2 Weeks

Baby Luke is already 2 weeks old today! We had his 2-week check-up this morning. He now weighs 8 lbs. 12 oz. and is 21 in. long. I was shocked, because Joshua was MUCH bigger at his 2-week check. Joshua went from a birth weight of 8 lbs. 7 oz. down to 7 lbs. 12 oz. when we left the hospital and all the way up to 10 lbs. 7 oz. by his 2-week appointment! So he gained 2.5 lbs. in 2 weeks! The doctor says Luke is a much more normal-sized 2-week-old, haha! :-)

Little guy is still doing great with nursing and is giving us 3.5-4-hour stretches of sleep at night. He is very happy and relaxed as long as his belly is full - ha! In that, he definitely takes after his big brother!

And is this a sweet photo or what?! Hope these boys will be the best of friends when they are older! JJ had to get the second dose of his flu shot today, and he did so well...only cried at the initial poke, and then he was back to his happy-go-lucky self! The nurses were impressed with what a big boy he was!

Happy Monday!

Love,

The Hollemans

Thanksgiving 2011

Just a few photos from our trip to MI for Thanksgiving...

We left at 5 a.m., and this little guy settled in to catch some z's.

After a couple hours of rest, he was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed...so excited to get to Gramma & Grampa's house!

Taking a break to feed both boys...Luke was such a good traveler!

I think this photo is hilarious because it looks like Joshua is giving me to "Loser" sign. LOL.

Future pianist!

Looks like he is deep in thought...

"Mommy's Little Turkey"

Sleepy boy watching "The Polar Express."

Black Friday shopping...he was such a good boy!

Luke slept through all the Black Friday deals...maybe he was the smartest one of us all!

And a shot of the whole family. This is a great photo of everyone except Joshua...after numerous attempts, we decided it would have to do!

It was wonderful being able to spend the holiday with family. We had excellent travel conditions both on the way there and back. If you remember our excursion last year, you know we were VERY thankful to have made it without any bumps in the road!

Hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving!

Love,

Mike, Krys, Joshua & Luke

23 Months

I cannot believe our "big boy" is 23 months old today! That means we only have one month left until he is TWO! I know I've said it a hundred times, but I'll say it again...where is the time going?????

At 23 months, Joshua is quite the little chatterbox! He talks and talks all day long, and is a major copy cat! Mike always answers our home phone by saying, "Hollemans." The other day, JJ picked up that phone and said, "Hah-mans." I laughed out loud! It struck me so funny that he knew Daddy only answers the home phone that way, but not his cell phone. Last week Sunday, I was getting him dressed for church. He usually wears khaki pants to church with a nice sweater or polo shirt. I slipped his khaki pants on him and he said, "Church?" Ha! He knows khaki pants mean we are headed to church! He knows his fully name ("Jah-ba Jace Hah-man") & Luke's full name ("Yuke Bwennan Hah-man"). And probably the sweetest thing lately has been when Luke starts crying. Joshua will walk up and sit next to him and say, "S'ok, Yukey, s'ok." AAAAWWWW...melts this momma's heart!

And a couple photos from lunch today...

I sat him at the lunch table with a peanut butter sandwich and he started crying uncontrollably...

...and two seconds later, he was fast asleep! No idea why he was so pooped out, but he took a nice long nap this afternoon and is now refreshed and as hyper as ever!

Happy 23-month birthday, sweet boy! Momma and Daddy love you so much!

Bath Time

First bath at home - he was NOT having it!

Bbbrrrr, I'm cold!

Still not happy, Momma!

Phew, that was rough!

Big brother, on the other hand, still LOVES bath time! He only cries when it is time to get out of the tub, haha!

We made it safely to Michigan this afternoon and are excited to spend the holiday with Mike's family. We feel so very blessed and have so much for which to be thankful! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Love and blessings,

Mike, Krys, Joshua & Luke

Momma's Boys

Momma's boys. Pretty sure I have the best job EVER. :-D

1 Week Old!

Can't believe our precious boy is already 1 week old!

What an incredibly fast, beautiful, wonderful week! God is so good!

No idea what little man weighs at this point (we won't find out until our doctor's visit next week), but he eats every 2.5 - 3 hours. Last night he was extra nice and gave his momma two 3.5-hour stretches of sleep! He has been a very easy-going baby so far!

Today is our first day home just Momma and the boys. Both boys slept in until 7:30 a.m., so that was an excellent way to start our Monday! We are all still in our jammies, but thinking about getting going for the day. Joshua is having breakfast and watching Thomas, Momma is finishing her coffee and then planning to tackle some laundry and cleaning (if the boys allow it, of course!), and Luke just finished eating and is down for a snooze. So far, everything is going smoothly. :-)

Happy Monday!

Look-Alikes

Think these two boys look like brothers?

Joshua at 4 days old.

Luke at 5 days old!

I think they look SO similar! Joshua's cheeks were a little chubbier, but I don't think it will be long until his brother catches up to him! :-)

Luke's Birth Story

I just know if I don't write this all down now, I won't remember later. So, here it is:

At my 39-week appointment on Wednesday the 9th, my OB suggested an induction for a couple reasons: 1) We live nearly an hour from the hospital, and 2) I tested positive for Group B Strep, and he wanted me to have plenty of time to get the necessary antibiotics to protect myself and baby. We decided to go ahead & schedule the induction for Sunday the 13th, knowing that baby still had plenty of time to come on his own.

39 weeks 5 days pregnant - time to have a baby!

We checked into the hospital Sunday night at 10 p.m. I had been contracting irregularly all weekend. I was a bit nervous about being induced; I had heard many horror stories about extremely LONG, drawn-out inductions, some of which turned into c-sections. I had such a positive labor experience when Joshua was born, and had been hoping for a similar experience this time around. Anyway, the nurse started my pitocin drip a little after 11, and we were off! By 2:00 a.m., I decided I needed the epidural in order to get a little rest (only got about 2 hours of sleep the night before because I was so excited!). Was able to rest a couple hours, read a book, watch some TV, and by 8:30 a.m. it was time to push! 3 pushes and the little man was here! He had the cord wrapped twice around his neck and had a little difficulty breathing right off, but he soon let out a few wails that quickly cleared his lungs! While my labor was a bit longer than it was with Joshua (9 hours vs. 6.5 hours), the experience was just as wonderful, and we are so thankful that God blessed us with another beautiful, healthy little boy!

Just a couple hours old...

Thus far, Luke has been an extremely easy baby. He wakes a couple times a night to eat, but otherwise sleeps soundly. He is nursing like a champ and already seems bigger to me! He rarely cries, even when he is hungry. Little man is a major cuddlebug, but this momma isn't going to complain! :-)

Sweet baby boy.

Grandpas & Grandmas

This week, we were blessed to have both my parents & Mike's parents visiting with us for the majority of the week. It was wonderful to have all the extra help as we adjusted to taking care of both a toddler & a newborn. Joshy was on Cloud 9 having both sets of grandparents here!

Grandpa & Grandma Holleman

Grandpa & Grandma Harthoorn

We are so thankful for our loving, supportive families! We are now settling in for a (hopefully) restful afternoon as we adjust to life as a family of four!

Brotherly Love

This photo just melts my heart!

Joshua loves to give his baby brother kisses and he is always curious about what "Yuke" is doing, but otherwise he pretty much keeps his distance. It will be interesting to see how he continues to interact with Luke in the weeks to come. Love these sweet boys!

He's Here!

Luke Brennan Holleman was born Monday, November 14, 2011 at 8:54 a.m.

He weighed 8 lbs. 7 oz. (this is exactly what Joshua weighed - how crazy/awesome is that?!?!) and is 20.25 inches long.

He looks SO MUCH like his big brother did as a newborn!

We came home Tuesday afternoon, and this week has been a whirlwind since! I have LOTS more pictures to share, but will keep them for future blog posts. :-)

It is amazing how this sweet boy, who is only 3 days old, seems like he has been part of our family forever...we just can't imagine anything different! We are so thankful to God for our two healthy, precious boys!

Thank you all for your love, support and prayers. It means so much!

Love and blessings,

Mike, Krys, Joshua & Luke

Sweetness

Love these boys! Can't wait to have another boy to love on soon...just 3 days 'til he is due! We are getting VERY anxious! :-)

A Little Thanksgiving Humor...

Little Sneak

While Momma was upstairs picking up this morning, look who was being sneaky...

He got the bread out of the bread drawer and figured out how to remove the twist tie. This is how I found him, happily helping himself!

What, Momma? I was HUNGRY.

The kid had just eaten breakfast! No food is safe around here...this boy is seriously a bottomless pit! What are we going to do when we have TWO boys?!?!

Pretty pleased with himself, the little goof!

Happy Wednesday!