Monday, August 25, 2014

Welcome, Johanna Ruth!


We are so excited to announce the arrival of our sweet miracle, Johanna Ruth Voogt.  She was born at 7:43 am on August 21, weighing 9 lbs. and measuring 20.5 in. long.  She is named after her Great Grandma (Margaret Johanna) and Great Great Grandma (Johanna "Josie") Van Heukelum.

Everything went smoothly with the delivery.  Johanna was face up staring right at the doctor as she came out.  We were in the recovery room by 8:15 and soon moved on to our regular room to rest and share the good news.

Rebecca and Abram were so excited to hear they had a baby sister.  They came right away for a visit.  We spent time with both sets of grandparents and the kids while in the hospital.


Mary and Johanna opted for the fast track to recovery and only stayed at the hospital for two days, arriving home around 11 am on Saturday.

Johanna is doing very well and already seems to be growing way too quickly.  Every night sleep gets a little better.  Nursing is also going very well.  Johanna is getting lots of attention from her siblings too.


To our surprise and delight Johanna is already giving us smiles!  She has given big grins quite a few times now when she hears Mama's voice.

She also rolled from her back to her tummy last night while Daddy was changing her diaper.  I don't think we're quite ready for that yet!

Johanna was known for her hiccups while in Mary's tummy.  The kids loved to feel her hiccup on and on.  Now that she is out she still hiccups a lot.  Abram walks around calling her Johanna Ruth Hiccup.

This week we are enjoying spending time together at home as a family of five.  The big kids are hoping to do some fun stuff with Daddy too, if the weather cooperates.  We all went to the doctor for Mary to get her staples removed.

Johanna also had her check up with the pediatrician already.  After 4 days she is about back to her birth weight...she's eating very well!  The doctor said she looks great.  We'll go back in a couple weeks for her next check up.

In a couple weeks we'll have a visit with the audiologist to make sure Johanna's hearing is ok.  One ear did not pass the hearing screening in the hospital.  We are hopeful that it was just from extra fluid.

Next week we start yet another adventure - Rebecca starts first grade!  She is really going to miss her baby sister all day.  And we are going to miss Rebecca.

We praise God for our newest blessing.  In just a few days she has already brought us so much joy.  She looks just like her big sister and is fitting in perfectly.  Welcome, Johanna Ruth!