Luca Bear

Here is our little cutie at (almost) 2 months old!!

Tis' the Season

     Well, what a month it has been! Between welcoming our precious Lucas into the world, Thanksgiving and now Christmas shopping I've been quite a busy woman. Lucas turned a month old last week and he is seriously the best little one so far. Rarely does he cry except when he is hungry or needs to be changed. I love the fact that he likes to cuddle and spend as much time doing it as possible; which isn't always easy with an almost 3 year old and 2 year old running about. :-)
     And speaking of my precious Bug and Bop, they have been phenomenal older siblings. Noah and Haleigh both take their big brother and big sister roles seriously and have helped tremendously when it comes to their little brother. As a Mother, I couldn't ask for better children. I know that as they get older I will cherish these moments with them more and more. God has filled our arms with blessings and I am so thankful to Him!
     Here are a few pictures of the last few weeks in the Johnston home...

Charles Lucas

    

 The Lord blessed us with another miracle on October 24th at 11:01 am. Lucas was born via c-section and weighed 8 lbs 4 oz. and was 18 inches long. He has been our most laid back baby so far. I've only heard him cry twice since he was born...once when they took him out of my belly and then a few minutes after returning from his circumcision. I fell in love with him from the moment I heard his sweet cry...even before I had the chance to lay my eyes on him. And then when I did, oh my goodness, my heart melted all over again. I worried that I would have trouble making room in my heart to love another child, but I can definitely say no trouble at all, lol!!!
     I had an amazing birth experience, which many people may find odd since it was another cesarean. We were blessed with an amazing doctor to deliver Lucas and the hospital staff made our visit incredible. We kept Lucas with us for the majority of the stay, except for those moments when he had to have his vitals checked and then again during his circumcision. I have been exclusively breast feeding and he has done phenomenal with it. He latched on during the first try (we were able to do skin to skin and nurse within 45 minutes of his birth) and has been a pro at it. I was blessed that my milk came in early this time because the kid is all about eating...all the time! *grin* He only lost 10 ounces while we were in the hospital and I'm fairly certain he has gained that all back. I've never seen such a hungry little boy, haha.
     We take him back tomorrow morning for his first check-up and I can't wait to see how it goes. I will try to post again when I have a free moment (which is laughable now). Oh, and also a huge congratulations to my friend Emily who gave birth to her first child only a day after Lucas was born!! :-)  God is SO GOOD!

Baby Love

     It's so hard to believe that the time has finally arrived to meet our newest bundle of joy. Unless I go into labor today (which seems quite unlikely, lol) then I will be delivering via c-section around 11:00 in the morning. I'm surprisingly not too nervous today but I've tried to keep myself busy so I won't worry myself to death. I've managed to get all the bags packed; one for Mama and Daddy for the hospital, one for Charles Lucas, and one for Bug and Bop to take along to Nana and Pa's house. :-)  I've also folded three loads of laundry and am currently in the process of washing another one. I'm going to clean up the kid's toys but am waiting closer to bedtime since they will drag them all back out again if I clean them up now, lol.
     I am so thankful for the love and prayers that have been showered on our family concerning the birth of of baby boy. I have not yet had a chance to write up thank you cards for the gifts we received at our two baby showers. I'm so sorry for that. I am going to try to get around to it after we get back home from the hospital. :-)
     Anyways, lots of prayers are appreciated for us tomorrow. :-)  And I'm still holding out on the Lord and that He will send me into labor today. We've had some cool events happen throughout the day that are making me believe that a natural birth is still possible! But, in the end, whatever happens, I will know it's in God's perfect will!

PS...Here is a picture one of my best friends took of me at 39 weeks!

37 Weeks

 
     Just now getting around to posting this. I feel terrible for going so long between belly photos but with two little ones, getting a minute to do anything is pretty much impossible. I'm going back to the doctor on the 16th, next Wednesday and I'm going to have my OB check for dilation and effacement. I'm still praying with my whole heart that the Lord sends us our little boy without the need for a c-section. 

A Couple More Weeks

 I went in for my 37 week prenatal appointment yesterday. Lucas is looking great and doing well. We spoke with my OB and the hospital we are birthing at will not allow me to go past 40 weeks since I have had two previous cesareans. So, if he doesn't make an appearance soon, we are scheduled for another c-section on October 24th. We are still waiting to hear back on the exact time but will probably be sometime between 7 and 10 that morning. As excited as I am to meet this little guy, I am PRAYING, PRAYING, PRAYING that the Lord chooses to send Lucas to us before that date. I do NOT want another major surgery like this and would much prefer to go the natural route. But, I know that God has a perfect plan in this and I am trusting Him with my whole heart. Sorry I've been a bit absent in my blogging these days but all of my energy is going into growing this baby, and the energy I don't really have is going towards keeping up with Bug and Bop. :-)  Hope each of you has been doing well!! 

32 Weeks

     We went for our 32 week ultrasound on Friday and got to see our precious little boy. He is already head down and low enough for our doctor to feel his head. This gives me hope that he will be the first of our children to come along on his own. :-)  The ultrasound tech estimated his weight to be 4lbs 4oz, so measuring a little bit ahead of schedule. I am so thankful that we are so close to holding this precious angel in our arms. I am also starting to freak out a little bit, too. I have two baby showers coming up and I know I'm going to be in a mad rush to get everything washed, cleaned and put away before his arrival. Nesting is such a wonderful thing but once that burst of energy is gone, I'm exhausted for days! :-)  

Nesting

     This past week I have hit major nesting mode. The kids (especially Noah) have both been a huge help in Mommy's various projects. Noah and Halebop are so excited for baby Lucas to arrive. Every day Noah rubs my belly and has a conversation with Luca Bear. I can't get over the amount of excitement in this house while we wait for our third little one. 
     I am looking forward to my baby showers, as I have been very blessed with friends and family who believe in celebrating every child that the Lord blesses us with. :-) I can't wait to see all the cutesie newborn things again. Even though Hales is only 17 months, it seems like an eternity since we had a newborn in the house. 
     Today I started in the backyard and cleaned up all the toys that were scattered around everywhere. Then I moved inside to the kids' playroom and we went through every single container of toys. They helped me to throw away the broken ones and set aside the ones they wanted to donate. Then it was upstairs for lunch, a bit of cartoons, and off to bed for naps. While they were napping I finished cleaning up around the house and finally sat down to eat my lunch and have a bit of a break. Now I'm considering all the things I need to do for when Lucas arrives...washing another load of his clothes so they will be clean and fresh when we bring him home. Also I need to get a start on packing the diaper bag, which most people would say I'm jumping the gun on, but hey, it gives me something to do and it will be done when I'm 40 weeks and too huge to breathe...let alone bend. :-) 
     Well, it's off of here for now. I have an upcoming ultrasound on Friday of this week so be on the lookout for pictures. We are praying little one cooperates so we can get some full on face shots! 

Through the Lens

     What an amazing Saturday!!! The weather was absolutely beautiful and the kids were well behaved; which is ALWAYS an A+ in my book. :-)

28 Weeks

     Today I am 28 weeks but looking more like 40 weeks. :-)  I'm thinking that Lucas Bear is going to be quite the little chunker...I'm going to take a guess that he will be 8 1/2 lbs at birth; we shall see!!!