The Gift of Life

Noah Cole Halpin arrived December 21, just in time to celebrate Christmas at home. He weighed 7lbs, 2oz and was 20 1/4 inches long. We are smitten! Owen loves his "be-be," checking on him often and helping Mommy burp him. More info to follow...Right now I am going to take a nap while both Boys are blissfully sleeping!

Noah Emerges

The day is December 21, 2006. I am 37 weeks, 2 days pregnant with our second son. Here is the story of his wonderful emergence:

Let me preface the story by confessing that I am not a woman who enjoys pregnancy (but I love the end result so much that I would gladly endure it 1,000 times over!). I know that it is truly a miracle, and I do not take that for granted. The first few times the baby moves, when I have to hold my breath, not sure if that is him, but hoping it is the first little tap-tap-taps of baby...those are miraculous moments, ingrained on my heart forever. But the rest of it, the nausea, the gastric ulcer that plagues me the first 4 months, the exhaustion, the bulkiness and even the constant moving, kicking, thumping, I can definitely do without. Add on top of that fairly regular, mildly uncomfortable, very draining contractions starting around 15 weeks, and by 37 weeks I was definitely beyond ready to have baby come OUT! My wonderful OB, whom I adore, sympathized with me, and so on this day, at my normal weekly visit, she entered the exam room with a bright, sunny smile.

"Are we ready to have a baby today? You are now term!" she chirped. Since I had a c-section with Owen, we had decided to do a repeat c-section, making timing a little less of an issue.

"Yes, yes, 10,000 times, YES!" I had packed my bag and arranged accommodations for The O just in case such a wonderful thing happened. I was sent over to Baylor to wait until my OB's regular appointments were over for the day. Jeremy and I excitedly made all the appropriate phone calls to alert loved ones, and then settled in to wait the 7 some odd hours until my c-section time. We played cards; we watched tv; we entertained various visitors that popped down from the NICU (where I work as a nurse) to help pass the time. Meanwhile, my contractions really picked up in regularity and intensity, so I guess Noah was ready to make his appearance! Oh, I could hardly wait! This delivery was to be so different from my last experience, like a dream come true!

Mommy is ready to meet Baby Noah

Finally a little before 5:00pm, my beloved doctor arrived and the go-ahead was given for Jeremy to change in to his scrubs for the delivery. (He loves wearing the scrubs and begins to refer to himself as Dr. J when donning them. So funny!) My doc also allowed my sweet sister to attend the delivery to take pics for us. My BFF DeAnn was allowed to be the NICU nurse in the operating room (a NICU nurse attends every c-section) and was to "catch" the baby right after delivery, the first person after the doc to hold our precious newborn. A whole bunch of our family members filled the waiting room and an excited O was bouncing around full of energy. What a dream team of supporters!

Jeremy and LouLou ready for the delivery

Our last photo as a family of three!

The O is not quite sure what is going on...but he got a cute shirt out of the deal!

Here is Noah's precious head and the umbilical cord sticking out of the incision in my tummy. My sister kept inching past the blue sterile field into the doctor's territory during the c-section. I not-so-subtly corrected her, worried a nurse would scold her, but once I saw this incredible picture, I was glad she pushed the rules a bit!

Noah Cole Halpin has arrived! Here my doc is clamping the cord in order to cut it.

Beautiful Baby! He weighed 7 pounds, 2 ounces and was 20 1/4 inches long. The first thing everyone noticed about him were the full, pouty Halpin lips!

He also has a very handsome cleft in his chin. We are not sure who he inherited that from, but it gives him such a distinguished appearance! He was working on that pout in this photo!

I finally got to get a good look at my new baby. I am in love, love!

Let me get my hands on that miraculous baby! Look at how alert he was! He nursed wonderfully well as soon as we got settled in the recovery room. There was no doubt that his instincts kicked right in and he got right down to business. What an incredible blessing it was to have Noah with me in the recovery room and in my room in postpartum. I got the joy of introducing Noah to all the family and friends that visited us. I got to be the one to give him his very first bath. I got to snuggle with him as much as I wanted all night long, soaking up his newness. These are all joys that I missed out on with Owie and so I appreciated it all the more. Thank you, God, for a healthy Son!

Here is Owie's first glimpse of new baby brother. Not the best picture, but the best one I have. Noah thoughtfully provided O with a new stuffed puppy. O was very pleased! Owen had a fairly bland reaction to the baby. He has no idea how much his life is about to change. He has just met his new best friend for life!

What is that? A yawn? You aren't sleepy, are you, Noah? We discovered through the long night ahead that he did not much appreciate the great wide world around him. He would much rather have been snug back in the cozy womb he was accustomed to. He barely slept a wink. And yet, how I treasure that first night together. The only time he was content was when he was skin to skin on my chest, curled up in a tiny ball. And so we spent the night like that (the first of many!): Noah tucked under my chin, his ear over my heart; me wide awake, giddy with joy over the blessing and responsibility God has entrusted me with, just breathing in his sweet scent. What irreplaceable moments those were. I would not have changed one sleepless minute of the time we spent snuggling. I already am completely taken with you, Noah, and I love you more than words can even begin to express.

Horribly Overdue Thanksgiving Pictures

Thanksgiving was a gorgeous day, so after lunch we got outside to run off a little of that turkey. Jeremy is so proud of O's ball playing skills. He definitely has the stance down to be a major leaguer!

Santa: Then and Now

Just look at all that has changed in a year! Everyone has grown so much, we added a new baby cousin, and Owen at least is much more tolerant of a friendly Santa. No tears at all this year!

Oh Christmas Tree

Putting up the Christmas tree is always a special, sentimental time, but it is made even more wonderful by sharing it with our son. He was so delighted with each and every ornament!

Let It Snow!

We got out to enjoy the frigid temperatures when it snowed a couple of weeks ago. Boy was it COLD!! It did not put a damper on the fun times though! These are pictures of Jeremy and Joel sledding with their Boys for the first time on a sled they used when they were little. I, being great with child, was in charge of the camera. (We have no mittens for poor Owie, so he had to wear socks on his hands.)

Christmas Picture Day

Taking the Halpin Family Christmas picture is always an adventure. Just try to get six squirmy kids, three years old and younger (who all need naps badly!), to cooperate and look in the same direction. We just pray we got one good shot out of the bunch! Here is a picture of my handsome men before anyone got too crabby. A smile was a little too much to ask for.

Operation Big Boy Bed: Day 5

Day 4 was a repeat of Days 1-3. The only variation was that we said a prayer together after our story that Jesus would help O to love his Big Boy Bed, to adjust quickly and to sleep soundly. Once again, he ended up in his crib after 45 minutes of screaming with me laying there beside him.

This picture was taken 30 minutes ago! SUCCESS!! We read, prayed, and I laid beside him until he drifted sweetly off to sleep. No tears. No screaming. I am listening with bated breath for him to wake up, hoping he will not be terrified that he is not in his crib. My precious Owie...So big.

A Little 'Gator says "Hello!"

Pancake Tradition

Every Saturday morning growing up, my Dad and I would make our special pancake recipe. Owie and I decided to carry the tradition on to the next generation. We had a great time, and it brought back so many fond memories! I look forward to many more pancake mornings with my Boys!

O is a very zealous stirrer!

Evidently the inside of a pancake is the very tastiest part!

This is Owen signing for "more" pancakes, even though he has a whole stack in front of him. They were a hit!

Operation Big Boy Bed: Day 3

Day 2 was a repeat of Day 1, except Mom did the resting. We will not be discouraged. Charge onward to Day 3!

We started out so well: a good story, Lovey, Baby, pacis galore. This is going to be just fine...

Or not.

This is us not napping.

Shortly after this photo, I attempted to make my break for it (He was fully relaxed, deep breathing and all!). Screaming and escaping the bed followed. What are we going to do with you, Owie?

Has anybody seen the O?

It was way too quiet in the House of Halpin. This is where I found Owen!

Operation Big Boy Bed: Day 1

We are attempting to transition O to his Big Boy Bed before Baby Brother arrives. It is not going well. Here is documentation of our first try, this past Sunday. It is appropriate that this picture is all blurry and out of focus since I think all three of us felt a bit blurry and out of focus ourselves. The only one who did any resting was Dad.

The Awe and Wonder of a Child

Owen had a great time at the Dallas Arboretum Pumpkin Patch and Petting Zoo last week. He is at this really fun stage where absolutely everything out of the ordinary results in a gasp and high pitched sqeal of delight. ( Thus all the pictures with his mouth wide open. He is gasping or squealing!) Living life with O is teaching me to appreciate all the amazing things God has placed in this world for our pleasure. So often, I pass right by in a hurry. Not Owie, though. He is teaching me to take my time and just enjoy creation!

Owen found a pumpkin stem laying on the ground and was very concerned that it was not attached to a pumpkin. He spent the longest time trying to find its rightful owner.

My Future

With the soon-to-be three boys living in our house, I am sure to encounter many more "Sports Illustrated moments"! When my creative ideas of how to pass a rainy afternoon run a bit dry, looking for balls in SI never fails to entertain.

Self Portrait

The O has a newly discovered talent! Despite neither of his parents possessing any artistic talent whatsoever, Owen has quite the knack for self portraits. If only he understood that a self portrait is a picture of himself, not on himself! (At least his Dad can feel good that he used red crayon, rather than his son being a very zealous applier of lipstick!)