Another Baby Girl!

Josiah has yet another little friend. This one is actually the closest in age to him: Kaitlin Elizabeth was born July 23rd, just 4 days after Josiah, to our friends Melissa & John. We're sad that they had to move to Jacksonville, NC this week (John is stationed there) but Melissa and Kaitlin will be back here for a couple of months while she finishes her student teaching, so we'll have to spend as much time with them as we can! We had a fun visit together before they left. And the pregnancy-craze continues: I think I still have 6 more friends with babies on the way... none due until November though!

Weight Gain & Loss!

All these feedings are paying off. Josiah had his check-up with the pediatrician today and she was ecstatic with his weight gain. He is now 8 lbs 5 oz... so that means he gained 8 ounces in the last 6 days and he is over his birth weight of 8 lbs 3 oz. So he is healthy and looking great, and she even told us that we don't have to wake him up for feedings in the middle of the night now... if he'll sleep 5-6 hours, so can we! I had my first breastfeeding-on-the-go experience... the dr. visit took longer than I'd expected which meant by the end, Josiah was really hungry and screaming, so I just fed him there before we left. It went well... I guess it shouldn't be a big deal, but so far, I'd been comfy at home propped up with pillows, so I was glad to know I could do it anywhere with minimal supplies :)

As for me, I've lost 25 of the 37 pregnancy pounds I gained. So technically, I just have 12 more to lose! But I was higher than I'd like to be to begin with, so I may set my goal at more like 25 pounds to lose... maybe by Christmas. Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised that 25 lbs were gone within the first week. I can actually see my ankle bones now and my wedding rings fit again, so I know I had a lot of retained fluid that's now gone.

So that's our update for today... Daddy went back to work today, but I had Grandma-B over to help this morning and then Grandma-D went with us to the doctor this afternoon, and we managed to have a good day!

Of a Wealthy Estate

Our last name, Wellington, means "of a wealthy estate." While we have yet to find ourselves overflowing in financial abundance :), we are truly wealthy in other, more significant ways! We have the wealth of a big loving family! These are just a few of the special family members that Josiah has gotten to meet over the last 10 days. His arrival was much anticipated over the last 9 months and as you can see, he is already quite adored!! His second set of grandparents and his uncle got home from Alaska tonight and though they'd been travelling cross-country all day, they stopped in to meet Josiah on the way home from the airport, and what fun that was! (Here is Josiah with Aunt Bea, Alexis, Grandma & Grandpa Wellington, Uncle Brett, Nana & Buddy, Aunt Stiney, Grandma B & Grandpa) plus there are so many more!!

1 Week

It's hard to believe Josiah has already been here for 1 week! We are loving life with him... it's definitely an awesome experience and responsibility. He got to meet Shelby (our dog) for the first time tonight, and that went quite well. It's fun how much we've already gotten to know this little guy in just one week... he always sleeps with his mouth open and his arms above his head, he is comforted best by being held tight, sucking on our finger or when we walk him around the house, he fights sleep when there is an opportunity to be social and he knows his mommy & daddy. I know that time is going to fly by with him. While I can't wait to see him as he grows, I'm really enjoying this sweet newborn time, and so is his daddy!

Career Changes

Well, it's official. I have a new full-time job: feeding Josiah! I figure 8-10 hours of every day/night is spent doing nothing but feeding... but with a face like this, it's all worth it!

Our Little Man: Josiah Michael

Josiah Michael Wellington was born Monday, July 20th at 5:56 am. He was 8 lbs. 3 oz. and 21 1/2 inches long. He has a full head of light brown hair, big dark eyes and we are completely in love with him! We got home from the hospital Thurs. afternoon (I had a c-section...more about that later) and even though my house is now a mess, I have a big incision across my belly that limits what I can do and I am lucky to get 4 hours of sleep a night... we are loving being a family of 3! It is beyond worth it! Josiah is so sweet...he rarely cries... just eats, sleeps, makes adorable noises and faces and... apparently rolls over! No exaggeration... we put him on his tummy last night to try out some tummy time and after about 2 minutes, he lifted up onto his arms and rolled himself completely onto his back!! I'm going to try to catch it on video if he'll do it again. Mike and I were so shocked and tried googling to see when babies typically first do that... everything said 3-4 months! Josiah just did it at 4 days old! Anyway, we think he's pretty amazing, even if we are a bit biased!

Last Pregnancy Post!!!

Well, here's my 40 weeks, 4 days final belly shot! 35 extra pounds... that hopefully at least 12-15 of will be gone tomorrow! In just 10 hours, we'll be at the hospital for the long-awaited day and boy are we ready! It's a very surreal feeling to know we'll be parents tomorrow, meeting our little boy for the first time, and though I've been thinking about it non-stop for the past 9 months, I just don't think it's really possible to know what it'll be like until it actually happens! We had a good "final" weekend. Being "overdue" is definitely really uncomfortable - I can hardly sleep, I'm achy and baby movements are kinda painful at this point. But at least that didn't last too long, just the last 3 or 4 days... and knowing he'll be out first thing in the morning makes it all worth it!

Thanks to all of you who have followed us on this journey, prayed for us and given me encouragement along the way! I will definitely keep this blog going... just with baby pictures now! The posts may be slim for the next couple of days though... we'll literally have our hands full! :) Can't wait to introduce you to the newest Wellington... by his REAL name... no more BabyW!!!

We'll be at Sentara Leigh Hospital for the next 3 days...and we'll have our cell phones if you'd like to call or come visit!

Lots of love,
Melissa & Mike