Joey...One Month

It's hard to believe that our little guy is already one month old! Before we know it, he'll be crawling around!



He is still quite the eater and has the chubby cheeks to prove it. He is mostly a very happy little one, although he has his moments. We are not certain if he gives himself a bellyache because he eats too much (and so fast!) or if his teeth are bothering him. Yes, his teeth...we noticed a couple of days ago that he has two pearly whites poking through his bottom gums. He's in quite the hurry!!

We've really been enjoying our family time at home...too bad Jon has to go back to work!


Joey and Marie got to "watch" the Rose bowl with Daddy this year. Unfortunately, they'll have to wait a while before they can see another Nittany Lion (football) win. I guess they'll have to start focusing on cheering for the Steelers!


Marie is still a very concerned and protective big sister. Joey doesn't get far without his blankie and she is always quick to tell us that "the baby's crying."

Thanks for reading....more updates soon!

Christmas Fun...

What a wonderful Christmas we had in Michigan this year!! Despite the less than cooperative weather, almost all of our immediate family was able to make the trip north for at least a short visit.

We enjoyed all the usual...getting a tree and decorating, making cookies, exchanging presents, eating way too much, and counting our blessings. Plus there was sledding, a project for the garage, and of course a lot of baby holding going on...not to mention an engagement! This was all made more fun this year since Marie was old enough to participate more fully. Enjoy the pictures we got to prove it!

Joey meets Uncle Dave.

Dave and Mark are good at disguising just how COLD they are.




I know there's a good one around here somewhere, Dad.


Here it is!


Are you sure it's going to fit, Uncle Mark?


Marie had LOTS of fun decorating (and un-decorating) the tree.







Marie...hard at work.





YUMMY!





The tow rope...a.k.a. Daddy.

Look Marie, no hands!!

Our little angel.



By my calculations...it should fit just right.




Our Christmas best...





Whew! This is exhausting!




A visit from the Shibata's....














Congratulations, Mark and (soon-to-be Aunt) Sarah! Yay!

We hope your Christmas was also filled with many blessings and that you had a wonderful New Year. Much love from our house to yours during 2009!

Big News...

Well, the last week has been much more eventful than anticipated. During a routine check-up last week, it was noticed that "Baby Shibata" was having some unusual heart rate decelerations. It was decided that Mom and Marie go to triage for more monitoring and that Jon should come to the hospital right away.

It was quickly decided that since we were at 37 1/2 weeks and the baby seemed to be a reasonable size, we were not going home from the hospital without first having a baby. Uncle Mark came to the rescue and took Marie home while Grandma and Grandpa Shibata jumped in the van for the 3 hour drive to Michigan.

We were induced Wednesday afternoon and were monitoring the baby continuously, watching the heart rate very closely. Things moved fairly quickly, thankfully. If they hadn't, then it is possible that we would've had to have had a C-section.

By 8:49 PM, we had a beautiful, healthy baby boy. Joseph Abraham was 7 lbs and 21 inches long. (Actually, they measured him at 20 inches when he was born. But at his 3-day-old check-up, he was measured at 21.25 inches. We figure it is somewhere in between.)

As it turns out, the cord had a good knot in it, in addition to being wrapped around his neck and legs. What a blessing it was to have been at the hospital that day. We can't begin to express how thankful we are that Little Joey is safe and with us right now.

We are home and getting used to our new family. Marie is doing quite well. She definitely is adjusting to Mom and Dad being distracted by the new baby, but overall she is quite intrigued by having a little brother.

A huge thanks to Uncle Mark, Sarah, Grandma and Grandpa Shibata, and Grandma and Grandpa Meinhart for dropping everything to help. We couldn't have done it without you! We love you!