2 Weeks Old!

Maxwell was born two weeks ago this morning. I can't believe how quickly the time has gone, yet like I said before, I can't remember not having him. I remember I used to get more sleep at night, but other than that...

We had a wonderful Christmas here at home with my parents and sister's family. My niece Sadie would have held Max 24 hrs a day if we would have let her. My sister said that she would have glued him to her if it was possible! She is a good cousin.

Max has his next pediatric appt. tomorrow. He will get his little heel poked again to check out his PDK. He did very well with the first one. I am excited to see how big he has grown since he has double the amount that he is eating over the last few days. He is a big boy!

Sweet face!

Not so sure about this bath thing!

Cousin Sadie and Max

Family Christmas Picture!

Heeeer's Maxwell

I'm sorry I was not able to put up a quick post letting everyone know that his arrival was upon us. I was taken totally off guard as my water broke (exploded is more like it) last Tuesday night around 5:30. Curt was not home from work yet and I was on the phone with a friend when all of a sudden... gush! I called Curtis and we immediately moved to DEFCON 5. My Mom and Dad hopped in the car and drove all night to be with us at the birth, and they beat him by about 6 hours. I was super grateful for the support of Curtis and my Doula Stephanie during the wee hours of the night. I labored for about 9 hours with no significant dilation, so the Dr. ordered Pitocin to be pushed mainly because my amniotic fluid was meconium stained. He didn't want to risk Max inhaling any of the fluids. At that point I decided an epidural was in order... it was lovely, other than mu left leg was totally dead! People had to move the "dead leg" for me whenever necessary.

I pushed for only about 20 min or so when my Dr. decided that I was not going to push him out without help. So at 10:40 am on December 16th, Maxwell was brought into this world. He weighed 9 lbs. and 8 oz., and was 22" long! Really though it was his head size that was the problem... 14.5 cm around! I wan not about to pass that kid through without intervention from the doctor. Although my recovery process has been slow and painful due to anemia, I am finally on the road to recovery! And he was worth every bit of the pain!

He is beautiful! I just can't stop staring at him and am trying to fathom how he came from inside of me! I remember his first ultrasound at 5 weeks where he was a tiny speck with a slight flicker for a heartbeat. He came a long way and I am amazed at how perfect he turned out. It's also amazing that although he has been with us for less than a week now, I can't remember life without him.

I am really grateful for Curtis and my parents for how well they have taken care of us. The hospital staff was amazing as well, and I appreciate every nurse, nurse's assistant, the nurse anesthetist, and my doctor for helping us as well. Two people have never been so well cared for! I am getting a little spoiled honestly, and will be in for a big shock when my parents leave and Curtis gets back to work! Hopefully I will have a regular routine down by then!

Well, other than some pictures, I will sign off for now. Thanks for all of your encouragement and prayers. God truly did bless our family last week!

DEFCON 4

So we are officially on baby watch. I have gone to bed each night since last Monday wondering if I might wake up in labor. At my last appointment, the Dr. said it could be about any time. Well that was a week ago Monday, and I am still pregnant. I told everyone at church today that this was the LAST week I would be coming to church still in my delicate condition. I have strange feelings on occasion in my abdomen, but I cannot tell if it is a contraction pushing in or Max pushing out. Either way, they have not been regular at all. I have my 39+ week appointment tomorrow, so we'll see where we are at then.

I am ready... and not the "I'm am so uncomfortable, I can't take anymore" ready, but more of the "I am excited for him to be here" ready. Plus each day that goes by means his birthday is getting closer to Christmas. I would like a little separation between the two events!

I have been busy since finishing my semester last Tuesday (thank goodness for that) baking cookies for the neighbors and Christmas shopping for the family. I really live day to day right now, so I have no concept of how close Christmas really is right now. If I did, I may not be able to sleep very well! But as it is, ignorance is bliss, and so is a good nights sleep.

Well, I hope to upgrade to DEFCON 5 really soon, and I will try to send out a quick note when that occurs. Check back as the blessed event is upon us!

How we found out...

that we were having a baby? Good story, kind of! It all started when Curtis was making dinner for me one night and he told me that it would be about an hour until we were going to eat. I was so hungry that I totally lost it and was griping at him. He looked at me and asked "What is your problem, are you pregnant or something?" and I shot back "Maybe!". Well that set us off laughing hysterically, but also had us thinking as well. We had some early pregnancy test strips so I though I would give one a try, just for fun. I took the test and waited the obligatory 3 minutes. The test line was very obvious, but I didn't see anything else. I was about to throw it away when I noticed the faintest second line. I decided not to get too excited, and waited to retest in the morning when the hormone levels are supposed to be highly concentrated. First thing in the morning I hopped up and tested again with the same results. Curtis and I agreed not to think to much of the results and to wait a few days before trying again.

The next week I had been up a good portion of one night because I wasn't feeling very well. I called in sick to work and decided to take it easy for the day. I called Curtis at work and asked him to run by the store on the way home for lunch and pick up some soup for me. He also decided to pick up another pregnancy test for me while he was there. I was laid up on the couch watching "Baby Mama" (how appropriate) when he walked through the door and handed me the test, so I went into the restroom and did my thing. I saw the plus sign IMMEDIATELY but I decided to wait the full three minutes before really getting excited. After impatiently sitting on the couch for a few minutes, I went back in and the plus sign was still there! We were so excited! Curtis rescued the test from the trash long enough to take a picture and have proof that Max was on the way. I has been a long 32 weeks since then!

Why Maxwell?

We have a lot of people ask where we came up with the name Maxwell Abraham. Mainly we are asked if it is a family name. The answer to that is yes and no... Abraham is definitely a family name. It was Curtis' grandfather's name, although he went by Abe his whole life. Apparently, he always thought his name was Abe until he had his birth certificate reprinted later in life. What a shock!

The name Max I have liked for a really long time. I do have an uncle named Max (Max is actually his middle name) so it is sort of a family name, but not in the sense that every generation of my family must have a boy named Maxwell. I have a couple of friends that had beat me to the name, so we debated other first names... but they didn't really match well with the middle name (Isaac Abraham, a little too biblical!). We weren't too worried about it since I was convinced he was a girl. However, once I found out he was a boy I secretly was calling him Maxwell in my head. Once my Mom started referring to him as Maxwell I figured it was a lost cause. So Max it is! I love the name, so long as no one calls him Maxie! Blech!

30 week and 33 week belly pics

Ok so as promised, a couple of new photos of me and my ever-expanding belly. It's amazing how adaptable our bodies really are. I just can't believe that he still has approximately 6 weeks of growing left to do! The first picture is 30 weeks and the next one was at 33 weeks.

School continues to keep me extremely busy and the time just seems to be flying by! We also started our childbirth classes last week at the hospital and had to watch the graphic birth video on night 1! You know the one, that was shot in the 70's and everyone has terrible teeth and hair. I don't think Curtis noticed much except the teeth! Not true, he couldn't get over the shape of the head and the color the baby came out. Next week we tour the hospital and see all the amenities. It is a very nice hospital!

Well on the health front, I did get the H1N1 vaccine this week. Hopefully we are fully protected now! Curtis still has not had his, but he is not in the high risk group, other than he works in the medical profession. The shot is just so scarce here! It doesn't seem to be as big a deal anymore, but better safe than sorry.

Well I better log off for now. I have an exam later today and I need to head up to school early for a little last minute studying (I never cram!). Hope everyone is doing well and check back later this week for pictures from my church baby shower!

32 Weeks and Counting

I had my 32 week check up yesterday, and everything is going well for Max and I. His heartbeat was strong and he has now turned so that his head is down. Things are starting to get serious around here... Curt and I start our birth classes at the hospital this week. Until now I had sort of ignored the "birth" part of the scenario, but no more. We had a meeting with our doula last night to start going over our birth preferences. If you don't know what a doula is, stay tuned because I plan to do a blog about it at some point.

Busy, busy, busy

I haven't had a lot of spare time lately to write on my blog, plus I don't know that I have anything new and terribly exciting to report. Mainly I have been incredibly busy with school work and things just seem to be snowballing through to the end of the semester. I just finished a paper for one of my classes, but I did not get that sense of relief that comes along with turning in a major assignment. Probably because I have two more big grades nipping at the heels of this one. It does help the time to pass quickly, but I wonder if I am shorting my enjoyment of the last few weeks of pregnancy by being so stressed. But how enjoyable are the last few weeks supposed to be anyway? I am really getting to the point where I am having frequent back pain and my stomach is often sore. Max has also found a fairly tender spot on my right side, and continues to kick it! Fortunately I am still sleeping well (knock on wood) and I have a good amount of energy. Needless to say, my blogs may be few and far between until the end of the semester but maybe Curtis will step in and write a few from his perspective. I will however step in and continue to update after I have a check up so everyone knows how Max and I are doing.

On a high note, my trip to Camp Quality reunion in Dallas was wonderful. I had such a great time seeing the kids and their families, plus a few that were not able to make it to camp this year. I also have so many incredible friends and I wish I would have had more time to really visit with each of them. My favorite moment from the weekend was when one of our blind campers was sitting next to me and was feeling the pregger belly. I moved her hand to where his feet should be and he kicked her hand. That was such a joy for me and she seemed to enjoy it as well. I have also taken a position on the planning committee for next year and hope I will do a good job. It will be my job to recruit volunteers for camp, especially now that we are moving to a new campground that will accommodate more kids. Be prepared to be recruited!!!

I guess that is all for now. I will try to take another belly picture and post for your viewing pleasure soon. My next appointment is this coming Monday, so if nothing else I will update after that.

The Big 3-0

No, this entry is not in reference to my age, I have left that number behind me. It's how far along I am in my pregnancy as of today. I had a check up with my doctor earlier this afternoon and he said that everything looks good and that Max's heartbeat sounded strong. My next appointment is in two weeks and soon it will be every week which means it's getting close to the end for us! He did palpatate and tell me where Max's head is... and it's where I guessed it is, under my ribs on the right side. Max must be getting a little cramped in there because within the last week he has been stretching out and putting some pressure on my pelvic bones, which makes me a little uncomfortable! The doctor expects that he will flip around within the next couple of weeks and start to "assume the position". Overall though I am still enjoying my pregnancy although I am still more than a little nervous for what is coming next. I asked if we would have another ultrasound before he was born, and the answer was no. The next time I see Max it will be in the flesh! I guess it's a sign that everything is going well and the doctor has no reason to look in on him again, and I took that as good news. I did however opt to get my seasonal flu shot today but I have to wait for the H1N1 as it is still not available here. I typically don't get the flu shot, but I am trying to do what is best for myself and Max.

Oh the Places You Have Been! part 3

Trip #5, Camp Quality July 2009-

So the next trip on my list was one that Max and I went on without Curtis, who unfortunately he had to stay home and work off the debts from all of our other travels! I started volunteering with CQTX last summer when my friend Sara asked me to be the camp photographer. I sort of reluctantly agreed, but I am so glad that I did. I have enjoyed being affiliated with this organization so much that there was no way that a little thing like being pregnant was going to keep me away from seeing our campers and all of my friends. The theme of camp was "Superheroes" and the whole week was filled with lots of fun activities. Some I participated in (Max and I both had our first hot air balloon ride) while others I gratefully passed up (zip-lines have NEVER appealed to me!). Plus, it was during camp that I felt Max move for the first time, and that so special. All in all it was a terrific week and I was grateful to have the camp nurses as well as so many other friends looking out for us, and I am looking forward seeing most everyone at reunion next week.

Max, Sara and I riding in the hot air balloon. Sorry I don't have more pictures here, but that is one of the perks of being the photographer!

Trip #6, Great Wolf Lodge, September 2009-

So now we are up to the last trip of the summer. My extended family tries to get together every labor day weekend and this year we chose a hotel/waterpark for this trip. This was the second trip to GWL for my immediate family. I had a great time on the last visit riding on the big slides and splashing in the pools with the kids, but it was not quite the same this time... at least in the park. I did however enjoy visiting with family and eating out at a couple of my favorite restaurants. The highlight of the trip was a wedding (my cousin married his long-time girlfriend) and a surprise baby shower for Max. Everyone gave us so many wonderful gifts, but I was/am especially grateful for their love and support for Curtis and I over the years. Sorry that I don't have any pictures from the shower, I didn't know I needed my camera!

Well, other than heading for Dallas in a week for camp reunion, I think I am done with most of my traveling until after Max's arrival. It has been nice to relax without packing a bag every couple of weeks, but school has taken over keeping me busy and a little stressed. Maybe Max will arrive early and save me from finals!

Oh the Places You Have Been! part 2

Trip #3, Mexico 2009-

This was our BIG trip of the summer, one of those types of trips for which you have to break out the passports. We went with our good friends Byron and Letha to Playa del Carmen on the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico. The trip made me a little apprehensive as this was just a few weeks after the swine flu had started to spread and it was all the American news stations talked about. However my doctor assured me that I (and Max) would be fine and I believed him, especially since his daughter was there on her honeymoon the week before us. We flew down and met our friends at our resort called the Mayan Palace. It was a busy trip and we split our time between diving (Curt and Byron) and snorkeling (all of us) and touring some of the amazing Mayan ruins in the area. Tourism was way down for that time of the year probably due to the flu scare, and that was fine with me. Still seemed like a lot of people in some areas, but I realize how much worse it could have been. It was also very hot! I never went far without a bottle of water or two with me. Overall the trip was a lot of fun and Max didn't slow me down too much, I was just careful to alternate strenuous days with relaxing pool days!

This is Chichen Itza, one of the ruins we visited. It seemed to me that there were a lot of tourists there on that day, but according to tour guides the numbers were way down. They don't let you climb the ruins anymore, which was FINE with me! The stairs are steep and the ledges on each step are tiny.
Our friends Byron and Letha posing in front of the Caribbean.
Here we are in front of Tulum which is another Mayan ruin. It sits in a cliff overlooking the Caribbean ocean.
Trying to stay cool and shady at Chichen Itza.

Trip #4, St. Maries, ID June-July 2009-

No rest for the weary! We were home from Mexico maybe three full days before heading back to Dallas and hopping on another plane and heading for Idaho. This was part of the overall scheme to get Curtis' whole family together as a surprise for his dad's birthday, and surprise them we did! We had not told anyone in his family about our pregnancy yet, that is just the sort of news you want to tell in person and this was the perfect opportunity. We had to divulge our secret right away because our first activity of the trip was... another amusement park! Aaack. This time it was Silverwood which is just outside of Coeur d'Alene. Again I watched as everyone else went on lots of fun rides and some others that would have made me vomit pregnant or not! My niece Anika and I eventually made it around to the lazy river and floated for a good part of the afternoon. That I enjoyed very much. The rest of the weekend was spent at Curt's house eating, playing games and setting off a ridiculous number of fireworks. The nephews were in heaven. It was a great trip, but I was ready to get home and stay put... if only for a short time!

Curtis and his dad throwing some horseshoes in the back yard. That do A LOT of that when we are home!
Our niece Emma playing "tea party" in her swimming pool. It was warm for the northerners that weekend, but it felt great to us, especially at night!
My niece Anika hanging out and watching the boys on the slip and slide. She spends a lot of time now texting and talking to her friends on the phone. She is a true teenager! Yikes, that means we are getting older too.

Grandpa with all of his grandkids (well the ones that have been born anyway!) We had delicious red velvet cake that night (my favorite) and played games after. I hope he had a wonderful, and surprising birthday!

Stay tuned for the conclusion of our travels!

Oh the Places You Have Been! part 1

I know the title of the very adorable Dr. Suess book is "Oh, the Places You Will Go" but this post is about all the trips Curtis and I have taken since we found out that I was pregnant with Max. This will be a reminder to him someday when he says "Mommy we never go anywhere!" I can say "What about that trip to _____? Was that nowhere?". Seriously though Curtis and I have done more traveling around this year than any other, and in some cases being pregnant didn't affect the total experience too much, on others it did!

Trip #1, April 2009-

We finally made it back to Omaha! Curt and I lived there for three years while he was attending dental school at Creighton and I worked on my master's degree at UNO. We loved living there and we still refer to it often as our first real home. We also had fabulous friends while we lived there and had the opportunity to see a few of them this trip although many have also moved on. Our purpose in going to Omaha was to attend Dr. Geluso's farewell seminar at UNO, but it was the type of excuse we finally needed to go back. I was probably only about 5-6 weeks pregnant at the time and the whole eating issues were just starting to show up. It wasn't too much of a problem until the Herefordt's took us to Lo Sole Mio, my favorite restaurant while we lived there. I didn't enjoy my carbonara as much as I wanted to, sigh. Oh well, I guess we will have to go back!! It was so great seeing the folks we did and taking a long walk down memory lane (although that place has changed!). Overall it was a fabulous trip! Miss you guys much!

Trip #2, May 2009-

The second weekend of this month we packed and headed once again to familiar territory, Disneyland! When Curtis was stationed in Port Hueneme we had season passes and visited the "Happiest Place on Earth" often. We flew first to El Paso where we met up with my family. From there we flew out to sunny California where we immediately needed jackets! They did not know yet about me being pregnant and we decided to surprise my mom with the news on Mother's day, aka Nona's day! We had to tell our news mainly because I wasn't able to go on most of the rides in my delicate condition, and that would have clued them in anyway! I was only 9-10 weeks along at this time, but my mom swears my belly already looked different. Gee thanks mom! The trip was fun although I was limited again by my soured stomach, and the fact that I couldn't ride Space Mountain 200 times. I think the highlights of the trip for me was seeing the new Star Trek film in IMAX and muffins from Mimi's. We'll go back one of these days, so I didn't feel like I missed out on too much!

Nona and Papa hanging out in a giant O? We took pictures with the CALIFORNIA letters outside of California Adventure. They are tearing them down soon so I'm glad we got some pics before that tragedy occurs.
The Simmons' heading in after breakfast. They opened and closed the park everyday we were there. They squeezed every bit of fun they could out of that place!
I "borrowed" some Mickey ears from Bo to take a quick Disneyland picture. I was also showing off my new Jack Skellington sweatshirt. I do love Jack!
Curtis hanging out in the big C. My idea is to collage them all together into a family photo.

Check back for the conclusion of this post soon!

The three M-egos

Here are some pictures of the three M's... Myself, Mackie and Maxwell. My poor kitty has always slept right on my chest and belly since he was tiny and we have had to go through a period of transition. However as you can see we usually make it work somehow. This first picture was taken just a couple of days ago, so I am at approximately 28 weeks.

This next picture was taken at approximately 18 weeks. I'm not completely sure of the date, but I don't think I could feel Max moving quite yet, and I started feeling him at camp which was about week 19. However, the bump was beginning to show!
So far the animals have been accepting of the pregnancy and I haven't noticed too much of a change in their behavior. Actually the cats have loved it so far because there have been lots of boxes to explore and climb on. However that may all change when Max is actually here and they don't get quite as much attention.

Here is Max at his 20 week ultrasound when we found out his gender. I was so convinced that he was a girl that I was totally shocked to find out differently. So much for mother's intuition! It took me about 24 hours to get used to the idea, and now I am just so excited to be having a boy. To help me get excited about having a boy I went to the mall and started looking at cute boy outfits. The first outfit I bought for him has a chameleon on it and was marked down to $.99. What a bargain! If only everything we were going to buy for him for the next ___ years could be that cheap. I hope he likes all things animals like his mom and dad!

Here is our 10 week ultrasound of Max. I was amazed at how much he had changed in just 4 weeks. He was only a tiny speck in the first one and this time I could see arms, legs and a brain (yay for a brain!) I couldn't help but cry a little during this ultrasound.

Approximately 12 Weeks to Go!!

I have been talking about starting this blog for a long time, ever since I found out I was pregnant. Well here it finally is and I hope to be very diligent with it for the sake of family and friends that live some distance from us and will not get to see our baby as often as they would like.

So we are at approximately week 28 of the pregnancy and I feel really good, and blessed to feel this way. I have been busy this fall with classes and all the assignments that come along with it which is good in a way. It has helped the time to pass a little more quickly and I am usually so concerned with getting through another week of school that I am surprised to find that I have also moved through another week of pregnancy. It is bad in the fact that I am so focused on school that I have not really prepared for Max's arrival. The nursery is a total wreck!! We are getting new carpet laid next week and so I have been putting off arranging the room until after that has occurred. But we are probably a little overly cautious and picky about things that it took Curtis and I a long time to settle on things like furniture and a mattress. That is all slowly resolving and things are beginning to come together. I will attach pictures when the nursery is completed.

Our family has been a tremendous support to us so far, probably because they weren't so sure that we would ever have a baby. My Mom swears she always knew we would and I have to admit she was right. So far it has been a real joy for Curtis and I and we are excited about what comes next. However I will miss being pregnant, and I never thought I would be that type of person to make that claim. Having said that, ask me in about 8 weeks and I may feel completely different. I am also nervous about getting through with my semester and nearing the end of my pregnancy, but my instructors have all been supportive so I know that I will get it done eventually. Hopefully they will accept a term paper e-mailed from the delivery room!

Speaking of class, I should get back to studying for an exam next week. Please check back periodically for new updates and pictures.