Two Weeks with Micah!

Here he is at TWO WEEKS. This picture looks a bit like his one week photo, don't you think? Although, he is getting LIGHTER. Our little 'darky' (as Daddy calls him) isn't quite so dark anymore : ( He's not nearly as fair as his big bros, but I'm wondering if he'll end up looking just like them? We'll wait and see! I was kind of thinking it would be fun to have a little bit of variety among the McCulley boys! Anyhow, Micah is a sleeper indeed (I'm hoping the sleepiness remains!) I rarely get a snapshot with his eyes open! ; )

We got a fun package in the mail this week from our sweet friends, The Criles! Joe is very excited to now have HAWKEYE gear for all 3 boys. Big bros proudly sported their jerseys all night long... now to get Micah in his black and gold and get a photo without him being tackled...

Isaac LOVES his new little brother. Micah got to meet his Papa and Grandma McCulley this past weekend! It's so hard to get a picture with all 3 boys looking at the camera. We're learning to appreciate the candidness of life and photos these days! Micah also got to meet his Aunt Jen and cousins Ellie and Alexa who stopped over on their through KC to IA. Wyatt just ADORES Micah. I think having a new lil bro has been so GOOD for Wyatt. He has been such a helper and so responsible and obedient! He is taking his role as the BIGGEST brother very seriously. Here are Wyatt's frequent questions to Micah: "Micah, are you shy?" He thinks because he doesn't talk yet that he must be shy! "Micah are feeling well today? Are you sick or well?" "When my new baby brother gets bigger can he ______?" It has been such a fun week together! Just one more week of Joe being home then I'll be flying solo with THREE lil rascals. Yikes! The laundry is definitely piling high and the house is always a mess, but life with 3 is fantastic. I wouldn't trade it for anything!

We've discovered Micah to be incredibly GASSY! It is so funny to hear him grunt and wiggle around in frustration and then as soon as you pick him up he has a huge explosion, then is super content again. (Thank goodness for all of the Pampers we've been given! The Target brand that I buy certainly wouldn't do the job with this fella!). So it totally remind me of a scene with Steve Martin from Dirty Rotten Scoundrels... I just have to laugh at all of the face Micah makes. He is so expressive! I'm now on day 5 without coffee and not even a single headache. It seems to be helping a ton with Micah's gas issues so it's definitely worth the mid-afternoon sleepiness. It's probably a good time for me to break the bad habit anyway! We'll see if I survive once I'm with them all day on my own without Joe's help!

That's my only report for the week on Micah... He's very GASSY. That's it! Nothing else new... sleeping eating and pooping is still about it!

One Week With Micah!

Here's our lil Micah Jay at one week old!

Sleeping, eating, and pooping is what consumes most of his days... every once in awhile he opens his peepers to see what's going on in the world around him! He's a big dreamer and very expressive in his sleep... I could sit and just watch him for hours! He makes the cutest faces!

Micah has been the BEST BABY so far! He is so sweet and very CONTENT. I just adore my new man! He normally sleeps most of the day and just wakes once at night to be fed then heads right back to sleep again! We are not lacking on photos of Micah in this house! Wyatt is my shadow with the camera. I think he's taken more pictures of his lil bro than I have! We've had beautiful weather this week so Micah has gotten lots of time outside with his brothers!

He got to watch (OK, to be honest, he slept through it all!) big bros riding in the car together. Isaac has quite the chocolate face here!...

and he got to see Wyatt riding around the cul-de-sac on his new bike! Not long before Isaac wants a turn on the bike too, I'm sure!

Micah had his first appointment with the pediatrician and he is GROWING! He was back up to 8lbs 3oz (we left the hospital at 7lbs 13oz) and was 21.5in long. I'm thinking he was not quite stretched out all the way and accurately measured on his birth day because he couldn't possibly grow TWO inches in one week! I guess he's not quite as shrimpy as we originally thought! :)

Bath Time!

Micah got his first bath at home tonight! I think this might be my very favorite picture of Micah so far! He was not initially a fan of the water...

...but once daddy got plenty of warm water on him then he was a happy camper again!

Here we are drying off and getting warm again!

Isaac is 15 Months and a BIG BROTHER!

Here he is! Our little Isaac Owen at 15 Months and all SMILES!

My baby is now a BIG BROTHER! Isaac is so LOVING. He gives Micah very gentle love pats whenever he can get his lil hands on him.

Here's Ike giving Micah a hug and a kiss. So sweet! So Isaac is definitely not a newborn anymore but he is certainly still a baby to us! It has been SO HARD for me to be unable to hold him like usual. I'm not supposed to really be holding him for 6 weeks... I don't think we'll make it that long! We snuggle on the floor but it's just not the same. When he wants me to pick him up and I don't, he completely melts down in tears and puts his head on the floor. It just breaks my heart. But luckily Daddy is around most of the time. They are becoming really good buddies! Isaac is all about the choo-choos now, especially the ones with batteries that move on their own!

Our front door is always OPEN because this is Ike's favorite look out spot. He LOVES to see what's going on in the world and would be outside every minute of the day if we let him.

He is starting to come down the stairs backward but still makes me a nervous wreck when the baby gate are open. He just has no concept of danger yet!

We have the Easter eggs out and Isaac loves to dump them all over and then fill his basket back up!

The car. He loves riding in the car!

This is really just a one seater but we've found a way for them both to ride together! Isaac is Mr. Friendly, always waving HI and BYE to the neighbors!

Ike man LOVES his blankie! It doesn't normally EVER leave his crib so I'm not sure why it was in the living room but he was pretty proud to have gotten a hold of it! : )

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Fun Facts About Our 15-Month-Old

ISAAC...

• has discovered a new favorite food--PINEAPPLE!
• understands NO! and does whatever he's not supposed to be doing at an accelerated speed with a great big smile. I think this lil man is going to be a hard one to discipline because he has such a sweet spirit and innocent grin!
• runs and JUMPS now. It is so cute to watch him try to coordinate throwing a ball and jumping at the same time
• escapes in a split second if any outside door is open. We've got locks everywhere in this house!
• is starting to really get his feelings hurt when brother pushes him over or takes away a toy
• has started the TANTRUMS--full blown with his whole body dropping to the ground and his face planted into the floor. It just makes me melt.
• loves to go into a room and close the door behind him... he loves this independent time and feeling like such a big boy.
• is very social--he waves hi and bye to everyone!
• puts everything in the trash can. We always have to rummage through the trash before it gets taken out because there is ALWAYS something in there that should be--sunscreen, shoes, my phone, toys, etc.......

Isaac, You are just the sweetest little man. Your BRIGHT SMILE and LAUGHTER are great medicine for my soul each and every day. You fill me with much joy. I'm so thankful for your life and all that you've added to ours in these past 15 months! And even though you are now a big brother, you are still my BABY forever! I love you... to the moon and back, Mommy

Day 4- Homecoming!

So my only regret is that we didn't have a nurse take a photo with Jojo in it! Here we are all packed up and ready to leave St. Luke's South Room 303! I have to say that I'm feeling really sad to see our hospital stay draw to an end. It has been such a wonderful experience! It has certainly been such a happy, relaxing, and restful 4 days. Almost like a little retreat...almost! I would LOVE to do it all over again! Yes, even surgery! All for the mere pleasure of that indescribable moment of meeting Micah for the first time. But, we are homeward bound and I'm missing my other 2 fellas like crazy. So I'm ready to be home where our family is complete and together again...

Wyatt and Isaac were both sporting their orange polo's and jumping around like little monkeys in the driveway when we pulled up. They made us feel very WELCOME to be home again!

There's my Ike man... been missin' you buddy! So glad he's feeling better today! He's got that good ol' thumb! Little man stayed up late to greet us... he'll be down for a nap in no time! Wyatt rushed right in to the car to see his new bro...

and he gave him a toy to play with...

and wanted to talk to him and tell him all kinds of stories!

Up close and personal... home Micah doesn't have a personal space issue!

I could barely get through the door before both boys were hanging from me, literally! I felt very loved!

Both boys were so eager to get their hands on Micah! Our rule is that they can touch his tummy and toes only. I have to say that Micah is one very lucky little boy to have such great big brothers!

Isaac was just amazed by this new little person in his home. He gave Micah the sweetest little love pats! So I wouldn't leave them alone for even a split second, though, because sometimes those sweet love pats get a little too rough! : )

Wyatt LOVES Micah Jay and is very protective of him already!

Little buddy finally got some shut eye!

We put a baby lock on the office doors to keep Ikey bear out...

Wyatt thought is was his job to sit in the office and watch over his lil bro!

This is one very PROUD big brother!

I know, Friends, that there are CRAZY days ahead! There will be plenty of days that I never find time for a shower, laundry will pile high as Mt. Rainier, good intentions for a healthy meal will end in a Taco Bell run, and an overdue-to-eat-Micah Jay will be wailing in the background as I attempt to heal a boo boo with a band aid and a kiss! But in the midst of all of the chaos, I will not be swallowed up by the stress. My goal is to let it all go and truly savor this season in effort to not miss a single moment or a memory with my boys! Investing in them is my high priority and great privilege. One of my favorite quotes by the late Jim Elliot is "Wherever you are, be all there. Live to the hilt any situation you believe to be the will of God". I know it is his will for me to be home with these 3 boys and I want to fully engage and 'be all there'! I feel like the most blessed lady on the face of this earth! Thank you, Lord, for these blessings that I'm so undeserving of but sure grateful to know. May Joe and I steward them well...