Life at our house..

Things are finally starting to feel back to routine..
Randy has been back to work and the kiddos and I are getting into our own new schedule. Noah seems to be adjusting really well. The three of us made a few outings this week (including grocery shopping!) which is a pretty big accomplishment for us. It cracks me up that while I watched the Ebeling kids last summer, I would take their 5 plus Ella to the park, pool, you name it with no fear. Now suddenly two seems like a big task lol. I suppose I could blame it on the fact that Noah's a newborn so you never know what you're going to get when you leave the house. Thankfully, we have had some practice this week and now it just feels like I've been doing it my whole life.

Here's what we've been up to this week :)

We had a surprise visit from Randy's Aunt and Uncle that live on the Weat side of the state. They were fairly close in VA and called to see if they could come visit and see the little ones. We were so excited to have them since we haven't seen them since last summer.



We also made a trip to the pool where Ella played with some of the youth girls. She had a blast and loved all the extra attention.. Noah kept watch through the glass door ;)



Ella has really adjusted well and is back to her normal self. Most of the time if I don't see her nearby, I find her reading books in her room. She loves to sit and "read" stories. She has memorized some of her favorites so it actually sounds like she is reading. lol.


She has also been trying to help me with Noah however she can. This morning she found one of her baby bottles and was giving him a little drink. She told me he was thirsty!


Ella's been really wanting to wear her big girl panties lately, too. I told her when she starts doing pee pee in the potty she can, but for now she will only poop in the potty and isn't quite ready to be completely trained. Maybe soon, but not quite yet. Well, this morning, she decided to put on her panties by herself and wear them around.
She has a diaper and shorts on underneath! Silly Goose!



And Noah is growing and still SO cute!


He has been testing out his crib today for the first time taking naps. I elevated the mattress so that he could sleep more upright and not choke from his reflux. He sleeps in our room at night, but I needed a place where he could get some good sleep and I could keep Ella from waking him up. She loves to give him kisses when he's asleep. So sweet, but it makes for a grumpy little Noah!

Father's Day and such..

Is it already Wednesday?!?! I had full intentions of posting something on Father's Day, but I'm just now getting to it! We did have a great Father's Day though! Noah made his first trip to church and we also went to a little BBQ at some friend's house. It made for a pretty busy day for little Noah who hasn't been out much, but he did great (and I was thankful to be out of the house!)

Randy enjoyed having his first Father's Day as a Daddy of 2!
He got Tiger Woods Golf for the Wii so he's been busy testing that out for the last few days! And don't worry, he hasn't been slacking on his Daddy Duties! He is quick to turn it off and help (but maybe it's because he knows I still have the receipt lol)

We were kinda in a hurry, but we snapped a couple of pics before heading to church on Sunday...


Here are a few from the BBQ, too! Ella is getting more and more comfortable in the water each time we take her. She let Randy let go of her a few times while she had her floaties on, but she still hasn't quite figured out how to keep her head out of the water...

Noah and his little friend Elizabeth :-)

As for Noah, he is doing great for the most part. His reflux has gotten worse (just when I thought it was going away). He is just so uncomfortable when he eats and awhile afterward. I feel so bad for him. We are trying all kinds of tricks to help him through, but something that works one feeding might not do anything the next. Also, keep little Noah in your prayers because at his last Pedi visit they found that he has a heart murmur. At first they told me they would just keep and eye on it and check it again at his 2 month visit, but she had trouble feeling his femoral artery between his legs so she wants to see us back again on Monday. She told me that it could have been hard to feel it because by that time Noah was really mad and crying pretty loud. So hopefully, when we go back on Monday she will feel it just fine and it will eventually go away on it's own. If she can't feel it on Monday or has any reason to still be concerned, we will be referred to a cardiologist. From my understanding, most of the time heart murmurs just go away on their own within the first year. There is also a pretty routine surgery that they do if there is a problem. Although I'm glad to hear that it's "not a big deal", it still feels like one to us. We just hate to see our little guy go through surgery or have something that has to be constantly checked. So pray for us! Hopefully we will get good news on Monday!

As you can imagine, we're all pretty tired these days! Naps are becoming a favorite past time for us all!! :-)Here is Nurse Ella pretending to give Noah some more Gripe Water for his tummy!!



And last, but not least! On Monday night we had dinner over at the Wallace's house. It was so yummy and we had a great time! Here are the pics from that and be sure to check out the video at the end..I saved the best video for last!!

My Sweet Ones!

Random Update :)

Here are a few new pictures and a little video. I have some more video to upload it just seems to take forever!!

Everything is going great.

Ella is still doing great as big sister. She was pointing to some of her baby pictures around the house this morning and saying, "That's my little brother" lol. She looked at me like I was crazy when I tried to explain that they were pics of her when she was a baby. For someone REALLY proud of being a "big girl" that seemed like a really not nice thing to say lol

Here is a little video of her holding Noah. At first she thought I was taking a picture so she is cheesing it big time LOL What a goofy girl!




Noah is doing well and we seem to have the reflux under control. He does great as long as he's upright. His spitting up doesn't seem to be any more now than a normal baby. Last night he woke up after 3 1/2 hours to eat and then slept for 4 hours before waking to eat again. I was really hoping we could get a 4 hour stretch in there somewhere and I'm so glad he did. He keeps me busy through the day nursing every 2 hours so the sleep at night is great!

I think we're all a little sad since Randy has to go back to work tomorrow, but thankfully he only has 2 days left in his work week and then he's off again for 3. It's been so nice having him around so I know we're going to miss him :(

Well, here are the pics I promised!! Enjoy :-)

Ella enjoyed some time yesterday coloring and putting stickers in her coloring book while I got the dishes done. She loves doing arts and crafts!

Daddy and Noah cuddling on the couch :)

This is Noah's new bed! He seems to find it nice and cozy and it's letting us get some rest. Guess we'll just pack the bassinet back up lol

Ella went in the closet this morning to find a hat so she could be like Daddy. So cute!!
And here is our sweet girl giving Noah some kisses. She loves to rub her lips on his skin because she says it feels so soft!! :-)That's all for now :)

Guitar Playing Fun!

Randy and his Dad had a great time yesterday playing guitar together. He really enjoyed getting to "jam out" and spend some quality time with his Dad while he's in town. Once Ella woke from her nap, she wanted to join in on the fun. She sat on the couch and watched while she played her Barbie guitar. Too cute!

Day 5

Noah's Doctor appointment yesterday went great! He weighed 8lbs 2 oz. which is pretty good since it's only 3 oz less than his birth weight. Only bad news is that his throat was pretty red and he has all of the signs of reflux. Since he is still so young we'll wait to put him on any medicine. For now we are trying to keep him upright as much as possible and using gas drops. Last night we took the bassinet out of our room and replaced it with the swing since it sits pretty upright. We just left it turned off and let him use it as a bed. It worked so well!! We finally were able to get some descent sleep. He's still eating about every 3 hours or so through the night, but he will go right down and sleep until the next feeding. That has made me a nice, happy, momma!
Sleep=Good!

Here are some more pics for ya!

And of course..we can't leave out a pic of Miss Ella. She is doing great as Big Sister. She loves to help hold things we need until it's time to use them. Yesterday she helped me clean his belly button and she was so sweet and gentle. She usually refers to him as "Ella's Baby Noah" which we think is really cute!

And then there's Princess who's not sure what to think. She will give him the occasional sniff and then just ignore him. She spends most of the day hiding under the table watching all the chaos!

Keeping Busy..

Sorry for the lack of updates now that we're home. As you can imagine, we've been keeping really busy. Randy has been such a wonderful help to me!! I think I would be going crazy without him. He's been fetching things I need and keeping Ella busy. Noah's been such a sweetheart. All three of us are completely in love with him. Still trying to remember what we did before we had little Noah to "ooh and aah" over!!

Noah is doing awesome! He's been a little bit more work for me at bedtime. Ella was a great sleeper from the start. Noah..not so much. He's been having some tummy issues. You can hear the milk trying to come up and him swallowing to keep it down. Poor guy. Now that my milk has come in (Woo Hoo!) he has been having some explosive spit up. Just hoping his stomach will settle and that we're not going to have a bunch of reflux issues. Good thing is, once we work through his fussy spell after eating he usually will give me at least one good 4 hour stretch. That along with the 30 minutes here and there have been enough to keep me going. Randy's been great at taking a turn to settle him, too. I'm also trying to watch my diet and see if that helps as well. He has his first pediatrician visit today so we'll have some updates then!

Overall, things really couldn't be much better. I am feeling great and slowly adjusting to the demand of two little ones. We are so amazed at the amount of love we have for both of them. It's been pretty overwhelming emotionally!!

Here are a few new pics. Some of them are already posted on facebook, but for those of you only checking the blog they will be new :-)

Frank and Michelle are having a baby!!!!!

If you haven't heard yet, Michelle Lodeserto's water broke last night. Exciting stuff. Can't wait to see baby Natalia. You can follow along at Frank and Michelle's blog.

We'll be back to post an update on baby Noah later on today. Love you all . . . but God loves you more! :-)

Randy

More Pics!

Here are a couple of new pics to hold you over. We're getting all packed and heading home today around 2:30. We'll post more pics of Ella with Noah once we get settled :)

His hair is so much lighter than Ella's!

Noah and Daddy :-)

Noah hanging out after his circumcision. They had his diaper stuffed to keep some extra preasure on him. Poor guy!! Obviously, he doesn't seem to mind!! Getting his hearing checked..

Good Morning

Hey there everybody. I hope everybody had a good night. Our night was pretty good, from what I hear. I slept right through most everything. LoL. Laci did good and Noah is a pretty good sleeper after night one. Hey woke up and ate every couple hours and sometimes would fuss a little, just wanting to make sure mommy was still there. Laci is tired but she just got a shower and feels a lot better.

Noah is off right now getting his circumcision. Poor little guy, had no idea what was coming to him. Just thought he was going for a ride. :-( He's been such a good baby so far. He didn't deserve this! LoL, just kidding.

He just got done with his hearing test and did great. He's still eating really good. I'll get some more pictures up after I get out of the shower.

We'll be heading home today at some time, probably around 3:30-4:30. If you'd like to come by the hospital, you're more than welcome. We'd love to have you. Thanks again to everybody that stopped by yesterday and for all of your prayers.

Last Post of the Night

Hey there everybody. This will be the last one for the day. Laci is feeding Noah again and we're going to try and catch some shut-eye while he does. He's been a good sleeper so far so we're praying the pattern continues. Thank you so much for all the prayers and the comments on the blog. They really made my day and it meant so much to Laci having all of the support from all of you.

We hopefully will be going home tomorrow as long as Mommy and Noah are doing well. However, if you would like to come by and see the little guy, please feel free to come by anytime after 10:30. Mommy needs her beauty rest. Daddy needs his beauty rest. LoL. Good times. Well, we love all of you. Thanks again and see you tomorrow!

Ella visits her new brother

Ella got to come see her new baby brother and it was absolutely precious. She was nervous at first and didn't say very much, but after about 20 minutes....that baby is hers! LoL. It's so cute. She's gonna be a great big sister.

First Bath Pics

Been a little while

Just got the room to just the three of us for the first time so I'm back. Thanks to Laci's mom and Lindsey Moore for keeping everybody up to date with the blog.

Laci is doing great. She is feeling good and has eaten dinner. Noah is in the middle of his second feeding now. He ate so well his first time and has been such a chill baby for the first couple of hours. He is so precious and sweet and I can't believe how in love with him I already am.

Of course, I'm sure what everybody is looking for is pictures so here you go.

He is SOOO beautiful!

Announcing Noah James Strickland!

8 lbs. 5 oz. 19 inches

June 12, 2009

2:13 pm

You guys...he is so absolutely adorable! I need to figure out a way to get the video up so you can hear his precious cry! Here are a few more pictures!

Not even 5 minutes old!!!

HES HERE!

I think we are getting ready to push.

Nurse is in...

She's being checked now...the verdict...8!!!!!

In the Shower

Hey everyone this is Lindsay Moore. We're taking turns blogging. I'm here capturing some pics of the labor. She's in the shower now and it seems to be really helping! She's doing so well!!! Keep checking!!!

This is Laci's mom giving an update. She is in lots of pain and is now in the shower with warm water spraying on her stomach to help relieve pressure. It shouldn't be much longer now, Noah should be here soon!

Holy Contractions

They're coming good now. Minute and a half apart now. Laci's a trooper. About to give her some pain meds but she is doing so good. Pray for her because she's hurting pretty good.

It's Picking Up Folks

Just got back from lunch and Laci is starting to feel it now. Contractions have definitely picked up on her. They're real close together and getting really intense. Might be getting close everybody. Stay tuned for the latest.

Massage Time

Laci is about to get a massage from the massage therapist here in the hospital. We're gonna go eat so she can relax and enjoy it as much as she can. Will post an update when we get back.

More pictures

Here's some pics of the cast and crew for the Strickland Baby Sequel

The Leading Lady

Lead Actor (or at least his chart)

The Supporting Ladies (Laci's mom and sister, a.k.a. Dolly and Aunt LaLa)

Coach Ebeling

The Media, Paparazzi, Photog, Blogger (a.k.a. Dad, so weird to even say that & this is #2)

Still doing good. Contractions starting to pick up intensity but not regular yet. She's feeling relaxed. See ya next update.

Birthing Ball

So here's what a birthing ball looks like. Aparently, when you bring in pilates ball or a workout ball to a birthing room, it evolves into a birthing ball. Laci says it's a little weird but it better than just laying in the bed.

Game time

So, just like last time, time to guess when Noah shows up. Place your guesses here on this post. Also, guess weight and length if you'd like. Everybody knows (if you don't, you're about to) that his name is going to be Noah James (no suspence this time) so no "guessing" there. However, give us your suggestion on a nickname. Have fun and good luck.

Good Morning Everybody

Good morning ya'll. Hope everybody had a good night.

Laci got some good rest mast night. She's slept until about 5:30. But ever since then, she's had some really bad nausea from the pain meds they gave her. She's been feeling pretty yucky, but she's still smiling. She's awesome. They just started the Pitosin about 15 minutes ago. Her contractions had really settled down almost too nothing, but they should pick back up before too long now that she's getting the stuff.

I'll keep you updated as things change. Love you guys.

First Bath

So here's the deal

We're going home...but Laci is staying. They're going to keep her here overnight. They're going to give her some drugs to help her go nighty-nite and we're going to head home to get that last good night of sleep. Laci is relieved. We're relieved for her. Prayer works. Thanks guys. Well, unless I get a late night phone call, that's all the blogging for today. They're going to start Pitosin tomorrow at 7:00 so that's when to expect updates. Love you guys. Pray for her.

Pray now

Pray something has changed. Walk done. She's tired. Not feeling like going home and then coming back at 6 in the morning. Pray something has changed. They're checking her now...

More waiting....but pray, pray, pray

We just got told that we have to go walk for an hour to hour and a half and if she doesn't dialate anymore then we have to go home for the night. Pray that stuff happens!! Pray, pray, pray.

That was quick

Here's the before....

...and here's after the "What Not to Wear" crew got to her!!

Having a great time so far. She's good. Contractions still sporadic. We'll keep ya posted.

Strickland x4!!!!

Hey there. It's Randy. I'll be pinch-blogging for Laci tonight while we have Noah James!! We've just showed up at the hospital and Laci is checking in now. Just like last time, I'll be updating with the play-by-play, pictures, and all the rest of the fun stuff. I love you guys. Thanks for the prayers. Can't wait to update you again. I'll come back once we're in a room. (and just a by-the-way, if you also remember from last year, I'm not the best at blogging when I say I will but I'll try)

Tomorrow's the Day!!

Just wanted to let you know that unless Noah decides otherwise, tomorrow is the big day. At my Doctors appointment this morning she said everything looked great for an induction in the morning. My body seems to be very close to labor anyways and Noah is right where he needs to be. I'm hoping this helps tomorrow. Even though I was 6 days late with Ella, she came on her own. I'm a little scared of what to expect being induced, but my Doctor doesn't really like to let them go over 41 weeks (and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't ready to be DONE!). There is always the chance that we may have to head in tonight if things pick up, but otherwise we will check in sometime around 6-6:30 am. I've heard from others that they tend to drag their feet getting you settled and started so it will probably be much later in the morning before we really get going.

If anything exciting happens before then, we'll let ya know! Otherwise, Randy will be updating tomorrow :-)!!

I'm pretty excited about the date because Ella's Birthday is July 12. So if he cooperates, we will have a June 12 baby and a July 12 baby!

While you wait...

Since I know that several of you have mentioned that you're "blog stalking" I thought you'd enjoy a new post while you wait. There is nothing to report really for baby news. We are all set and ready to go..just waiting for him to decide he's ready :)

Here is a belly shot as of today..he sure is getting big!! My muscles are feeling so achy- I know they are ready for a break from all of the extra weight!

Today we had a great day though! We started out with some breakfast at Cracker Barrel which was really yummy. Then we ended up back at the house where Ella tested out some new goodies from her Dolly.

Here she is taking a swim! I enjoyed sitting partially in the water and keeping cool, too. She loves the little slide on the pool! She just kept going down it over and over!

She also spent some time riding her new bike.
Okay, let me rephrase that one!! She spent time "riding" her bike while we all took turns pushing her!! Her feet reach the pedals, but she needs a tiny bit more length before she will be able to pedal hard enough to move it. Right now, we're just trying to get her used to it. Can't tell you how many times she asked to ride her new bike. This should be fun in the summer heat!!


Well, there's your update on us. I'm going to watch a movie with Randy and then get some rest.

We're busy...40 Weeks plus 1 day...

Wish we could say we were busy having a baby..but not yet! Instead we are busy being spoiled while Ella's Grandma is in town! We'll keep you updated if any baby news comes!!

*And..just for the record..my ticker is really making me mad since it has started counting back up..what the?!?! It's should say 0 days left!! Or maybe it knows something we don't know...Hmmm..

Counting down the days...

Well, we are getting close to meeting little Noah! Every time I see the little counter and it says "4 days" I feel like it can't be true! I am SO excited to meet him! It's been really hard this last week not to be anxious! Especially when my body has felt so ready to go in labor, but still isn't lol. I have tried to keep really busy with small projects around the house and enjoying my time with Ella so that I won't think about it. He will come when the time is right and I know that. I'm also really excited to have my mom come into town on Sunday. Seems like everything is getting in place so we can make this big transition into a family of 4!

Just a reminder to be sure and keep an eye on the blog. Randy is planning to update often once I go into labor. It's not quite the same as being close, but it still keeps everyone included. We loved using the blog for Ella's birth. Who would have thought we'd have like 20 people up at midnight waiting for pictures. So fun. Maybe Noah will make it easier on you all and come in the early afternoon ;)

My next appointment is tomorrow and they will be doing an ultrasound to check in on little Noah as well. I'll let you know what we find out!

I need to upload some of the recent pictures of Ella. I've been slacking some since the camera is usually in the hospital bag ready to go. I had to pull it out on Saturday to get a picture of what my sweet girl did right before we were walking out the door for a baby shower. Apparently she wants a tattoo. And lots of them. She gave herself a whole "sleeve"!!



*Update from Dr.'s Apt..*

My appointment today went well. They said Noah looked great! In fact, they think he's growing to be quite a big boy..The ultrasound tech told me he was measuring at 8lbs already, but my Doctor said she thinks he is still somewhere in the 7lb range. She really doesn't think he'll hit 8 lbs. I suppose we'll see who's right soon enough! They said he has lots of fluid and everything looks great for delivery. That's good news.
Bad news is I have another appointment scheduled for next Thursday and I REALLY am hoping I'm not pregnant then!! It was such dejavu from having Ella. How encouraging to leave there having your Doctor telling you, "I'm going to call the hospital right now and book you a room for next week for your induction." Nice. But I DID go into labor on my own with Ella (6 days late!) and I've been way more uncomfortable this time. So I'm optimistic that maybe little Noah will come on his own. I have a hard time believing that the pains I've been having aren't accomplishing something.