckle down to the tip. The feelings of devastation swelled within me again; I felt like the world's worst parent. Luckily, the open sores under the blistered skin healed before the blister began to peel. Now Joel has a calloused finger that is peeling (kind of looks like leprosy).
Before the underlying skin healed...

Toddles:

As Joel nears his first birthday (3 weeks!), he is nearing the "toddler" stage. Yesterday, he took his first TRUE steps. He had been taking a step away from an object and falling to his knees for the last few weeks. But yesterday he took two steps, looked down, realized what he was doing, then took three or four more steps! He refuses to have help walking if he knows that is your intent (there are ways to trick him to get him to walk with help). He has been more bold with walking in the last 24 hours; it was not just a one-time thing. My mom thinks this Saturday will be the turning point (we are visiting with family friends who were my "cure" for walking when I was 11 and 1/2 months). We shall see...

Baby:

For anyone on facebook who saw my status about the false alarm with my water breaking, here is the story (and I wont go into SO much detail that it is awkward or uncomfortable). I was going to the bathroom yesterday and, as I was about to stand up, I felt a trickle. A trickle that I was not controlling. I just sat there with my mouth open, looking around, trying to comprehend what had just happened. Did my water break? Or did I "piddle" against my will? The feeling was VERY similar to the feeling I had when my water broke with Joel. When my water broke with him, it was not a huge gush; it was more like a constant trickle that I couldn't control. The only reason I knew that I was having contractions with Joel (in the beginning) was because I knew my water broke (I was in the doc's office when it happened, so he tested to make sure my water broke). This time, I couldn't decide whether to be concerned or to write it off. A couple hours after the incident, I started having massive cramps... Are these true contractions? Or are these Braxton Hicks? They started coming so hard that I couldn't think straight and barely made it home (I was driving as they came). I finally called my OBGYN to talk with a nurse (I am stubborn about NOT seeking out medical attention - both of my parents are in the nursing field; it's a product of my upbringing). False alarm. So, if you thought I flat-out wet myself... you were wrong. I have too much pride to let that happen (or to admit if that happened). No baby for now, but NO LONGER than 3 weeks.