First Thanksgiving!

Malachi's first Thanksgiving went well. He didn't get a chance to taste the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and gravy on his own. He did, of course, get it all second hand:) For his Thanksgiving lunch, he watched his Mommy, Daddy, Grampa, Grammy, Uncle Josh, Aunt Erin, and Cousin Callie eat from his exersaucer. We tried to give him some mashed potatoes, but he kept spitting them back out. His mouth isn't used to that function yet. We did succeed at getting him to eat a minutely small amount of smashed banana. Again, he was clueless as to how his mouth was to move, but it was cute watching his expressions as he was figuring out the food.

Thanksgiving dinner was a little later in the evening and a little less pleasant. Don't get me wrong, the family was very pleasant! Malachi's bedtime is 7:30pm. He starts getting fussy around 6pm. And what time did dinner start but 6pm! You don't realize how hard it is to keep a baby happy when they are tired, and you are trying to spend quality time with family until you have your own children. I can't name all the people that Malachi got to visit with here, but he did spend some time with his Great-Aunt Betty who kept him happy while his Mommy and Daddy had seconds on turkey and all the trimmings. He also got to visit with his Great-grandma, Great-grandpa, Nana, Grandpa Rick, Aunt Miranda, Uncle Nathan, Aunt Tabitha, and all the extended family, girlfriends, boyfriends, and friends. It was a lot of fun for us to visit, but not a lot of fun to keep a fussy, hungry baby happy when all the family wanted to see him. Thank goodness he is a good baby and very seldom cries!

Rolling onto His Side

Malachi has been rolling onto his side quite frequently for about 2 weeks now. He can't get onto his tummy yet, of course, but it is definitely fun to watch him get perched onto his side. Way to go Malachi! (Can you tell he likes to stick his hands in his mouth?)

"Surgery" makes you tired!

Tuesday evening after Malachi's tongue clipping, he was exhausted. I don't know if it was the hassle of being held down or the second dose of Tylenol combined with the local anesthesia, but he slept most of the evening. Now Malachi normally falls asleep around 7:30pm (since day-light savings time). He was sleeping like a rock around 5pm. Daniel and I passed him back and forth a few times. He was like a dead weight, almost no life. It was kind of cute, actually. Daniel and I enjoyed getting our cuddles from our poor little patient.

Praise the Lord!

Malachi came out of "surgery" just fine. Daniel was the brave parent that had to hold him and hold him down so that the doctor could do his job. Malchi's least favorite part was being restricted and having his mouth pried open. He screamed and fought back. The needle going into his mouth and the snip on his tongue did not seem to phase him much at all. A few minutes after the procedure he was even smiling a little. He wasn't giggling and laughing, but he wasn't crying either. He handled it very well. Neither Daniel or I cried either. Malachi even felt good enough to go down the hall and visit his great-grandpa who was getting ready to be discharged from the heart center.

He was so well-behaved and brave! What else should I expect, though. People were praying, and God was taking good care of his little boy. I wasn't even that worried. I knew that God was in control of the situation. I only missed a half day of work. It looks like I will be back to work in the morning. I'm not sure if that is a blessing or a curse :). Right now Malachi is sleeping on his Daddy's chest. He fell asleep on his Mommy while nursing. I ate dinner with him sleeping in my arms. Am I a true mom or what? Daniel is now taking in the cuddles from his little man.

I have even gotten a small glimpse of Malachi sticking his tongue out of his mouth. I'm sure that it is still numb, but he is already finding out what his newly freed tongue can do. Thank you all so much for your prayers!

Prayer Request

I just wanted to ask you all to pray for Malachi in the coming week. He will be going in Tuesday (Nov. 15th) for minor surgery. It seems pretty routine, but it's not routine to me. He will have to have the little thing that connects the tongue to the bottom of the mouth cut. He will not be sedated, but he will have local anesthesia (spelling?) in his mouth. They made it sound like all they have to do is snip it once it is numb. I am a little scared for Malachi, but I know that God will take care of him. I will probably cry often during and after the procedue. This procedure is necessary and will help him in the long run. He will be able to stick his tongue out at people after the surgery! He will most likely not have any speech problems. His continual drooling may die down. He will be able to eat better, too. He is technically "tongue-tied" now but not for long!

I am just praising the Lord that our photographer noticed this problem and pointed it out to us. It is amazing how God puts people in your path to bring things about. I hate to put my baby through this pain, but it is much better to do this now than later. Please keep him in your prayers. Thank you all for your love and support!

4 months old

Malachi went to the doctor today. He is exactly 4 months old. He now weighs 16 lbs. and 8 oz. He is 25 inches long. He is healthy and strong! He got 3 shots and did exceptionally well. Daniel said that he was giggling and laughing most of the time. After all the shots, he was still ready to play.

Please pray for Malachi. Tomorrow (Thursday) he has an appointment at the ear, nose, and throat doctor. He is not sick, but he might have a problem later when it comes time to talk and even eat. The connection between his tongue and the bottom of his mouth extends all the way to the end of his tongue. This means right now that he cannot get his tongue out of his mouth. It could also cause some speech problems later. I am believing that if something has to be done it will be minor and cause little trauma. I hate to inflict pain upon my son, but I know that he won't remember anything later. This is the best time to do something. Please pray that God will heal Malachi so that he will not have any problems later.

Sleeping Bag with Arms
One evening last week Malachi was playing before it was time for him to go to sleep. He was in his pj's. We have discovered the sleepers that have no legs. It's kind of like a sealed, zip-up dress. Daniel likes to call these sleepers "sleeping bads with arms." I agree with him. That's what they remind me of. They also make diaper changes at 3am a whole lot easier. It is very difficult to pull feet out of footies and undo and redo snaps when I am half asleep. Thank you baby clothes makers for designing these wonderful sleepers!

Dedication
On October 30 Malachi was dedicated to the Lord. Pastor Craig and Sherry and Pastor Billy prayed a blessing over Malachi. This is our declaration to God and the world that our son belongs to Jesus Christ. We will choose to raise him up in the fear of the Lord and to desire to serve the Lord all the days of his life. We pledge to be an example to him of believers in Christ to the best of our ability. Malachi means God's messenger. That is what we desire for him to be.

Swinging Away!
Malachi loves to swing! About 2 weeks ago it got pretty cold here. Daniel and I had hard time deciding to turn the heat on. So, for a few days, Malachi was able to hang around the house in his warm pj's swinging near the fire in the fireplace. He had a blast!

3 and a half months!!!
Malachi is getting so big! He amazes us everyday! He loves to play, smile, coo, and laugh. He is such a blessing from the Lord!

Rolling Over!
Malachi was a naughty boy today. Not really, but he is growing up. Malachi's Great-grandma, Great-grandpa, Aunt Miranda, and other family members were taking care of our little boy today while his Mommy and Daddy were at work. Malachi was playing on his belly, when all of a sudden...He rolled over onto his back! He did it all by himself! His Mommy and Daddy were a little upset that they missed the big event but were glad he was able to share that moment with other family members who love him.

Sleeping Through the Night!?!
On Tuesday night (September 27) Malachi slept through the night! He slept 9 hours. I was able to get 8 glorious, consecutive hours of sleep (except for getting up at 4am to go pee. Nobody told me that your bladder doesn't get back to normal for a long time after pregnancy). At school, I told my middle schoolers how I got 8 straight hours of sleep. I know that they did not give a rip, but I was so excited I had to tell everyone. I knew that his sleeping through the night might be a fluke, so I was revelling in every minute of it. To my surprise (not really), he hasn't slept through the night since. That's ok, though. He still wakes me up no more than twice a night. I am still able to get 6-8 hours of sleep on a school night if I go to bed early enough. He knows when it's night time, and its time to let Mommy rest so she can be ready for work the next day.

Malachi is two days shy of being three months old. He thinks he's a big boy. This is him playing in the exersaucer that Mrs. Lesli let us barrow. Thanks Lesli. He is getting big and is getting bigger everyday. He and his daddy get to play lots everyday.

More Visitors
"Aunt" Donna and "Aunt" Kimberly came to visit Malachi last weekend. Malachi enjoyed being held by two more pairs of arms. He almost ended up in Atlanta with them. It's a good thing we kept a good eye on him! As much as we love Donna, she can't keep our little man. He belongs to us!

Happy to be a baby!
Last week I took pictures of Malachi laughing while playing "stand up" and "bounce" with his Daddy (8 weeks). His smiles and laughs are the cutest!

2 Months Old
Malachi went to the doctor today. He is exactly two months old, 13 lbs. 1 oz, and 23 1/2 in. long. His head is 15 1/2 in. around. Our boy is quickly growing out of his 0-3 months clothes. He is cooing and laughing more and more each day. He loves to cuddle his Mommy and Daddy. He sleeps well for 4-6 hour chunks at night. Hooray Malachi!

Playing with "Grandpop"
Cousin Callie calls her Grandpa, "Grandpop." Grandpop is laying down on the floor to play with Malachi. Grandpop loves to play with Malachi. (8 weeks)

Correction: Cousin Callie no longer calls her Grandpa, "Grandpop." She has learned how to say Grandpa. Congratulations Cousin Callie! You're growing so fast!

Hanging out with Mommy
Malachi is hanging out with his Mommy while she is talking on the phone. He is smiling because he has a full belly! His Mommy has been affectionately titled the "Dairy Princess" by Malachi's Grandpop. (7 weeks)

Playtime!!!
Malachi loves laying on his changing pad. After baths and when his diaper is being changed, he is instantly happy and loves to play. He will flail his arms and legs and coo like crazy. He is so happy! (6 weeks)

5 and a Half Weeks
I wanted everyone to see how quickly he is growing. Malachi is about five and a half weeks in this picture. He fills out his bathrobe more now.