6 months

Current weight: 16 lbs 8 oz

Length: 27 in

I can't believe a half of a year has already gone by! This past month Max went on his first vacation. On the 15^th the two of us boarded a plane and began our trip to St. Augustine, Florida where I went to college. I missed my friends so much, and I had to get Max down there to meet his aunties. Max loved flying, and had a great time getting tons of attention from Dani, Cally, and Heather. We went on walks, shopped on St. George Street, visited the beach, saw the fort, and even went downtown for the Nights of Lights. It was a wonderful trip, I forgot how much I missed it there!

Likes: Max likes to grab everything in sight. If he spots something in arm's reach, its instantly in his hands, then in his mouth. He also has begun to really enjoy Sophie- his teething giraffe. This was my one splurge, but these things seemed amazing so I had to get it for him. Just in the past few days has he really started to chomp on her. He also really likes to sit up now, this is great for him since he always likes to see whats going on. I think of all things, he likes to have his picture taken the most. He cracks up and definitely knows how to smile for the camera.

Dislikes: Somewhere along the line, Max stopped using pacifiers and doesn't seem to enjoy them at all anymore. Just a few months ago I was worrying that he was so dependent on them, that sometime down the road we would have a hard time breaking him of using them. I'm not really sure when he stopped using them, but he definitely wont take them anymore. He has also had a super tough time in the car lately. He either sleeps, or screams and its not fun to drive with. Most times, clapping your hands can get him to stop, though. Its pretty funny to watch!

Sleeping habits: Ohhhh where do I start? It's been a rough month with many ups and downs. Max would always wake up the instant I put him down, and it was at least an hour process to get him to bed. Then I went to Florida, and Dani used her magic baby whisperer skills on Max and discovered that when you lay him down, you just have to roll him on his left side, pat his butt a little, and hes out like a light. So when I got home, sleeping was a breeze- for 3 days. Then Max would fall asleep, stay asleep for about an hour at a time, until he would wake up screaming and needed to be rocked back asleep. This went on for over a week, until I hit utter exhaustion. Getting 3-4 hours of sleep a night was not good for either one of us. Then, a few days ago, I laid Max down and he woke up about an hour later. I hit my breaking point. My back was killing me from toting around Max in his car seat all day and I just knew I couldn't get up every hour through the night while bouncing/rocking him. So, I let him cry. I swore I never would, but I couldn't be the mom I wanted to be with 4 hours of sleep a night so I had to do it. It only took him 15 minutes to get himself back to sleep and we haven't had any problems since!! I am so thankful to be getting some sleep again.

Eating: I made it to my goal!! Max has been breastfed for 6 months now, which was initially how long I wanted to make it. Since we made it that far, and I have no desire to stop, I would now like for Max to never be fed formula. This probably means another 6 months of nursing him. Nursing Max is way easier than I thought it would be, and rarely has been an inconvenience for me. He has also stated out eating fruits and veggies and so far has tried avocado, sweet potato, squash, peas, carrots, and pears. Next will probably be bananas. He also has cereal or oatmeal mixed in with milk every night for dinner. Hes definitely making progress with keeping the food in his mouth.

What he has learned: Max had learned to sit up on his own, while being able to grab things around him. While at Sandy's last week he went from laying down to sitting up all on his own! He does this in his bouncer a lot now, which makes life difficult for me sometimes because now I have to actually strap him in. We are currently working on making animal sounds, and he can sometimes screech like a monkey. Yeah I know monkeys don't screech...but they do if you ask Max! Its very cute, and he loves when I go “oo oo ah ah” like a monkey.

What I have learned: I have learned to stop following statistics and studies that come out about babies. When I was a baby, parents were told to put babies on their tummies to sleep, and we are now told not to- that babies need to go to bed sleeping on their backs due to SIDS. At one point, studies were taken to prove that vaccinations are linked to autism, and recently they have found out there is no link between the two. Then a few weeks ago I read that now parents should give their kids peanuts before two years and that solids should be started at 4 months debunking the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation that babies should be strictly breastfed until 6 months of age. So I have learned to do whats right in my mind, what makes me feel comfortable and safe in raising Max because following the current studies will just mean that sometime down the road, I will probably be kicking myself because it will be proved wrong.

These 6 months have went by so quickly! I am hoping the next six do as well, I am ready for warm weather and trips to the lake!

5 months old- time is passing too quickly!

Max's Many Smiles

Current weight: 15 lbs 8oz (I think my weight was off last month)

Length: 26.5 inches

Likes: His jumperoo!! He can last in this thing for up to an hour straight and jumps the entire time! This is now how I am able to get laundry done and other household chores, so I probably enjoy it as much as he does! Max also loves to yank at hair. I now know better than to wear mt hair down, and if I forget to pull it back, Max will remind me in under 5 seconds. Our yorkie, Peanut, has also been Max's buddy the past few weeks. He enjoys petting Peanut and grabbing his hair, and Peanut is starving for attention so bad that he likes it as well. Max always gets a smile on his face when looking at Peanut. In fact, the two are napping next to each other right now :).

Dislikes: Like most people, Max doesn't like to be sick. Last month he got a cold and got very wheezy, with a cough and runny nose, which he later gave to me. One night he woke up nearly every hour and the next day spent about an hour fussing. Nothing I could do would help him, it was very frustrating. I do realize this is mild compared to other babies. A few nights ago he did keep me up for 4 hours, and when I tried to lay him down he screamed. We were a bit worried he might have an ear infection, but he has slept pretty good the past two nights so I'm hoping it was just one bad night.

Sleeping habits: Not much has changed since last month, except Max is sleeping in until around 8 now. The late holiday parties threw us off a few nights, but for the most part hes pretty good at crashing between 8 and 9 pm. My huge problem is trying to lay him down after he falls asleep. He wakes up every time I lay him down. If your on facebook, you already know this, and know I don't want to go the “cry it out” route. I'm not opposed to it, I just don't want to listen to it. A friend of mine recommended the book The No Cry Sleep Solution, and I am currently reading through that.

Eating: Along with breast milk, Max has now started on organic whole grain baby rice. Now I am not an organic junkie (due to its high cost)...but it was only a quarter more for the organic box, so I went for it. I figure Max has eaten nothing but “natural” food for the first 4 months of his life, I might as well keep it up! I also have said in the past that my goal was to breastfeed for 6 months, and now I am quite confident I will last that long. My next goal may be to never feed my baby formula, or maybe intil I drop another size in my jeans, but I guess you will find out next month! I'm in no hurry to stop, though- I love the fact that it helps me burn a massive amount of calories without having to diet or step on a treadmill. But rest assured that I will never be one of those moms breastfeeding their child when the kid is old enough to ask for it. Soon I'm going to feed him a mashed up avocado. These are supposed to be a great first food for babies, look it up- they are a pretty amazing fruit (yep, they are considered a fruit)!

What he has learned: Max has now learned to roll from back to tummy. He loves to practice this, and does it every time I lay him on his back now. This is much different for him than rolling from tummy to back because he can do it but shows no care to do it. He has also began sitting up on his own, using his arms to help support him like a tripod. Over this past month he has also learned to grab everything in arm's reach. I used to sit him on my lap when eating dinner, which is now nearly impossible.
What I have learned: You can never have too many bibs with a drooling baby. Max slobbers through 10-15 bibs a day. So to all who have given us bibs: they are greatly appreciated, and used on a daily basis!! I'm hoping teeth come soon and this massive drooling ends.

Time seems to be flying by, and watching Max grow and learn new things daily is just so amazing to me. I feel extremely lucky to be able to call him my son. I know no greater privilege.

4 Months!

Ahh yes, so I said I wouldnt post pics of Max on my blog. But hes simply adorably, so I had to :)

Current weight: 15 lbs 9 oz

Length: 26 1/2 inches

Likes: Max loves to look at himself in the mirror. I think of all the people he looks at, he gets most excited at his own reflection. If I ever want to get a huge smile out of the little guy, I always put him in from of the mirror. He also really enjoys baths. He splashes and splashes and giggles and coos every bath, its simply adorable! Max also enjoys having his clothes off. I think this is partly why he loves baths so much, too. Every time I go to change him get get a huge grin because he gets to be partly naked, and when the clothes go back on he tends to fuss a little. He also really loves it when I lay on my back, bring my knees to my chest, and lay him on my shins. This gives me a great ab workout as well! Lastly, I think more than anything, Max loves to watch any kind of action. He has to be sitting up at all times looking around at whats going on. "Hes very alert" is a phrase uttered by 95% of the people that hold him.

Dislikes: Being hungry. Max really only fusses when hes hungry- the boy likes to eat!!

Sleeping habits: Bedtime tends to fall between 8:30-9. He wakes up around 4:30, then hes back to sleep anywhere from 5:30-7. He naps around 8, 11, and 3 every day as well. He unfortunately gotten into the bad habit of nursing himself to sleep for naps and bedtime....a habit that I hope to be broke soon. Eating: Still mommy's milk! Soon I am going to introduce him to cereal. I just want to talk it over with the pediatrician at next week's appointment.

What he has learned: To roll over! At 16 weeks he rolled from tummy to back. Hes very close to rolling over from back to tummy, but his arm gets stuck in the way. He has also learned to grab many things. He also began laughing this month, which is such a cool thing to hear!

What I have learned: I have learned that nursing really does help you lose weight! I am now 5 pounds under my pre-baby weight, which actually was my goal weight. I hope and plan to lost 5 more now, its just soooo nice to have a wardrobe back again!

Life with Max in it is simply amazing. I think its so awesome to watch him grow, be his mom, and show him love. He is such a precious little guy and I just adore him. He has exceeded all expectations of what life would be like with a child in it (now if only he could fulfill my dreams for him to play in the nba someday, lol). I'm not sure if it was the massive amounts of prayers said for him during my pregnancy, but I really feel so lucky to have such a wonderful and completely adorable baby :)

3 months!

Current weight: 13 lbs 12 oz

Length: 24 inches

Likes: "Dancing" Max really enjoys laying under his play mat, listening to the music play and kicking his arms and legs along with the beat. He also kind of bobs his body when rap music comes on...he gets that from him momma! Hes also a big fan of his bouncer (most of the time and in small doses). Hes got to have it on vibrate and he loves kicking the toys that dangle so he can hear the music...these songs now get stuck in my head when Im trying to fall asleep at night.

Dislikes: When his daddy talks really loud. Max barely fusses, but twice last month Jeremy was telling a story while holding Max, at one point in the story he was doing an impression and yelled a little. Max hated it, screamed and it took me a few minutes to calm him down.

Sleeping habits: I cant say enough about how amazing it is to have a routine! Max goes to bed at nine, wakes up at 2:30, and then again around 6. Hes usually up for good around 8, unless im subbing, then its 6. He naps at 9:30 and around 3, and also takes a short nap around 7. I did get really sick one night and the rest of the week he was the most horrific sleeper ever- he would wake up about every hour and not take any naps during the day, it was terrible, especially since I was trying to get better. Thankfully that didnt last.

Eating: Still breast milk. I have never been a huge advocate for breast feeding, because I wasnt sure I would be able to do it, and I think the formula that is made today is very good. My original reasons for deciding to breastfeed were that it was free, and I wanted to lose weight faster. (I have since determined that due to the massive amount that breastfed babies poop, the money you save all goes toward diapers.) This last month, however, has shown me that I made a terrific decision when deciding to nurse Max and heres why: When I got sick it was awful. I was up all night with diarrhea and vomiting. FOUR days after I was sick I felt great and decided to meet a friend for lunch, hang out with my sis, and attend my book club. I came in to contact with 10 people that day, and within two days, 8 of them had caught it. It spread like wildfire through their families and through daycare. BUT you know who didnt get it? Max! My three month old baby who has barely begun to develop an immune system did not catch it. This is all due to my milk. When I was sick my body was developing antibodies to fight the virus, these antibodies transferred through into my milk, but the virus did not, giving Max a strong advantage in fighting that crappy, super contagious illness. I also love the fact that I barely have to deal with bottles! And the bonding experience has been nothing but phenomenal.

What he has learned: Max's coordination has gotten much better in the last month. Hes very good at swatting at toys now. Hes also learned to put himself to sleep, and is getting much better at getting himself back to sleep when he makes up in the night. And just now (yeah I had to scroll up to add this) he discovered his feet!

What I have learned: Routine is critical! It has made my life so much easier when I began implementing a routine with Max. I have also learned that its impossible to please everyone with how you raise your child. Rarely does someone tell you your doing a great job, but so many (especially those mothers of multiple children) are very quick to judge that you are "too" attentive with your baby, or that you "spoil" them....and if you decide to back off someone is always there to tell you that your not doing enough. But thankfully I have a super easy baby, that rarely cries and is so full of love and smiles, that I feel as though I must be doing something right.

On a different note, next week will be Brody's two year angelversary. I can believe its been two years. Not a day has gone by that I haven't thought about him, missed him, or talked to him. Processing my emotions this year is very hard because I miss Brody so much and wish he was here, but I also know that Max would never be here if Brody was here. I have never imagined them growing up together, so in that aspect, I am not sad. Max hears about Brody all the time, and in sometimes I think Brody visits Max. So in some ways, Max and Brody will have a stronger bond than they ever would have. I know thats an kind of an odd way of thinking about it, but it is what it is. I will probably post again more about this on the 12th.

Two Months Old!

I decided to wait a day to update since Max went to the pediatrician today. I wanted to get accurate measurements of him. He got his two month vaccinations, which involved some crying- but it wasn't any worse that what I expected!

Current weight: 12 pounds 6 ounces

Length: 23 1/4 inches

Likes: Sitting up (with help of course). Max loves being sat up on someones knee so he can watch everything. He also likes to stand up and grunt and watch who is holding him. Sandy. This is Max's babysitter. She loves him so much, and you can tell he knows it! Staring at ceiling fans. It doesn't matter if they are on or off- hes not picky! His "paci." After eating, this is the one thing that really helps Max settle down. He has to have the soothie brand, no others will work (he also likes when someone sticks their finger in the end of it, which is something his cousin Riley just loves to do).

Dislikes: His medicine for thrush. About 10 days ago I took Max in to the doctor because his tongue was so white. While she wasn't convinced 100% it was thrush, she prescribed him some medicine to take care of it. Max hates getting this squirted into his mouth, and he usually gags on it and cries. Other than the medicine, there is nothing I have noticed that sets him off.

Sleeping habits: He is going to bed around 10:30, waking up once or twice in the night, and getting up for the day around 6. Usually by 8:30am we are ready for our first nap! lol

Eating: Max is still strictly on breast milk. Since I am back to subbing part time, I have to pump and he is given a bottle. I feel bad for Sandy, though, because Max isn't too good at drinking from a bottle. They all seem too fast for him. I have tried Medela, Avent, and Playtex bottle all "wide mouth, slow flow" nipples and they all seem too fast for him. If you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them!

What Max has learned: To hold his head up. Hes getting really good at this, but still bobbles. He loves to work on it, though! He also has started cooing last week and laughing a little bit. His social smile is definitely developed, he busts out his huge jester grin when just after a long nap (and many other times throughout the day). Just last week he found that sucking his thumb can help soothe him as well, but has only done this twice (that I know of).

What I have leaned: That avoiding eye contact after a certain time every night does wonders for getting a baby to fall asleep, this also works through the night as well. Eye contact really stimulates a baby, so this is one way to help calm them down at night. Also I learned today that Max should be taking more naps and that I need to establish a better routine for the little guy- so that is what I will be working on this coming month.

One month old!

One month in, and I couldn't be happier. Right now I am listening to Max in his swing, humming along and making the cutest noises anyone could ever hear. Here are a few stats about our little blessing:
Current weight: 10 pounds 12 ounces
Likes: Max seems to really love tummy time. We do it every morning when he is the most active and he tries so hard. He likes lifting his head and kicking up his legs in attempt to turn over.
Dislikes: Max doesnt seem to like laying flat on his back. He can crash out in pretty much every position, except if I put him flat on his back. He flails his arms and legs and grunts a whole lot as soon as hes put down.
Sleeping habits: Up until the past few days, Max fell asleep around 11 pm, woke around 3, 5,7, and up for good around 9 am. Then he would fall back asleep around 1pm until 7pm and back asleep at 11pm again. But the last two days hes been thrown off and has only gotten up twice in the night, but one of those times hes up for about 2.5 hours which is not fun! But I always nap once a day, so the lack of sleep hasn't really fazed me. Max is also a really loud sleeper, he grunts a lot throughout the night!
Eating: Max is still nursing and its going really great. Next week we are going to introduce a bottle of my milk to him for when I start back up at work. I plan to nurse as long as possible, six months is essentially my main goal.

All-in-all our first month was amazing and flew by. I love this child more and more every day, and little by little his personality peeks its way out. Life is lovely!

Birth Story/ First days

I know our birth story was scheduled and well thought out, as opposed to the usual waking-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night/water-breaking/contractions-and-pushing stories that most can share, ours was still precious :) I woke up that morning, got showered, dressed, and walked the dogs and we headed out the door around 7 am. Once we finally got to the hospital, I got changed, my IV was started, blood was drawn, and my vitals were taken. I was completely relaxed, and STILL at this point I couldn't get it in my head that I was about to have a baby. The anesthesiologist came in and talked to me about what they were going to do, and at that point I was just extremely nervous. I was more concentrated on going in to surgery than having a baby and I was pretty shaky. Then they wheeled in the girl that was scheduled right before me, I saw her first, and then the dad wheeling in the baby on the cart. This was the first it REALLY hit me that I was about to meet my son, and I totally lost it. I could not stop crying, I was so happy. During this time, a student nurse was walking over to introduce herself, saw me crying and felt so bad because she thought I was scared. It was nice to tell her I was just so happy :)
Next they wheeled me in to my operating room so I could get my spinal, and get fully prepped for surgery. Part way in Jeremy was able to join me which was such a relief. All of the sudden my doctor says "dad you can stand up if you would like to watch your son being born." It was amazing to watch Jeremy watch our son being born, and as I heard his first cry I completely lost it. Just the sound of his cry alone made me the happiest person in the world, I was so overwhelmed with joy to get him here I couldn't keep the tears in. It felt like an eternity before I could see him. I heard them say he was 7 pounds 8 ounces and was 20 inches long. Then Jeremy brought him over and layed him on my chest and the tears flowed and I realized just how lucky I am to be this little boys mom.
Since birth, Max has been nothing short of amazing. In his first 12 hours he pooped 7 times- which is a sign on a very healthy baby. Usually they hope that a child poops once in 24 hours. He immediately picked up on breastfeeding, and he was able to escape getting jaundice like almost every baby gets. He only gets up twice during the night, usually around 1 and again around 5:30. I am sleeping better now than when I was pregnant! He rarely cries, but almost always does when hes being changed. Hes not a fan of being swaddled, hes very strong and can usually kick his blanket off in his sleep. When awake he loves to look around and almost always follows the sound of his mommy and daddy's voices. Hes simply perfect :)
I am recovering MUCH better than my last csection. I was able to get up and out of bed within 12 hours of surgery and was walking in the halls the next day. My only setback was when we got home I fell asleep on the couch and my 16 pound yorkie climbed on the back of the couch and leaped right on to my belly. It was definitely horrendous pain, but by that night Jeremy and I were able to take Max and the dogs for a lap around the park.
Life now just feels so complete. Everything we went through, and every bit of pain was worth it to get this little boy here safe. I know that Brody is watching over him, we still feel him so close. In moments, my entire life has changed, I have never known such a feeling of happiness in my entire life.