Quick version of Max's birth...he was born on June 20..3 weeks before his due date. Holy mess, I had no idea he would be that early, NO IDEA. Surprise Mommy! I went into labor in the late evening but didn't realize I was in labor until early morning. We got to call a grandmother in the middle of the night to come and stay with big bro while we whisked off to labor and delivery. Mind you, I had nothing packed or prepared so I was running around the house at 3am battling contractions and trying to think about what I wanted to wear after I popped this watermelon out. Fun times! No seriously, fun times! I have always wanted to go into labor or have my water break in the middle of the night, just makes it exciting. I was so happy that the Lord surprised me with my secret wish : ) HE is cool like that.
After about 14 hours of contractions at the hospital (none of which were "changing" anything), Dr. went ahead and decided it was time for Max to come. It didn't really matter that I wasn't dilating (story of my life) since I was having a scheduled section, but since they were consistent and weren't showing any signs of slowing down, they made the call. Also, there were some things going on with my blood work, of which I will not bore you with the details, and that was also the main deciding factor that Max needed to come.
C-section got scheduled for 4pm that day and we were so pumped he was coming! The surgery was absolutely flawless, and I was not one bit uncomfortable. It was quick and I heard that sweet cry in no time! I can honestly say I enjoyed every minute of it! It was such a change from my section with Carter. Let me just tell you, I had what I like to call a "laundry list" of prayer requests for this pregnancy and birth. It covered the entire sheet off one of those magnetic pads- you know the ones you put on the fridge- and then a little on the back : ) Every time I read my Bible I would just pray over those worries and requests, and I did this for MONTHS folks. MONTHS. After I got home from the hospital I looked over that list and was able to put a check mark next to every single request...every SINGLE one. How thankful I am that I am HIS child and He hears my cries and He cares about my fears! The Lord was there for all of it, just like I needed Him to be, His hand all over Max's birth. It was amazing, and I will never forget his presence in bringing both of my boys into this world.
SO, fast forward 8 crazy weeks of nursing, diapers, spit up, doctor appointments, a 48 hour Children's Hospital stay, tears, a lot of a 3 year old's questions, countless hours of being up all night, frustration, headaches, first smiles, sweet cuddles, lots of brotherly love and here we are...finally...a somewhat normal functioning family of 4!
I love me some sweet newborn baby, but I am glad to be past those first few weeks of "get to know ya". Nursing is going great this time, didn't go so great with Jr. #1. I am getting everything I want out of nursing, this kiddo will take anything you stick in his mouth, so I am able to use bottles/formula/pumped breast milk while we are away from the house, and I can nurse him at home. He has done this successfully since 2 weeks old. I know not all babies are that versatile, but Max has been great at it so far. So I don't feel like a prisoner in my own home, and he gets mostly breastmilk...it's a win win, right??
I am finally getting some decent sleep. Starting at about 6 weeks he started sleeping from 10pm to 3am and then from 3am to about 6am. Since 6 weeks we have even had a couple of sleeping until 5am nights...hey, I call that sleeping through the night, jack! So, now that I am not sleep deprived I can finally maintain a
As for Maxwell (not his real name but me and Chad (and sometimes C) call him that), he is pure sweetness! He doesn't cry much, mostly just grunts when he wants something. If I am quick to answer his gruntiness, he rewards me with no tears. He looks a lot like Chad when he was a baby, but still favors big bro a lot! Definitely his own little person though. He has blonde hair and I am waiting to see if he is going to have Chad's blue eyes (fingers crossed)! Is it bad to pray for blue eyes? Is that vain? I've considered it. Don't judge me, you know you would too.
I think he is going to be much chunkier than Carter was, he seems to be growing out of things much faster. And of course, we are cursed with the dreaded reflux. Unfortunately, I am no stranger to this horrid disease. It is the thorn in my side! Thankfully the meds are helping, not making it perfect, but helping. When Carter had it, he didn't get on meds until like 7 weeks old...I knew better this time and Max has been on them since 3.5 weeks. Pat on the back for this Momma.
Big Brother is doing wonderfully! He has done great with the adjustment, and LOVES little brother. So much that I have to tell him to get out of Max's face at LEAST 7 times a day. And when I say "get out of his face", I mean he is literally 1 inch away from his nose. Carter gives Max his cars all the time, and alerts me when he is crying, awake, asleep, lost his paci, being loud, or pooting.
I am also learning how to use a 3.5 year old to my advantage. I have taught him how to put Max's paci back in! Because, you know, at this age it pops out every 10 to 13 seconds. At first, Carter was a bit rough and when Max didn't promptly open for it Carter would try to screw it into his mouth. After much practice, we finally got it right. C is also my diaper "thrower awayer", and he knows how to efficiently work the Diaper Genie. His other job is to tell me what Max is doing while we are riding in the car, for example, "Are his eyes closed?", "Are his eyes open?", "Does he have his paci", "Is Max sad?", "Is Max happy?", etc.
His next job will be to entertain Max...that is, whenever Max cares anything about being entertained.
The key here ladies, is to use that older sibling to your advantage!
But on the sappy side of things, my heart swells when I see him loving on his brother and I am so thankful he has a sibling to share life with! I love these two boys, they are my heart.
Going from 1 to 2 kiddos is quite the adjustment, hence the hiatus from blogging for 8 weeks. I think we are finally getting it down pat, even though most days are still an absolute circus. But it is becoming more normal...our new normal. It's great. I love it. And I love seeing pictures of us as a family of 4! Precious times and precious babies.
Next post will be on my big boy! He starts 3k, 3 weeks from today! It's only 2 days a week, but this is huge for us : ) I will get some Mommy and Max time and Carter will get in some play time with new friends and start learning lots of new things. He is so ready for it, and cannot wait.
Since this post was so incredibly long, I will just leave you with a few pictures. I actually edited and printed out all these pics today to frame in our house!
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| Pure Sweetness |
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| Blonde hair! |
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| No words. |
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| Family of 4! |
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