The Tostenson's: December 2010

TIME FLIES!!!!

Just a month ago today, I was meeting my little Miracle Baby for the first time!!!

I was so over joyed to meet Josiah! I really didn't know if I would ever know what he looked like, hear him cry, have him hold my finger, have him snuggle up to me, etc. Having almost lost him at 11.5 weeks and having to be so careful the following 12 weeks, I was pretty emotional meeting this little man!

He's here now...and he's a month old!!! Time really does fly!!! Just in a month, Josiah has changed in looks AND SIZE!!!

One Week Old

Two Weeks Old

My Little "Old Man!"

At two weeks old:

Height-20.75 in-50.9 percentile

Weight-8 lbs 13.5 oz-51.19 percentile

Head-35.6 cm-20.34 percentile

Three Weeks Old

I love the little smirk on him in this picture

Here at 3 weeks, Josiah is wearing an outfit Isaiah did, but sooner and filling it out a lot quicker :)

One Month Old!!

At one month old:

Weight-if the scale is accurate-when I step on the scale with him, it is 12 lbs heavier than with just me on it!! Josiah has ROLLS on his legs. Neither one of my other 2 ever had rolls! I am so excited!!

Sleep-Josiah sleeps between 3-5 hour stretches at night! I usually feed him one last time around midnight and then we sleep until 3-5am, feed and then another few hour stretch. I will take it!

Feeding-We are still nursing at this time and it seems to be going well. We are a bit nervous however because this last week he has an about an hour each evening when he cries pretty hard. With Julia, her crying spells lasted HOURS, so we're hoping it isn't the start of a dairy allergy like the other kids. We prayed over him tonight and we hope that he will have no issues going forward. I enjoy nursing (yes sometimes I wish I could go to formula, but I do love nursing as well,) and I am not ready to give it up...unless he is hurting!

Personality-Josiah is such a good baby. He loves to be held. He loves to look around. He sleeps A LOT still. There are days he will be up quite a bit, but more often he sleeps. He is a content baby most of the time-unless he is really hungry (just like his Daddy and Isaiah), has a burp in him or has a dirty diaper. :)

Smiles-Josiah smiles A LOT in his sleep. This past week we have started to get little grins. Today, on his one month birthday, Grandpa Mike and I both saw a pretty good smile from him. I don't think it will be long before he will actually be smiling a lot!!!

During the last month, Josiah has experienced the following-

Gets to spend LOTS of time with Grandpa Mike! Grandpa ADORES Mr. Josiah!!!

Had his 1st Thanksgiving!

Met all his Great Grandparents!

Below-Grandma and Grandpa Baber

Below-Grandma Tostenson (we did not get a picture with Great Grandpa Tosty)

Met all his cousins on the Tostenson side

Met all his cousins on the Kelly side

...and even played in the leaves

This past month has been sooo crazy and hectic with having 3-4 kids at the house, but I wouldn't change it for the world. We've had some rough spots, but things are finally settling down and becoming less stressful. The kids are getting used to having him here (although they all have been super good around him, I do think they are beg for attention at times as well,) I'm learing how to handle them all and how to give them their own special time and love and Daddy is also learning how to balance work and home! It is a big adjustment, but it is well worth it. I am so glad that Josiah has come into our lives. I couldn't imagine life without him. I am so glad God saved this little man.

I am so excited to see the changes he makes over the next month! It is so crazy how much the grow and change over time!!!

I love you Josiah David!

Josiah's Birth Story-

(I know he will be a month on December 2nd, but I haven't been at the actual computer for long periods of time at all...and only at the computer a handful of times. I do my facebooking from my phone and really haven't had the chance to check other sites or update.)

I started having real contractions a week before I was induced. The last week I was at work, I missed quite a bit of time with going home early, calling in, etc. I was SOOO uncomfortable. Wednesday Oct, 27, 2010 Nick and I actually headed to the hospital, because the contractions were getting stronger and closer together. We took the kids to Nana and Papa's house and headed to the hospital. After being examed (only at 1, which I had been at for 3 weeks now,) walking, all the monitoring, etc, I was sent home. The nurse said that if it was all based on contractions I would be admitted, but since I wasn't dilating, I was sent home. She stated she thought I would be back later that night, because the contractions were so close together.

Ahahahahah, that is FUNNY! I didn't go in until my induction date!!!

November 2, 2010-

We dropped Julia and Isaiah off at Nana and Papa's at 7:15 on Nov 2 and headed to the hospital (Tobias was with his mom.) We got there and checked in at 8:00AM. I was hooked up to all the good stuff, monitors on, and examined...this time, almost a 2...*rolls eyes* and my water was broke. The nurse had me start walking and walking and walking, for what I felt was FOREVER, however it probably wasn't. I just HATE that part, walking is the last thing I want to be doing. After a lot of walking, the nurse suggested that I sit on the excercise ball. I really liked that, it helped my back feel sooo much better. As I was sitting there, Nick's dad and my dad came up to the room to visit for awhile. We sat and talked awhile and then decided I should do some more walking, so all of us walked the halls for awhile . Again, I didn't make it long and wanted back to the ball. As I'm sitting there, Nick and his dad start arguing, I mean ARGUING-raising their voices and everything about.........FOOTBALL!!! (They were arguing about what needed to be done for the Huskers to win the Big 12 North (or south, whatever we're in) or the championship or something....I ended up saying something to Nick, hoping his dad would even get the clue that this is the last thing I wanted to be listening to as I am in labor!!!! My dad was just sitting there, reading his news paper, with a smile across his face...I was soooooooooooooooo annoyed.

I think though, their arguing sped up things. Because, as soon as they were done and the dad's decided to leave, the contractions picked up. They were STRONG!!! I have never had contractions like that before. I was BAWLING, squeezing Nick's hand, holding on to the bed, crying some more...I wanted the epidural sooooo bad, but my nurse had went to lunch and I didn't want to bother her. (You ladies that do it all natural are AMAZING!!! I really look up to you, I do NOT have the strength for that.) Once the nurse came in, she said, "Oh MY! This is a lot different than when I left." She told me I should have had her paged, but I told her I felt bad. She said that I should have and she would not have been mad at all, it is her job. So she called the doctor for the epidural...and I got that. RELIEF!!!

Right after I got the epi, the nurse checked me and I was 3-4 cm dilated!! We all sat there a bit and chatted when all of a sudden I said I felt something, so the nurse decided to check me. She goes, "OH MY GOSH!!! You are ready to go!!!! I have to call the doctor! It's time to push!" Guys, this was FOURTY FIVE MINUTES LATER! That epidural has ALWAYS sped up my labor, but this was the quickest!!! Nick didn't even think my doctor would make it in time and she is in the same building. He said with every contraction, that Josiah's head would come out a bit more. However, the doctor made it and just in time. She told me to push and....

TWO PUSHES LATER....at 2:46pm, Josiah David was born at 7 lbs 8 oz!!! He was (and is) BEAUTIFUL!!! It was the best delivery ever!!!! (Made me decide, I wasn't done having kids, I want one more...and hopefully I feel done after that!!!)

I decided to try nursing again with him (I tried with Julia and not Isaiah), but wasn't sure how it would go since both Julia and Isaiah both had to be on Ela-Care formula-you know the EXPENSIVE stuff!!! I said I would try doing it, with a normal diet and that I was also willing to do the MSPI diet if I needed to. Right after he was born and cleaned up, the nurse had me nurse. He latched on right away and did great. I think this helped me stay positive about trying to nurse! He has done great with it and done great with dairy so far! YAY!!!! He even gained weight at the hospital-we left at 7 lbs 10 oz!!!! At his 2 week appt he was 8 lbs 13 oz! Then yesterday I stepped on the scale without him, then with him and it was 10 lbs heavier!!! My little bubba is growing like a weed.

He is an AMAZING baby!!!! Sleeps well, eats well, cuddles well...just an overall great baby! He only cries when he is really hungry, has a burp and he haven't helped him get it out yet, or has a dirty diaper. Other than that, the kid just lays there, cuddles and looks around (or sleeps!) He has helped the transition to 3(sometimes 4) kids so much easier. Tobias, Julia and Isaiah just love having him around. They are all SO good with him.
I'm in love...again!

Here are some pictures of him at the hospital...

Mommy cuddling her new baby boy!