one month.

Today August is one month old. Not that long in the big picture. But in my eyes, it’s quite the accomplishment [for me anyways]. This month has been one of great joy. August has brought out the best of me and the worst of me. Motherhood has been filled with great pleasure [cuddles and coos] and pure frustration [pooping on the changing table and unexplainable crying]. All this to say, I’ve learned a lot these past 31 days.

As I share this, I am fully aware that not everyone wants to read about the ins and outs of our lives with August.  Maybe I say this because I get annoyed by some blogs that seem to “brag” about family life or children.  My purpose here is to document our first year with him. Also, it’s a good way to keep family in the loop since most of them live at a distance.  Inevitably, we probably will brag about our son.  After all, what parent won’t?  🙂

Below are some of the highlights from this month:

• Wiggly little boy: August is just that. He wiggles and jiggles all day long. When he’s sleeping, getting his diaper changed, laying on his tummy, cuddling with mom and dad…he wiggles. Our guess is that he will grow into a busy little boy.
• He is his father’s son: Everyone tells us how much he looks like Chris. There is no denying it. I just hope he inherited some of my traits too [hopefully not my stubborn personality].
• Firsts: trip to the ER (long, embarrassing, first-time-parent story), coo-ing, diaper “blow outs”,  trip to Target, Hobby Lobby, dad’s office, church, library. In month 2 we will work on his first trip to Starbucks! 🙂
  
• Visitors, visitors, visitors: August has felt the love this month. We’ve had family, church friends, Chicago friends, college friends, Trinity students, coworkers, preschoolers etc. come to meet August. We have felt very blessed by the amount of love he/we have been shown [and the food that has been given]. We are still welcoming visitors to come and meet him!
• Eat, Wake, Sleep: This is the routine that every book says babies should fall into. I see this starting to develop with August [slowly but surely]. I was really hard on myself the first couple of weeks to get him on a “schedule”. I have really had to calm down and take the time to enjoy my baby.
• No Control: Throughout my pregnancy my OB kept telling me, “Amanda, once your son is born you will lose all control over him”. I didn’t really believe this until that special December day. No matter how hard I try to get August to take a nap from 9:00-11:30, if he is wide awake and unwilling, it won’t happen. Even though he’s asleep when I pull into the Hobby Lobby parking lot, it doesn’t mean he will stay that way. This has been hard for me to grasp.
• Sleep: The #1 question we get is, “how is he sleeping?”. At night he sleeps about 3 hours at a time. He usually goes to bed at 7:30/8 wakes up around 11:30, 2:30 and then again at 5:30/6. My goal is to get that morning wake up time closer to 7:00! Some days he naps really well and some days not so well!
• Likes/dislikes: August likes snuggles with mom and dad, his swing, laying on his tummy, being carried in the Baby Bjorn, looking around and being alert. August does NOT like: diaper changes, clothes changes, baths, taking naps in his crib, sleeping for more than 3 hours.
• Love: Chris and I have fallen in love with this little guy. It has been a month of a growing love that I never knew possible. We are quite smitten with him.

My prayer for August comes from Ephesians 3:17-19

“…and I pray that you [will] grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

[on a side note: when i was a baby my mom made signs and took monthly pictures of me. i used to make fun of her for doing this. jokes on me now, eh? she would be so proud!]

2 weeks in. what i’ve learned as a mom.

Wowzers is being a first time mom an adjustment. In the past two weeks I’ve experienced the greatest joy of my life (aside from marrying Chris) and some of the greatest amounts of frustration. August is a perfect, precious gift from God. He is fearfully and wonderfully made. He brings me a joy that I never knew possible. He has humbled me in ways I’ve never been humbled before. He has taught me more about myself in these two weeks than any other two week span. Below are some highlights of what I’ve learned during this process.

1. Giving birth is one of life’s most amazing miracles. Throughout pregnancy, I often forgot that I was carrying a baby, a human, someone who would grow and get a job and hopefully make a positive impact on people’s lives. The moment I saw August, I was in awe and felt the reality of the gift we were given. The gift of life. A new human being. He is ours to parent, to love and to cherish–even when things are frustrating.

2. I am WAY more of a control freak than I ever thought. I have learned how type A I really am. I like things timed out. I thrive on schedules. Things need to go according to my plan. I like things done in a certain way. My days don’t differ much in their routine. Well…if you’re a mom, you are probably laughing at this. August has taught me how little control I actually have over his life. I can feed him every three hours, let him sleep, read endless books/blogs/websites, and pull my hair out all while trying to get him in a routine. Then…he wakes up 45 minutes early, eats 2 hours early and cries for longer than I had planned. There goes my afternoon trip to Hobby Lobby…

3. I’ve learned to accept help. I’m usually one to say “thanks, but no thanks”. When people are offering to bring meals, drop off coffee, clean my bathroom, my response? Yes please! We have truly been humbled and blessed by the amount of love August has already been given.

4. I have a better glimpse of God’s love. My love for Chris has grown deeper than I knew possible. My love for August grows and develops each day. These two loves don’t even begin to compare to the love God has for us. A love that we don’t deserve. A love that I take for granted on a daily basis. My prayer is that August will grow to know and cherish how much God loves him. That he will commit his life to following Jesus.

5. On a more superficial note: a. little boys can pee way farther then you ever expected. b. i now know why moms microwave their “morning” coffee. c.i’ve learned how to make coffee, fill water bottles, put clothes away, text, email, facebook all with one hand. d. you can read any and every baby book possible, but in the end… you need to follow your instinct, listen to your baby and do what you think is best. The most important thing August needs right now (aside from food) is our love.

I can’t devote a whole post to August with attaching a few pictures.

We think he’s pretty great (even when he doesn’t sleep).

What a gift we’ve been given!

the birth story (g-rated).

As promised, we wanted to share the story of August’s birth.  We, of course, want to do this without being too graphic.  So don’t worry, we won’t post any terrifying pictures.  🙂

Amanda was overdue and the doctor had suggested several weeks back that she be induced on December 27.    The night of the 26^th was one of the most anxiety-ridden nights of our life (with the exception, now, of our first night at home—hah).  Knowing what was coming and when the moment was coming was tough to process.  We didn’t get a lot of sleep that night!

On the 27^th, we went in at 7AM, started the Pitocin at 8AM, and had her water broken at 9AM.  By noon, she was at 10cm and had made great progress!  The entire day was much less dramatic than we’d seen depicted in movies and on TV.  Amanda took a couple of naps and we watched some Cake Boss.  We even went for a run!

Just kidding on that last one.

August Thacker Bohle was born on 12/27/12 at 4:04PM at 8lb 9oz and 21” long.

I’ve been telling folks that while the day wasn’t dramatic for either of us, it was entirely mind-blowing and inspiring.  I’m still not sure how the whole process is possible.  It really is a miracle.

We are also thankful that there were no major complications.  There is always the temptation to consider the multitude of worst-case scenarios.  Thankfully, none of them materialized.

We also could not have better things to say about Holland Hospital.  Our OB was amazing.  One of Amanda’s pre-schooler’s moms also volunteered to work that day so she could be our nurse.  This made the process much more peaceful, and it was great to have someone we know in there with us.  It sounds like it would have been weird for Amanda, but it wasn’t.  I didn’t realize how much time is spent with just the nurse.  It was pretty much the 3 of us for the entire day.

Thank you to all of the family and friends who helped us in this process.  All of our co-workers who encouraged us every day.  Our families who helped us both in Holland and from across the country.  And to our friends who we appreciate so much.  Will you all continue to support us and pray for us as we start the real challenge?

Below are some pictures of newborn August!