after all this time!

I know it's been a really long time since I posted. so now i have a lot of news. harper was sick over new years eve with RSV. so we spent the night in the hospital. thankfully, his case was not the worst. he never had to be on oxygen, just had breathing treatments.

now he's 6 months old! he cut a tooth a week ago. i'm so glad the tooth finally poked through. poor little guy, he was miserable. he's finally back to his happy self after being sick and getting the tooth. he scoots all over the place and he's pretty fast. more and more, he rocks on his hands and knees. it's just a matter of time until he figures it out.

and he's starting solids. i've only tired carrots so far. he doesn't like them! he makes the funniest face; but he keeps eating them! He does love sips of water from a cup or his sippy cup.

He's also starting to recognize his name. Sometimes it does take a couple times of us saying it for him to turn his head. But he's catching on. a downside to all his milestones is the separation anxiety.

so here's the best part: pictures!

christmas

cooing in the hospital

a breathing treatment

hanging out

sitting up

mmm, carrots

my first tooth- can you see it?

playing in his exersaucer- he tried to pull his hat off

3 months this Friday!

Hello to all! Hope you guys are great! Everything is great here in Louisiana!! The weather has been beautiful this past week. Unfortunately, I think it might rain in the upcoming days.

In Harper's world, life is fantastic!! He'll have these little coo conversations with us. And he's started to somewhat mimick the coos we make. so much fun! He's getting stronger everyday. He is insane on his tummy with his mini-pushup. He'll start getting his legs going too. He'll scoot himself all over the blanket- except his face is just planted! He gets a little carpet burn from it! He can't get his arms going yet. He also now pushes up on his legs. We'll sit him and hold his arms up to help pull him up but he gets up on his own into a standing position.

Here's the best part - some pics!

My mom couldn't resist this costume.


He's trying to suck his hooves.

Can you see his tail?

He has officially found his thumb!

His first trip to the pumpkin patch.

well i could just post pictures all day! there are too many cute ones!

2.5 months

Time flies when you have a baby! Days seem like hours. Zeb and I are still enjoying every minute of being parents. I have to admit sometimes I get tired or a little stressed but then I remember he won't be this little forever and i should just enjoy it. I'm always so amazed at watching how he develops. He was this baby who slept all the time and has turned into a cooing, smiling person who recognizes me and zeb.

It's also so funny when he discovers a new sound. He has this new one, I can't describe it, but he makes it all the time now. I'll hear him in his crib while watching his mobile just making his little noises. Another exciting milestone, he has started to bat at his toys. A couple of them make noise and hang on his car seat. I love to be driving and hear them jingling. And he is constantly sucking on his little fists; I just see as him discovering his hands. No thumb yet. A couple of times he got his thumb in his mouth though and just made this face like it tasted bad! He tries and tries to stick his whole hand in his mouth.

Two weeks ago were his two month shots. It didn't go as bad as we thought. Actually it went quite well. Zeb had to comfort Harper and me since we both cried while he got the shots. Thankfully, we had a good nurse who was really fast at giving them. He stopped crying as soon as zeb picked him up. He was really quiet on the car ride home. I thought he was asleep but zeb said harper was staring him down! I guess he was little upset with us! However, you could never tell later in the day that he had the shots that morning. Even though all went well, I know we have to do it again in two months! I'm still not that relieved.

One of the most commonly asked questions is "is he sleeping through the night?" We're on our way there. He now sleeps from 10 to 3, then 3 to 5 (or 6), and then he's back out until 8 or 9. So he's not doing bad. Yesterday, he and I both slept in until 11:30!! We were tired. Well maybe not entirely, he woke at 6 and 9 to feed. Not bad though. Last night he slept from 10 to 4 and then 4 to 8. So he's getting better.

So here's some pics:

i love that toothless smile! He's 8 weeks in these.

too long!

I'm so sorry I haven't done this sooner! This post is just pics!! But I do want to say that Zeb and I are loving being parents! We keep trying to sell people on the idea of parenthood. It's great!! We say "if you don't have a baby, you should get one!" Harper is the best. He's doing so good. He's been smiling, cooing, and laughing. So cute!!


He's a week old in this pic and wearing my favorite sleeper.
(He outgrew it a long time ago)


3 weeks old





The next 3 he's a month old

6 weeks old

well i have some more on my camera which i hope to upload this week. we got some great shots of him smiling this past monday (labor day). take care!! -erica

p.s. most people say he looks "just like his momma" at first glance. but actually he's the spitting image of zeb's baby pictures. the only difference is the red tint in his hair. i told zeb we need to start carrying around one of his baby pics to prove it!

the middle name

I've been trying to think of how to spell Macahan phonetically so people would know how to pronounce it; but i haven't come up with anything. Sorry! We finally decided on his middle name two days before he was born. Maybe he was just waiting on us to get his name together!

When Zeb was born he was partly named after the main cowboy on a 1979 tv series called "How the West Was Won". The cowboy was a good, strong man who valued family and morals. His full name was Zeb Macahan. I have to admit I'm kind of proud of it because it was my idea. Zeb picked Harper which i liked it and agreed to; so i was excited that we decided on a middle name that I suggested. It's funny though because it's a name we really like and Zeb joked that we "wasted" it on a middle name. I said if we have another boy we could just name him that too! But we're not thinking about number two yet!

The past couple of weeks have been really fun and a blur. Thankfully, Harper is not an inconsolable baby- but that doesn't mean we get tons of sleep! Every night is different. Some nights he'll sleep for 3 or 4 hour stretch. Some times he's up every 2 hours. We did co-sleep with him a couple of nights which gave us a little bit more rest. Now we have him in a bassinet in our room. Which still gives us not only more rest but better rest. I felt myself actually relax the first night we used the bassinet. Unfortunately, the past couple of nights he's been fussier than normal. After much thought, we decided to let him try a pacifier last night. For some reason, we both have a negative feelings about using a pacifier. To my surprise (and relief), Harper didn't take to it as quickly as I expected. I think tonight we're going to try some good ole gas relief medicine- we like that better than the pacifier.

I'm so amazed at seeing his progress physically. We can already see his growth. He's been wearing preemie clothes, but I can tell he's starting to outgrow a couple of outfits. I'm not sure about his weight; i know he's past his birthweight. I do know that he has grown an inch in length. As for me, I've already lost 25 pounds. That is good news! Well for me anyway.

On Sunday afternoon, he was wide awake so I laid him down for some tummy time to help build his neck muscles. And he rolled over! Zeb didn't believe me. So last night he was awake again and we laid him down on his stomach. He rolled onto his back again! And Zeb saw this time. And he did it two seconds before I turned on the video camera! I don't know if those count as official roll overs- but it's something! I call him the iron baby. He pushes himself off of Zeb's hands on the floor, he can hold his head up, and we've found him turned perpendicular in the bassinet when we wake up. He also already does a good job of focusing on people when they talk to him. That is thanks to daddy.

I have the cutest picture to post and the upload thing isn't working!
I'll try again later.

so who does everyone think Harper looks like? I should post baby pics of me and zeb for a comparison.

our newest installment

Harper Macahan Marcotte was born Thursday July 19 at 2:33 in the morning. Everything went great. I went into labor Wednesday night around 6. Zeb and I decided to wait until contractions were 3 minutes apart for 30 minutes before we called Bonnie, the midwife. At 10:30, we called her and she told us to head to the hospital. After laboring for those 4 hours we thought for sure I would be dilated to 3 or 4 centimeters. The nurse checked me and I was already at 7! We couldn't believe it! So they wheeled me into a room. Bonnie had to break my water and then things picked up even more. After an hour and a half of pushing, Harper was born. He weighed 6lbs and 8oz and was 19.5 inches long.
I must say it was the hardest thing I've ever done in my entire life! But thinking back, I wouldn't change any of it. Harper's birth was everything Zeb and I hoped it would be. I'm still in shock because just the day before the doctor was telling us to get induced. And I honestly thought we would end up scheduling an induction for this week. In between contractions, I kept expressing how amazed I was to Bonnie.
Now he's a week old. We're still trying to get the hang of things and get a schedule going. Feedings are going great. We met with a lactationist on Wednesday. He weighed in at 6lbs 10oz. Which is great! The day we left the hospital he weighed 6lbs 4oz (baby's lose weight at first). The fact that he's gained back more than his birthweight is a great sign!
Unfortunately we go back to the doctore tomorrow for the circumcision. Zeb and I are nervous. But we know it's for the best and he'll be fine.
I'm so glad I am finally able to post on here. I'm sure most of you have seen pics. For those who haven't here's a link of the ones my dad has taken: http://share.dell.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AcOXDdo1Yt2jO

hopefully I'll be able to post sooner next time!

not ready yet

well, Harper's just not ready. so Zeb and I are still waiting patiently. We did have the dreaded meeting with the doctor this morning. And he suggested inducing by the end of the week. He also talked about how the risk for a stillbirth increases. That's very scary to hear. I felt like someone was telling me I was putting my child's life in danger. Unfortunately, the same risks are present in simple things as riding in a car. They also hooked me up for NST (non-stress test). It tests the baby's heart rate, my contractions, and I have to push a button every time he moves. The mid-wife looked at the report and said he was doing good. I think that was the most encouraging part of our visit.

I completely understand where the doctor is coming from. I understand why he talks about all of the risks. However, I find there to be more risk in inducing than in waiting. Zeb and I came home and spent some time talking. We broke out the calendar and pregnancy wheel (courtesy of Aunt Candy), looked at my cycles, and our day of conception. We actually know our day of conception and calculated that with my irregular cycles our actual due date was July 16. Something we had been thinking all along- but we feel even more confident in now. It makes sense also because the doctor said I have not dilated or effaced and the baby has barely dropped which is okay since I only reached my due date yesterday. The news was disheartening because my body has been working. I've been having contractions- hopefully they turn into effective ones. We decided to give Harper one more week and then we will more seriously consider an induction.

In the mean time, I'm going to keep walking my daily 2 miles, being positive, and return for another NST later in the week. As much as I hate to think it, I should start coming to terms with the reality of an induction. The doctor's opinion was that I wouldn't go into labor on my own. I want to remain hopeful that my body will come through- but also realistic so there are no surprises and I don't feel overwhelmed if/when inducing becomes a reality.

Well, we hope all of you are doing great! I hope I don't sound too upset! Or angered. I guess it's just been a frustrating day. In the end, everything will work out. The most important thing is getting Harper here and in the healthiest state possible.
love, erica