Nickel Buddy. Nickel Pickle. Mr.Nickels. Nico (Neeco). Blondie. For a child with so many nicknames, we sure had a tough time originally coming up with a name for our dear Nicholas. I liked
Joshua. Jess liked
Rocco. We both sort of liked
Max and
Silas. But, Simon ultimately was the one who came up with the name of Nicholas. We let it roll off our tongues and liked it!
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| Mr. Birthday Boy |
Can you believe that our little Nicholas is one year old? This kid is a clone of his daddy. His hair, his eyes, his teeth, his ears (with the exception of his lobes) are all his Daddy's. I'm so thankful to have him. I cannot imagine our family without him.
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| Piano prodigy? |
On the morning of Wednesday June 30th, 2010, Jess and I calmly drove to St. Luke's hospital to give birth to our 4th child. I was induced due to Strep B and chose not to have an epidural. My contractions were only unbearable for the last 40 minutes or so. Just like all of my other children, Nicholas came out in a very quick fashion. I must thank my mother for such wonderful baby birthing genes! With each of my children, the nurses are always amazed at the ease and speed of my deliveries. And, they always comment on my "composure"-- no screaming and no swearing. I think if I were in the privacy of my own home, this would not be true at all. Nicholas' birth was no different than my other 3 in that the doctor arrived JUST in time before the nurse had to take things into her own hands. Nicholas Andrew Warren weighed in at 8lbs. 14 oz., measured 21 inches long, and was perfectly healthy and happy.
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| In the labor and delivery room at St. Lukes before dressing in my hospital gown. |
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| In between contractions. |
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| Weighed, measured, cleaned, and under the heat lamp. |
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| Proud Papa. |
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| Mommy and Nicholas. |
On the evening of June 30th, he and I were alone in my hospital room together. I laid him down to sleep in his bed, and I said a prayer out loud for him to hear. I was so thankful to my Heavenly Father to have such a precious baby. I experienced dark depression during my 1st trimester with him. In my 2nd trimester, I was told that he showed "soft indicators" of having down syndrome due to dilated kidneys and cysts that were found on his brain in the ultrasound. In my 3rd trimester, I couldn't stand longer than an hour due to severe back pain. On the 8th of June, Jess traveled to Eastern Idaho on a work related trip. I called him at midnight in tears, because I thought I was going into labor. He raced home (a 4 hour drive) to be by my side. What I thought was labor was actually false labor (which I had never experienced in my 3 previous pregnancies).
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| My friend, Kim, took some beautiful newborn photos of him. |
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| 2 weeks old. |
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| The day of his baby blessing. |
Nicholas' right kidney healed itself a month after his birth. His left kidney still concerned the pediatrician and she referred us to a pediatric nephrologist. He underwent a few ultrasounds and even a hospital test to determine if he had kidney reflux. Fortunately, he did not have this condition, and his left kidney healed itself by his first birthday. I feel so grateful that we live in a day and age where technology is so advanced that Nicholas' abnormalities could be detected even before he was born.
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| Between 4 and 5 months old. |
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| Christmas Day; 6 months old |
I have many fond memories of those first few summer months after his birth. My mom stayed with us for a week and literally whipped my home into shape. She cooked, cleaned, and cared for my children all the while allowing me to rest. I can't think of a better way to show love for someone than to serve them. Thank you, Mom! I love you! When I woke during the night to feed Nicholas, I always watched the same PBS programs--
American's Test Kitchen and
Lydia's Italy. Now, when I watch these cooking shows, I think of the late nights nursing my sweet baby. What fun memories!
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| Playing in the garden. |
Here are some Nico-fun-facts:
Nicholas was blessed on August 1st, 2010.
He was born with tufts of dark hair. His blonde hair eventually grew in.
For the first 2 weeks of his life, he urinated on me everyday (at least once a day) when I changed his diaper.
His first tooth grew in at 7 months old. 5 other teeth followed not long after.
At 8 months old, he began crawling.
He hasn't begun walking yet, but has taken a step or two in the last month.
He's an avid nurser (like my other 3) and won't be completely weaned until he's 15 months old (like my others).
Unlike my other 3, he has slept on his own (in his own crib, mind you)!
He talks like no other baby I know.
We have learned the hard way that he is a biter and a scratcher!
When he hears music, he immediately begins to move and shake his body.
He loves the pool, the bathtub, and all things water. Because of his affinity for H2O, we must always keep the bathroom doors closed at all times, otherwise he will drench himself from playing in the toilet water.
Blondes do have more fun!-- He has received more "oohs and ahhs" than any of my other babies.
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| Happy 1st Birthday, my dear Nicholas! |
