Moms' Day

My first Mothers' Day! I was treated to coos, unintentional smiles, grunts, and LOTS of one-on-one time with Noey while feeding. My husband, father-in-law, brother-in-law, and sister-in-law made a mid-day feast, and Jesus gave a deeper joy to my heart regarding being a mommy. What a great day!

Thank you to my mommy for your years of selflessly pouring out your life. You are an inspiration to me!!!

Thanks Dr. Lee!

Joe and I stumbled blindly into the world of ob-gyns nine months ago. We prayed for a wise and skilled doctor, and the Lord delivered!



We felt in good hands with Dr. Lee from the first belly measure to the last stitch of my incision.

Now if only she had a sleeping-through-the-night potion...

We Are Family!

Noelle's only been breathing air for 14 days and she's already been cuddled with, snuggled with, and kissed by much family. What a lucky girl!

We're Home!

Daddy has a new weight-lifting routine now because.....
...we're home! Joe and I are in bliss, in shock, full of joy, full of yawns, and in love with our little girl. We laugh as the pile of baby items in our one bedroom apartment grows every day. From strollers, to Baby Bjorns, to cradles, cribs, bathtubs, diapers, boppy feeding pillows, swings, changing tables...the goods abound!

We're so grateful for my mom...who flew in from Colorado to help me recover, help Joe and I adjust, and to love on baby Noelle. We've been treated to delicious food, clean rooms, pleasant company, and someone to dance and sing to Noelle.

Joe and I on our first big outing....a walk around the block!

We've had two nights of "reality check" and one night of fairly blissful sleep thus far. Who knew that six pounds could produce such heart-wrenching wails?!!

As I whispered truths to Noey about her Savior King this morning, I was struck again with his promise to be our Faithful God forever, from our first days to our last. He was with us in the womb, as He knit us together, and He remains close, protective, and good throughout our days. "For do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. " (Isaiah 41:10)

Our hospital stay..not quite the Hilton...but close!

Noelle is here! Joe and I find our hearts enlarging for this sweet little one every time we gaze at her.

Our stay at the hospital felt surreal, a little long, but a lot necessary. Noelle's breathing began to improve the very first day...thank you Jesus! The nurses helped suction some gunk out of her lungs, and she coughed up a good bit too. She came into this world HUNGRY! Yay! We want to see her tummy get nice and fat. She latched on to mommy right away and sucks with fury! We had to supplement with a little formula while at the hospital, in order to satisfy her growling belly. She ended up only losing 2 ounces off her birth weight by the time we left.

I grew increasingly sore and pained as the first three days progressed. Here I am on my very first walk... a big triumph after needing lots of help to just move from bed to toilet to bed. I may have been a bit ambitious, as we decided to walk "the circle" instead of just to the end of the hall and back. The walk ended with pain, nausea, dizziness, and nurse putting wet clothes on my body. Oops!

Joe stayed with me Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday night. What a man! He lifted me, tended to me, and helped me do unmentionable things. He cradled Noelle, fed her bottles, and endured medical person after person after person enter and exit our room into the wee hours of the morning. He's a master at changing her diaper, teaching her to burp (as pictured), and singing to and wooing his little princess. She's already drawn to and comforted by her daddy's voice.

Grandma Teten joined us on Wednesday and stayed with me Wednesday night. Noelle loves her Grandma already! She snuggles her head right into Grandma as she's swayed and rocked. I am grateful to have my mom close by...when you don't feel you're on your "A" game, there is nothing more comforting than a mom.

Auntie Kristine visits every day! I look forward to her visits, and I think Noelle does too! Maybe she'll get Kristine's curly hair?!

On Thursday both Noey and I were cleared to leave for home! We thanked our kind nurses and doctors, changed into our comfort clothes, and headed into the real world. Noelle did great her whole ride home...what an adventure we have ahead of us!

Happy Zero Birthday Noelle Ruth Maschhoff!!

What began at 10pm on Sunday, April 27 culminated at 3:59pm on Monday, April 28 with the arrival of our beautiful Noelle.






Expected: Noelle is healthy and so am I. Our doctors and medical staff were great. Joe and I got to wear some really stylish outfits while in the hospital...hee! There was pain (yikes). I learned to LOVE epidurals. We're blown away with how much we love this little girl already!









Unexpectedly: Joe was NOT a basket-case when it came to the sights/sounds. We delivered via c-section after a long labor. Our two-day hospital stay was extended to four or five.

Thank you, God, for your presence, your miracle, and your goodness. Thank you, friends, for upholding our family in prayer and for sending us your love. We're so excited!!!!!!!!!

Noelle says hello!

It's game-time!

Well, the hour has come! We can't believe we are actually heading to the hospital with hopes of meeting our precious Noelle sometime tomorrow! I finally packed my bags...it was a bit of a process (poor Joe!), showered, touched and re-set everything in our corner nursery one last time, and am finally ready to make the six-minute drive to Noey's place of birth. I'm sure a large, lovely, downy-soft bed awaits me, with plush linens and a terry-cloth bathrobe. Yeah right!!

Our doc plans on trying some mysterious strategies to help me dilate, and to start pitocin in small amounts right away. Yikes! Wild! Someone pinch me!

We'll be sending text-message updates to our family throughout the night and will update all as soon as we can.

Thank you Jesus for miracles. Please keep Noelle safe, give the doctor's wisdom, and help Joe and I to feel your comforting presence throughout it all. You're faithful...she's your beautiful creation and gift to us. Thank you.