The First Five Months

Our first family pictures. My sister came over and took some pics when Sonny was a week old.

His first month on earth flew by quickly.

My in-laws came from Michigan to visit and took this picture of me with my two Wendells.

I love this pic of my son and I. He was still so small when it was taken.

My very first Mother's Day was very memorable. I took a selfie of my husband, son, and I in front of the lilac bush in front of the house we were living at. Two months later, we moved.

Our first camping trip to Nittany Mountain KOA. Our love bug was under two months old.

A future Phillies fan!

Four months old: we had family pics taken at the Conodoguinit Creek behind our house. My sister took some pics of us.

Surrounded by mommy's stuffies. He loves the Phillies bears.

Talking to PopPop on the phone. I have a video of him talking to Pop and the little stinker hung up on him. Learning early the art of hanging up on people!!

It's hard to believe my Sonny Sunshine is five months old already and just a few weeks away from being six months old. He's growing way too quickly.

Aunt Julie loves her Sonny Sunshine. We owe that nickname to her. We decided to call him Sonny or Sonny Boy and she told us that she was going to call him Sonny Sunshine. It stuck!!

He was finally able to wear his track suit on a cooler day in mid September. He loves being outside.

We took a train ride at Strasburg Railroad on 9/26/15. We loved it. Sonny didn't quite know what to think but he enjoyed it. We hope to take another train ride in April for his first birthday. Since we have tentative plans to move to Michigan by the end of April 2016, we need to make as many memories in PA as possible.

One thing for sure, it's gonna be one crazy ride and there's no one else I'd rather have by my side but my husband and son. Martha loves her Wendells!!

Mama's Slow Recovery

The first week or so after we took our baby home was filled with a sore mama and a tired daddy. I spent most of my time in a green recliner while my husband had daddy duty. Due to the horizontal incision at my bikini I had an opening in my incision to allow drainage. If it weren't for my sister changing my dressing over the next three months, it never would have healed. It was nice because we lived so close that she was able to come over every couple hours to change the dressing or to take care of the baby while I rested.
My mom was also a lifesaver. There were a lot of mornings where I would call her as early as 7am to come over so I could nap. I was so stressed out and overwhelmed. I had issues with breastfeeding, my husband and I were dealing with a loss, I was sleep-deprived, and I had a very sore belly that was leaking fluids constantly. I had numerous melt-downs but I had support from my husband, parents, sister, and my bestie, Nicki. They were there with food, supplies, and simply a listening ear.
It was both a happy and a sad day when we moved an hour away. But we make it work. The move allows me to grow closer to my aunt who has been another mother to me. Right now she needs all the love and support she can get. My dear uncle is battling lung cancer so I pray God's mercy and blessing on them. My aunt loves him dearly and I know she'd be lost without him.
What a ride these past 5 months have been. Now as I look at my almost 6 month old son resting comfortable, I thank God for His continued blessings on my life. I look forward to spending many more months with my husband and son.
I never imagined I would ever have a family of my own. Then in a span of one glorious year I met my husband (on my 30th birthday), married him, and gave birth to our son (on my 31st birthday)!! How could I possibly top that!!
Thank You, Lord, for Your blessings. You knew what You were doing when You allowed me to go through those ups and downs after my son's birth. I know that they were nothing but speedbumps in my life and that I am a stronger woman, wife, and mother because of them. Amen.

Life In NICU

My husband and I went from excitement over the impending birth to being frightened over our son's health. Once I was recovered enough to go to NICU, we made the trek down the hall to visit our son. I'll never forget the sight of my son in the tiny NICU bed with the oxygen hood over his head, wires and tubes everywhere, and machines beeping. He was so adorable; our little creation. I just wanted to eat him up but I COULDN'T EVEN HOLD HIM.
All my husband and I could do was hold his little hands and run our fingers over his little body. He looked so helpless lying in that bed. But he was a fighter. For 24 hrs he had that oxygen hood on and the hole just was not closing up. The doctors finally decided to give him oxygen through a nose piece and within hours the hole had closed up. WE COULD FINALLY HOLD HIM!!
Finally at a day and a half old, he was wrapped snuggly in his mama's arms where he belonged. My husband and I sat there in the NICU taking turns holding our precious son.
He continued to grow and he was able to go home with mommy after spending 3 nights in the hospital.

Our little fighter under the hood. I tell people that he was a little astronaut wearing a helmet.

A very tired mama with her birthday present. This mama loves her present!

Daddy with our little fighter. I love seeing my two Wendells together. Very fitting that our son shares my birthday and his daddy's name.

At this point anticipation was building because I knew I'd be holding my baby soon.

Our little fighter. Clinging tightly to daddy's hand. Hold fast, son, we won't steer you wrong.

My husband's face says it all: pure jubilation over finally holding our son.

One very happy mommy with her precious baby boy.

One of my favorite pictures of my husband and son.

Greatest feeling in the world: holding your child in your arms.

First Pictures of Baby Wendell

Pics of our newborn baby boy. Our precious boy is so adorably sweet we can't seem to get enough of him.

Delivering a Birthday Present

In the early hours of my 31st birthday, I awoke to severe back labor pains. Since we had been to the hospital the night before and were sent home due to not being far enough along to admit, we decided to wait a couple hours before going to the hospital. I spent several hours in bed begging God to make the pain stop. My poor husband was glued to my side, holding my hand and reassuring me that everything would be ok. My husband rushed me the 18 miles to the hospital after Dr. Muallem told us to get there right away. The contractions were coming every minute so I was out of it.
At maternity triage, I was checked and prepped for maternity. I was told that I was only 5 cm dilated and that everything was progressing quickly. I can remember saying to a nurse, "Oh great, I'm going to have to have a C-section". The nurse looked at me like I was nuts...I wasn't. I continued to have intense back labor pains and it was discovered that I had an infection so they could not give me an epidural. My husband was a trooper during the entire time; holding my hand, massaging my back, and just being there for me.
Around noontime, the nurse gave me something to slow down or stop the contractions. I was finally able to get some rest. Dr. Muallem was worried about my baby because my contractions were causing him to go into distress. They decided to prep me for a C-section. I was so out of it that I vaguely remember him talking to me before getting mine and my husbands signatures. Believe me, I was alert when they wheeled me into the OR. There the nurses and the anesthesiologist had a difficult time getting the spinal in and Dr. Muallem waited impatiently to begin. Even though I was scared spitless I still had a sense of humor. I told the nurses "there goes my bikini body" and they stared at me. They knew I was joking when I said, "that's alright, I don't have a bikini body anyway."
Once the spinal was finally in, I was strapped into the bed and Dr. Muallem was finally ready to begin.
At 2:00 PM on April 11, 2015, Wendell Lynn Nolt, Jr. was born. I can still remember waiting anxiously to hear his first cry. Before long we knew that something was wrong. The doctor came over and said that they were going to take him to the NICU because he had a partially collapsed lung due to a tiny hole in his lung. So after seeing our beautiful baby for several moments, we watched as they rushed him away.

Hello

Hi my name is Martha. My wonderful husband is Wendell. We have a handsome 5-month-old son named Wendell, Jr. Life for us has been a bit rocky as we make our way through the twists and turns. God has blessed us with so much and we have a lot to be thankful for. I hope that I can inspire others with this blog. This blog will be about my life as a Christian woman, wife, and mother. It will contain my beliefs and my opinions. Thanks for reading and God bless America.