Slow Growth

Not much happening here. We're just holding the baby. A lot. That's because in the last few days, poor baby Joshua has exhibited some signs of infant reflux. He isn't spitting up too much, but he wakes up in the middle of his naps screaming. During his waking hours, he's been very, very fussy. He seems to be in such pain. When we're holding the baby, it's hard to remember to snap a picture.

In a rare moment of quiet, though, I was able to capture the moment.



As you can see, not much has changed.
He is officially one month old, and growing, we hope.

Of course, he still looks the same.

We've been so lucky to have a steady stream of visitors to say hello to Baby Joshua. Pictures to come!

Fun in the fountains

It is spring, but it sure hasn't felt like it consistently.
Last weekend, we went to our local botanical garden. It was a beautiful day, a little chilly, though.



We brought the kids' swim things and they had a blast.



That is, until we had to leave. We didn't take pictures of that, though.

Another day at the ballpark

Jason's T-ball season is officially over, and he is pretty crushed. It is safe to say he has had some of the best times of his young life so far playing the game.

Until the next season starts, he'll just have to get his fix by watching Doug on the ball field.



Last weekend, we spent a very nice afternoon cheering on Doug's team. The boys got the chance to hang out in the dugout.
As you can see, Jason was following the action on the diamond quite closely. His expression didn't change much.....



until Doug made a particularly good catch at third base.
Jason couldn't have been prouder.
And Michael? Well, good thing water bottles have been invented.

Helping hand

Michael is still coming to terms with the idea of a new baby brother. He doesn't quite know what Joshua's arrival will mean for him.

He is a vocal child anyway. But these days, we never can tell what will trigger one of Michael's earsplitting tantrums.

Michael is beginning to realize the baby isn't a physical threat, though. On this day, one of Jason's T-ball game days, he decided he wanted to lend a helping hand.



Mommy's little helper gave Joshua his bottle while we all sat on the bleachers.



Joshua, well, he just didn't know what to think.
He looks a little apprehensive, doesn't he? As if he isn't really sure what he's gotten himself into.

The "other" Michael

We know Joshua will one day share a glowing personality with us. But, right now, he's not doing much of anything, other than sleeping and eating.

Until he starts to perk up, we can only focus on his physical appearance, and quite frankly, he looks like Michael. In fact, I am having a hard time NOT calling him Michael.

Take a look.



Here is Jason with Baby Joshua, taken last week.



Here is Jason with Baby Michael, taken three years ago.

Quite a resemblance, huh?

As you can see, Jason's love for the baby hasn't waned. He loves to tell us, loudly, that "Only Jason can look at Baby Joshua. Nobody else!!"

Jason does allow Michael some leeway, though. Michael is allowed to look at the baby, and these days, he getting more interested in "his" baby.



Baby J's jaundice numbers are going down, so we're thrilled that he finally seems to be gaining weight and doing well.

During the craziness of the past few weeks, we have relied heavily on our loved ones. We can't thank our mothers enough for always being there for us, and for taking the time out to be with us as we wade through life with THREE boys. We love you very much!!!

Settling in

As you can imagine, a new baby has disrupted life at home just a little.



Who wouldn't love a face like that?

Mmmm....let's see? Michael, maybe?

We really didn't think there would be much of a backlash. All right, maybe I wasn't thinking about it all. Of course, it may be really too early to tell the real consequences of bringing in another boy. But, we have noticed that Michael doesn't look at the baby, doesn't touch the baby, doesn't talk to the baby. Michael has also started to act out a bit, doing things to get attention. But, he does know the baby's name, so on that front, we feel confident that one day things may turn around.

It is Jason's reaction that has surprised us.



He is very into being a big brother. He wants to hold the baby, feed the baby, get right up in the baby's face. It's funny. That's not the reaction he had when Michael came into the picture. But, I think we are all growing up here.



Speaking of growing, Joshua could use a haircut. Already.

In the spotlight

Our newest baby is certainly taking center stage--at the hospital.

Baby Joshua has jaundice. It's pretty common among babies. But, his case is pretty bad, worse than the cases that Jason and Michael had to deal with.



We came home from the hospital with the baby.
But, we had to go back so Baby J. could bake under a multitude of lights. Here, he is under just one. At one point in our three-night stay at the hospital, he had five lights staring down at him.



The hospital staff was just incredible to us. We thank them for their caring, their professionalism, and their dedication to children.
At home now, he's not 100 percent, yet. We're watching, just crossing our fingers that his numbers don't continue to rise.



By the way, we think he really, really likes being under all those lights. It's the only time he was completely quiet. At least we know he was content with our stay away from home!