Nolan :)

Hi Everyone-The past couple of months have been quite a ride! I finally have time to share the details. Most importantly our new addition, Nolan James is thriving. Our little turkey weighs 12lbs at one month old. He nurses like a champion and he is doing all the things newborns do best, eat, sleep and poop! :) Savannah immediately fell in love with her little brother. Everyday she tells me at least 30 times she wants to "hold baby". Her nickname for him is "sugar baby". She got this from my Mom who called Nolan, "sugar" while she was here. Savannah added the "baby" part so it is now "sugar baby" or "sugar baby nolan". It is very cute!


My Mom arrived on June 18th, I was due June 16th. Nolan heard my wish and decided to stay put until Grammy arrived. I predicted he would be born at 41 weeks. Turns out, I was right and little Nolan was born on Saturday, June 23rd. Labor was fast, much faster than with Savannah. My contractions started around 9pm Friday night but didn't become consistent and noteworthy until midnight. I called Dora, our doula, at 2:00am and I labored at home with her here for a little while and we headed to the hospital at 3:30am. The hospital was very close to our apartment, in fact the plan was to walk there. Since my contractions were intensifying rapidly we decided to drive. When we arrived at the hospital I just pointed to my belly and the receptionist said "3rd floor" but in German! When we got to the maternity floor, the midwife prepared my labor room and tub while the baby and I were monitored for 30 minutes. Those seemed like the longest 30 minutes of my life because I had to lie down. Once the room was ready and monitoring was over, I got into the tub. Then 10 minutes later it was time to push and there was no time to get out. Nolan was in a hurry and he was born in the water at 4:54am! He was immediately placed on my chest. His big blue eyes were wide open exploring his new world. It was a moment I will always cherish. Rocky was by my side the entire time with encouragement and Dora  provided support at all the right moments. The birth was completely natural just like Savannah's, the difference was I was only in labor for about 5 hours instead of 12 like with Savannah. We had a really great birth experience here. The hospital, Paulinen Klinik was very supportive of natural birthing. During the whole experience I felt safe and comfortable. This is something I was concerned about because of the language barrier. Dora helped tremendously with this. After the birth we went home around 11am. It was really nice to be with our new little family. Savannah's smile was priceless the first time she saw Nolan. That evening my midwife Mary came to check on Nolan and I. She was really great too. She came to see us everyday for the next four days. I loved having her come to us.

When Nolan was two weeks old he developed a high fever and he had to be in the hospital for five days. The doctors believe he had a viral infection that he got from me. There were a couple other possibilities of the fever but they ran all the tests and everything came back normal so we settled on a viral infection as the diagnosis. I stayed with him the whole time and was able to breastfeed him through everything. It was really hard dealing with all of this being in a German hospital. Everyone spoke English but they would first talk in German and then the doctors would tell me what they were saying. We got through it and most importantly, Nolan was fine after day five, and the only problem he had was a high fever. My Mom stayed an extra week to help us. I can't begin to describe how helpful but  also comforting this was to have her here!

Fast forward 6 weeks and things are starting to clam down. My Mom left when Nolan was three weeks old. Having her here was the most amazing gift. She helped Rocky and I in so many ways. We were very grateful for each day she was here. Savannah had a ball with her. Every morning they took their walk and did art projects. Now it is our little family of four and Lilly. Rocky has really been a wonderful husband through everything. He has helped with house work, Savannah and anything he can whenever possible. Some days go smoothly while other days are more challenging. Savannah is starting to give up her afternoon nap so that has been tricky. We miss our family and friends more than anything in the world. Everyday I learn something new on how life works with two children. The most important lesson I've learned so far is to have an abundance of patience and that a glass of wine in the evening is absolutely essential! ;)

Nolan is smiling now and we are trying to capture these sweet moments the best we can. He loves to sleep in Savannah's bouncy seat from when she was an infant. We had a seat for him but hers vibrates and he loves the motion. So he sleeps in there, even at night! We feel so very blessed to have two beautiful and healthy children. I love watching them grow and do new things everyday. I think I saw Nolan notice his hand yesterday. Savannah is very talkative lately. She says new words all day long and puts sentences together. She's learning her colors and can pick out certain letters in the alphabet like 'S' for her name! She just started to say her name, it was tough for a long time to say.

Here are pictures from the past month. I tried to include captions with each to help narrate.

XO
Elizabeth