The Verhoeven's

Monday, July 27, 2009

Smiles

I thought I'd try and do smaller posts more frequently, rather than spend a few days trying to put a huge post together.

Emma has been smiling since she was about 4 weeks old. It amazed me when she first started doing it. At first I thought it might've been gas, but she would always do it on cue. Especially when I would talk sweet to her.

We almost got a giggle out of her the other day too. She has the sweetest little voice!

I've been having a hard time catching her smiles on camera. I'll have to get Mike to take a picture of her while I tell her how pretty she is (she loves to hear that!).

This picture makes me laugh. She was smiling, but at the angle I got it it looks like she is yelling at her toys!

I ordered a shirt and diaper set for Emma a couple months ago, and we finally got it in the mail! We absolutely love it! She looks like a little hippy baby ;)

Jesus was a cloth diapered, breast fed baby!

Look at this chunk!

We also just got our custom Nanipoo diaper in the mail. I got made in one of my favorite fabric prints: Goldfish in Bags. Unfortunately it has been discontinued, so the price of the fabric is ridiculous if you want to purchase it. So when I saw that she offered custom diapers in the fabric, I couldn't resist. She's even wearing a matching goldfish bow that I bought from Etsy!

Mike took some pictures of Jacob & Emma in our bay window. He was actually acting interested in his little sister. Most of the time he just pretends she doesn't exist :)

Jacob has become quite the little artist. He loves to sit up at the table and color. He'll sit up there for 45 minutes and just go to town.

Here's the prouct of markers and a snotty nose:

Jacob and Daddy love to go on nature walks in the backyard. Jacob loves it! They explore the yard and look at all the different bugs, plants, flowers, rocks, trees, dirt... you name it.

I just celebrated another birthday. Mike is so good to me! He suprised me with a cake AND cupcakes, flowers, and a TV stand for the bedroom!! I was dying for one. I'd have to hang over the edge of the bed to be able to see it. Now I'm just looking forward to the day where I can lock myself in the bedroom, turn the TV on, and crochet in peace...

We also went out to dinner with Mandi, Stephen, and Genesis. Soon when we go out it will be a party of 8. Mandi's pregnant and due in December!

Anyway, afterwards we snapped our first family photo of the four of us.

I forgot to post a photo of Emma's first bath last time. It's her first nudie shot, and she sure did pose for it!

And last, here's a picture of Emma modeling another one of my hats.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

A child was born just the other day, she came to the world the usual way

Life has been crazy and so many things are changing at once.

We've officially expanded our little family to four! Emma Elizabeth Verhoeven was born at 5:24pm on June 9, 2009. So now Mike and I share our wedding anniversary with our little lady’s birth :)

She weighed 7 lbs. 2 oz. and was 20 inches long. She was slightly jaundiced, but nothing to be concerned over.

Last belly picture. 39 weeks 4 days, on our way to the hospital.

Newly born Emma

On our way home

Emma is doing well. She is such a great baby! Breastfeeding is finally going well. We were having a lot of problems in the beginning: latching problems, engorgement, and mastitis… We had to see a lactation consultant and it was then that we found out the Emma was severely tongue tied. We finally got it clipped and I’m on an antibiotic for the mastitis. I REFUSED to give up and I’m so happy I did!

Posing for pictures in a hat made by her mommy!

Jakey & Emma watching morning cartoons :)

Cheeeeeesin!

We fell asleep and daddy snuck a picture.

Jacob just had his skin graft surgery on his foot on Monday, June 15th and got to come home on Thursday, June 18th . Thankfully our family has really stepped up to help out and we've had someone up here helping from the time Emma was born until July 4th. Mike was able to take off of work and stay at the hospital with Jacob. I felt so bad for not being able to be there with him. I did get to visit during the day, but even that was difficult because they wouldn't allow Emma to go back. They said that since it is a burn center that there are a lot of infections and they didn't want her to catch anything. Since I'm just breastfeeding it made it really difficult to stay back there with him for any length of time.

It has been a few weeks since his surgery, and he's doing great! He's no longer wearing bandages. Instead he's just wearing tubigrip on both of his feet and his upper thigh. It's sort of like a tight fitting sock. He'll soon be wearing a special pressure garment on his foot in place of the tubigrip. From what I understand he'll have to wear it for about a year.

Hangin out with his little sister.

Yeah, he needs a haircut!

Emma has an appointment tomorrow to check her hips. At her first check-up they noticed a clicking noise in one of her hips. The doctor said by the first month the clicking usually stops, but they like to check just to be safe. If it is still clicking they're going to schedule us for an x-ray to see what the problem may be. I'm anxious to see how much she weighs. When she was weighed at 3 weeks, she was up about two and a half pounds from her birth weight! Which tells me she is getting PLENTY of milk!

**UPDATE: Emma does not have to have hip dysplasia. We took her back to the doctor and her hip was still clicking so they sent us to have an ultrasound. After waiting the longest weekend of my life for the results we got the good news that she does not have hip dysplasia! And she weighed in at a whopping 9 lbs 3 oz!

Trying to keep her girlish figure and doing crunches.

Being a cutie on the changing table

Thanks for the BEAUTIFUL blanket Nanny!

Look at this crazy two week old lady! She's so strong!!

I started putting this post together a while ago and just never got around to posting. Until I have more time to write, here are some more recent pictures of the two little ones. :)

Daddy & Jacob at the Zoo